Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Page #7

VOICE OFF:

Group 4!

Outside, another batch of motorcycles roar away -- kicking

up more clouds of dust.

HOODLUM:

Then they gave me ten bucks, put me

on a bus, and when I woke up here I

was in downtown Vegas, and for a

minute all I could think was, "O

Jesus, who's divorcing me this

time?" But then I remembered, by

God! I was here for the Mint 400.

And, man, I tell you, it's wonderful

to be here. Just wonderful to be

here with you people.

A silence. A MAGAZINE REPORTER lunges across the bar --

grabs the BARTENDER.

26.

MAGAZINE REPORTER

Senzaman wassyneeds!

DUKE:

(smacks the bar with

his palm)

Hell yes! Bring us ten!

VOICE OFF:

Group 5!

MAGAZINE REPORTER

(screams)

I'll back it!

(slides off his stool

to the floor)

Outside, motorcycles roar away. The dust cloud billows into

the tent -- getting denser.

MAGAZINE REPORTER (CONT'D)

(on the floor)

This is a magic moment in sport!

It may never come again! I once

did the Triple Crown, but it was

nothing like this.

A FROG-EYED WOMAN claws at the MAGAZINE REPORTER, tries to

haul him up.

FROG-EYED WOMAN

Please stand up! You're a

correspondent for a major national

magazine who's name we can't get

clearance for! Please! You'd be a

very handsome man if you'd just

stand up!

MAGAZINE REPORTER

Listen, madam. I'm damn near

intolerably handsome down here

where I am. You'd go crazy if I

stood up!

A feverishly eager LACERDA appears out of the dust cloud, 3

cameras slung round his neck.

LACERDA:

Club soda, please.

FROG-EYED WOMAN

(to MAGAZINE REPORTER)

Please! I love Life!

27.

LACERDA:

(to DUKE)

Man, it's great out there!

DUKE:

Lunatics.

LACERDA grins.

VOICE OFF:

Group 6!

LACERDA:

Meet you outside!

LACERDA downs his drink -- hurries out through the crowd and

out into the cloud of dust.

EXT. DESERT - DAY

Nothing. Except for a THICK CLOUD OF DUST.

Barely visible, a motorcycle comes speeding into the pits.

The RIDER staggers off his bike. The PIT CREW gas it up and

sends it back with a FRESH RIDER.

DUKE watches him disappear back into the dust cloud.

DUKE (V/O)

By 10 they were spread out all over

the course. It was no longer a

race, now it was an Endurance

Contest. The idea of trying to

"cover this race" in any

conventional press sense was absurd.

A HORN HONKS. A shiny BLACK BRONCO with DRIVER. LACERDA

hangs out of the window.

LACERDA:

It's great, isn't it?! Jump in!

DUKE gets into the Bronco and they head into the DUST CLOUD.

EXT. DESERT - DAY

IN THE BRONCO.

DUKE hangs on with his beer. Nothing all around but the

HUGE IMPENETRABLE CLOUD OF DUST. LACERDA snaps madly away

at nothing at all!

28.

LACERDA:

I'll just keep trying different

combos of film and lenses till I

find one that works in this dust!

The SOUND OF MOTORCYCLES RACING...

We hear music and voices singing:

BATTLE HYMN:

"...As we go marching on

When I reach my final campground,

in

that land beyond the sun,

And the Great Commander asks me..."

[What did he ask you, Rusty?]

"Did you fight or did you run?"

A moment later, the Bronco races out of the dust. DUKE

coughs, chokes, drinks beer.

BATTLE HYMN:

(continuing)

[And what did you tell them,

Rusty?]

"We responded to their rifle fire

with everything we had..."

The sound of gun shots...

A DUNE BUGGY races toward them, loaded down with THREE

RETIRED PETTY OFFICERS, DRUNK AS HELL. The radio blares:

"THE BATTLE HYMN OF LIEUTENANT CALLEY."

The dune buggy is COVERED WITH OMINOUS SYMBOLS: SCREAMING

EAGLES CARRYING AMERICAN FLAGS IN THEIR CLAWS. A slant-eyed

Snake being chopped to bits by a buzz-saw made of stars and

stripes. A MACHINE GUN MOUNT on the passenger side. They

yell over the roaring engines.

DUNE BUGGY DRIVER

Where's the damn race?

DUKE:

Beats me. We're just good patriotic

Americans like yourself.

DUKE gives DUNE BUGGY PASSENGER #2 A NICE BIG GRIN. In

response, the PASSENGER #2 narrows his eyes -- tightens his

grip on an automatic weapon.

DUNE BUGGY DRIVER

(suspiciously)

What outfit you fellas with?

29.

DUKE:

The sporting press. We're

friendlies. Hired geeks.

The DRIVER and DUNE BUGGY PASSENGER #2 exchange looks.

DUKE:

If you want a good chase, you

should get after that skunk from

CBS News up ahead in the black jeep.

He's the man responsible for that

book, THE SELLING OF THE PENTAGON.

DUNE BUGGY PASSENGER #1

HOT DAMN!

DUNE BUGGY PASSENGER #2

A black jeep, you say?

And they ROAR away.

DUKE:

Take me back to the pits.

LACERDA:

No, no -- we have to go on. We

need total coverage.

DUKE gets out of the Bronco.

DUKE:

You're fired.

After a moment's hesitation, LACERDA and the BRONCO driver

roar away leaving DUKE alone in the cloud of dust.

DUKE (V/O)

It was time. I felt, for an

Agonizing Reappraisal of the whole

scene. The race was definitely

under way. I had witnessed the

start; I was sure of that much.

But what now?

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