Basic Page #6

KENDALL:

He wanted more than that.

29.

HARDY:

More intrigue, Levi?

Kendall stares at them, dead serious.

KENDALL:

Yes.

INT. SECTION EIGHT BARRACKS -- LAST NIGHT

The six Cadets asleep, all except Kendall, who stares up at

the patchwork ceiling.

KENDALL (V.O.)

It was the regular Tuesday night

drill. He'd let us sleep for an

hour and then wake us up, drag us

out to the bayou, and work us all

night, separate from the others.

The door SLAMS OPEN, revealing West.

WEST:

Get up, get up, get up! We're going

on a little night hike, boys - muster

in five on the south tarmac!

He leaves as the Sectioners rise, groaning.

PIKE:

Hurricane's due after midnight and

we're still going out?

MUELLER:

Toughens us up, Pike. You don’t

like it, quit.

Pike pulls on his pants and shoots him the finger.

KENDALL:

Maybe we shouldn't go.

MUELLER:

The f*ggot speaks.

KENDALL:

You ever been in a hurricane, Mueller?

MUELLER:

(mocking gay lisp)

You ever been in a hurricane, Mueller?

Mueller and Childs laugh, but Nunez looks concerned.

NUNEZ:

You really heard this?

30.

PIKE:

You know Popham, works in the kitchen?

He told me it was on the radio.

He stops, listening. They all hear the WIND, HOWLING outside.

KENDALL:

We should tell him we're not going.

MUELLER:

Oh, yeah, "Excuse me, Sergeant, sir,

we don't feel like going out - we

don't want to get rained on." He'll

kick our asses from here to Cleveland.

He pulls on his rain poncho and is out the door, Nunez right

behind him. The others, getting ready, all except Kendall.

Dunbar comes over and puts a hand on his shoulder.

DUNBAR:

He's right. We don't have a choice.

EXT. FORT MCKINLEY -- TARMAC -- LAST NIGHT

The six cadets, mustered in front of West and a TRANSPORT

CHOPPER. West hands out M-16's, sidearms, and grenades while

yelling above the wind.

WEST:

A rifle, a pistol, and three

phosphorous grenades to a man! This

is live fire, so keep those safetied

until we touch down; I don't want

anyone shooting their dick off!

Some chuckling.

WEST:

Some of you may have heard there's a

hurricane coming! American soldiers

do not wait for good weather - they

do not wait for a bright sunshiney

day to do their duty! An American

Soldier learns to operate in the

worst conditions and turn said

conditions into an advantage against

their enemy! Anyone who thinks these

conditions are too harsh, feel free

to lay down and die, you get me?

THE CADETS:

Sir, yes, sir!

WEST:

LZ is two clicks North of a cabin,

you are to split into teams of two

(MORE)

31.

WEST (CONT'D)

and work your way through your

designated area blasting as many

targets as you can find! Each area

has twenty targets, first team to

take all twenty and find the cabin

wins! Teams are as follows - Dunbar

and Nunez, Pike and Mueller, Kendall

and Childs!

Mueller groans.

WEST:

I will be in the areas monitoring

your progress and if I see anyone

drag ass I will personally slit you

stem to sternum and leave you for

dead! Fall out!

The Cadets board the Transport Chopper. Kendall gets on

last, passing West who leans in and whispers to him:

WEST:

You're gonna die tonight, f*ggot.

INT. KENDALL'S HOSPITAL ROOM -- PRESENT DAY

Osborne looks up.

OSBORNE:

He said what?

KENDALL:

"You're gonna die tonight, f*ggot" .

Clear as day.

OSBORNE:

No one else heard it?

KENDALL:

He whispered it in my ear.

Hardy scratches his temple.

HARDY:

Levi, I don't know if you're familiar

with investigative work, but we have

this little thing called "motive"

and you just gave yourself one.

KENDALL:

You said you wanted to know what

happened- I'm telling you the truth.

HARDY:

What happened to "degrees"?

32.

KENDALL:

Didn't kill him-

HARDY:

Then who did?

INT. ARMY TRANSPORT HELICOPTER (FLYING) -- LAST NIGHT

On Kendall, sitting among the Sectioners in silence.

terrified he looks like he's about to throw up.

KENDALL (V.O.)

I wanted to tell someone what he'd

said, but I couldn't. Mueller would

just laugh. Nunez and Childs wouldn't

care. Pike and Dunbar were okay,

but... When West outed me, he isolated

me. An outcast among outcasts. And

I'd just been told tonight was the

night I'd die.

The Chopper touches down on the edge of the BAYOU. The door

rumbles open as West points out different team directions in

the blackness.

WEST:

First team, second team, third team,

go, go, go!

The click of rifles being unsafetied as the cadets pour out

of the helicopter.

EXT. LOUISIANA BAYOU -- LAST NIGHT

We track with Kendall and Childs as they head away from the

Landing Zoe, rifles up, heads down, side by side. Moving

the brush quickly and quietly, eyes scanning for targets.

KENDALL (V.O.)

I knew Childs a little, we worked at

the PX together.

The wind is picking up and it's started to RAIN. Their

ponchos flap loudly against the elements.

KENDALL (V.O.)

I started getting it in my head that

maybe West had paid him, maybe he

was the one who was supposed to give

me a training accident-

The ROAR of GUNFIRE! Kendall turns towards it, SCREAMING

for a moment... Until he sees Childs lower his smoking rifle,

a SHREDDED TARGET on a tree in front of them. He looks down,

noticing has his own weapon TRAINED ON CHILDS. . .

Childs steps forward, knocking Kendall's rifle away.

33.

CHILDS:

Don't you ever point a gun at me!

KENDALL:

I'm- I'm sorry. . .

Kendall, terrified. Shaking. A beat. Childs picks up the

rifle from the ground and hands it back to him.

CHILDS:

Come on, let's move.

VARIOUS SHOTS -- Kendall and Childs, moving through the bayou,

Childs taking out targets. It's raining harder now.

KENDALL (V.O.)

All I could think of was West, out

there somewhere in the dark. Maybe

watching the others, maybe watching

me. And waiting to make his move.

Childs speaks, and Kendall almost jumps out of his skin.

CHILDS:

Christ, am I alone in this world?

Shoot something-

A SOUND from the left. Kendall panics, pivots, and FIRES...

Into DARKNESS. No target, no West, no nothing. Kendall,

really freaked out now.

CHILDS:

A target, Kendall, cap a f***ing

target. What's wrong with you?

KENDALL (V.O.)

I thought I was gonna have an attack.

Go into a fit and bite off my own

tongue in the middle of the bayou.

Childs could tell I wasn't right.

CHILDS:

Just safety your sh*t and get behind

me, okay? I'll take care of this.

Kendall nods and lets Childs walk ahead. Staring at Childs'

back as they move on. On Kendall's face, thinking...

KENDALL (V.O.)

Maybe it was a trick. Maybe this

was when they'd get me, when I felt

safest.

CLOSE. ON KENDALL'S FINGER - Clicking off the safety again.

Moving towards the trigger...

34.

KENDALL (V.O.)

But if I struck first and took out

Childs, then maybe I could make it

out alive...

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