Beachhead Page #3

Hatred, love...

But not here.

My daughter understands that.

You wanted to leave them alone.

Yes. Because there's something

inside that man.

Too much soldier

or too little.

But, anyway,

we must depend on him.

It is good

that he speaks with her.

Route 66.

No!

One yell out of you

and I'll cut your heart out.

- What are you doing here alone?

- He must be a deserter.

Why can't you speak English?

Yeah, yeah. Smile.

What's he scared of?

In the jungle-

anything, everything.

He appears grateful to you.

Let him be grateful to you.

There's something else wrong,

isn't there?

Something about Guadalcanal.

I lost a platoon there.

All but three men,

and two of them were killed yesterday.

And he believes it was your fault?

I gave the orders.

But they fight hard-

the Japanese.

So do we, when we know what we're

fighting, and I was supposed to know.

I'm a sergeant in the Marines.

You know what that means?

- Yes.

- It takes years, practice, and training.

I know all about war.

Except the kind

they fight on Guadal.

They didn't tell me about the snipers

and the booby traps and the infiltration.

You can't blame yourself.

Japs grew out of dust

and out of the air.

And every blade of grass

seemed to be wired.

I tried playing it smart,

I tried playing it careful,

but I was only guessing.

They had an answer

for every one of my guesses.

I couldn't help guessing wrong.

Every order...

A dead Marine.

But it wasn't deliberate.

No.

But you can't blame them

for thinking I'd gone crazy.

Big shot.

Order crazy.

Letting them get killed

while I stayed behind safe.

You're not like that.

I'm still a sergeant giving orders.

Lousy, stinking, killing orders.

We took a prisoner.

Bouchard's with him.

Nobody's hurt.

The enemy.

Couldn't be big and strong and vicious.

He's gotta be like that.

I wanted something to hate.

What's worrying him?

What's he scared of?

Sure isn't us.

Cut him loose.

Real happy-go-lucky fella,

aren't you?

One side's as good

as the other, huh? Sure.

It looks like we got ourselves

an American spy.

Yeah, the United States.

This sap wants

to go to Hollywood.

Anything to oblige.

But first we take you

to nice Intelligence Officer.

Then "Hollywoody, Hollywoody. "

Who is he?

Melanesian. Native.

This is what frightened him.

Is he friendly?

These people have

no great love for us,

but they have their own war

with the Japanese.

I told him where we want to go.

He says he can help us,

but demands payments.

We have no money.

Not money. Him.

For what?

Tell him we want

the prisoner, too.

- How can he help us?

- He doesn't say.

Can we trust him?

We have no choice-

if you wish to deliver the message.

Tell him we'll go.

Now we can go fast.

Fletch!

Your sergeant-

when did he sleep last?

When I slept.

It's a war.

Does a war make us

any less human?

I suppose it does.

It robs us even of our dreams.

It leaves us full of hunger.

For you, there will be nothing but the war

until your rendezvous tomorrow night.

You understand?

Burke...

Get some rest.

You got a big day

at the office tomorrow.

I don't know about tomorrow.

Okay. Let's not think ahead.

We're alive now.

This is almost

like being alone together, isn't it?

You know, I used to dream

that one day a boy would come by

and take me someplace...

without loneliness.

Where we'd always be happy.

Nina...

I'll take you away.

Fletch...

Listen.

It's a boat or a plane.

Get ashore, quick.

My ankle!

Nina, you wanna stop?

Badly swollen.

We've only got till 6:00

tomorrow morning, that's all.

The meeting place

is many hours away.

With Nina,

there isn't enough time.

That's crazy.

We'll make it.

One man by himself-

can he get through?

One, perhaps two.

Burke, you're going alone.

- Why me?

- You're young. That's the reason.

We'll do the best we can.

The girl will take her chances.

With who?

You or the Japs?

Take your choice.

The girl! Always the girl!

You won't rest

till you or she is dead.

Burke... the bitterest thing of all

is to die for nothing.

Go now.

There's so little time.

Where is he?

You see anything?

Nothing.

He's dead.

Sure.

For France.

Oh, no!

He never saw France!

He lived all his life

in the islands!

The sniper must be that way.

Figure any good bets?

Your job, figuring.

Yeah, I know.

A slight change of orders.

I get the sniper,

or vice-versa.

You're wrong.

Nina.

You and Burke will go together.

The sniper is my baby.

Fletch, you're out of your mind!

What chance have you got?

Look, that stuff about Guadalcanal-

I was cockeyed.

- You don't have to prove-

- Burke.

He knows what he's doing.

You're both gonna stay here

until you make absolutely sure I got

the undivided attention of that sniper.

And then you go.

I give the orders.

You said way back from the start

that I'd be in the way.

Hold you back.

There's still time.

Yes. For you.

Without me.

Don't talk crazy.

You said the one thing about war is...

is to think of nothing else.

Nothing. No one.

And you-you were right.

I don't want to think at all!

You've got to, Burke!

I'm only one.

I've no right to your thoughts.

The convoy...

All those men.

All those lives...

or deaths, without the message.

I know.

I do.

The Japs!

You think I could leave you for them?

Come on!

Come on out and fight!

Burke!

Fletch! You all right?

I could've been killed back there.

For what?

- I was the one who stopped.

- I told you to get to the rendezvous.

I should've

saved the Japs the trouble.

He would've gone on,

but for me.

We still have time. An hour.

And we're gonna walk, you hear? Walk!

Crawl!

Fletch, you'll kill her!

You'll kill all of us.

And the men on the ships, too.

The Albany Night Boat!

We haven't got our tickets yet.

Nina, we're gonna live!

After we tell Scott

about the minefields.

Then you can live.

They'll get the other two!

Nina, this is the last lap.

Don't crack now!

Burke!

Gasoline!

You'll be French-fried!

Get back here!

Burke! No!

Burke!

Burke! Burke!

Who gave the orders, sonny?

Any beefs, Pop?

No... not a one.

Look!

Scott wrote us off!

Why not?

Two crummy marines.

There's still a Japanese army

out there.

Sooner or later, they'll come.

Well, when you know it's the end

and the slate's clean...

...it's not so bad.

Sure. 6-2 and even.

Nina... I never told you

about New York.

Tell me now.

There's no such place.

For a while back there,

I hated you.

It was mutual.

Nina...

Yes?

Back there in the jungle,

things got mixed up.

Burke knows.

I know, too.

Here's mud in your eyes, sonny.

Nina...

I love you.

Mason!

- Where's the Major?

- Hey, Scott!

Fletcher! Fletch.

How'd you make out?

We found Bouchard.

Information was correct.

Get it to the convoy.

Well, we're pulling right out.

We're the last bunch,

and we're late.

Who's your date?

Bouchard's daughter. He's dead.

So are Biggerman and Reynolds.

What's her trouble?

Her ankle.

Corpsman.

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