Basic Page #15

OSBORNE:

No, no that was Cadet Dunbar-

SERGEANT:

You mean Ray Dunbar? Well, that

ain't right.

HARDY:

Why not?

SERGEANT:

I saw 'em get off the chopper. White

guys, right? Two

OSBORNE:

So?

SERGEANT:

Ma'am, Ray Dunbar's black.

Hardy and Osborne stare at him. Shocked

A beat.

SERGEANT:

Did I say something wrong-

HARDY:

(to Osborne)

What runway's that transport leaving

from?

OSBORNE:

Four-

HARDY:

Get in.

EXT. FORT MCKINLEY -- PARADE GROUNDS -- EVENING

CADETS SCATTER as Hardy's car ROARS OUT OF THE MOTOR POOL,

PEELING across the grass towards the far side of the base!

Hardy, white knuckling the wheel, doing his best to steer

around anyone who can't get out of the way in time.

EXT. FORT MCKINLEY RUNWAY FOUR -- EVENING

A Large TRANSPORT PLANE sits on the runway waiting as three

M.P.'s and a JAG LAWYER lead Dunbar/Pike (who, for purposes

0£ continuity, we will continue to call DUNBAR) out to it.

84.

The SQUEAL OF TIRES as Hardy's car SLIDES around the corner

of the nearest building and SCREECHES to a halt by the plane.

Hardy and Osborne, leaping out, running towards Dunbar and

the M.P.s.

OSBORNE:

We need to talk to him-

JAG LAWYER:

Sorry, Officer, we have a schedule

To keep-

OSBORNE:

We need to talk to him now.

Hardy grabs Dunbar by the arm.

HARDY:

We're not finished yet-

DUNBAR:

You wanna bet?

JAG LAWYER:

M.P.'s, escort this man off the base!

DUNBAR:

(smiling)

Sorry, detectives. Time's up.

As the M.P.'s grab Hardy, dragging him away. Osborne, trying

to stop them. Dunbar, climbing the stairs onto the plane...

Osborne pulls her SIDEARM, levelling it at him as Hardy yells:

HARDY:

James Randall Pike, COME ON DOWN!

Dunbar stops at the hatchway. Slowly turning back to them.

Seeing the gun. The M.P.'s release Hardy. Nobody moves.

OSBORNE:

Let's go have a talk.

INT. COFFEE ROOM -- EVENING

Hardy and Osborne roughly lead Dunbar into the room, the JAG

Lawyer trailing behind, shouting:

JAG LAWYER:

This is your entire career here-

OSBORNE:

F*** off.

She slams the door and BARRICADES it. Turns to Hardy.

85.

OSBORNE:

We got maybe three minutes till they

break it down.

HARDY:

Right back where we started.

DUNBAR:

You want to talk about baseball now?

Hardy practically throws Dunbar into a chair.

HARDY:

No more games, right, Pike? It was

you who West singled out...

FLASHCUT TO - WEST on the parade grounds, now strangling

DUNBAR on the first day...

HARDY:

You who got hooked by Mueller's

morphine...

FLASHCUT TO - Now DUNBAR in the showers as MUELLER hands him

a syringe...

HARDY:

You who did it all.

Hardy steps forward and RIPS OPEN Dunbar's right sleeve,

revealing the TRACK MARKS.

HARDY:

You wanted revenge on West, revenge

on them all, so you killed them.

INT. CABIN -- LAST NIGHT

Dunbar standing in the Cabin; Mueller, Childs, and Pike,

dead at his feet.

HARDY (V.O.)

But that wasn't enough. You needed

a new identity, because no one was

going to believe James Randall Pike,

convicted felon, had acted so nobly

in the face of danger - you needed a

name people could trust, one that

hadn't been to jail, one that hadn't

publicly been West's b*tch boy.

He stares down at the bodies in the cabin, his eyes focusing

on the black man's uniform. The name on it reads - "DUNBAR".

As he reaches for it...

86.

INT. COFFEE ROOM -- PRESENT EVENING

OSBORNE:

You kept Kendall alive to corroborate

your story and he did it all they

way up to the end. You even gave

him his own motive in case we decided

to burn him, too.

DUNBAR:

Can't do that now, though, can you?

