G.I. Jane Page #9

THWUNK. Something hits Boat Six. Suddenly it's losing

air. Jordan torques around to see...

The Chief on a nearby boat, speargun in hand.

THE CHIEF:

Your boat just hit razor coral.

What do you do now?

ENGLAND:

Patch and pump! C'mon! Whose ass

is on the kit?

MCCOOL:

I say keep paddlin'! We're

almost --

ENGLAND:

Forget it, McCool! Pri One is to

save the boat, not win a race! So

let's get on it!

They flail to save their sinking boat. Boat Five noses

past, stealing the lead. Wickwire tosses Jordan a passing

look. "Sorry, but..."

EXT. UPPER DUNES - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT

Up and down the dunes, crews are digging "hide-sites" --

six-man holes that will be their homes tonight. Cortez

and Slutnik are uprooting shrubs, collecting camouflage

material.

CORTEZ:

Four years I petition to get into

this program. Four years. Finally

get here, and now it's co-ed? Such

bullshit. Now I'm gettin' hammered

just 'cuz she's on our crew.

SLUTNIK:

Least you don't have to sleep with

her every goddamn night.

CORTEZ:

Tellin' you, I'd rather be the last

class with balls than the first one

with chicks.

CUT TO:

EXT. UPPER DUNES - CORONADO NAVAL BASE - NIGHT

Jordan and Flea fill sand bags to shore up the walls of

their hide-site. England and McCool shovel back to back.

MCCOOL:

Had a grandaddy who wanted to be a

Navy man. Wanted to fire them big

guns on a big-ass battleship. But

Navy said to him, "Oh, no. You can

only do one thing on a battleship."

"Well what's that?" grandaddy said.

"Cook," they said. Now this ain't

100 years ago -- I'm talkin' United

States Navy, middla World War II.

And you know the reason they gave

him? You know why they tol' my

grandaddy he couldn't fight for his

country?

ENGLAND:

He talked too much?

MCCOOL:

"Negroes can't see at night. Bad

night vision."

JORDAN:

You're kiddin' me.

Jordan jumps in the hole, ready to take over shoveling.

MCCOOL:

See, you just the new n*gger on the

block, O'Neil. That's all. And

maybe you moved in too early.

He climbs out. HOLD on Jordan, looking off down the

dunes, seeing the other crews covering up and going

underground for the night. How the hell did she wind up

here? So far from home?

EXT. SILVER STRAND HIGHWAY - DAY

A Jeep speeds along the public highway, carrying the C.O.

back to base. When the Jeep tops a rise:

C.O.

What in God's name...

Ahead, a half-dozen news crews are camped on the shoulder.

All cameras are trained on the base.

INT. BEDROOM - GEORGETOWN APARTMENT - NIGHT

CAMERA FINDS Navy dress blues laid out on a bed... topcoat

draped on a chair-back... CNN on a television.

CNN COMMENTATOR (TV)

... is denying that it is

considering changing its long-held

policy of exclusion -- but it isn't

denying the presence of at least one

female in a heretofore all-male

program. Dubbed "G.I. Jane" by the

media, this woman is now undergoing

commando training at the Special

Warfare Command Center in San

Diego...

Half-shaven, Royce leans out of the bathroom in time to

catch...

Footage from Coronado: A woman in Navy greens is on a

beach run, loaded down with backpack and M-16. The NEWS

FOOTAGE ZOOMS IN, FREEZE FRAMES with the indelible image

that will be used over and over in coming weeks: Woman

cradling rifle. Madonna for the 21st century.

ROYCE:

Goddamn. My poster girl.

CNN COMMENTATOR (TV)

Senator DeHaven's office still has

not released the identity of the

woman, but DeHaven is confirming

that "G.I. Jane" has outlasted many

of her male counter-parts in the

program, said to be one of the most

grueling anywhere. Joining us now

on "Washington Tonight" for the

feminist perspective is Gloria

Allred, live from --

Royce snaps it off. He can't take anymore.

INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT

Beneath the coffered ceiling of a great Beau-Art hall, one

of Washington's power-tribes is celebrating. We find

gowned women, tuxedoed men, gold-braided naval officers, a

SWING BAND, and...

Secretary Hayes, newly confirmed. He beams as he dances

with his wife. Compliments and friendly barbs come from

all directions:

COMPLIMENTS (O.S.)

Congratulations, Mr. Secretary. Say

hello to the President for me...

Maybe now you can change that carpet

in your office, Teddy... So what was

the deal you made with DeHaven? Or

was it the Devil? Always get them

confused...

HAYES:

Didn't you hear? Effective

immediately, all navy vessels can no

longer be referred to as "she."

BRAYS of laughter.

CUT TO:

INT. BEAU-ART HALL - WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT

Royce, EXCUSING his way through the crowd, fixating on the

bar, leading his DIAL-A-DATE winner by the hand.

Conversations drift into earshot:

VOICE #1

... women are child-bearers. Life-

givers. Now we're going to make

them killers?

VOICE #2

... just don't have the upper-body

strength...

VOICE #3

How strong do you need to be to

launch a rocket? To push a button

or pull a trigger?

Royce can't get away from it.

DIAL-A-DATE

Are we going to dance?

ROYCE:

Not right now.

Just yards from the bar, a Pentagon E-RINGER snags Royce's

elbow.

E-RINGER

Commander Royce. How's life across

the river?

ROYCE:

Little slow, sir. When's the

Pentagon going to send me a good

crisis?

E-RINGER

I'll check my out-basket in the

morning. Say, do you know...

The E-Ringer turns to make introductions -- but finds his

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS embroiled in the topic du jour:

CIRCLE #1

... but men have trained as athletes

for 5,000 years. Women have been at

it for, what, couple of decades? Do

we really know the limits of their

strength?

CIRCLE #2

Or their endurance? You know, 30

years ago, women marathoners were 90

minutes off the pace of the men.

Now, the women's time is probably

only 20 minutes off.

CIRCLE #1

Try 15.

CIRCLE #3

But what do female soldiers really

contribute? I mean, why is this

"G.I. Jane" there instead of a man?

Eyes drift to Royce, inviting him into the fray.

ROYCE:

(to dial-a-date)

You wait right here. I'll get the

drinks.

INT. MEZZANINE - BEAU-ART HALL - NIGHT

Heading upstairs with an iceless rum. Royce finds a calm

and secluded place to get drunk in peace and quiet.

VOICE #1

Take my word for it. It's just not

going to happen. Not now, not

anytime soon.

VOICE #2

You're guaranteeing that?

Royce frowns:
He thought he was alone. He tracks the

voices to a forced-air vent beside the chaise.

VOICE #1

I have it on unorthodox but reliable

authority that combat positions will

remain off-limits. Despite what's

happening with our Babe in Boyland.

Alarms go off in Royce's head. He moves quickly to a

railing, looks down.

ROYCE'S POV:
Of two naval officers on the floor below.

They stand beside a matching vent. It's impossible to see

faces from this angle -- but one man has a distinct bald

spot.

NAVAL OFFICER (VOICE #1)

Well, isn't that what these test

cases are supposed to decide?

(thinking)

Unless, of course, you're suggesting

that "G.I. Jane" is on her way to

becoming "Jane Doe"...

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