Starship Troopers
Screenplay by Edward Neumeier
Based on the novel by Robert Heinlein
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1 FROM THE
FEDERAL NET -- NOTICE -- JOIN UP NOW !
Proud YOUNG
PEOPLE in uniform, the bloom of human evolution.
YOUNG
PEOPLE
I'm
doing my part... Me, too...
Are you
?
The mobile
infantery logo: LIGHTNING BOLTS ON A
BLACK SHIELD.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Join the
mobile infantery and save the world !
Service
guarantees citizen-ship.
Would
you like to know more ?
2 BUG METEOR:
Behold actual
pictures of a METEOR, this one a mile across, as it hurtles
past an
observation ship.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
The Bugs
send another meteor our way !
A BRIGHT
EXPLOSION in space out beyond the moon.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
But this
time we are ready !
Planetary
defenses are better than ever !
Would
you like to know more ?
3 KLENDATHU ---
WHY WE HAVE TO FIGHT !
Klendathu, a
fierce orange planet ringed by an asteroid belt,
orbits a
double star.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Klendathu,
source of the bug meteor attacks,
orbits a
twin star system whose brutal gravitational
forces
produce an unlimited supply of meteorites...
A "You
are here" map of the KNOWN GALAXY shows the Earth in
relationship
to the BUG PLANETARY SYSTEM and Klendathu.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
To
ensure the safety of our solar system,
Klendathu
must be eliminated !
Would
you like to know more ?
4 LIVE BROADCAST
-- FROM ORBIT - THE INVASION OF KLENDATHU !
For BATTLE
GROUPS, sixty STARSHPS strong, orbit the orange planet.
Graphics: KLENDATHU: THE
INVASION
OFFICIAL
VOICE
We break
net now and take you live to Klendathu
where the invasion has begun !
5 EXT KLENDATHU -- NIGHT -- THE CAMERA
takes the
Mobile Infantery CAP TROOPERS wearing fully armed Marauder
POWER SUITS as
they move up the line, the pans to the
NET
CORRESPONDENT
NET
CORRESPONDENT
We 've
just landes here on whar cap troopres are calling
"Big
K" with the 6th Mobile Infantery division...
It 's an
ugly planet, a bug planet, a planet hostile to
life as
we iGKKKKKK !
Blood hits the
lens as the Correspondent is cut in half.
The CAMERA
catches a glimpse of HUGE CLAWS as Cap Trooper
JOHNNY RICO ,
18, blows away SOMETHING BIG big with his pulse cannon.
JOHNNY
Com'on,
let's go ! ON THE BOUNCE
The cap
troopers move out, among them DIZZY FLORES, 18, ACE
LEVY, 19, and
KITTEN SMITH, 18. The CAMERA pauses, unsure.
FED
NET CENTRAL (O.S.)
FOLLOW
THEM...! GO ! GO !
The CAMERA
follows. The PULSE of BUG BATTERIES is blinding.
Cap Troopers
scream as they are torn apart right and left by an enemy
seen only in
disorientating glimpses.
JOHNNY
THIS WAY
!
The group
splits into two, and the CAMERA follows Johnny.
Something
slices Kitten Smith, and he goes down screaming.
JOHNNY
KITTEN !
Johnny stops
to help his comrade. A CLAW slashes into him.
JOHNNY
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
!
Now something
grabs the CAMERA, spinning it around.
We glimpse the
hideous jaws of an ARACHNID WARRIOR.
CAMERAMAN
(O.S.)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
!
The CAMERA
hits the ground. Johnny, badly wounded, bleeding
from the
mouth, crawls into CAMERA, trying to get away from the
dark INSECT
SHAPES that close in on him.
JOHNNY
Oh,
God... Oh, God, help me...
please
help me...
His eyes glaze
over as he remembers
FLASHBACK:
6 INT NEW UNI HIGH - CLASSROOM - DAY - CARMEN
IBANEZ
is beautiful,
just 18, and quite pleased with herself
because
Johnny Rico is
clearly infatuated with her.
RASCZAK
(O.S.)
The end
of another school year, and for
me no
doubt another failure...
Rico,
pay attention !
The teacher
JEAN RASCZAK, 38, a rugged veteran who proudly
displays his
missing hand, scowls at Johnny, bemused.
JOHNNY
Sorry,
Mr. Rasczak.
But as soon as
Rasczak turns back to the class, Johnny begins to sketch
a cartoon on
his desk's touch screen.
RASCZAK
Here in
History and Moral Philosophy
we've
explored the decline of
Democracy
when social scientists brought
the
world to the brink of chaos, and how the
veterans
took control and imposed a stability
that has
lasted for generations since...
You know
these facts but have I taught you
anything
of value ? You.
Why are
only citizens allowed to vote ?
Rasczak points
at LANNY, 17, with his stump
.
LANNY
It's a
reward... what the Federation gives you
for
doing Federal Service.
Rasczak is
crestfallen, makes a big show of patience.
RASCZAK
No.
Something given has no value !
Haven't
I taught you dimwits anything ?
I guess
they ought to revoke my
teaching
credential...
Laughter.
Johnny's cartoon, meanwhile, is taking shape:
Johnny and
Carmen flying round planet Venus in a space ship.
RASCZAK
When you
vote, you're exercising political
authority.
You're using force. And force, my
friends,
is violence, the supreme authority
from
which all other authority derives.
CARL JENKINS,
18, a superintelligent geek, jumps in.
CARL
Gee, we
always thought you were the
supreme
authority, Mr. Rasczak.
Laughter.
Rasczak grins.
RASCZAK
In my
classroom, you bet. Whether it's
exerted
by ten or ten billion, political
authority
is violence by degree. The
people
we call citizens have earned
the
right to wield it.
DIZZY FLORES,
18, athletic, pretty, no nonsense, chimes in.
DIZZY
My
mother always says that violence
never
solves anything.
RASCZAK
Really ?
I wonder what the city fathers of
Hiroshima
would have to say about that.
You.
Rasczak points
at Carmen.
CARMEN
They
probably wouldn't say anything.
Hiroshima
was destroyed.
Johnny presses
´"SEND" on his desk, and the cartoon appears
across the way
on Carmen's screen.
RASCZAK
Correct.
Naked force has settled more
issues
in history than any other factor.
The
contrary opinion 'violence never
solves
anything' is wishful thinking
at its
worst.
While Rasczak
looks away, Carmen throws Johnny her wonderful
smile, and
Johnny's gone, checked out, flying round Venus.
RASCZAK
People
who forget that always pay...
They pay
with their lives and their
freedom.
Dizzy notices
the dreamy look on Johnny's face.
So does
Rasczak. He points at him with his stump,
snaps Johnny
to.
RASCZAK
You.
Tell me the moral difference,
if any,
between the citizen and the civilian ?
JOHNNY
The
difference lies in the field of civic
virtue.
A citizen accepts personal
responsibility
for the safety of the body politic,
of which
he is a member, defending it,
if need
be, with his life.
The
civilian does not.
RASCZAK
The
exact words of the text. But do
you
understand it ?
Do you
believe it ?
JOHNNY
Uh, I
don't know.
RASCZAK
Of
course you don't. I doubt if any
of you
here would recognize 'civic virtue'
if it
bit you in the ass.
A bell rings.
Rasczak shrugs, indifferent.
RASCZAK
Well,
that's it. Have a nice life.
7 EXT NEW UNI HIGH - HALLWAY - DAY - JOHNNY AND
CARMEN
walk with
their friends. Several COUPLES hold hands. Johnny
tries to take
Carmen's hand, but she demurs. Johnny broods.
CARMEN
C'mon,
let's see if they've posted the
math
final test yet.
STUDENT
Hey,
Rico, we gonna take Tesla ?
JOHNNY
How
should I know ?
STUDENT
You're
captain of the team !
8 EXT QUAD - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
join other
students around a MULTI-SCREEN KIOSK.
CARMEN
First
thing Fleet Academy looks at
is your
math scores.
Wish me
luck !
Carmen enters
her name, receives her score: 97% ! She beams.
JOHNNY
Good for
you.
CARMEN
Your
turn...
Then she spots
Carl across the way talking with MARCO, 17.
CARMEN
Hold
on... I wanna talk to Marco.
His
sister's at Fleet !
Carmen rushes
off. Johnny checks his score: 35% !
Crushed, he
makes sure no
none else has seen. Carl walks up to him.
CARL
You
still haven't kissed her yet ? Don't lie.
JOHNNY
What's
the hurry ?
CARL
Others
are waiting.
Carl points
out Dizzy, talking with friends.
JOHNNY
Did you
read her mind ?
CARL
Don't
have to... Some mating semaphore
is
pretty hard to miss.
It's true. You
can tell by the way she looks at Johnny.
JOHNNY
Yeah,
but I want Carmen.
CARL
You got
it bad.
Carmen returns
to Johnny as Carls heads off.
CARL
Don't
forget about this afternoon.
(to
Carmen)
He's
always late when he walks you home
to fish
for a kiss.
Carmen
blushes, covers.
CARMEN
She's
flying starships !
JOHNNY
Who ?
CARMEN
Marco's
sister. Can you imagine
maneuvering
half a million tons through
crwoded
space lanes...
You
gotta have nerves of steel !
Reflexes
are critical
JOHNNY
I have
good reflexes.
Carmen notices
the way Dizzy's looking at Johnny, doesn't
like it one
bit, takes Johnny's arm.
CARMEN
C'mon
Johnny, we'll be late for Biology.
9 INT BIOLOGY LAB
-- DAY - THE BIOLOGY TEACHER
is an older
woman, very spry, also blind. Johnny, Carmen and
other students
gather around covered lab tables.
BIOLOGY
TEACHER
For our
final today, please identify the mouthparts,
the
abdominal organs, and for extra credit, locate the
nerve
cord and count the ganglia.
You may
begin.
The students
remove the cover to reveal large alien bugs, 60
centimeter
ARKELLIAN SAND BEETLES laid out for dissection.
CARMEN
Eeuch !
JOHNNY
Aw,
c'mon, it's just a bug.
BIOLOGY
TEACHER
Just a
bug, eh ? We humans like to think we are
Nature's
finest achievement. I'm afraid it isn't
true.
This Arkellian Sand Beetle is superior in many
ways. It
has fewer moving parts, can reproduce itself
in vast
numbers, and unboud by concerns of ego and
mortality,
makes the perfect selfless member of
society.
JOHNNY
Better
put your goggles on.
Johnny slices
the abdomen open with asurgical laser. Green
fluid sprays
from the slit. Carmen turns away looking ill.
BIOLOGY
TEACHER
Our
galaxy is teaming with insect life. We have
identified
over two billion species so far.
Human,
life, it would seem, is the anomaly.
CARMEN
But we
're intelligent. Human minds have invented
art,
mathematics and interstellar travel.
BIOLOGY
TEACHER
True, we
know of no insect society that has
produced
a Shakespeare, an Einstein or a
Cherynkov,
but before you let that go to your
head,
take the example of the Arachnids, a
highly
organized, highly evolved insect society.
She points to
an insect evolution chart that starts with a
common ant and
ends with a two meter tall ARACHNID WARRIOR.
BIOLOGY
TEACHER
They are
relatively stupid by human standards. Workers
have an
IQ of 12, warriors around 35 , and yet the
Arachnids
have colonized planets. Over a million years
of
evolution, Nature has provided the Arachnids with the
biological
means to hurl their spore into space.
Johnny applies
a spreader and jacks the insects abdominal cavity
open with
aresounding crack. Bug guts gush out.
JOHNNY
Well, if
that's the crop, that must be the gastric
caecal...
CARMEN
Excuse
me...!
She heads for
the door, hand over her mouth.
10 EXT CIVIC PARK - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
walk home from
school together.
JOHNNY
35% on
the math final ! No one could be
that
dumb with numbers.
CARMEN
Well, at
least you didn't lose your lunch
over a
bug. How embarassing.
JOHNNY
Who
cares about bugs ? You can't go anywhere
if you
don't know math.
CARMEN
Don't be
so sure. I like you even if you are
dumb
with numbers.
JOHNNY
Then how
come you won't hold hands with me
at
school ?
CARMEN
I don't
want everyone to see.
JOHNNY
Why
won't you kiss me when we're all alone ?
CARMEN
How come
that's all you talk about anymore ?
JOHNNY
It's all
I think about anymore.
Indeed, they
are all alone now. The look in Johnny's eye says how
about it.
Carmen grins, reaches for Johnny's hand.
11 EXT PUPLIC TRANSPORTATION - DAY - CARMEN
and Johnny
stand together near a bank of TRANSPORTERS.
CARMEN
You can't
walk me home.
JOHNNY
Why not
?
CARMEN
I
thought you were going to help Carl.
JOHNNY
Carl can
wait.
CARMEN
Johnny,
my Dad's home today.
Johnny's face
darkens with frustration.
JOHNNY
What's
he got against me... I mean, I 'm
a
teenager. You can't be a citizen when
you're
only a teenager !
CARMEN
It's not
you, Johnny. Your parents are rich
they
don't need to be citizens, and that stuff
means a
lot to my dad. He's a veteran.
JOHNNY
Well, if
your dad doesn't like me, how come
we're
such good friends ?
CARMEN
Sometimes
I do what I want, eh ?
Carmen steps
into the flux. ZAPPP! She's gone.
Johnny grins,
happy to be in love.
12 INT CARL'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY - JOHNNY
is hard-wired
to the stacks of processing units that comprise Carl's
basement
workshop. Carl concentrates on the image of a playing card,
the six of
diamonds, displayed on a monitor.
CARL
Don't
think about it... go on instinct.
JOHNNY
Ace of
spades.
The ace of
spades appears, and the computer indicates "no match".
Carl puts
another card up, the jack of diamonds.
CARL
Statistically
speaking you should've accidentally
guessed right by know.
JOHNNY
In
addition to "psychic dolt" this test also proves
I'm
unlucky ? Two of hearts.
Wrong again.
CARL
Luck is
not a factor. No one really knows why
some
people are sensitive and some aren't.
Federal
studies like this might provide a clue.
The next card
up is the nine of clubs.
JOHNNY
I
wouldn't want to know what everyone was
thinking.
Four of spades.
Suddenly, A
GIANT YELLOW FROG jumps onto the keyboard, fritzing
the monitor.
Johnny removes the blindfold.
CARL
Cyrano,
you big yellow turd !
Johnny knows
this frog, scratches him on the neck.
JOHNNY
He just
wants attention. You don't play with
him like
you used to.
Carl
concentrates for a moment.
CARL
Go bug
Mom, Cyrano.
Cyrano's eyes
widen. He hops off the table and up the stairs two at
a time. Carl
clears the screen.
JOHNNY
How do
you make him do that ?
CARL
I gave
him the impression that there was a fly crawling
up my
mom's leg. He is going to go eat it.
From upstairs,
CARL'S MOM shrieks.
MOM
(O.S.)
Get out
! Get out ! CARL...!
JOHNNY
Carl,
promise me you won't ever do anything like that
to me.
CARL
Don't be
afraid. Can't do humans... yet.
C'mon
let's go.
Carl, puts up
more cards, Johnny misses them all.
JOHNNY
Ten of
clubs. You still gonna sign up for
Starside
R&D ?
CARL
Passport
to the Universe.
Who
wouldn't want that ?
JOHNNY
I've
been thinking about applying for
Federal
Service, too. Fleet, maybe.
CARL
Your
father will never let you.
JOHNNY
I'm
eighteen. It's my decision, I think I'd
make a
pretty good pilot. I've good great
reflexes.
You need that for maneuvering,
you
know.
CARL
Only 1
in 14 male applicants make it through
stellar
navigation.
So what
do you think your chances are ?
JOHNNY
Eight
point... no, uh, seven...
CARL
If you
can't do those numbers, you haven't
got a
chance.
JOHNNY
All I
know is Carmen's going to be a citizen,
and I
don't think it'll work out for us if I'm not.
CARL
Love...
how excruciatingly pathetic.
Now try
and pay attention.
Carl puts a
card up.
JOHNNY
Queen of
hearts.
The computer
indicates a match. Johnny peers around at the monitor.
It is the
Queen of hearts.
CARL
Well,
what do you know about that !
13 EXT ATHLETIC FIELD - STANDS - DAY - CARMEN
and other
students wearing orange and black sing the "Uni High Song".
The SCOREBOARD
says: REGIONAL FINAL.
Across the
field, fans wear red and gold and sing another song.
