Basic Page #4

18.

WEST:

What the f*** is this? You lay a

hand on me while I'm trying to do my

duty and rid the world of you?

He KICKS PIKE IN THE BALLS and releases him. Pike goes fetal

on the ground, VOMITING, as West stands over him, screaming.

WEST:

Get the f*** up, you're still in

formation, get the f*** up!

Pike somehow gets to his feet, vomit streaking his clothes.

WEST:

What the f*** have you done to that

uniform, take it off, take it off,

take it off!

Pike, still gasping, can't move fast enough. West slaps him

again and tears the man's shirt off.

WEST:

Get those f***ing pants off, I want

you buck ass naked, you don't deserve

to wear these beautiful United States

Army issue clothes!

Pike struggles off the rest of his clothes until he is NAKED.

West turns and spies Dunbar in the line.

WEST:

Cadet, what's your name!

DUNBAR:

Sir, Dunbar, sir!

WEST:

You know how to work a pistol, Dunbar?

DUNBAR:

Sir, yes, sir!

West draws one of his PISTOLS and gives it to him.

WEST:

Dunbar you are to stand here and

guard this n*gger for the next twenty-

four hours! He is not to be given

food, water, or clothes! If he so

much as moves, you are to blow his

n*gger brains out, is that clear?

DUNBAR:

Sir, yes, sir!

19.

WEST:

The rest of you, fallout for

physicals!

The rest of the Cadets fallout, following West away to one

of the buildings, leaving Dunbar and Pike.

One with a gun, the other naked.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Fifteen guys quit that day. But not

Pike.

EXT. OBSTACLE COURSE -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- MORNING

The CADETS, navigating a log spanned over a PIT OF MUD.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Time went on and the Sarge started

singling people out.

One of the Cadets, a small man named ANDERSON, falls from

the log. Screaming, West dives into the pit and pulls

Anderson out, knocking him on the head with a pistol.

EXT. TARMAC -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- AFTERNOON

Anderson stands naked, his arms straining to hold up,TWO

PAINT CANS perpendicular to his body as West berates him.

DUNBAR:

He'd zero in on a fella and ride him

till he quit.

EXT. MAIN GATE -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- NIGHT

Anderson, now in civilian clothes, gets into a TAXI. Quit.

EXT. FIRING RANGE -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- MORNING

West, screaming at a weasely looking cadet named CHILDS.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Those who wouldn't quit, he'd put in

what he called Section Eight.

INT. SECTION EIGHT BARRACKS -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- NIGHT

A horribly dilapidated quarters. Four cadets, Dunbar, Pike,

Childs, and MUELLER sleep in rickety bunks.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Washout rejects, guys he said were ,

"dumbfucks too stupid to know they

were dead". He separated us from

the rest. We slept alone...

20.

INT. MESS HALL -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- MORNING

The same four Cadets, eating ON THE FLOOR as the other members

of the Cadet Corps chow at tables.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

. . .ate alone.. .

EXT. REGULAR BARRACKS -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- EVENING

The four Cadets fallout on a run shirtless, with heavy packs

and rifles held over their heads as the rest of the Cadet

Corps files into their barracks for sleep.

DUNBAR ( V. O . )

...and trained long after the other

guys got to turn in.

EXT. PARADE GROUNDS -- EIGHT WEEKS AGO -- MORNING

The Cadet Corps, mustered. West zeroes in on NUNEZ (the

"dead one"), whose t-shirt has a spot on it.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Fellas lived in daily fear of being

Sectioned and with good reason, too.

West pulls Nunez out of line by his ear and kicks him over

towards a separate muster of our Four Section Eighters.

DUNBAR:

They figured we were the boys who'd

meet with a "training accident" .

Nunez takes a place among them. Looking absolutely terrified.

INT. COFFEE ROOM -- PRESENT DAY

Osborne leans forward.

OSBORNE:

Are you saying Sergeant West tried

to kill you?

DUNBAR:

No, ma'am, he just wanted us to quit.

Making it through was kind of an

honor. Some of the other guys on

the base told us that if you could

hack Section Eight, Command would

consider you at the top of the class.

HARDY:

That's not exactly true...

(off their looks)

I'm living proof. How did you get

Sectioned, Ray?

21.

Dunbar gives a look that almost resembles a smile.

DUNBAR:

That first night with Pike. I made

the mistake of letting him sit down

at around 0300.

OSBORNE:

Tell us about the other guys, the

ones West weeded out.

DUNBAR:

There were six of us...

EXT. OBSTACLE COURSE.-- ONE WEEK AGO -- EVENING

The six members of Section Eight on a forced run through the

rain. We focus in each face as Dunbar describes them. First

up is MUELLER a tall Aryan looking blonde with a square jaw.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Mueller was from Tulsa, a real good

ol' boy type. One of those "his

Daddy's Daddy's Daddy died at Bull

Run and no bleeding heart Yankee was

gonna take away his scatter gun" .

He idolized West.

Muller, grinning, as West kicks his ass to pick up the pace.

Next to him is NUNEZ, a strapping hulk of a manchild.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

And Nunez idolized Mueller. Big

fella from New Mexico. After he got

Sectioned he just followed Mueller

around like a lap dog. He wasn't

mean like Mueller, though, didn't

have it in him.

Next to Nunez is CHILDS, small and weasely with feral eyes.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

But Childs did. Didn't talk to

anyone, but you got this feeling

something was wrong with him, like

real wrong. Type of guy you felt

uncomfortable going to sleep near.

Behind Childs runs Pike.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Pike I told you about. He took the

brunt of it from Mueller and West.

Once they found it out he was a

convict they were merciless.

(MORE)

22.

DUNBAR (V.O.) (CONT'D)

He'd been busted for Auto Theft,

judge gave him the option of jailor

the Army. He made the wrong choice.

Next to Pike, Dunbar and KENDALL run side by side.

is short like Childs, but also weak. Wheezing.

Kendall

DUNBAR:

Finally Kendall and me. Kendall was

a smart guy, we got along okay.

Pike and I tried to help him, but...

Kendall falters and Pike stops to try and help him up. West

smacks the him away, practically kicking Kendall to his feet.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

He was sickly. Had that shaking

thing, whatd'yacall it, epoxy?

OSBORNE (V.O.)

Epilepsy.

DUNBAR (V.O.)

Yeah. Spent half his time in the

infirmary. Only reason he enlisted

was his father. West didn't section

him till last week.

INT. COFFEE ROOM -- PRESENT DAY

HARDY:

And those were the guys who went on

the exercise with you?

DUN BAR:

Yeah. And that's all I'm saying.

Hardy leans back in his chair.

HARDY:

You smoke, Ray?

DUNBAR:

This is one of those interrogation

tricks, isn't it? You don't give me

a cigarette till I tell you more.

HARDY:

No, actually, I just left mine in

the car and was hoping you had some.

Dunbar studies him for a moment and then pulls a pack of

Dorals from his pocket and puts them on the table.

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