Heavy Metal Page #3

Instantly all hell breaks loose as we hear pounding feet.

Silhouetted figures rush by.

CUT TO:

A GUN EMPLACEMENT

Japanese soldiers crank the barrel of an anti-aircraft gun

skyward. We begin to hear the sound of approaching engines.

CUT TO:

CLOSEUP OF A SHELL

It is thrust into a breech.

CUT TO:

THE B-17 FORMATION

As the bombers press on, the camera moves in to the lead

aircraft. In the moonlight we see her name, "Pacific Pearl".

CUT TO:

INT. - THE "PACIFIC PEARL"

NAVIGATOR:

We're there Stepek, right on

target ... Rabual dead ahead!

Suddenly a cacophony of explosions split the air as anti-aircraft

shells explode ahead of the aircraft, lighting the inside with

electric blue flashes.

BOMBARDIER:

Gee! Thanks for telling me,

Holden. I thought it was Cleveland.

CUT TO:

THE GROUND:

Ackack guns blast shells skyward. The gun blasts light up

the palm tree background, causing momentary silhouettes.

CUT TO:

THE BOMBARDIER:

BOMBARDIER:

For Christ sake, hold her steady!

CUT TO:

THE BELLYGUNNER:

He can be seen from outside the plane as the shell flashes

light up his turret.

BELLYGUNNER:

Quit yer bitching Stepek, just drop

'em and let's get outta here!

CUT BACK TO:

THE BOMBARDIER:

BOMBARDIER:

Keep your shirts on guys, tonight I'm

gonna hit something.

(he settles over the bomb sight)

Left two degrees ... steady ...

steady ...

CUT TO:

THE BELLYGUNNER:

The flak is severe, with electric blue flashes lighting up

the fuselage interior.

BELLYGUNNER:

Hey kid, how ya doing back there?

CUT TO:

THE TAILGUNNER:

Tailgunner momentarily lit with a shell burst, he's scared

shitless. He looks nervously back behind the aircraft at

the flak puffs behind the tail.

TAILGUNNER:

Gulp, ah ... I'm ah ... okay

... I think.

PILOT:

(V.O.)

Button it up, we're almost there.

CUT TO:

THE BOMBARDIER:

He is crouched over his bomb-sights, concentrating.

NAVIGATOR:

(V.O.)

C'mon Stepek, there's the

whole island of Rabaul down

there, you can't miss!

BOMBARDIER:

Screw you ...

CUT TO:

THE PILOT'S COMPARTMENT

Suddenly a shell explodes almost on the windshield and the

pilot rears back with the blast. The right windshield is

shattered.

PILOT:

We took a hit ...

The co-pilot sags forward, held back only by his shoulder

straps. His eyes stare. Blood runs from under his helmet.

We know he is dead.

PILOT:

Sh*t. Elkhorn just bought it.

BELLYGUNNER:

(V.O.)

We took one back here too.

C'mon Stepek, blast 'em!

CUT TO:

THE BOMBARDIER:

BOMBARDIER:

(hand on the release button)

Steady ... steady ... bombs away!

Let's get the hell outta here!

CUT TO:

THE GROUND:

We hear the shriek of descending bombs. The explosions walk

across the airfield, and in the light of the explosions we

see devastation. The last bomb hits a fuel dump, causing an

enormous ball of fire.

BOMBARDIER:

(V.O.)

Yahoo! Bullseye!

CUT BACK TO:

THE PACIFIC PEARL

PILOT:

(exhilarated)

Nice shooting Stepek, how are the

rest of you guys?

FLIGHT ENGINEER:

(V.O.)

Flight Engineer okay.

RADIO OPERATOR:

(V.O.)

Radio okay.

NAVIGATOR:

(V.O.)

Navigator check.

BELLYGUNNER:

(V.O.)

Belly okay.

TAILGUNNER:

(V.O.)

Ah ... tail okay ...

There is abrupt silence.

PILOT:

Bellson ... Lewis?

Still silence, no reply from either name.

PILOT:

Kid, check the waist positions, see if

they're okay.

CUT TO:

THE TAILGUNNER:

TAILGUNNER:

Yeah ... will do, skipper.

TAILGUNNER crosses himself, then exits back into the body of

the machine.

CUT TO:

THE PILOT:

PILOT:

(wearily)

Let's go home.

We hear jumbled comments from all positions. Everyone is

happy.

CREW:

(V.O.)

Cheers and whoops.

The mood of high spirits is stopped abruptly as the tailgunner

reports back.

TAILGUNNER:

(V.O.)

Skipper, Bellson and Lewis are both

dead.

This is the first time the kid's voice is not scared, just

puzzled.

PILOT:

Dammit!

BOMBARDIER:

(V.O.)

Well kid, now you got a real

bombing mission under your belt.

CUT TO:

THE BOMBARDIER:

He removes his oxygen mask and takes a long swig from a

bottle.

CUT TO:

EXT. - THE "PACIFIC PEARL"

She rejoins the rest of the group. The formation is not

quite as tight as before. As the formation flies along,

puffs of cloud pass by, occasionally obscuring a machine.

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