14 INT LOCKER ROOM - DAY - JOHNNY
and other UNI
HIGH TIGERS, all exceptionally robust young man and women,
suit up in
their orange and black uniforms.
DIZZY
Tesla's
tough. They tumble good and they
hit
HARD.
Dizzy bounces
a JUMP SHOE to Johnny. The spring fires and vaults it high into
the air.
Johnny catches it, puts it on, smiles cocky at the TESLA GIANTS who
suit up in red
and gold.
JOHNNY
We
tumble good, too.
15 EXT ATHLETIC FIELD - DAY - WHAM ! -- TIGERS AND
GIANTS
collide. Powered by jump shoes, the play is gymnastic.
Johnny moves the ball ,
flips high in the air over the Giant defensive line,
makes ten meters before he is
brought down.
16 EXT STANDS - DAY - THE CROWD
cheers as
Johnny runs back to join his team. He sees Carmen waving, glad that
Johnny has
seen her among all the people.
17 EXT HUDDLE - DAY - JOHNNY
and other
Tigers listen as quarterback Dizzy calls the plays.
DIZZY
Kick
three, fade left. On two.
They make
fists, then breal for thevline of scrimmage.
18 EXT SCRIMMAGE LINE - DAY - THE TIGERS
have the ball.
The Giant's QUARTERBACKassigns ZANDER BARCALOW, 18,
handsome,
super-confident, to guard Johnny.
ZANDER
Time's
running out.
Zander points.
The SCOREBOARD shows TIGERS 19, GIANTS 20,
three minutes
and counting on the clock. Johnny grins.
JOHNNY
A lot
can happen in three minutes.
DIZZY
Hut...
hut !
Johnny takes
the handoff, flips over a gauntlet of Giant guards. Zander
hurls himself
at Johnny, misses. Johnny scores.
Zander tumbles
into the crowd, loses a jump shoe.
19 EXT SIDELINES - DAY-ZANDER
looks up and
sees Carmen, smiling as she offers him a hand. She helps
him up. He
holds her hand longer than necessary.
CARMEN
Are you
alright ?
ZANDER
I'm
getting better.
20 EXT ATHLETIC FIELD - DAY - JOHNNY
runs back to
join his team as the crowd cheers. The Tigers lead
21-20. Johnny
frowns when he sees Carmen talking to Zander on
the sidelines,
shaking his head, smiling.
21 EXT SIDELINE - DAY - ZANDER
finds his
shoe, straps it on.
ZANDER
So what
are you doing later ?
CARMEN
Everyone
is going to the dance. Aren't you ?
ZANDER
I don't
know. It's my last night as acivilian.
I ship
out for Tereshkova tomorrow.
Zander heads
for the field. Carmen follows, interested.
CARMEN
You're
going to the Academy ?
That's
where I want to go. I'd love
to talk
to you abou that.
A REFEREE
blows his whistle at Zander, signalling impatiently.
ZANDER
I'm all
ears.
CARMEN
Don't
you have to finish the game ?
22 EXT SCRIMMAGE LINE - DAY-THE GIANTS
are in
possession. Zander lands hard in front of Johnny.
JOHNNY
Don't
get any ideas. She's my girl.
ZANDER
You can
never be sure.
Johnny scowls
at Zander, turns his head to look back at Carmen.
She waves,
smiling. The Giants pull ablitz.
DIZZY
WATCH
THE BLITZ...!
Zander knocks
Johnny on his ass, and the Giants score. It's
TIGERS 21,
GIANTS 22 and less than a minute to go.
23 EXT HUDDLE -- DAY -- DIZZY
orders up the
next play. Johnny keeps looking over his shoulder
because
Zander's back talking to Carmen again.
DIZZY
Flip
six, three hole. Rico ?
Hey !
Dizzy slams
Johnny upside his helmet with her forearm.
JOHNNY
What ?
DIZZY
You were
drifting. Flip six, three hole.
On one,
got it ?
JOHNNY
Just
throw me the ball, Diz.
They make
fists and break.
24 EXT SCRIMMAGE LINE -- DAY -- JOHNNY
takes position
again across the line from Zander who now grins at
Johnny
broadly. Johnny doesn't grin back.
DIZZY
Hut !
At the snap,
Johnny breaks for open field. Dizzy throws, Johnny catches
it, trips
Zander up painfully, and hurls himself into the end zone as a
horn sounds
the game's finish.
25 EXT ATHLETIC FIELD - DAY - CHEERING UNI FANS
rush onto the
field as the school band strikes up a victory march.
Tigers do
flips in the air. Giants look dejected.
Zander picks
himself up, watches Johnny leave with Carmen.
26 INT JOHNNY'S HOUSE - NIGHT - JOHNNY
walks throuh
rooms filled with elegant furniture. He's all spiffed up
for the big
dance. His MOTHER catches him preening in front of a
mirror by the
TRANSPORTER in the hall.
MOTHER
Who said
you could grow up so fast ? Last time
I
checked you were only five years old. You had
such a
bright little face...
JOHNNY
Aw,
don't get mushy.
Johnny's
FATHER enters carrying a FEDERAL SERVICE CATALOGUE.
FATHER
This
came for you today. I presume on your
request.
JOHNNY
A lot of
my friends are doing Federal Service...
MOTHER
You
aren't thinking of applying...?
Johnny shrugs.
FATHER
Have you
lost you lost your mind ? I'd rather
take ten
lashes in Public Square than see you
ruin
your life.
JOHNNY
It's
aterm of service, not a career. I just want to
get out
on my own and see the Galaxy for a
couple
of years.
MOTHER
Johnny,
people get hurt... people get killed in
the
Federal Service. If something happened
to you I
don't know what I would do...
FATHER
Who gave
you this idea ? It's that teacher.
What's
his name ? You know the one I
mean.
JOHNNY
Mr.
Rasczak.
FATHER
Rasczak...
Silly name. There ought to be
a law
against using a school as a
recruiting
station !
JOHNNY
No, Mr.
Rasczak doesn't do that at all.
He sorta
discourages you really.
FATHER
Good,
because you're going to Harvard,
and
that's the end of it.
JOHNNY
I'm eighteen.
It's my decision.
FATHER
Oh, is that how it is ?
MOTHER
Wait you
two. Dad and I have a surprise
for you
that will settle this.
Can you
guess what it is ?
JOHNNY
Uh, no.
FATHER
A trip
to the Outer Rings.
Whad'ya
think of that ?
JOHNNY
Wow !
Santori and Zegema Beach, I've
always
wanted to go there.
MOTHER
Good
good, then it's all settled.
FATHER
A year
at Harvard and you'll see this
"Federal
Service" is just menial training
for
inferior people so they can call
themselves
"citizens" and take airs for
the rest
of their lives.
JOHNNY
Wait a
minute ! Carl is doing his Federal
and he
isn't inferior. He's the smartest
kid at
school !
FATHER
Sorry.
Carl's a fine boy...
Johnny puts on
his jacket.
JOHNNY
I don't
know what they teach at Harvard,
but I
think I'm pretty good enough the
way I am
!
MOTHER
Johnny,
please. Calm yourself.
JOHNNY
Well,
that's what you're saying ! You're
saying
that I'm not good enough the way
I am now
!
Johnny stomps
out, the transporter goes ZAPPP !
MOTHER
Why did
you go and do that ? He was all
ready to
go Zegema Beach !
FATHER
Teenagers
!
27 INT UNI HIGH GYMNASIUM - NIGHT - EVERYONE
at the
"Farewell Dance" is dressed up. Rasczak and other TEACHERS
chaperon. A
spotlight finds the BAND LEADER.
BAND
LEADER
Alright,
everybody, this is the last dance, so
let's
turn down the lights and make it a
slow
one.
The lights go
down. Dizzy, dressed pretty, brightens when she sees Johnny
standing alone
near the dance floor.
DIZZY
Hey,
Rico, wanna dance ?
JOHNNY
Actually,
Diz, I promised Carmen...
DIZZY
Too bad
for her if she's not around.
Dizzy pulls
him onto the floor, holds him close.
DIZZY
You
know, it's sad... Most of us probably
won't
see each other again after tonight.
There is an
invitation here. Johnny doesn't take it.
JOHNNY
You
still gonna play for Brazil ?
DIZZY
Looks
like, unless Tokyo lets me start.
JOHNNY
Well,
anyone who gets you is lucky.
DIZZY
How come
we never got together ?
Dizzy looks at
Johnny meaningfully. He's distracted. Carmen crosses
the room,
stunning in her formal.
JOHNNY
Can't we
just be friends, Diz ?
DIZZY
Sure.
JOHNNY
Uh,
look, Diz...
DIZZY
Guess
you gotta go.
JOHNNY
You're
the best.
Johnny heads
for Carmen. Dizzy watches jealously as Carmen takes
his hand. She
looks around for someone to dance with.
Carl, a nerd
in a tux, waves shyly.
28 INT GYMNASIUM - DANCE FLOOR - NIGHT - CARMEN AND
JOHNNY
dance. Johnny
wants to kiss her, Carmen playfully avoids.
JOHNNY
Isn't it
great to be in love ?
CARMEN
How do I
know if this is love ?
JOHNNY
It
wouldn't be so romantic if we weren't...
CARL
Outa the
way you two !
Carl and Dizzy
dance by, Dizzy smiling bravely because Carl is a terrible dancer.
Johnny goes in
for the kiss again.
CARMEN
Romance
is just a vestigial biological
response
to procreation...
JOHNNY
Aw,
you're in love with me...
You just
dont know it yet.
Johnny's confidence
makes her smile. Johnny moves in to kiss her,
but the music
ends. Everyone applauds. The lights come up and
people head
for the doors. Johnny sees Rasczak.
JOHNNY
Wait, I
want to talk to Mr. Rasczak.
CARMEN
I'll
meet you outside.
Johnny heads
over to Rasczak.
JOHNNY
Mister
Rasczak ?
RASCZAK
What is
it, Rico ?
JOHNNY
I just
wanted to say thanks 'cause History
and
Moral Philosophy was the best class
I had
this year.
RASCZAK
(smiling)
Well,
it's not really my job to please.
Hope you
learned something.
JOHNNY
I wanna
join up, Mr. Rasczak. I think I
have
what it take to be a citizen.
RASCZAK
Good for
you. Go find out.
JOHNNY
Well, my
parents are against it, and I
know
it's my choice, but I was
wondering...
What
would you do if you were me ?
RASCZAK
Figuring
things out for yourself is the
only
freedom anyone really has.
Use that
freedom.
Make
your own choice, Rico.
29 EXT UNI HIGH GYMNASIUM - NIGHT - JOHNNY
walks out and
finds Carmen talking with Zander. He wears the blue
uniform of a
Fleet pilot trainee. Carmen examines his FLEET PIN,
a pair of
silver wings.
CARMEN
Johnny,
this is Zander.
ZANDER
Yeah, we
know each other from the game.
No hard
feeling, eh, chum ?
JOHNNY
None at
all... We won.
CARMEN
Good
luck at the academy.
Zander takes
back the wings and pins the to his tunic.
ZANDER
Always.
30 EXT PROMENADE - NIGHT - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
walk together
along the river holding hands.
CARMEN
He just
got accepted to the Fleet Academy.
Isn't
that great ?
JOHNNY
Yeah,
sure, I guess.
CARMEN
No, I
mean if he can get in, maybe I have a
chance.
JOHNNY
What are
you talking about ? We both know
you're
gonna be a pilot.
CARMEN
Zander
is going for pilot, too.
JOHNNY
You two
have so much in common.
Carmen pulls
Johnny to a stop, looks him in the eye.
CARMEN
Johnny
Rico, you're jealous !
JOHNNY
I can't
help it.
CARMEN
He's
nothing like you.
JOHNNY
I don't
even know if you're my girl.
Carmen smiles,
leans in close to Johnny.
CARMEN
Are you
the boy for me ?
JOHNNY
I'm
gonna do it, Carmen. I'm gonna sign
up for
Federal Service.
They kiss,
tentatively, but the passion grows and they break apart,
breathless.
CARMEN
Oh,
Johnny...
31 EXT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - NIGHT - JOHNNY AND
CARMEN
making out as
they wait their turn. There are a few other people around
including a
POLICEMAN.
CARMEN
Everyone's
looking... we shouldn't...
JOHNNY
Who
cares ?
CARMEN
You're
right. Let's never stop...
POLICEMAN
Hey,
you, there's a place for that !
Without
stopping, Johnny pulls Carmen into the flux. ZAPPP
!
32 INT FEDERAL HOUSING - NIGHT - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
kissing at her
front door. Johnny moves his hand tenatively to Carmen 's breast.
She takes his
hand, smiling, puts it under her shirt.
JOHNNY
I love
you, Carmen.
CARMEN
Shhh...
She puts her
mouth on his and they melt together. The door flies open,
and CARMEN'S
DAD stands there.
CARMEN'S
DAD
Carmen,
it's late. Get inside.
CARMEN
Sorry,
Dad. See you, Johnny.
Carmen ducks
inside. Her father looks Johnny over. He carries a terrible
battle scar
oon his face.
CARMEN'S
DAD
I don't
want you around Carmen anymore. Get me ?
JOHNNY
Maybe
Carmen's gonna make her own decisions from
now on,
Mr. Ibanez.
Carmen's Dad
reddens. He'd like to punch Johnny out.
CARMEN'S
DAD
Carmen's
gonna be a citizen. She don't need you
and your
rich family. The Federation'll give her
everything
she needs.
CARMEN
(O.S.)
Dad,
leave him alone...
Carmen's Dad
slams the door in Johnny's face.
33 EXT FEDERAL BUILDING - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
meet Carl in
front of the induction center where a staedy flow of prospective
citizens file
through the main doors.
34 INT LOBBY - DAY - THE RECRUITING SERGEANT
is missing one
arm. He smiles broadly at the three teenagers.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Fresh
meat for the grinder, eh ?
CARL
That's
us. Where do we sign ?
He turns in
his chair to grab the forms. Johnny and his friends see that he is also
missing both
legs. The Recruiting Sergeant catches them looking,
smiles even
wider.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Here and
here and here.
As he signs,
Johnny looks at the campaign ribbons on the Recruiting Sergeant's
chest. We hear
MUSIC: "The Mobile Infantery
Anthem" plays softly in honor
of distant
battles.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Welcome
to the adventure of Federal Service.
Follow
the blue line.
35 INT PROCESSING HALL - DAY - JOHNNY, CARMEN AND
CARL
are routed
into different lines, joining other hopeful civilians.
A COLONEL
makes a speech over the loudspeaker.
COLONEL
There is
no guarantee of service. We don't need
all of
you. It costs a great deal to train human beings
for
useful tasks. Many jobs are hazardous to your
health.
If you are chosen and do not wish to serve
you may
resign at anytime simply by completing
form
1240/A. Thank you for exercising you
constitutonal
rights.
36 INT CHANGING ROOM -- DAY -- JOHNNY
and others in
the line strip down. The guy in front of Johnny is
DON, 18,
athletic and cheerful.
DON
They
took my sister, they'll take anybody.
37 INT TESTING FACILITY -- DAY -- JOHNNY
grimaces as a
TECHNICIAN installs an INTERFACE PLATE on
his side,
drawing fluids.
DON
Oh, this
is the part that hurts !
A PSYCH
OFFICER sits down across from each candidate.
PSYCH
OFFICER
No
talking please. I'm going to ask you some
questions.
Please answer all questions truthfully.
We'll
know if you don't.
Birthplace
?
JOHNNY
Here in
Buenos Aires.
The Psych
Officer checks Johnny's response on a meter.
38 INT VARIOUS TESTING STATIONS - DAY - JOHNNY
is poked and
prodded, subjected to aural, visual and pharmacological
stimuli, and
scanned from head to toe.
PSYCH
OFFICER (V.O.)
Are your
parents currently citizens ?
JOHNNY
(V.O.)
No, sir.
PSYCH OFFICER (V.O.)
Which do
you think is more important,
courage
or confidence ?
JOHNNY
(V.O.)
Courage,
I guess.
PSYCH
OFFICER (V.O.)
Please
complete this sentence.
I want
to be citizen because...
JOHNNY
(V.O.)
I want
to be a citizen because...
well,
because of my girl, sir.
39 INT DEBRIEF - DAY - JOHNNY
sits across
from a MAJOR who views a list on a monitor Johnny can't see.
MAJOR
I'm
happy to tell you that you've been
accepted
for Federal Service.
JOHNNY
Wow,
that's great.
MAJOR
Looks
like you're quite an athlete.