HARDY:

You walked into the army a convicted

felon with a sentence of five years

in a uniform and were going walk out

eight weeks later with a different

name, a clean record, and an honorable

discharge - a guy who did "everything

he could" to save his friends.

Dunbar looks at them. One to the other. Slowly.

DUNBAR:

Is that what I did, now? And of

course, you can prove all of it.

OSBORNE:

We can prove that you're not Ray

Dunbar. Impersonating a fellow Cadet

is a court-martial in and of itself-

DUNBAR:

Did I ever claim I was Raymond Dunbar?

Was I ever told to state my name

rank and serial number for the record?

No. You assumed who I was, because

I was wearing this uniform. Don't

believe me?

He reaches under the table and rips out the HIDDEN MICROPHONE.

DUNBAR:

Check your tapes.

Hardy and Osborne exchange an uneasy glance.

HARDY:

We don't need the tapes-

DUNBAR:

Oh, you don't? What else do you

have on me? You haven't found any

bodies yet, have you?

HARDY:

We've found all of them.

87.

Dunbar chuckles at the bluff.

DUNBAR:

Ohhhh, I don't think so...

OSBORNE:

How do you know that?

DUNBAR:

Just a guess. Maybe they're not

where they're supposed to be. Maybe

somebody moved them. Habeas Corpus no

bodies, no crime, and Nunez still

plays as self defense. Face it

detectives ... you have nothing.

Hardy, knowing he's right. In a flash he reaches down PULLS

OSBORNE'S GUN and grabs Dunbar, SLAMMING him up against the

wall, pressing the weapon TO HIS TEMPLE!

HARDY:

Not true, Cadet, I've got a gun-

DUNBAR:

(terrified)

Jesus!

OSBORNE:

Hardy, what are you doing-

HARDY:

Isn't this how your story goes?

Pike annoys someone so much he gets

shot in the head-

DUNBAR:

Please, please don't-

A POUNDING on the locked door. Hardy ignores it.

HARDY:

We can tie you to the chair if it'll

work better for you-

OSBORNE:

Hardy, for Chrissakes-

HARDY:

WHERE'S WEST'S BODY?

DUNBAR:

(practically in tears)

You'll never find it-

Hardy C*CKS the pistol as Dunbar screams:

88.

DUNBAR:

You'll never find it cause HE'S NOT

DEAD!

A CRASH as the door's lock SNAPS and M.P.'s POUR into the

room! Styles and the JAG Lawyer behind, taking in the scene.

STYLES:

What in God's name is going on?

Hardy releases Dunbar, who slides to the floor, gasping.

DUNBAR:

He- He made me do it-

HARDY:

Do what?

DUNBAR:

Hunting- we had to hunt him-

JAG LAWYER:

Sergeant, arrest these men!

OSBORNE:

You mean the exercise?

DUNBAR:

There never was an exercise! Never

targets, never teams, I don't even

know if there's a creek bed out there-

As the M.P.'s grab Hardy and Osborne, pulling them away...

HARDY:

What did you do?

JAG LAWYER:

That's enough-

HARDY:

Goddammit, what did you DO?!

DUNBAR:

I COULDN'T KILL HIM!

He breaks down sobbing. Styles holds up a hand to the M.P.'s.

STYLES:

Hang on.

JAG LAWYER:

Colonel-

STYLES:

No. I want to hear this.

89.

The JAG Lawyer glowers as the M.P.'s stand down.

tries to pull himself together. To Hardy:

Dunbar

DUNBAR:

You're right. I was the one he

singled out. Beat me morning, noon,

and night, ran me ragged. When

Mueller found me, I was gone. He

gave me a little taste...

INT. CADET SHOWERS -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO

Mueller showing the syringe to the naked Dunbar.

voice over speaks in unison with Mueller:

Dunbar's

MUELLER AND DUNBAR (V.O.)

I got a friend with an in at the PX,

can hook you up...

INT. COFFEE ROOM -- PRESENT EVENING

DUNBAR:

What I didn't know, was his friend

was West. He ran the whole thing.

STYLES:

You're lying, son.

DUNBAR:

You think it's easy to have all that

morphine just disappear without a

higher up authorizing it? Check the

requisition orders, I'll lay money

it's his signature on them.

INT. SECTION EIGHT BARRACKS -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO

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