Boy,
look at those reaction stats.
The Major
clucks his tongue as he highlights the last category on his list:
MOBILE
INFANTERY.
MAJOR
My job
is to dertermine what you're
best
suited for.
JOHNNY
I want
to be a pilot, sir.
MAJOR
Sorry,
son, no way. Your school records
say you
don't have the math skills.
Johnny
swallows this. He knew it was coming. The Major deletes
"Pilot"
from the list, then several other items.
MAJOR
That
rules out the scientific and engineering
applications,
and I'm afraid we reserve
non-military
options for candidates who are
frankly
less able-bodied than you are, son...
He turns the
monitor around and shows Johnny the list.
The only thing
left is MOBILE INFANTERY.
MAJOR
It looks
like the only thing you're good
for is
cannon fodder.
I'm
putting you down for the
Mobile
Infantery.
40 INT AUDITORIUM - DAY - CARMEN
proudly takes
the Federal Service oath with about twenty-five other people,
a gleaming
silver FLEET PIN on her chest. She looks around for Johnny,
sees him
grinning at her.
JOHNNY
ET AL
...of my
own free will, without promise, coercion,
or
inducement, after having been duly advised
and
warned of the meaning and consequence of
this
oath, do now enroll in the Federal Service
of the
Terran Federation for not less than two
years
and as much longer as may be required
by the
needs of the Service...
41 INT FEDERAL BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY - JOHNNY AND
CARMEN
walk out
together happily, hand in hand.
CARMEN
I wonder
where Carl is. You don't suppose...?
JOHNNY
Naw, I
made it, Carl made it.
Just then, Don
rushes past, shamefaced, crying.
JOHNNY
He was
in the group with me.
I guess
he didn't...
CARMEN
Shhh !
Don't make him feel worse.
The Recruiting
Sergeant is getting ready to go home. He's got legs now,
and he takes a
prosthetic arm from its case and snaps it on.
He grins when
he sees them staring.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
They put
me out front to discourage the weak-hearted,
but at
the end of the day I go home.
How'd
you kids do ?
CARMEN
I'm
gonna go for pilot.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Good for
you. We need every pilot we can get.
Johnny holds
the door for Carmen and the Recruiting Sergeant.
Suddenly Carl
appears looking a little paler than usual.
CARMEN
Hey,
Carl, what's wrong ?
JOHNNY
Did you
get Starside R&D ?
CARL
No.
42 EXT FEDERAL BUILDING - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN
are stunned.
JOHNNY
I don't
believe it !
CARL
I got
Games & Theory.
Well,
everyone's a little impressed by this.
CARMEN
Games
& Theory ? That's Military
Intelligence...
Oh, Carl !
JOHNNY
Whoa !
Way to go, boy-yo !
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Next
time we meet, I'll probably have to salute
you.
What about you, son ?
JOHNNY
Infantery,
sir.
The Recruiting
Sergeant beams, offers a prosthetic hand.
RECRUITING
SERGEANT
Well,
good for you. The Mobile Infantery made me
the man
I am today.
Just what
Johnny wanted to hear. They watch the old Sergeant walk
away. MUSIC: "The
Mobile Infantery Theme".
Carmen takes
Johnny and Carl by the arm as they walk.
CARMEN
Let's
all make a vow. Let's swear we'll always
be
friends no matter what.
JOHNNY
I'll go
for that.
CARL
Well,
we're gonna be millions of light years away
from
each other, and chances are we'll never see
each
other again, but sure...
CARMEN
I can't
wait to tell my Dad I'm in.
He's
gonna be so happy !
JOHNNY
My
father's probably gonna kill me.
43 INT JOHNNY'S HOUSE - STUDY - NIGHT - JOHNNY
stands
sullenly as his Father rages at him.
FATHER
You'll
resign, and that's all there is to it.
It might
look bad, but if that's the worst
you
suffer...
JOHNNY
I won't
quit !
FATHER
I'm
telling you, you will !
You're
not going back. You're going
to go on
vacation !
JOHNNY
I'm not
going on vacation ! I want to
be
acitizen ! It's my decision.
I made
it.
Johnny turns
for the door. His father throws his last shot.
FATHER
You walk
out that door, you're cut off,
young
man... You understand me ?
Alright,
THAT'S IT, YOU'RE...
44 INT JOHNNY'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT--JOHNNY
walks out,
grim, sees his mother, tears in her eyes.
FATHER
(O.S.)
...CUT
OFF !
MOTHER
Johnny,
why won't you change your mind ?
Does
citizenship mean so much to you ?
JOHNNY
Well,
yeah, sure...
MOTHER
I hope
so. I hope you don't ruin your life
over
some silly little girl who wants to look
handsome
in a uniform.
Johnny's face
reddens.
JOHNNY
Don't
talk about my girl that way.
Johnny turns
on his heel, heads for the transporter. ZAPPP
!
45 EXT FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION HUB - DAY - JOHNNY
looks for
Carmen among hundreds of young people bound for
Federal
Service destinations. Recruits wear civilian clothes.
Everyone else
is in uniform.
P.A.
(O.S.)
Outbound
group 1380, Ursa Minor
and
Tyko, now transporting at
bank
17...
Now he sees
her entering struggling with luggage. Johnny rushes to
help her and
soon he is carrying all her bags.
JOHNNY
You're
late.
CARMEN
My Dad
had to help me pack. Suddenly
he's
afraid he's never gonna see me
again or
something. It was sweet, but it
took
forever. Anyway, I guess I'm ready
to go.
At the freight
station, Carmen enters her Federal I.D. card and gets
numbered tags
for her bags.
JOHNNY
Me, too.
I'm wearing everything I own.
Johnny loads
them onto a conveyor belt.
CARMEN
Poor
boy. I'm sorry your parents were so mad.
JOHNNY
Who
cares ! The Federation'll give me everything
I need
for the next two years, right ?
Carmen's
already moved to the next line. Johnny follows.
CARMEN
You talk
to Carl ?
JOHNNY
He left
this morning. He couldn't say where.
Carmen logs
in, enters her destination: LUNA -
TERESHKOVA
FLEET ACADEMY. The tickets station spits out a pass.
CARMEN
It's
exciting, but it's scary, too isn't it.
Going
someplace new where you don't
know anyone.
Carmen heads
toward a bank of transporters. Johnny stops her,
takes her by
the arms.
JOHNNY
I'm
gonna miss you.
CARMEN
I'll
miss you, too, Johnny.
JOHNNY
I love
you.
P.A.
(O.S.)
Outbound
group 948A, Tereshkova,
all
sections, transporting at bank 5.
CARMEN
Oh,
that's me.
She scans her
pass, but Johnny stops her again.
JOHNNY
Com'on,
just say it. Try it on for size.
CARMEN
Alright,
I love you.
Carmen kisses
him, jumps into the transporter.
JOHNNY
Do you
mean it ?
CARMEN
I said
it. Isn't that enough ?
Don't
forget to write !
ZAPPP ! The last thing he sees are her beautiful
eyes.
46 FROM THE
FEDERAL NET - A WORLD THAT WORKS !
People are
doing Federal Service jobs all over the known Galaxy.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
From all
over the known Galaxy, prospectice
citizens
work together to make a better
tomorrow
!
Would
you like to know more ?
47 CRIME &
PUNISHMENT - TONIGHT !
A CRIMINAL
stands before a FEDERAL COURT
OFFICIAL
VOICE
A
murderer was captured and tried today.
Sentence: DEATH.
Tonight
at six, all net, all channels.
Would you
like to know more ?
48 NOTICE - ARE
YOU PSYCHIC ?
A Federal
clinic specializing in psycic research.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
If you
think you are psychic, maybe you are.
Harness
your unique abilities and take
advantage
of the many Federal benefits
available
for psychic citizens.
Would
you like to know more ?
49 TRAVEL
ADVISORY - INSECT TRAGEDY ON TANGO URILLA
A prefab
township sits on the shores of a tranquil alien bay.
Then, a
"You Are Here" map of the Known Universe.
OFFICIAL VOICE
Disregarding
Federal warnings, Mormon
extremists
established Port Joe Smith,
a
settlement of 300 on Tango Urilla, a
system
just inside the Arachnid
Quarantine
Zone.
Archival
pictures of a captive two meter ARACHNID WARRIOR,
multiple eyes,
cutting mouthparts and claws. Wary SCIENTISTS
keep their
distance as it eats a COW.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Too late
they realized tha Tango Urilla had
already
been chosen by other colonists
--
Arachnids !
Now body parts
litter the ruined streets of Port Joe Smith.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
The
council asks future colonists to obey all
official
Federal warnings.
Would
you like to know more ?
50 EXT CAMP CURRIE - PARADE GROUND - DAY - SERGEANT
ZIM
is 40, astoundingly
fit, and like all drill instructors, he carries a small baton.
He addresses
sixty shorn RECRUITS.
ZIM
The
problem with you is that none of you are
good
enough the way you are.
Johnny stands
in formation with his squad, among them:
BRECKINRIDGE,
18, DJANA'D, 19, KATRINA McINTIRE, 18, ACE LEVY,
18, SHUJUMI,
18, and KITTEN SMITH, 18.
ZIM
I am
your senior drill instructor,
Career
Sergeant Zim.
(then)
TO THINK
THIS HAD TO HAPPEN TO
ME !
What a bunch of apes. No, strike that.
You
don't rate that good...you sunken-chested,
slack-bellied,
drooling refugees from apron
strings
! In my whole life I've never seen such
a
disgraceful huddle of momma's spoiled
little
darlings ! Suck in those guts !
You
there, EYES FRONT !
Zim gives
Kitten Smith the hairy eyeball. Smith cracks up.
ZIM
Do you
think I'm funny ? Do I make
you
laugh ? Do you think I'm a
comedian
?
Kitten Smith
shake his head "no" , but he
can't stifle himself.
KITTEN
SMITH
Sorry...!
ZIM
The
first and last words out of your
stinking
holes will be "sir".
Do you
get me ?
KITTEN
SMITH
Sir,
sorry...sir.
ZIM
See the
armory ? Run around it !
Kitten Smith
squints. Out in the distance, a tiny building.
Zim smacks him
on the leg with his baton.
KITTEN
SMITH
YEOW !
ZIM
RUN, I
SAID. Bronski, keep pace !
Kitten Smith
runs. Big CORPORAL BRONSKI, 28, takes out after
him, laying a
baton across his backside every time he slows.
ZIM
You are
now all brothers and sisters in
the same
family, my family, the Mobile
Infantery.
I will be your mother.
I will
be your father. If you do not
please
me I will throw you out of my
family
because I hate all slackers and
negative
hackers.
Do you
get me ?
JOHNNY
ET AL
Sir,
yes, sir !
Zim points at
the little WHITE PICKET FENCE leading to a
transporter
near the front gate.
ZIM
Anytime
you think I'm being to tough,
anytime
you think I'm being unfair...
QUIT !
Grab your gear and take a
stroll
down "Washout Lane".
Get me ?
JOHNNY
ET AL
Sir,
yes, sir !
ZIM
I wonder
if there's a handful of
guts in
the whole bunch. Who
thinks
they've got what it takes
to knock
me down ?
Breckinridge,
a big guy from a farm planet, steps forward.
BRECKINRIDGE
Sir, I
guess maybe I do, sir.
Zim crooks
afinger at him. Breckinridge charges. Zim knocks
him flat.
Breckinridge holds his arm, twisted now.
ZIM
You
alright, Breckinridge ?
BRECKINRIDGE
Sir,
yes, sir. It's my arm. I think it's
broken,
sir.
ZIM
MEDIC !
A MEDIC
charges up, checks Breckinridge's arm, grins.
MEDIC
Clean
break... Doc'll have him back on
active
duty by tomorrow.
ZIM
Good.
Who's next ?
Shujumi steps
up, assumes a fighting stance. Zim looks him over.
There's not
not much to him. Shujumi attacks Zim, counters his
counter,
dances out of range.
DJANA'D
Lookit
the little guy go !
Now Zim
attacks. Shujumi flip kicks Zim in the head.
JOHNNY
He's
good alright.
KATRINA
I'll bet
he makes squad leader.
ACE
He'll
have to get past me.
The recruits
check Ace out. Zim sweeps Shujumi's legs, puts a
knee in the
little man's throat. Shujumi passes out.
ZIM
MEDIC !
51 EXT OBSTACLE COURSE - DAY - THE RECRUITES
tumble a
brutal obstacle course using JUMP BOOTS.
ZIM
(V.O.)
Some of
you may not ´make it.
Djana'd hits a
tower and falls to the deck hard, dropping her rifle.
She holds her
knee, hurt. Zim races over to her.
ZIM
WHY IS
THAT WEAPON ON THE GROUND ?
YOUR
WEAPON IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
YOU ARE
! PICK IT UP ! PICK IT UP !
Zim begins to
kick her because she doesn't move fast enough.
ZIM
(V.O.)
You
might think I am unfair.
52 EXT ZERO GRAVITY COMBAT - DAY - THE RECRUITES
watch poor
Kitten Smith spar with Zim. Kitten Smith whacks Zim across the jaw.
Zim doesn't
even flinch.
ZIM
Is that
all you got ? You hit like kitten, Smith !
This is
a punch.
WHAM ! Zim knocks Kitten Smith for a loop.
ZIM
(V.O.)
You will
not like me.
53 INT HYPERPHYSICAL TRAINING ENVIRONMENTS - DAY -
ZIM
watches the
recruits face simulated 3-D OFF-WORLD FOES. In one room,
CYCLOPS
SOLDIERS of Antilles, in another, red DEATH WALKERS,
and in a
third, screeching ARACHNID WARRIORS.
ZIM
(V.O.)
But if
you survive you will thank me
because
you will be born again hard.
You will
be a new person.
You will
be a Cap Trooper. And then,
MAYBE,
you'll be good enough...
54 EXT COMBAT KNIFE PRACTICE - DAY - ZIM
throws a
knife, buries the point in a narrow post.
ZIM
(V.O.)
...to serve
in my family.
ACE
Sir, I
don't understands who needs a
knife in
a nuke fight anyway...
All you
gotta do is push a button, sir !
Zim yanks the
knife out of the post.
ZIM
Put your
hand on the post, private.
Ace obeys. Zim
throws, sticks his hand to the post.
ACE
AWK !
ZIM
The
enemy cannot push a button if you
disable
his hand. MEDIC !
Zim pays no
attention to Ace who remains stuck to the post. A
recruit trots
up. Johnny stares, surprised. It's Dizzy.
DIZZY
Sir,
recruit Flores, reporting for duty , sir.
She snaps Zim
a salute and hands him her orders.
ZIM
I see
you specifically requested transfer
from
Fort Cronkite to this training group...
Dizzy grins
self-consciously at Johnny.
DIZZY
Sir, I
heard it was the best, sir !
ZIM
It is
the best... BUT WHAT MAKES YOU
THINK YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH ?
ON YOUR BELLY AND GIVE ME
FIFTY, RECRUIT !
Dizzy hits the
deck and starts doing push-ups, counting off as
MEDICS arrive
and go to work on Ace's hand.
55 INT MESS HALL - DAY - THE RECRUITES
line up for
mess piled four-square together on a single plate,
meat on the
bottom, ice cream on top.
ACE
I'd like
to disable Zim...!
KATRINA
Improper
Attitude ! They'll kick you out
for
talking like that...
DJANA'D
They can
kick you out for anything.
Improper
Conduct, Unsatisfactory
Performance...
KITTEN
SMITH
Off you
go down Washout Lane, bye-bye !
Ace cuts into
the front off the mess line.
ACE
Aw, you
either got what it takes
or you
don't.
DJANA'D
C'mon
Ace, wait your turn !
ACE
At ease,
soldier. It's all the same muck.
JOHNNY
Better
get in line like everyone else, Ace.
Silence. There
could be a fight. Zim, standing nearby, watches
with interest.
Ace opens his hand.
ACE
You got
some guts for a rich kid.
I guess
you and me could be buddies.
JOHNNY
What an
honor...
ACE
Hey,
don't laugh. Everyone oughta have
a friend
like me !
Ace makes a
big friendly show of trading places with Johnny.
BRECKINRIDGE
Come on,
Ace, back off the line !
Bacl off
the line !
Now everyone's
laughing, pushing Ace to the back of the line.
Johnny has his
grub. Dizzy comes up with her tray.
DIZZY
Hey,
amigo, come chow with me.
JOHNNY
No
thanks, Diz.
DIZZY
What's
your malfunction, Rico ?
JOHNNY
You are.
I joined up to get out on my
own. And
you had to tag along.
DIZZY
What ?
You think I joined the Mobile
Infantery
because of you ?
JOHNNY
You
saying you didn't ?
Johnny turns
away. Dizzy watches him go, hurt.
56 EXT OBSTACLE COURSE - DAY - THE RECRUITS
tumble down
the difficult course in their power suits. At the head of
the pack ,
breathing hard, Johnny and Ace race.
ACE
What
makes you think... you'll make...
squad
leader, Rico ?
JOHNNY
Something...
I've got...you don't.
ACE
You rich
kids... are all the same !
JOHNNY
It isn't
about rich... It's about
who's
best...!
They come to a
trap, prepare to leap.
DIZZY
Coming
through !
Dizzy jumps
over them from behind. Johnny and Ace tumble into the mud.
They watch,
chagrined, as Dizzy reaches the end of the course effortlessly.
ZIM
C'mon,
move it, you apes !
57 INT SHOWERS - NIGHT - DIZZY
enters as the
recruits scrub down.
KITTEN
SMITH
We all
have one thing in common. We were
all stupid enough to sign up for Mobile
Infanterie.
What's your excuse,
Breckinridge
?
BRECKINRIDGE
Well, my
family is all farmers. I hate farming.
Mobile
Infantery's pure picnic by comparison.
KITTEN
SMITH
So the
grow 'em big and dumb on the farm
planet,
eh ? Djana'd ?
DJANA'D
I'm
going in for politics. You gotta be a
citizen
for that. So here I am.
KITTEN
SMITH
C'mon,
keep it going... Katrina !
KATRINA
I wanna
be a mom. It's easier to get
a
licence if you've served.
ACE
I'm
going career... officer's training.
That's
why I wanna be squad leader.
They
look for that.
JOHNNY
Wanting
it doesn't make you the best
one for
the job.
ACE
Oh, yeah
? I don't see anyone else here
with the
chops to lead.
JOHNNY
Well,
maybe you better look again.
SHUJUMI
Federation's
gonna give me a scholarship
when my
hitch is up. I wanna be a
neurologist,
study brain chemisty and
associated
stimulus...
Dizzy dresses
down. Johnny and all the other guys check her out.
She has a
fabulous body. Dizzy cathes Johnny looking. He turns
his back as
she steps into the shower next to him.
KITTEN
SMITH
Your
turn, Rico !
JOHNNY
Aw, who
asked you to be so nosey ?
KITTEN
SMITH
Me, I
got plans to be writer, and a writer's
got a
right to be nosey. Flores, you know
Rico
from Buenos Aires... What's his story ?
Dizzy uses her
hand to divert the shower spray towards Johnny's crotch.
DIZZY
Well,
some say he turned his back on the family
fortune
to be a citizen, others say he did it for
a
girl... missed a spot there, bucko... which is
funny
because Johnny says I joined up to be
with
him, but why would I do that ?
He
doesn't even like me.
BRECKINRIDGE
Don't
look that way to me.
Everyone look
down at Johnny's crotch, laughing. Johnny
blushes, grabs
a towel and exits the shower.
58 INT BARRACKS -
NIGHT - INTO CAMERA - JOHNNY
pans the
barracks with a little handcam, neat bunks in a row, other recruits
lounging
around in their skivvies.
JOHNNY
I know
it's not much, but it's home. Over
there's
my bunk where I dream about you
every
night...
Ace, Kitten
Smith, Shujumi and Breckinridge dance around and moon the
camera.
JOHNNY
Hey, do
you mind ?
Johnny moves
the camera away from the guys. Katrina walks by from the
shower with
Dizzy, mugs into frame.
KATRINA
Hey,
what's going on ?
DIZZY
I bet
it's that girl I was talking about...
Her
name's Carmen, I think.
ACE
AND THE OTHERS
Carmen !
Ooh la la, Carmencita !
KATRINA
Hi,
Carmen !
Johnny heads
for the door.
ACE
AND THE OTHERS
Hey,
where you going ? Come back...! He's
getting
awy... Grab him...!
The picture
goes all screwy, comes up again on:
59 EXT BARRACKS - NIGHT - INTO CAMERA - JOHNNY
talk quietly
now outside the barracks door.
JOHNNY
Boot's
pretty tough, and sometimes
I think
I won't make it, but then I
imagine
you're watching me, and that
gives me
someting... I try harder.
Thanks
to you, I think I might have
a shot
at squad leader.
The barracks
lights go out. Taps plays over the public address.
Johnny lowers
his voice.
JOHNNY
Uh-oh, I
gotta pack it in. I hope you're
having
fun, hope you're careful.
No
training accidents for you, eh ?
(leaning
into camera)
I want
to kiss you so badly. I want
to feel
you next to me, I-
Behind him ,
someone begins to sing , badly.
ACE
I love
you truly, so truly, dear...!
Ace, the
singer, and the other guys peer down from the transom
over the door,
giggling, delighted with themselves.
PULLBACK
TO REVEAL:
60 INT TERESHKOVA FLIGHT ACADEMY - DAY - CARMEN
watches the
end of Johnny's letter. Ace continues to sing.
ACE
Our love
will grow, dear, year by year...
JOHNNY
Bye !
Write me ! I'm gonna kill you guys !
The letter
ends. Carmen smiles. A BALD CADET PILOT smacks her on the
arm as she
runs by in a sleek blue pressure suit.
BALD
CADET
Orbit in
five, Ibanez ! First one there gets
to fly !
Grinning,
Carmen grabs her duffel, takes off after her.
61 INT BOARDING CORRIDOR - DAY - CARMEN
and the bald
cadet race for the hatch past other recruits.
62 INT BOAT - DAY CYCLE-CARMEN
gets there
first, jumps into the pilot seat. The Bald Pilot takes
second seat.
CARMEN
Looking
it down !
Two LATE
CADETS duck in through the closing hatch door.
LATE
CADET
Oh no,
not Ibanez again, she's crazy !
CARMEN
On my
mark, in three, two, one...
63 EXT LUNAR ORBIT - THE BOAT
straeks upward
from the lunar floor past orbitting training platforms where
CADETS in
brightly colored pressure suits float against the Earth which
hangs beyond
the horizon.
CARMEN
(O.S.)
...GO !
64 INT BOAT - LUNAR ORBIT - CARMEN
blasts past a
DESTROYER orbiting in dock, zips between CORVETTES
and other slower
fleet traffic in the crowded space lanes of Luna.
The two late
cadets are terrified.
BALD
CADET
Geez, I
thought I liked to fly fast !
CARMEN
This is
nothing. Today, I get to fly that !
She points.
Now visible from behind a host of smaller ships,
STARSHIP
ATHENA, of older design, but impressive.
65 INT ATHENA - COMMAND AND CONTROL - DAY CYCLE -
CARMEN
arrives on the
bridge, dark, cramped, all-business. She salutes the instructor,
CAPTAIN
DELADIER, 40s.
CARMEN
Pilot
Trainee Ibanez reporting for duty, ma'am.
DELADIER
Take the
number one chair, Ibanez.
Follow
all instructions of you supervisor.
CARMEN
Yes,
ma'am !
Carmen turns
for her station, but stops in her tracks. Her supervisor is
Zander
Barcalow, now a 2nd Lieutenant.
CARMEN
Hey !
What are you doing here ?
ZANDER
I'm the
guy who's gonna teach you to
fly this
crate.
Carmen logs
on. The ship recognizes her as a pilot trainee.
CARMEN
Assistant
insructor... You must be some
kind of
a hot stick.
Should I
call you "sir" ?
ZANDER
Only
when I give you an order.
DELADIER
Prepare
for departure.
Carmen and
Zander go to work.
CARMEN
It's
amazing, us running into each other
like
this. Maybe it's fate.
ZANDER
Maybe
not. I heard about this crazy girl
coming
through the academy, solid math,
a little
wild on the stick, but a natural.
When it
turned out it was you, I made
sure
we'd run into each other...
DELADIER
Alright,
take her out, Ibanez.
CARMEN
Yes,
ma'am.
All eyes are
on carmen as she grabs the stick. The ship shudders under
her hand. She
winks at Zander.
CARMEN
In
simulation, my supervisors could never
keep up.
ZANDER
This
isn't simulation anymore.
Take'er
out easy, cadet.
CARMEN
Oh, yes,
sir. Vector ?
ZANDER
Twenty-five
by five, roll seven.
And
don't exceed port speed.
Carmen rocks
the stick, and the view from the bridge spins smoothly
away from the
dense orbiting yards os Luna toward the outer system.
CARMEN
Or...?
ZANDER
They
revoke our flight status.
CARMEN
Oh, I
see... teamwork.
Carmen jogs
past lumbering freighters. Zander's impressed.
DELADIER
Steady
as she goes, number one.
Prepare
for warp. Number two,
design
for Jupiter orbit.
ZANDER
Yes,
ma'am. Star drive in three...
two...
one...
Space appears
to bend. Zander and Carmen share a smile. They
blur together,
becoming one, then: WHAM !
66 EXT LUNA - STARSHIP ATHENA
disappears in
a flash of blinding light.
67 EXT WAR GAMES COURSE - DAY - THE RECRUITS
have been
divided into two teams. RED TEAM includes Ace, Katrina,
Breckinridge,
and Djana'd. Johnny, Shujumi, Kitten Smith, and Dizzy
are part of
BLUE TEAM.
ZIM
The
object of this exercise is to capture
your
enemy's flag before your enemy
captures
yours.
Bronski passes
out Morita SmartRifles.
ZIM
These weapons have been modified for
this
exercise. If your enemy hits you,
your
suit will fail. You will be unable
to move.
You will be as good as dead.
68 EXT WAR GAMES COURSE - LATER - DJANA'D
bumps the
magnification of her heads up display to survey Blue Team's
flag guarded
by two recruits. She jumps down to joining other Red
Team members
on the move.
DJANA'D
It's
right over the next ridge...
Only two
guards.
Johnny, Kitten
Smith, and Dizzy open fire from athicket as they pass.
Djana'd and
the others collapse as their suits fail, Djana'd laughing
because
playing at war seems funny.
KITTEN
SMITH
You are
now prisoners of the Blue Team.
Tell us
your plans or die !
DJANA'D
Oh no !
Name, rank, and mind your own
business
is all you get from me !
69 EXT RED TEAM FLAG - DAY - RED TEAM
opens fire as
the Blue Team appears. Shujumi and other Blue Team members
go down in an
ambush led by Breckinridge. Johnny dives for cover, and finds
himself
sharing it with Dizzy.
KITTEN
SMITH
I'm
going in ! Let's go !
Kitten Smith
makes arun for the flag with a rifle team. Ace and Katrina open
fire from two
new hidden Red Team positions, taking Kitten and his team
down with a
cross fire.
JOHNNY
Man,
they're defended... no way in.
DIZZY
Flip
six, three hole.
JOHNNY
What ?
DIZZY
High
school... remember ? Run a flip
six,
three hole play, and you might
score...
Johnny looks
at the course in a new way, nods.
JOHNNY
Cover
me.
DIZZY
You got
it.
Johnny tumbles
open ground, vaults into the air. Dizzy takes out Breckinridge
as he rises to
fire. Johnny lands, knocks out Katrina, then Ace. He picks up
Ace's fallen
Morita.
JOHNNY
Thanks,
pal.
70 EXT OBSERVATION TOWER - DAY - ZIM AND CORPORAL
BRONSKI
watch Johnny
firing both Moritas simultanously and taking out the remaining
Red Team
defenders. He grabs the Red Team flag and hurls it into the air like spear.
ZIM
Kid's
got some moves...
71 INT AIRBORNE SKIMMER - DAY - THE RECRUITS
line up in the
door of a SKIMMER, the military's standard utility aircraft,
to practice
drops from altitude.
ZIM
Smith,
GO ! McIntire, GO ! Flores, GO !
Rico,
I'm making you sqaud leader !
JOHNNY
Sir,
thank you, sir !
ZIM
Don't
stand there dumb... GO !
Johnny jumps,
plummeting toward the earth.
JOHNNY
YEEEE-Haaaaaaaaaaaaa...!
Next in line,
Ace scowls.
72 INT BARRACKS - NIGHT - THE RECRUITS
have some free
time. Johnny makes a big show of polishing the chevrons
that designate
him as Squad Leader.
KITTEN
SMITH
Look at
him. Do you think anyone has
ever
been so pleased with himself ?
ACE
Zim
hadda choose someone to be
his
brown nose, I guess.
JOHNNY
I just
want you guys to know that I'll
never do
anything that I haven't asked
you to
do first.
Johnny
approaches Dizzy.
JOHNNY
Couldn't've
done it without you, Diz.
Friends
?
Dizzy smiles,
shakes.
DIZZY
Yeah,
sure... friends.
Bronski walks
through with the mail.
BRONSKI
Levy...
Shujumi... Rico.
Johnny grabs
the E-disk, pops it into his handcam. The Fleet Mail logo appears:
APPROVED
MESSAGE
JOHNNY
Bet it's
from my girl.
Johnny's pals
gather for a look. Carmen appears, dressed down to skivvies,
in her
quarters aboard starship Athena.
CARMEN
Hi,
Johnny, I would've written sooner,
but
they've really got us going every
moment
here.
ACE
Yeow,
Rico, you don't deserve that !
JOHNNY
Shhhh...!
CARMEN
I'm glad
you're doing so well. If they
haven't
made you squad leader by now,
I'm sure
you will.
Johnny holds
up his squad leader chevrons victoriously.
JOHNNY
All it
takes is the love of a good woman...
The image
changes abrupltly. Now Carmen's wearing a trim blue flight suit.
She stands the
camera on Athena's gunnery deck. Outside , the rings of
Saturn sparkle
in bright solar light.
CARMEN
Look at
that. Isn't it beautiful ? I had
to show
you. It's great to be out here on
my own.
I'm just not some little girl from
Buenos
Aires anymore. I'm gonna be a
starship
pilot, and I'm gonna see the
universe...
(she
sighs)
And
that's also the problem because I
don't
really want to get married,
Johnny.
I don't want to have kids.
I want a
command, a ship of my own,
and you
know, I don't think that's
gonna
leave a lot of room for you and
me.
Johnny is
stunned. All the other recruits suddenly seem to have
something else
to do.
CARMEN
I know
that's not what you wanted to hear...
but I
have to follow my heart. I'm sorry.
I'm
afraid you'll hate me, and I couldn't
stand
that. Write me, alright ? Write me,
so I'll
know that we'll always be friends.
The Fleet Mail
logo appears again: END OF MESSAGE.
Johnny
shuts the
handcam off. Ace puts a hand on his shoulder.
ACE
Funny
how they always want to be your friends
after
they kick your guts out.
JOHNNY
It's
what I deserve.
ACE
Whad'ya
talkin about ?
JOHNNY
I joined
up for her. I wouldn't even
be here
if it wasn't for her.
I'm a
fool.
ACE
You made
squad leader on your own,
and,
hey, you still got me to kick
around.
Johnny smiles
in spite of himself.
JOHNNY
Thanks,
Ace.
Johnny turns
for the door, flipping the chevrons like a coin.
Dizzy watches
him leave. She'd so like to comfort him.
73 EXT LIVE
FIRE COMBAT RANGE - DAY - THE RECRUITS
arm their
Marauder power suits. Zim and Bronski wear Command model suits
with rank
designations. Johnny checks weapons, scans the electronics on
each squad
member's power suit.
ZIM
With the
Marauder's visual capabilities,
all you
have to do is look at something
to hit
it, so you will exercise EXTREME
CARE on
my firing line.
Do you
get me ?
RECRUITS
Sir,
yes, sir !
ZIM
The live
firing combat range is the
closest
simulation of actual combat
we can
provide. If you do not hit
your
target, it will shoot you...
Fifty
blackened AUTOMATED TARGET DRONES fitted with pulse guns
are presently
visible along a gauntlet of low walls, gullies, and three-story
building
facades.
ZIM
The
Marauder power suit will prevent
serious
injury, but if you are hit, you
will be
non-operational and your team
score
will suffer accordingly. Rico,
has each
member of your squad completed
a
weapons safety check ?
JOHNNY
Sir,
yes, sir !
On a signal
from Zim, the Live Fire Combat Range comes to life
as the target
drones take cover and disappear from view.
ZIM
Perfect
score for this exercise is 300.
B
company came through last week
with
285. I expect you to do better.
74 EXT LIVE FIRE COMBAT RANGE - DAY - THE RECRUITS
take out the
target drones as they appear. Halfway through the course,
a recruit
takes a hit and goes down, immobilized. Djana'd has a clear
shot, but
Breckinridge gets in her way.
DJANA'D
You're
in my line of fire, Breckinridge
Before the
others can react, a second drone appears.
JOHNNY
CROSSFIRE
! EVERYBODY DOWN !
Everyone
kisses dirt. Pulses from the two drones fly thick overhead.
Shujumi rises
to fire, a round slams him back to the ground.
Johnny and
Djana'd knock out the two drones.
JOHNNY
Alright,
no more screw ups. Ace takes
point.
Diz, you and Kitten Smith cover
the
flanks. Djana'd, you're rear guard.
Move
out.
The squad
resumes ist advance. Breckinridge bangs on his helmet.
There is
something wrong with his "head up" display.
JOHNNY
What's
the problem ?
BRECKINRIDGE
Dunno.
Display's fritzed.
DJANA'D
Lose
another rifle, we're gonna mess up
our
score...
JOHNNY
Let me
see.
Breckinridge
takes off helmet, hands it to Johnny. Djana'd turns on
Breckinridge.
Her "head up" zeroes him.
DJANA'D
How come
when something goes wrong,
it's
always you, Breckinridge ?
That's when
Djana'd trips on a loose stone. She fumbles her rifle and
it discharges.
The round tears the top of Breckinridge's head off.
The recruits
stare in horror.
JOHNNY
Oh,
God... uh... MEDIC !
Zim arrives
with Bronski on the bounce.
ZIM
Rico,
you are relieved of squad command.
Levy,
McIntire you will escort private Rico
to the
C.O.'s Office.
The recruits
watch Johnny leave, stare aghast at their dead comrade.
No one looks
at Djana'd, who stands alone sobbing.
75 INT C.O.'S OFFICE - DAY - JOHNNY
stands before
the C.O. braced by Katrina and Ace. Zim and the C.O. are
both saddened
by the proceedings.
C.O.
Rico,
did you give the recruit permission
to
remove his helmet ?
JOHNNY
Sir,
yes, sir. Breckinridge reported a
helmet
malfunction, and I asked him
to show
it to me, sir.
C.O.
Are you
rated to repair a Marauder
power
suit, Rico ?
JOHNNY
Sir, no,
sir.
C.O.
Then why
did you order your man to
remove
his helmet during a live fire
exercise
?
JOHNNY
Sir, I
needed everyone in my squad
operational,
sir... I... I wanted to win,
sir.
C.O:
(sigh)
You
disobeyed safety regulation 21-404.
You may,
of course, demand trial by
court
martial.
JOHNNY
Sir, no,
sir !
C.O.
Do you
freely admit to the charges
made
against you ?
JOHNNY
Sir... I
guess I do, sir.
Zim looks out
the window. Djana'd, dressed for travel, in civilian clothes,
crying as she
heads off down Washout Lane.
C.O.
Sergeant,
we've lost two recruits
over
this incident already...
is there
any possibility of salvaging
this man
?
Zim
I
believe so, sir.
C.O.
Alright.
We'll try administrative
punishment.
Until then you are
confined
to your quarters, Rico.
76 INT BARRACKS - SUNSET - JOHNNY
looks out the
window to the parade ground where a POST has been
erected. The
recruits look up as Zim enters.
ZIM
Alright,
let's go, Rico.
Johnny takes
off his shirt. Ace who now holds the chevrons of squad
leader,
watches, feels bad for his pal.
77 EXT PARADE GROUND - SUNSET - THE RECRUITS
stand with
recruits from other platoons. Johnny is led to the post and
strung up as
the C.O. reads the charge.
C.O.
For
incompetence of command, for
failure
to abide by safety regulations
in a
live fire exercise, for negligence
which
contributed to the death of a
teammate...
Zim steps up
to Johnny, offers him a red rubber mouthpiece.
ZIM
Bite on
this. It helps. I know.
C.O.
...
recruit trainee John Rico is sentenced
to
administrative punishment. Ten lashes.
Johnny takes
it in his mouth. His tear away shirt is torn away. Johnny
stands at the
post alone. Corporal Bronski, a big man with an unhappy
task, unrolls
his whip.
C.O.
You may
carry out the sentence.
BRONSKI
One.
CRACK ! Johnny's face wrenched by pain, spontanous
tears, a terrible
sound stifled
by the bright red mouthpiece.
BRONSKI
Two.
CRACK ! Again. Dizzy flinches for Johnny.
BRONSKI
Three.
CRACK ! Ace looks away.
BRONSKI
Four.
CRACK ! Zim watches without any apparent emotion.
BRONSKI
Five.
CRACK ! Johnny faints, sagging against his tether.
FADE
OUT
78 EXT OUTER SYSTEM - STARSHIP ATHENA
cruises past,
600,000 metric tons of star class destroyer, FIGHTERS
and LANDING BOATS
lining her open hangar deck.
79 INT ATHENA - COMMAND AND CONTROL - NIGHT CYCLE -
CARMEN
works alone on
the empty bridge. She yawns. Zander brings coffee for himself
and Carmen.
CARMEN
Thanks.
You read my mind. Third watch
always seems
to last forever.
ZANDER
Oh, I
don't know... Depends on who you
are
spending it with.
He caresses
her hair. She kisses his hand. Zander notices the plot map.
ZANDER
Profile's
wrong... there.
CARMEN
No, I
replotted the course. It's more
efficient
this way.
ZANDER
Three
weeks aboard a starship and you
know it
all, huh ?
CARMEN
Hey,
check it.
Zander slides
into his chair, runs a check.
ZANDER
You know
I was talking to Captain,
Deladier,
and she said...
CARMEN
Don't
change the subject. Am I right ?
ZANDER
Well,
whad'ya know...
CARMEN
Don't
mess with the boss. So what'd
the
captain say ?
ZANDER
She got
a command... and she thinks we
oughta
team up officially and crew for her.
She
thinks we're good together.
CARMEN
You and
me, huh ?
Zander turns
his chair so they are very close, moves a finger along
her hand, up
her arm and playfully around her breasts.
ZANDER
I have a
feeling about us. We're good
together,
way ahead of the curve in
every
department. I seem to be able to
anticipate
your needs.
You know
what I want...
Carmen grabs
him between his legs.
CARMEN
No, what
do you want ?
Zander pulls
her to him and they kiss passionately. She brteaks it off,
gets serious
for amoment.
CARMEN
I want
to be part of the best flight team
in the
Fleet...
ZANDER
Me,
too... Day and Night-Cycle.
They start to
caress again when suddenly ALARMS sound. Captain
Deladier
appears on the hot screen, still waking up.
DELADIER
Report.
ZANDER
Captain,
we are in the path of an unidentified
object
moving at near light speed...
Carmen and
Zander frantically check their displays.
CARMEN
WHERE IS
IT ?
ZANDER
THERE ! GRAVITY FIELD... IT'S BIG !
CARMEN
It looks
like an... asteroid.
DELADIER
In this
part of the system ?
Carmen and
Zander see it through the front screens: A
huge
ASTEROID
tumbles directly towards them at terrific speed.
ZANDER
Sweet
Jesus...!
Carmen breaks
glass that reads EMERGENCY RETROS, arms the switch
within and
fires the rockets.
80 EXT OUTER SYSTEM - STARSHIP ATHENA
torques to one
side. The asteroid grazes the ship, cutting ahuge gash
in Athena's
hull. Ice and rock travelling in ist wake shreds
COMMUNICATIONS
EQUIPMENT.
81 INT COMMAND AND CONTROL - NIGHT CYCLE - CARMEN
AND
Zander brace
themseves as diamond hard particles pound the front screens.
The ship
continues to tumble.
82 EXT ATHENA - FLIGHT DECK - A FIGHTER
loses it's
mooring, tumbling into other craft, explosions ripping the deck.
83 INT ATHENA -VARIOUS - NIGHT CYCLE - CREWMEN
are sucked
into space. Others hang on frantically as automatic doors
seal Athena's
wound and their fates.
84 INT COMMAND AND CONTROL - NIGHT CYCLE - CAPTAIN
Deladier
arrives on the bridge, now crowded as other FLIGHT OFFICERS
rush to their
stations. Zander's going through star charts.
DELADIER
Where'd
it come from ?
ZANDER
Trajectory
indicates it came out of
the
Arachnid Quarantine Zone.
DELADIER
Number
4, contact Fleet and tell 'em
there's
a loose asteroid headed their way.
COMMUNICATIONS
OFFICER
Communications
are down, ma'am.
DELADIER
Engineering.
Damage assessment.
ENGINEERING
OFFICER
Hull's
compromised.
We're
lucky to be alive, ma'am.
Deladier
notices Carmen staring at a monitor, stunned. A DEAD
CAP TROOPER
trails in the wreckage of the flight deck.
DELADIER
Good
work, Number 1. You'll do.
CARMEN
Thank
you, ma'am.
85 INT BARRACK'S - DAY - JOHNNY
wears his
civilian clothes, pcks as the other recruits get ready for the
day's
training. No one says anything. He moves stiffly, careful of his
back.
DIZZY
It
stinks, you goin.
JOHNNY
I don't
stay where I'm not wanted.
DIZZY
If they
didn't want you, they woulda
kicked you
out, amigo.
JOHNNY
Hey,
they humiliated me in front of
everyone
! I'm just supposed to take
it, huh
? Well, I'm not gonna, and I
guess
that proves I just can't cut it.
Corporal
Bronski leans in, impassive.
BRONSKI
Your call's
going through, Rico.
Take it
there.
A nearby
VU-PHONE lights up. The screen flashes: RINGING
His mother
appears when she picks up the other end.
MOTHER
Hello...
Oh, Johnny...!
JOHNNY
Hi, mom.
MOTHER
Bill...
pick up... it's Johnny ! You
little
rat. You haven't called, you
haven't
written. It's been so lonely
here
without you...
The screen
splits as Johnny's father activates an extension.
FATHER
Johnny !
Where's your uniform...?
Johnny's
mother makes a face to shut him up.
FATHER
Well,
it's just good to hear from you.
What's
up, son ?
JOHNNY
It's not
really working out for me here,
dad. I
was thinking... I was hoping it
would be
alright if I came home.
MOTHER
Well, of
course you should come home
immedietly
!
JOHNNY
I've
made a mess of things. I've been
so
stupid...
FATHER
Don't
talk like that. Get yourself home
as fast
as you can.
MOTHER
We'll
all have dinner. I'll fix your favorite.
FATHER
Yeah !
We'll talk it out and have a good
glass of
wine ... and... well, we love you,
son.
The sky in
Buenos Aires seems to darken perceptively. Johnny's
mother looks
out the window.
MOTHER
Oh, my,
what's that ?
FATHER
Looks
like rain.
MOTHER
This
time of the year...?
The
transmission ends abruptly. A phone company logo appears:
TRANSMISSION
TERMINATED.
VU-PHONE
VOICE
Your
transmission has been terminated due
to
atmospheric interference. Please try your
call
again later.
Johnny zips
his duffel, hefts it gingerly over his shoulder.
JOHNNY
Well,
see ya.
DIZZY
You take
the stroll down Washout Lane,
you're
only proving one thing, Johnny.
JOHNNY
What's
that, Diz ?
DIZZY
That you
don't have what it takes
to be
acitizen !
Dizzy turns on
her heel and marches away.
86 INT THE C.O.'S OFFICE - DAY - JOHNNY
signs form
1240/A. Zim stands as witness.
C.O.
Now you,
Sergeant.
Zim signs
bitterly. The C.O. sighs.
C.O.
That's
it, son. You can go.
The C.O. and
Zim turn to other things. Johnny picks up his duffel and heads
out the door.
87 EXT PARADE GROUND - DAY - JOHNNY
walks alone,
sad. A skimmer hums by overhead and he looks after it.
Out across the
parade ground he sees the glint of Marauder power
suits as
recruits tumble the obstacle course.
88 EXT WASHOUT LANE -- DAY - JOHNNY
reaches the
little white fence that leads to the transporter. He turns
back for one
last look and notices people running to the
Comminications
shack. Kitten Smith runs by.
JOHNNY
Hey,
Kitten, what's going on ?
KITTEN
It's war
!
89 EXT COMMUNICATION - DAY - JOHNNY
joins others
to see what's on the Federal Net. Recruits, non-coms, and officers gather
without any
sense of military decorum. People cry openly, among them Corporal
Bronski.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
...
early estimates. Millions dead, a city in
ruins...
On screen, the
smoldering ruins of what was once a huge city.
JOHNNY
Oh,
jeez, is that Geneva ?
KATRINA
Goddam
bugs whacked us, Johnny.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
...
Buenos Aires has been wiped of the Earth.
Nothing
lives in what was once called the
Latin
Paradise...
Johnny is
horrified. Dizzy is suddenly standing next to him.
DIZZY
Aw,
Johnny, geez... It's home.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
The
Federal Court met moments ago and
voted
unanimously for mobilization to
destroy
the Arachnid threat.
Johnny sets
his jaw, turns and runs for the C.O.'s office.
90 INT C.O.'S OFFICE -DAY - THE C.O: AND ZIM
and other
staffers watch the grim news unfold. Animation
illustrates
the insect treachery.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
The
meteor derived from here, near Klendathu,
in the
Arachnid's home system...
ZIM
I'm
serious, sir. I'll go anywhere.
I want
combat.
C.O.
Forget
it, Zim. We're gonna need you
here.
The only way you'll get a combat
assignment
is if you bust yourself to
private.
You get me ?
ZIM
Yes,
sir, I get you.
C.O.
What can
I do for you, Rico ?
JOHNNY
Sir, I
wish to reconsider my request
to drop
out, sir.
C.O.
Sorry,
son. I can't do it. You signed
the
1240/A. It would be illegal.
JOHNNY
Sir, i
know it was wrong. I didn't
learn
from one mistake and I made
another,
sir.
(then)
Sir, my
family... my whole family was
in
Buenos Aires, sir.
Zim picks up
Johnny's 1240/A off the C.O.'s desk.
ZIM
Is that
your signature, Rico ?
JOHNNY
Sir, yes
it is, sir.
ZIM
Doesn't
look like it to me.
Zim gives the
C.O. a look. The C.O. shrugs, turns away, watching the news
of the coming
war. Zim tears up the 1240/A.
ZIM
Get outa
here, private.
91 FROM THE
FEDERAL NET - HUMANKIND GOES TO WAR !
Actual
pictures of Buenos Aires: SURVIVORS
pick through rubble,
people wail,
kids play tag in the ruins.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Out of
the ashes of Buenos Aires comes first
sorrow,
then ANGER !
ANGRY
PERSON
The only
good bug is a dead bug !
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Would
you like to know more ?
92 COMBAT -
VICTORY ON DANTANA !
A wounded CAP
TROOPER, grim smile, flashes "V" for victory as his
weary comrades
carry him off the field.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Cap
Troopers establish a foothold on Dantana,
a planet
system at the outer edge of the
Arachnid
Quarantine Zone. Casualties are high,
but casualties
won't stop the Mobile Infantery !
Would
you like to know more ?
93 HOME FRONT -
KIDS KILL BUGS AND MOM IS GLAD !
MOM smiles as
her CUTE KIDS stomp insects in the garden.
FACTORY
WORKERS turn out ordnance. PEOPLE line up
to enlist.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Everyone's
doing their share. Are you ?
The war
effort needs your effort at work,
at home,
in your community.
Would
you like to know more ?
94 LEADERSHIP -
SKY MARSHALL ANNOUNCES OFFENSIVE !
SKY MARSHALL
DIENES, 72, addresses the FEDERAL COUNCIL.
SKY
MARSHALL DIENES
We are a
generation commanded by fate to defend
humankind
! We must meet the threat with our valor,
our
blood, with our very lives, to insure that human
civilization,
not insect, dominates this galaxy now
and
always.
The council
rises to its feet for a standing ovation.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Sky
Marshall Dienes announces plans for an
offensive
against Klendathu, source of the
bug
meteor that destroyed Buenos Aires.
95 LIVE BROADCAST
- AQZ - FLEET BATTLE STATION TICONDEROGA
is a sprawling
pre-fab structure covering several square kilometers of space
where
STARSHIPS are stacked in berths.
Super title: COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
We now
break net and take you live to
Fleet
Battle Station Ticonderoga deep
inside
the Arachnid Quarantine Zone.
96 INT BATTLE STATION - NIGHT CYCLE - THE CAMERA
follows the
Net Correspondentas he works a corridor crowded with
MOBILE
INFANTERY and FLEET PERSONNEL.
NET
CORRESPONDENT
No one
here in the AQZ knows when the
invasion
of Kendathu will occur, but
everyone's
talking about it, and the talk says
tomorrow
!
Newly minted
cap troopres Johnny, Dizzy, Ace, and Kitten Smith happen along.
NET
CORRESPONDENT
Here's a
bunch of M.I. kids who look like they
eat bugs
for lunch !
DIZZY
Yum, yum
yum ...!
NET
CORRESPONDENT
So
you're not to worried about fighting the
Arachnids...?
ACE
Hey,
shoot a nuke down a bug hole,
lotta
dead bugs, am I right ?
KITTEN
SMITH
I just
hope it's not over before we get in it !
NET
CORRESPONDENT
Some say
the bugs were provoked by human
attempts
to colonize within the AQZ, that a
"live
and let live" policy is preferable to
war with
the bugs...
JOHNNY
Yeah,
well, I'm from Buenos Aires, and
I say
kill'em all !
97 INT RECREATION DECK - NIGHT CYCLE - JOHNNY
and his
friends drink at a crowded bar. Around the room there's
singing and
dancing, a mad sort of revelry bred of fear and
excitement,
but nearby a VETERAN drinks alone.
KITTEN
SMITH
That
guy's been in it.
JOHNNY
How can
you tell ?
KITTEN
SMITH
The
eyes. He's got the 1000 meters stare.
He's hard and
humorless, all wised up. Ace admires his LASER CUT TATTOOS.
Dizzy eyes his
skull and crossbone earring.
ACE
Great
scars.
DIZZY
I like
the jewelry. Hey, amigo, where can
I get an
earring like yours ?
VETERAN
Port Joe
Smith, Outer Rings, Dantana...
Every
time I come back from a drop, my
gunny
gives me a bone. I got three now.
You
don't see a lot of guys with three.
JOHNNY
Waht's
it like... combat ?
VETERAN
I guess
it's not so bad. I mean as
long as
you don't get any on you.
KITTEN
SMITH
Get any
what on you ?
VETERAN
Oh,
you'll know when it happens.
See you
on the bounce.
The veteran
pays his tab and heads out.
ACE
I say we
all go to the laser parlor
and get
cut together.
JOHNNY
What do
I want with a scar ?
DIZZY
What,
your skin's too pretty ?
C'mon,
everyone's doing it !
CARMEN
(V.O.)
Hey Johnny ! Johnny
Rico !
Johnny looks
up and sees Carmen. She lloks graet in uniform with
the hat and
the lieutenant's bars on her shoulders.
JOHNNY
Carmen...
?
Johnny
remembers himself, snaps to attention, salutes. Dizzy and the others
follow suit.
Carmen salutes back, sheepish.
CARMEN
Oh... at
ease. Guess I oughta lose the hat
when I'm
off duty, eh ?
Dizzy,
disgusted, turns back to Ace and Kitten Smith. Carmen tucks her hat
under her arm.
Her hair is very short.
JOHNNY
What
happened to your hair ?
CARMEN
What do
you think ? Everyone did it when
we got
our wings. You don't like it, do you ?
JOHNNY
It's
alright, I guess. You hear from anyone
made it
out of B.A. alive ?
Carmen shakes
her head, sadly.
CARMEN
It's
funny. Sometimes I forget. Then it
hits me,
and I can't stop crying.
JOHNNY
I try
just to be happy I'm still alive.
CARMEN
You
don't look very happy to see me.
JOHNNY
Should I
be ?
CARMEN
Johnny...
Life is so different from the
way it
was. One day you'll see what
I did
was best for both of us.
Zander leaves
a group of FLEET OFFICERS to join them.
ZANDER
Everything
coposetic, Lieutenant ?
CARMEN
Zander,
you remember Johnny ?
Zander
and I are a flight team now.
Zander puts
his arm around Carmen, gives her a squeeze.
ZANDER
Best in
the Fleet !
JOHNNY
I get
it. This is the part that's best
for both
of us.
Don't do
me anymore favors, eh ?
Johnny turns
to leave.
CARMEN
Johnny,
wait...
ZANDER
Forget
it, Carmen. The Mobile Infantery
does a
thankless, dirty job, so they
naturally
tend to be short-tempered,
thoughtless
and rude.
Johnny turns
back to face Zander.
JOHNNY
You got
something to say about the
Mobile
Infantery ?
ZANDER
You
heard me. Wanna make something
out of
it, private ?
JOHNNY
Not with
an officer, no, sir.
The M.I.
doesn't mint stupid cap
troopers.
Everyone can
see what's about to happen. A circle is forming,
Fleet on one
side, Mobile Infantery on the other.
ZANDER
Let's
disregaed rank... Everybody hear
that ?
Rank is not an issue here.
CARMEN
Zander,
please... Let's go !
Zander takes
off his hat.
ZANDER
It's alright. What's he gonna do ?
WHAM ! Johnny punches him right in the nose.
Zander goes down,
bleeding. Ace
and Kitten Smith grab Johnny.
ACE
Whoa,
easy there, buddy... Nice punch.
Zander
staggers to his feet, ready to fight, but Fleet Officers pull him
back. Carmen
looks at Johnny, the hate in his eye, the blood on his fist.
CARMEN
What's
wrong with you ?
JOHNNY
Hey,
it's just a vestigal response to
procreation...
bitch.
Carmen turns
away, stung. Johnny immediately regrets. Dizzy,
for her part,
couldn't be happier.
DIZZY
Forget
it, Johnny. Cap Troopers and
Fleet
weren't meant to mix !
98 INT LASER PARLOR - NIGHT CYCLE - JOHNNY
grinds his
teeth as a laser mounted on a robot arm finishes slicing an
intricate
pattern into his arm.
JOHNNY
It
hurts...!
Dizzy, Ace,
and Kitten Smith awtch, grinning, passing a bottle.
Ace pours
booze directly into the fresh wound.
ACE
No, this
hurts.
JOHNNY
YAAAAAAAA
!
KITTEN
SMITH
Well,
here's to it ! We're gonna fightn, and
we're
gonna win !
They put their
arms side by side. Each has a similiar scar:
Lightning
bolts on a shield and the words: DEATH
FROM ABOVE.
ACE
Mobile
Infantery rules !
JOHNNY
Death to
all bugs !
DIZZY
Don't
get any on you !
99 EXT KLENDATHU - FROM SPACE - FLEET STARSHIPS
of every class
maneuver in tight orbit around the orange planet.
The
"Mobile Infantery Anthem" plays loke Holst, pounding and
relentless.
The invasion has begun !
100 INT BULL RUN - DROP ROOM - JOHNNY
and his
platoon, wearing fully armed MARAUDER POWER SUITS,
wait to drop
with other cap troopers. Their mood is grim.
LIEUTENANT
WILLY, 35, easy-going and confident, enters.
ACE
Officer
on deck !
Everyone snaps
to attention.
LT.
WILLY
At ease.
Alright... we got hot poop straight
from the
top:
Willy's
Wildcats is in with the first wave.
Means
more bugs for us to kill...
This does nothing
to break the tension. Lt. Willy reassures.
LT.
WILLY
Now if
you follow orders and remember
your
training, I guarantee you'll make it
back
alive. Any questions ?
There are
none.
LT.
WILLY
Alright...
next we got a little last minute
briefing
from Military Intelli-gence I
think
you're gonna like...
The
briefingplays on "head up" displays and the ready room screens. A
captive BUG
WARRIOR clicks and shrieks as FEDERAL SCIENTISTS
torture it.
The troopers cheer.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Everyday
Federal scientists are looking for
new ways
to kill bugs and you can help...
The head
scientists turns and speaks to camera. It's Carl.
Johnny and
Dizzy share an amazed grin, noticing a difference in
their old friend,
something that speaks of... authority.
CARL
To
defeat the enemy, we must know the
enemy.
Take for instance your basic
Arachnid
warrior. Minimal IQ, armored,
completely
lethal. You can blow a limb off...
Carl picks up
apulse gun and blows one of the bugs legs off.
The insect
screams.
CARL
... and
it's still 86% combat effec-tive.
But
here's a tip: Aim for the nerve stem
and put
it down for good.
Carl fires
again. The bug kicks and squeals as it dies.
Carl tosses
the pulse gun aside.
CARL
Now
while you are out killing bugs,
we want
you to be our eyes and ears.
The bugs
use some kind of plasma burst
to
divert meteors and aim them toward Earth.
We need
to know how they do this. If you
encounter
any plasma, report it immediately
to your
superior. Good luck and good hunting !
The briefing
ends as klaxons sound.
P.A.
(O.S.)
This is
the Captain speaking.
All
personnel prepare for drop.We
are at D
minus three and counting.
LT.
WILLY
Move out
!
Johnny and the
other troopers climb into capsules on the port track.
Dizzy gives
him "thumbs up". The capsule seals as it moves with
the others
down the firing tube.
101 INT CAPSULE - JOHNNY
gets the shakes
as the capsule bumps and booms toward the firing
tube. Lt.
Willy appears on the "head up" display.
LT.
WILLY
Smash
the entire area, kill anything that
has
more'n a couple legs , and don't any
of you
loafers come back aboard with
unexpended
bombs. Get me ?
JOHNNY
ET AL
Yes, sir
!
FIRE
CONTROL (O.S.)
Five
seconds...
Sweat rolls
down his face, hyperventilation... WHAM !
102 EXT SPACE - KLENDATHU ORBIT - SILVER CAPSULES
stream toward
Klendathu from the rear tubes starships of Bull Run.
We move down
the line past Mannerheim, Dauntless, George Marshall,
and Yamamoto
to the Rodger Young.
103 INT RODGER YOUNG - COMMAND AND CONTROL - CARMEN
holds Rodger
Young in tight maneuver. Suddenly, a burst of BLUE BUG PLASMA
rips past the
starboard bow.
CARMEN
Plasma,
ma'am... from the planet.
DELADIER
Bug
Batteries... According to Military
Intelligence,
it'll be random and light.
Drop
status ?
ZANDER
Drop is
35% complete, ma'am.
Two more
bursts of bug plasma streak past.
DELADIER
Steady
as she goes, Number 1.
104 EXT KLENDATHU - HIGH ATMOSPERE - NIGHT - THE
CAPSULES
burn when they
hit atmosphere, outer skin tearing away in big silver sheets.
105 INT CAPSULE - NIGHT - JOHNNY
takes in ENTRY
DATA from the heads up display.
GUIDANCE
COMPUTER (V.O.)
...surface
in twenty-fivr seconds
...LZ
has been identified
...beacon
is in place...
106 INT RODGER YOUNG - COMMAND AND CONTROL - CARMEN
watches
nervously as deadly bursts of bug plasma fill the heavens around the
battle group.
Below, the surface of Klendathu fairly bistles with outgoing
defensive
fire.
DELADIER
This
isn't random or light.
Someone
made amistake...!
ZANDER
That's
it, we're empty ma'am !
Out the front
screens, a blast from below hits George Marshall amidships
and it reels
into Yamamoto. Both starships begin to burn.
DELADIER
Someone
made a big goddam mistake !
Get us
out of here, Number 1 !
Carmen dodges
past burning ships, avoids collision with Dauntless,
and then
KA-WHAM ! they're hit. Carmen flies
out of her
station and
into CAMERA hard.
107 EXT KLENDATHU - CLOUD LAYER - NIGHT - THE SECOND
SKIN
tears away.
Johnny is sitting on air.
GUIDANCE
COMPUTER (V.O.)
...surface
in fifteen seconds...
deploying
chute now...
The chute
pops. Across the sky, lit by outgoing bug plasma, he can see hundreds
of cap
troopers in ordered rows drifting down into the cloud layer.
It's quiet in
the clouds, then:
108 EXT KLENDATHU - NIGHT - FROM THE AIR - JOHNNY
looks down as
he passes out of the clouds and sees the battlefield.
Plasma blasts
exploode into the sky. THOUSANDS OF BUGS boil
out of the
ground to defend against the invader.
GUIDANCE
COMPUTER (V.O.)
...surface
in five... four ... three...
Johnny burns
his chute off, drops the last hundred feet and lands
on the bounce.
109 EXT KLENDATHU - NIGHT - JOHNNY'S POV - THE FLASH
PULSE
of bug
batteries, screaming voices on the com, concussions shaking the ground.
None of it
compares to the sound of his own racing HEARTBEAT.
Lieutenant
Willy shouts.
LIEUTENANT
WILLY
Up there
on the ridge ! We'll nuke those bug positions
from
theAAAAAAAA !
A HOPPER (an
airborne Arachnid warrior with powerful rear legs and "pop out"
wings for
gliding) lands on Lieutenant Willy and cracks his head like a nut.
ACE
KILL IT
!
Johnny and Ace
open fire, backing away. Pulse rounds tear it apart, bug guts
gushing.
JOHNNY
Lieutenant's
bought the farm.
Where's
the Sarge...?
ACE
I didn't
see him !
Now comes a
flood of WORKERS building ever advancing fortifications,
and with them,
hundreds of deadly ARACHNID WARRIORS.
KITTEN
SMITH
Here
they come...!
DIZZY
Ace,
what're we doing ?
ACE
I uh...
uh...
Dizzy and the
others open fire simultanously. The whole area goes white hot
in the
magnesium flash of so many pulse cannons. Shujumi fires wildly at
advancing
insects.
SHUJUMI
You want
some ? Here's some !
C'MON !
JOHNNY
Don't
waste your ammon on the
workers
!
Shujumi can't
hear. A warrior finds him, rips his leg off, hurls him back
into the
waiting jaws of the oncoming bugs.
SHUJUMI
AAAAAAAAAAAA
!
He fights,
screaming. A claw reaches for his face, ripping the top of his head off.
KATRINA
Let's
get out of here !
Now the ground
opens behind her and a huge (6 meters) TANKER BUG
lumbers out of
the ground, it's funnel-shaped snout extruding above
multiple eyes.
DIZZY
Look out
!
The tanker bug
sprays and hits Katrina. She screams, as her legs melt out
from under
her.
KATRINA
AAAAAAAAAAAAA
!
Warriors
converge to feed on her. Ace wants to help her, but Johnny blocks him.
JOHNNY
C'mon,
Katrina was right. We
gotta
get out of here !
110 EXT KLENDATHU - NIGHT - JOHNNY
and the other
survivors on the bounce. The entire surface of Klendathu seems
to be churning
with insects as more and more bugs come to the surface to
repel the
invasion.
JOHNNY
It's a
general retreat ! The boats are
coming
down.
They come to
the rear lines where the Net Correspondent and his
CAMERAMAN are
doing live coverage of the invasion.
NET
CORRESPONDENT
We've
just landed here on what cap troopers
are
calling the "Big K" with the 6th Mobile
Infantery
Division. It's an ugly planet, a bug
planet,
a planet hostile to life as we kow iGKKKKK !
The
Correspondent is cut in half by a warrior. Johnny blows it away.
JOHNNY
C'mon,
let's go ! ON THE BOUNCE !
The cap
troopers move out. Kitten Smith looks up as a purple beacon
streaks acroos thr sky.
KITTEN SMITH
I can
see the beacon...!
ACE
Retrieval
!
A hopper
pounces on Kitten Smithm, and he goes down screaming.
JOHNNY
KITTEN !
Johnny touches
down, stares in horror as Kitten Smith's head rolls past his
fee. Johnny
opens up with his pulse cannon. The hopper attacks, puts a claw
right through
Johnny's thigh.
JOHNNY
AAAAAAAAAAAAA
!
Crushing jaws
close around him, crushing, cutting his flesh. Johnny brings the muzzle
of the pulse
gun under the hopper's nerve stem and SPLAT ! blows
its head apart.
DIZZY
Johnny ! JOHNNY ! WHERE
ARE YOU ?
JOHNNY ! Johnny...!
But Dizzy
can't find Johnny, and soon she's lost in the smoke. Johnny looks
down at the
terrible hole in his leg where bright arterial blood gushes.
JOHNNY
Medic...
MEDIC...!
Now two more
Arachnid warriors close in on him through the enveloping
smoke. He
fires his pulse rifle empty, and dropping it, crawls desperately,
dragging his
useless leg.
JOHNNY
Oh, God...
Oh, God, help me...
please
help me...!
A third
Arachnid warrior rears up in front of him, deadly jaws slashing down
toward him,
when suddenly it is blown to pieces in the blinding blast of a
point-blank
pulse cannon.
VOICE
(O.S.)
Take my
hand !
Johnny reaches
out. A STEEL HAND takes his, dragging him back as bugs
attack. His
rescuers's pulse cannon thunders overhead. Bug parts fly as
insects swarm
in for the kill.
FADE
OUT
111 FROM THE
FEDERAL NET - 100, 000 DEAD IN ONE HOUR !
Actual
pictures of the battlefield, man and insect lying dead together on the blood
drenched
plains of Klendathu.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Crsisis
for Humankind ! Fleet official
admit
they underestimated the
Arachnid's
defensive capability.
Would
you like to know more ?
112 SKY MARSHALL
RESIGNS !
Retiring Sky Marshall Dienes salutes incoming SKY
MARSHALL TEHAT MERU, 75,
bfore a
gathering of the Federal Council.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Accepting
responsibility for Klendathu,
Sky
Marshall Dienes resigns. His successor,
Sky
Marshall Tahat Meru, outlines her new
strategy.
SKY
MARSHALL MERU
Until we
understand the bug better, we
must
proceed with caution...
We can
ill afford another Klendathu.
113 SCIENTISTS
SUSPECT MYSTERIOUS BRAIN BUGS !
FEDERAL
SCIENTISTS display an organizational chart of the
Arachnid
species topped by a QUESTION MARK.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
To
explain the intelligent military actions
of the
Arachnids, Federal Scientists postulate
the
existence of a leadership caste...BRAIN BUGS !
114 SOMETIMES
LOVED ONES DIE FOR A GOOD REASON !
Names scroll
by designated KIA, WIA, and MIA accordingly.
OFFICIAL
VOICE
Families
oof those who have died or become
incapacitated
by Federal Service are entitled
to
benefits ! If you see the name of a loved one,
please
do not call. A Federation official will call
you.
Would you like to know more ?
115 EXT FLEET BATTLE STATION TICONDEROGA - THE RODGER
YOUNG
limps to port,
a huge chunk ripped out of its mid-section. Although stable,
she flies
inverted.
CARMEN
(O.S.)
Ticonderoga,
this is Rodger Young requesting
approach
vector...
TICONDEROGA
C&C (O.S.)
Affirmative,
Rodger Young...one zero zero
niner
five two... welcome back.
116 INT RODGER YOUNG - COMMAND AND CONTROL - ZANDER
AND
CARMEN
stare at the
BATTLE-SCARED STARSHIPS and BURNT-OUT HULKS that line the
docks of
Ticonderoga.
CARMEN
You
know, we're lucky to be alive.
A bloody
bandage wraps Carmen's head. Zander nods grimly.
117 INT RODGER YOUNG - GANGWAY - THE DEAD BODIES
of CREWMEN and
CAP TROOPERS are being off-loaded via conveyer belt.
Zander and
Carmen make their way up the steep companionway beside the
ghastly
conveyer belt.
ZANDER
Give me
hand, willya ?
Carmen takes
his hand. Zander kisses her.
ZANDER
I was
thinking. Maybe we should get
married,
Carmen.
CARMEN
You
weren't thinking...you were dreaming !
ZANDER
If we're
gonna be a team, why not be a
real
team ?
CARMEN
There's
a war on. I want a command,
I want
my own ship, you do, too...
ZANDER
So ?
CARMEN
So who's
got time to get married ?
Carmen lets
his hand go and leaps through the hatch. Zander falls back
onto the
conveyer belt, finds himself eyeball-to-eyeball with a horribly
maimed
trooper, scrambles to get off.
118 INT BATTLE STATION TICONDEROGA - COMMON AREA -
ZANDER
joins Carmen
in the crowded common area where dead bodies compete for space
with wounded
awaiting triage. Survivors watch casualty lists scroll ba on a
Federal Net
terminal.
ZANDER
Fleet
encourages marriages among flight
officers.
You'd probably get a promotion
out of
it.
CARMEN
Funny...
ZANDER
I'm not
kidding. Marriage is -
CARMEN
No,
funny there's almost no wounded at all.
ZANDER
Hey,
bugs don't take prisoners.
Carmen looks
at the words at the Net terminal: WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW
MORE ? She
bites her lip, enters Johnny's name. In an instant, she has the news:
RICO, JOHN D.
- KIA
CARMEN
Oh no.
Tears fill her
eyes.
ZANDER
Carmen...?
CARMEN
Excuse
me...!
She rushes
away. Zander looks at Johnny's name on the screen, shrugs, presses
the ERASE
button.
119 INT TICONDEROGA - CORRIDOR - ZANDER
finds Carmen,
sagging against a wall, weepimg.
ZANDER
I'm
sorry, Carmen.
CARMEN
Please,
I... Everybody's lost someone
by now.
This shouldn't be any
different...
Zander puts an
arm around her. She holds on tight.
CARMEN
No, I...
Oh, Zander, I'm a fool.
ZANDER
You're
upset, that's alright.
Zander kisses
her hair. Tears roll down her face.
CARMEN
No,
don't you see ? No one can wait for
anything
anymore... You're right...
We
should get married...
Zander holds
Carmen as she sobs, feeling lucky.
DISSOLVE
TO:
120 INT STASIS
TANK - DAY CYCLE - JOHNNY'S BODY
floats,
suspended in fluid, mouth hanging open, his skin white as death.
A low
underwater KNOCKING wakes him. He opens his eyes and sees
Ace and Dizzy
outside the tank.
Ace holds up a
KIA list, pointing at Johnny's name, laughing: Rico, John V - KIA.
Their voices
are distant and garbled. Dizzy cups her hands against the side of the
tank.
DIZZY
Two more
days.
Johnny's
wounds are now mostly scars except for his leg where delicate robotic
arms culture
layers of new tissue. Johnny gives a weak thumbs up. The knocking
sound
continues.
Johnny turns.
A STEEL HAND taps the side of the tank. Johnny grins, astonished.
The man
wearing it is his former high school teacher, now a Lieutenant, Jean Rasczak.
121 EXT SPACE - AQZ - A BATTLE GROUP
consisting of
STARSHIPS, their tender, FREIGHTERS and other SUPPLY CRAFT.
122 INT TROOP TRANSPORT - M.I. QUARTERS - JOHNNY
stows his gear
along with Ace and Dizzy. Acroos the room, a collection of
battle-hardened
vets check out the newcomers.
ACE
Dizzy
says you two knew this Rasczak
character
in Buenos Aires...
JOHNNY
He was
our teacher...
He was
great.
ACE
Yeah,
well, I hear he's a real
nutbuster.
DIZZY
The
Roughnecks killed more bugs than
any
other outfit in 2nd Brigade...
Only
took 15% casualties on Big K.
They size up
the Roughnecks. There are scars, power prosthetics, and one,
big SUGAR
WATKINS, 26, wears a bug claw on a chain around his neck.
JOHNNY
Seeing
as how we're about all that's
left
of 1st Brigade, you'd have to call
that an
improvement.
(to
Sugar Watkins)
You top
kick ?
SUGAR
WATKINS
Are you
kidding ? They always get killed.
You want
the job ?
JOHNNY
I
wouldn't mind.
CORPORAL
BIRDIE, 24, turns, gives Johnny the once over.
BIRDIE
I would.
Nice earring.
Dizzy looks
her over. Not too big, but she's tough.
DIZZY
Where
you been besides Big K ?
BIRDIE
Outer
rings. Zegema Beach.
JOHNNY
I always
wanted to go to Zegema Beach.
SUGAR
WATKINS
Good
luck. It's not there anymore.
ACE
Is your
Lieutenant as bad as they say ?
Birdie belts
him, and Ace goes down.
BIRDIE
No one
talks about the Lieutenant that way.
He saved
my life !
Ace jumps up,
ready to fight, but other Roughnecks block him.
SUGAR
WATKINS
Mine,
too.
OTHER
ROUGHNECKS
Same for
me... me, too...
Johnny and
Dizzy shrug. Ace's on his own.
ACE
Sounds
like he is quite a guy.
SERGEANT
GILLESPIE, 28, steps into the room.
GILLESPIE
Attention
!
Everyone snaps
to. Rasczak enters.
RASCZAK
This is
for you new people. I only
have two
rules. Rule one, everyone
fights.
Rule two, no one quits.
If you
don't do your job, I'll kill you
myself.
Do you get me ?
JOHNNY,
DIZZY AND ACE
We get
you, sir !
He points at
Johnny's earring with his steel hand.
RASCZAK
Get rid
of the jewelry. I hate it.
Welcome
to the Roughnecks.
BIRDIE
Rasczak's
Roughnecks !
The Roughnecks
cheer. Rasczak smiles vaguely.
RASCZAK
Alright.
There's a new Sky Marshall and
a new
plan. We're gonna clean out the
systems
outlying Klendathu one planet
at a
time. Tomorrow we hit Tango Urilla.
After
Fleet glasses the planet, M.I. mops up.
123 EXT TANGO URILLA - DAY - BUG WARRIORS
stand sentry
on earthworks that tower the entrance to their colony where an
endless line
of WORKERS enter bearing foodstuff appropriate to this exotic
jungle planet.
A distant
sound. A warrior looks up, curious. Suddenly a FORMATION OF TAC
FIGHTERS
screams down from high orbit and a white hot nuclear firestorm burns
consumes the
landscape.
Bugs scream as
they twist and kick in the wall of flame. Heat melts the dirt into
dark glass.
Ash turns the sky red. The out of the smoke come Rasczak and his
Roughnecks.
RASCZAK
Spread
out, teams of three. When you
locate a
bug hole, secure it, gas it,
and
close it.
124 EXT TANGO URILLA - FLATS - DAY - TAC FIGHTERS
streak by
overhead. On the ground, Johnny, Dizzy and Ace are on the bounce.
Ace spots a
bug hole where workers and warrors have broken through the
glassed
surface.
ACE
There.
Rockets take
out warriors. Bug guts go flying. Dizzy sets workers on fire.
Johnnx and Ace
step over burning bug carcasses to the rim of the hole and
fire their gas
rounds.
JOHNNY
Fire in
the hole !
Johnny drops
an H.E. round, and they're in the air when the explosion collapses
the entrance
to the bug city.
BIRDIE
(O.S.)
You new
guys over there...
WE could
use some help...
125 EXT TANGO URILLA - MOUNTAINS - BUGS
boil out of
the ground. Birdie, Sugar Watkins and other Roughnecks are about to be
overrun when
Johnny touches down wuth Ace and Dizzy.
JOHNNY
Looks
like you've got a little bug
problem,
ma'am...
BIRDIE
Stow it,
trooper. Give it verything
you've
got !
The cao
troopers let the bugs have it, but the insects keep coming, the living
crawling over
the dead, and now, trudging up out of the ground, comes a
TANKER BUG.
JOHNNY
WATCH
OUT !
The tanker bug
starts to spray, creating a toxic perimeter around the hole.
Rasczak
arrives just as Birdie takes a chemical hit, falling to ground minus
an arm,
screaming.
BIRDIE
AAAAAAAAAAAAA
!
Johnny jumps,
landing behind the tanker bug in the mouth of the hole. It turns
with
surprising speed. Johnny flips up onto its back, cracks its armor with his
pulse cannon.
RASCZAK
Sugar,
in for pick up !
Rasczak and
Sugar Watkins pull Birdie to safety. Johnny fires a rocket into
the hole he's
made in the tanker bug's back, and jumps clear. KA-WHAP !
The big bug
explodes.
RASCZAK
Gas that
hole and close it !
The Roughnecks
fire gas rockets into the bug hole. Johnny touches down
beside
Rasczak.
RASCZAK
Where'd
you learn to do that, soldier ?
JOHNNY
Uni High
Tigers, sir. Don't you
remember
? I was captain of the
team.
RASCZAK
I'm not
interested in nostalgia, Rico,
I need a
corporal. You're it until you're
dead or
I find someone better.
Rasczak turns
away, gives Birdie prosthetic thumps up as she is carried past
to meet an
arriving skimmer.
RASCZAK
Don't
worry, Birdie, your next arm comes
with a
factory guarantee !
Dizzy and Ace
gather around Johnny, clap him on the back.
DIZZY
Way to
go, amigo !
JOHNNY
I'm
gonna need a squad leader.
ACE
No way.
Big K taught me I ain't executive
material.
JOHNNY
What
about it, Diz ?
DIZZY
(a
snappy salute)
Looks
like I'm your girl, sir.
Tac Fighters
reel by over head. WOMP ! Suddenly, BUG PLASMA shoots skyward
from the
flatlands below. Several Tac Fighters are blown out of the air.
Flaming debris
rains down.
RASCZAK
Saddle
up, Roughnecks. That's
our
trash !
Roughnecks
head out on the bounce.
126 EXT TANGO URILLA - RIDGE - DAY - JOHNNY
and the others
look down a sheer cliff on the bug battery, a charred circular
pit some ten
meters across. Inside, something is moving.
JOHNNY
What
kind of stinkin' bug is that ?
Johnny jumps
the magnification on his "head up". Down in the pit, a giant
translucent
PLASMA BUG rears out of one of the subterranean tunnels
that ring the
battery.
SUGAR
WATKINS
You
never seen how they do it before ?
Johnny shakes
his head. Swollen BREEDER BUGS gather around the
plasma bug to
inject it with their catalytic jelly.
ACE
Agghh !
It's making me sick...!
The plasma bug
writhes in pain and begins to swell, color changing from
yellow to blue
in accordance with some violent internal chemical reaction.
SUGAR
WATKINS
It's
gonna pop !
WOMP ! The
plasma bug explodes in its cauldron. A blast of bug plasma
streaks past
them towards the heavens. Now a new plasma bug crawls into
the pit to
begin the cycle anew.
GILLESPIE
Sir,
look !
Sergeant
Gillespie points. A hole opens near the battery and dozens of warriors
rampage out of
the ground and up the cliff face toward the Roughneck position.
RASCZAK
We must
be right over the colony.
Let's
get some air support, eh ?
GILLESPIE
Yes, sir
! Fleet, this is Roughneck
patrol,
over ...?
Rasczak moves
off down the line giving orders.
RASCZAK
Corporal,
I want pulse cannons there
and
there ! Rifle teams, spread out
along
the ridge ! Sugar, bring up that
flame
thrower !
GILLESPIE
Fleet's
pulling the battle group back
to safe
distance... They'd like us to
knock
out those batteries, sir.
RASCZAK
They'd
rather spend our lives than
risk
their ships. Who's got the nuke ?
DIZZY
That'd
be me, sir.
RASCZAK
Heat it
up.
Dizzy
activates a tactical nuke. It makes a distinctive HIGHPITCHED SQUEAL.
RASCZAK
Roughnecks,
you may fire at will.
The Roughnecks
open fire. Bugs are blown to pieces but they keep climbing. A
warrior
breeches their line. Sugar Watkins torches it. The nuke's ready light flashes.
DIZZY
I'm hot,
sir !
RASCZAK
FIRE !
BLAST SHIELDS DOWN !
Johnny blows a
warrior away from the edge. Dizzy leans over and fires. The rocket
streaks down
toward the battery.
RASCZAK
HIT THE
DIRT !
An explosion
in the two kiloton range turns the world black and white. When color
returns Johnny
and the others look down on the smoldering crater which was once the
bug battery.
GILLESPIE
Now
comes the part I hate the most.
JOHNNY
What's
that ?
GILLESPIE
We go
down into the colony and make
sure all
the queens are dead.
127 INT TUNNELS - DAY - THE ROUGHNECKS
fight their
way down gassed-out tunnels into bug city. They meet warrors at
every turn and
kill them. Helmet lamps make weird shadows of dead bugs
piled
everywhere along the way.
SUGAR
WATKINS
You knew
the Lieutenant before the war...
What was
he like ?
JOHNNY
He was a
teacher , kind of a know it all...
Always
had this little smile.
SUGAR
WATKINS
Geez, I
don't think I've ever seen him
smile.
JOHNNY
Must
fill your bottle up real quick
when
your wife and kids get smeared.
Johnny joins
Rasczak, Ace and Dizzy and they blow away several warriors
guarding the
entrance of a large chamber.
128 INT BUG NURSERY - DAY - THE QUEENS
are eight
meters long with corpulent bodies and tiny heads. Only one survives,
and though she
is herself dying, her abdomen, rippled by life within, continues to
undulate.
JOHNNY
All dead
except one, sir.
RASCZAK
Kill the
bitch.
JOHNNY
Yes,
sir.
Johnny
signals. Dizzy's pulse cannon rips open the dying queen. Thousands of
wriggling
premature bugs come spilling out. Horrified, knee-deep Roughnecks
set them
afire.
129 EXT TANGO URILLA - BASE CAMP - DAY - FLEET
ENGINEERS
unload PRE-FAB
BARRACKS from HERCULES CARGO BOATS.
Roughnecks
eat. Rasczak stands, banging a spoon on his mess kit.
RASCZAK
Tango
Urilla is now bug free. Means
the
Roughnecks have killed a
helluva
lotta bugs...!
Roughnecks
cheer. Rasczak kicks open a CARGO MODULE. Beer kegs
rool out. He
kicks open a second module. Inside, musical instruments.
Ace picks up a
violin.
RASCZAK
I expect
the best, but I give the best.
Habve
some fun. That's an order !
130 EXT BASE CAMP - NIGHT - LATER - ACE
leads a little
quartet, plays a sweet fiddle. Roughnecks laugh and dance.
Dizzy tries to
pull Johnny into the fun.
DIZZY
C'mon...
JOHNNY
Nah, I
don't do that anymore...
DIZZY
You used
to dance...
JOHNNY
I said
no. Want me to pull rank ?
DIZZY
Well,
excuse me, sir...
Dizzy heads
back to the others. Johnny turns and finds Rasczak regarding him
with an odd,
sad smile.
RASCZAK
Yopu
asked me some advice once, Rico.
Want
some now ?
JOHNNY
Yes,
sir...
RASCZAK
Never
pass up a good thing, eh ?
Gillespie
appears.
GILLESPIE
Lieutenant,
Brigade's on the com...
Rasczak heads
away. Johnny joins Dizzy.
JOHNNY
Hey,
Diz...
DIZZY
What ?
Johnny takes
her hand, bows implishly.
JOHNNY
May I
have the honor ?
He pulls her
out among the others and they begin to dance. Ace watches
with a grin,
puts some spirit in his fiddle.
131 INT COMMUNICATIONS - NIGHT - RASCZAK
is in holo
conference with an INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER
At 0821
we received a distress call from
Planet
P, priority code, requesting
reinforcement...
RASCZAK
I
thought 4th brigade cleaned out P.
INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER
Owen
reported the eradication of a low
generation
colony a month ago. That's why
MICOM
wants onsite assessment.
RASCZAK
Sounds
more like some idiot at
Military
Intelligence Command
wants to
get me and my cap troopers
killed...
The
Intelligence Officer reddens.
INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER
Take
your group down to P and have a
look
see. Leave the thinking to us,
Lieutenant.
That's not your job.
RASCZAK
My job
is to protect the lives of my
soldiers
so they can kill bugs, Major,
and if
you're walking me into a trap-
INTELLIGENCE
OFFICER
Bugs
don't lay traps... They aren't
intelligent
! Unlike you, they're stupid
enough
to follow orders !
VOICE
(O.S.)
That'll
be all, Major. Dismissed.
The
Intelligence Officer disappears abruptly. A new hologram appears.
Rasczak's jaw
drops. It's his former student Carl Jenkins, now a Colonel,
weary and
pissed off.
CARL
This
conference is over. Do your duty,
Lieutenant.
That's an order.
Rasczak
recovers, salutes stiffly.
RASCZAK
Yes,
sir.
132 INT PRE-FAB SLEEPING UNIT - DAY - JOHNNY AND
DIZZY
are making
love. The door pops open. Rasczak stands there. Dizzy ducks under
the covers.
Johnny manages a salute.
RASCZAK
Corporal,
the Roughnecks are moving
out for
Planet P immediately. Get
yourself
squared away and report to
Gillespie
for logistics.
JOHNNY
Yes, sir
!
RASCZAK
Who's
that with you ?
Dizzy shows
herself, grinning.
RASCZAK
Report
in ten minutes.
Rasczak slams
the door shut on them. They fall back into one anothers arms,
laughing as
they resume lovemaking.
DIZZY
Planet P
? What kind of name is that ?
JOHNNY
They ran
out of names a long time
ago in
this part of the galaxy.
133 EXT PLANET P - BAD LANDS - DAY - THE ROUGHNECKS
move through
canyons of towering wind-carved rock formations.
Gillespie
carries the communications package.
GILLESPIE
I don't
understand it, Lieutenant.
It's not
getting anything from 4th
Brigade...
not even
their transponder.
RASCZAK
Keep
trying, Sergeant.
134 EXT CANYON FLOOR - CONTINUING - DAY - THE
ROUGHNECKS
walk in a
column far below. Something is watching from the above... HOPPERS,
lots of them,
moving from rock to rock for better position.
135 EXT CANYON FLOOR - CONTINUING - DAY - ACE
sees something
out of the corner of his eye.
JOHNNY
BUGS...!
The hoppers
hit. Several Roughnecks go down. Everyone opens up.
Dive-bombing
bugs are blown to bits. Roughnecks set them on fire
when they hit
the ground.
DIZZY
Johnny,
watch out !
A burning bug
hurls itself at Johnny. Johnny jumps out of the way as
Dizzy fires,
blowing it apart. The deadly hoppers seem to be everywhere
above them in
the rocks.
RASCZAK
LET'S GO
! ON THE BOUNCE !
136 EXT FLAT LANDS - DAY - THE ROUGHNECKS
move out into
the open. In the distance they see 4th Brigade HQ, a walled
compound and
partially constructed landing pad.
RASCZAK
Gillespie,
put in call for retrieval.
We're
off this rock.
Gillespie,
do you read me ?
GILLESPIE
AAAAAAAAAAA
!
Two hoppers
are pulling Gillespie up into the rocks where other bugs
join to feast.
RASCZAK
Throw a
rifle !
Dizzy tosses
her Morita to Rasczak. Gillespie writhes in the hopper's
claws. Rasczak
fires, killing Gillespie.
RASCZAK
I expext
any one here to do the same
for
me... Rico, Watkins, Flores, Levy
prepare
for rear guard action. The rest
of you
make for 4th Brigade.
Johnny and the
others cover the Roughneck retreat as hoppers soar down
on the flat
lands from the canyon walls.
RASCZAK
FIRE...!
Johnny and the
others blast bugs out of the air.
RASCZAK
FALL
BACK 100 METERS...!
A second wave
of hoppers come in.
RASCZAK
AND
FIRE...!
For now, the
sky is clear.
RASCZAK
4TH
BRIGADE HQ ! ON THE BOUNCE !
137 EXT 4TH BRIGADE HQ - DAY - THE OUTPOST
is 50 meters
by 100, standard issue pre-fab. The Roughnecks land on the
compound wall.
Inside, WORKER BUGS graze on the remains of 200
dead cap
troopers strewn over the complex.
RASCZAK
Jeez,
Command really humped the bunk
on this
one...
Rasczak turns
away. Roughnecks engage in the sport of methodically
killing the
workers.
RASCZAK
Rico,
you're acting Sergeant now.
My last
Sergeant lost the com pack.
Put
together a search team and find
the
radio shack.
We need
retrieval.
JOHNNY
Yes,
sir.
138 INT 4TH BRIGADE HQ - OFFICE COMPLEX - DAY -
JOHNNY
surveys the
aftermath of the last stand with Rasczak, insect and human dead
everywhere.
DIZZY
(O.S.)
It's
here, sir.
139 INT COMMINICATIONS - DAY - RASCZAK AND JOHNNY
enter the
radio room. A DEAD MAJOR is slumped over the console with
hole in the
back of his head. Johnny checks the equipment.
It' dead, too.
JOHNNY
Diz, see
what you can do.
DIZZY
I'm on
it !
Dizzy goes to
work. Rasczak checks the wound in the back of the dead major's
head.
RASCZAK
What's
that look like to you, Rico ?
JOHNNY
Looks
like a bug was in his brain, sir.
ACE
(O.S.)
Lieutenant,
I think you're gonna
wanna
see this, sir.
140 INT MESS HALL - DAY - A BUG HOLE
in the middle
of the floor is surrounded by carnage.
ACE
Dirty
bugs came in right when they
were
having chow !
RASCZAK
Gas that
hole and seal it.
Then they hear
a sound. Tap tap tap. Rasczak signals for quiet. Tap tap tap tap.
It's coming
from the kitchen.
141 INT KITCHEN - DAY - THE ROUGHNECKS
enter
cautiously. The noise is coming from a freezer. Ace stands ready to fire.
Johnny levers
open the door, jumps back as GENERAL OWEN, 60, tumbles out
face first.
ACE
Officer
on the deck, sir.
RASCZAK
Pick up
the general !
Roughnecks
prop him up. General Owen tries to talk, but no words come out.
Rasczak bends
down to listen.
GENERAL
OWEN
Get
out... you gotta get me out...!
RASCZAK
General
Owen, sir ?
The old man
grins, hugely relieved.
GENERAL
OWEN
At ease,
Lieutenant. Thank God for you,
for all
of you...this is grand...
so
where's the boat ?
142 INT COMMUNICATIONS - HALLWAY - DAY - JOHNNY AND
RASCZAK
help the old
General, now wrapped in a blanket, rambling.
GENERAL
OWEN
I was
forced to hide, of course. The security
of the
Federation in this theater of operations
was at
stake !
JOHNNY
Diz, what's
with the uplink ?
Dizzy lokks up
from where she is working on the radio controls.
DIZZY
Workin
on it...!
GENERAL
OWEN
They get
in your mind... they make you do
things !
Look here... They did it to Farley...!
He points at
the hole of the dead major's head.
RASCZAK
The
distress call... The bugs wanted us
to
rescue you...!
GENERAL
OWEN
Oh, you
can be sure of it ! They were
biding
their time... waiting for the most
opportune
moment !
Rasczak's lost
interest in the general. He's on the com.
RASCZAK
To all
Roughnecks, this is Rasczak.
Prepare
for attack. Repeat. We are
going to
be attacked...!
GENERAL
OWEN
They
weren't gonna do it to me.
Oh no !
I know too many secrets !
Rasczak looks
at General Owen with contempt.
SUGAR
WATKINS (O.S.)
Fire in
the hole !
An explosion
in the mess hall closes the bug hole.
143 EXT OFFICE COMPLEX - DAY - GENERAL OWEN
blinks as he
steps out into the light. Roughnecks snap to attention.
General Owen
looks at the carnage that was once his command and
begins to
keen, collapsing to his knees.
GENERAL
OWEN
Oh
God...! My soldiers...! All of my
boys and
girls...!
The Roughnecks
are shocked. They've never seen a general break down before.
Lieutenant
Rasczak slaps Owen hard.
LT.
RASCZAK
Shut up
! Your soldier's dead and
you're
not !
GENERAL
OWEN
I
know... I wish you'd shoot me...
LT.
RASCZAK
I oughta
!
And it looks
like Rasczak just might, but just then Ace touches down
next to Johnny
and Rasczak.
ACE
Lieutenant,
we got trouble !
144 EXT RAMPARTS - DAY - RASCZAK
and Johnny
join other stunned Roughnecks to see THOUSANDS OF BUGS on
the march from
every direction. Bug batteries open up in the distance.
RASCZAK
Warm it
all up ! Everything you got !
Levy,
collect the big guns from the
towers.
Watkins, put General Owen
with the
wounded. Rico, where's my
communications
?
JOHNNY
What's
going on, Diz ?
DIZZY
(O.S.)
I got
power ! Gimme a minute !
Johnny runs
for the communications room.
JOHNNY
We don't
have a minute !
145 INT COMMUNICATIONS - DAY - DIZZY
has the board
up. Outside the battle has begun. Nukes go WOMP ! and
pulse guns
chatter.
DIZZY
What
frequency ?
JOHNNY
All
bands.
DIZZY
Roughneck
patrol to battle group...
Roughneck
patrol to battle group...
RODGER
YOUNG (O.S.)
This
is Rodger Young... What's going
on
down there ? We're taking plasma !
We
have Orion P-11 as clear !
JOHNNY
SHUT
UP, SIR ! We need pick up now !
RODGER
YOUNG (O.S.)
What
is your position ?
JOHNNY
Landing
zone is extremely hostile.
Come
down on this transmission !
RODGER
YOUNG (O.S.)
Inside
4th brigade compound ?
That's
crazy !
JOHNNY
Then
I hope you have a crazy
pilot
! Keep the line open, Dizzy !
Johnny races
out the door.
146 EXT 4TH BRIGADE HQ - DAY - THE COMPOUND
is white hot
as Roughnecks on the walls unload nukes. Johnny crosses
the compound,
lands next to Rasczak on the wall.
JOHNNY
Boat
coming down, sir !
The Roughnecks
stop firing as they run out of nukes.
ROUGHNECKS
I'm
empty...all nuked out... Me, too !
Johnny scans
the battlefield. Nukes have turned the surface into dark glass.
Now, out of
the smoke, come the bugs, steaming glass cracking beneath
millions of
marching feet.
ACE
Jeez, we
musta killed a million already...!
JOHNNY
Not
enough, I guess.
Sugar Watkins
sees Genera Owen in the compound below,
stumbling
aimlessly among his dead soldiers.
SUGAR
WATKINS
General
! GENERAL, stay with the wounded...
Sir, the general...!
RASCZAK
Ah, the
hell with him...
Hoppers sweep
into the compound. The Roughnecks open fire. General Owen
make easy
pickings for ones that get through.
RASCZAK
Fall
back... form a circle ! If no
living
bug comes over that wall,
we
cannot be harmed.
Dizzy arrives
on thr bounce as the Roughnecks fall back into the compound.
Bugs pile in
over the walls. The circle affords them 360 degrees of kill zone.
RASCZAK
Rico,
Flores, Watkins, Levy ! We
control
the sky until retrieval !
JOHNNY
ET AL
Yes, sir
!
Rasczak, Sugar
Watkins, Johnny and Dizzy stand back-to-back in the center
of the circle,
sweeping the skies with the heavy guns from the towers.
Hoppers are
blown to pieces.
ACE
Getting
low here, sir !
DIZZY
300
rounds and counting, sir !
RASCZAK
Make
every shot count !
Johnny looks
up. A RETRIEVAL BOAT hurtles down through bursts of
bug plasma,
takes a grazing hit, rights itself with retros and lands within
the circle.
Roughnecks cheer, saved !
RASCZAK
Sergeant,
secure the boat !
JOHNNY
Yes, sir
!
Roughnecks
move to protect the boat. The hatch blows open.
RASCZAK
Board
the wounded !
Dead bugs ring
the compound walls, forming ramps for living insect
soldiers to
enter the compound in greater numbers.
RASCZAK
Move to
retrieval on my command !
First
group, now...!
The circle
shrinks as Roughnecks fall back and board the boat.
More and more
bugs pile in over the compound walls.
RASCZAK
Alright,
Flores ! Levy ! Rico...!
Suddenly, the
ground collapses under Rasczak. He falls in to his waist,
vomits blood
as something chews on him from below.
RASCZAK
AAAAAAAAAAAA
!
JOHNNY
Cover
us, Ace !
Ace and the
others fire from the boat. Johnny and Dizzy fire at the ground
around
Rasczak. Rasczak stops screaming. They try to pull him free.
JOHNNY
Hit your
jets, sir !
RASCZAK
I can't
My legs are gone...
Get on
the boat...
The compund
wall collapses. A wave of bugs charges in.
RASCZAK
Rico,
tell'em to glass this goddam planet.
I've
never seen so many bugs upstairs at
the same
time...
JOHNNY
We're
not leaving you here, sir !
Weakly,
Rasczak picks up his pulse gun, checks the power.
RASCZAK
This is
my farm. Get on the boat,
NOW !
That's an order, Sergeant.
JOHNNY
Give'em
hell, sir !
Johnny and
Dizzy run for the boat. Rasczak opens fire, picking his shots,
but soon the
bugs are all over him.
RASCZAK
C'mon
you sons of bitches !
There's
no bug alive can kill a
real
mAAAAAAA !
At the boat,
Dizzy turns to look back at Rasczak. A hopper swoops
down on Dizzy,
it's claws ripping into her abdomen.
DIZZY
AAAAAAA
! GET IT OFF ME
GET IT
OFF GET IT OFF
GET IT
AAAAAAAAAA !
Johnny blows
the bug off her back. Blood sprays from a deep gash in
her neck.
Johnny picks her up, tries to stop the blood with his hand.
The life is
leaving her eyes.
JOHNNY
Hang on,