Pearl Harbor Page #13

CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT

Radio room! Raise the Selfridge. Tell

the Squadron Commander we have spotted a

sub and request permission to depth

charge.

He looks again at the black shape, passing a few hundred

yards from them.

CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT

We're five miles from Pearl Harbor and

it's moving in from the open sea.

Prepare to move to attack speed.

The INTERCOM comes alive.

INTERCOM:

Sir, the Squadron Commander on Selfridge

denies permission.

CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT

What?

INTERCOM:

Denies, Sir. He says it's a blackfish.

The Captain chokes back his frustration and shuts down the

intercom -- but then he says to the Duty Officer, as they

watch the shape disappear toward Pearl Harbor...

CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT

If it's a blackfish, it has a motorboat

up it's ass!

EXT. OAHU - ROAD - NIGHT

Danny has pulled his Buick convertible off the road; Rafe is

bent over, his head out of frame; he's throwing up. Danny's

banged up from the fight and still drunk himself; he waits

beside Rafe, who chokes out between heaves --

RAFE:

How come you're not pukin'?

DANNY:

I guess I'm used to it. I've felt like

throwing up every minute since you got

back.

Rafe straightens up, but the waves of sickness come back over

him and he bends over again. Danny looks at his friend, and

the pain is written on Danny's face.

DANNY:

Don't blame her, Rafe. It's not like

you're thinking.

RAFE:

(between heaves)

F*** you.

DANNY:

She loves you. I know that. And part of

what she loves in me is how much of you

she sees in me.

Rafe doesn't seem to be listening; but Danny knows he is.

DANNY:

We were both torn up. I started dropping

by to see her, because we understood what

each other felt. We'd have coffee and

try not to talk about you, but we always

would.

Rafe stands to face Danny; this is hard for Danny to say.

DANNY:

She said I was so much like you. I said,

No, I'm not. I'm like I am because of

you, but I'm not you, not as good as you.

Everybody else saw me as a loser with a

big chip on his shoulder. But you saw

the better part of me, the part of me

that could be like you, and changed me.

You made me who I am.

RAFE:

How sweet. Is that when you put the move

on her?

Danny slams his fist into Rafe's sick gut. Rafe doubles over

again, coughing, nothing left in his belly to come up.

Rafe stand slowly, nodding as if he knows the punch was what

he deserved. Danny's about to apologize when once more Rafe

knees him in the balls.

Danny folds up, drops to his knees, and starts to retch.

RAFE:

That's better.

Rafe crawls into the back seat of the car and passes out,

Danny still collapsed at the side of the road.

EXT. PACIFIC - NIGHT

The Japanese task force storms on.

INT. JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - NIGHT

IN THE PREP DECKS, the planes are being armed with bombs and

torpedoes.

IN THE PILOTS' QUARTERS, the pilots individually sit before

personal shrines, saying private prayers, writing letters.

EXT. JAPANESE CARRIERS - FLIGHT DECKS - NIGHT

The planes are brought up on the elevators; deck crewmen

start rolling them into position.

EXT. UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE PACIFIC - NIGHT

A Japanese submarine with a midget sub attached to its hull

runs silently toward Pearl Harbor.

EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - NIGHT

The periscope of the submarine breaks the surface.

INT. JAPANESE SUB - NIGHT

The sub commander looks through the periscope and sees the

lights of Oahu far in the distance.

SUB COMMANDER:

Prepare to launch midget sub.

INT. BUNK AREA OF SUB, BETWEEN TORPEDOES - NIGHT

The sailor who will drive the midget sub completes his

ceremonial sponge bath, and places a handwritten letter on

his personal shrine.

SAILOR'S VOICE (LETTER)

My revered father, I go now to fulfill my

mission and my destiny.

INT. THE LAUNCH OF THE MIDGET SUB - NIGHT

We see the sub surface, and the sailor exit the main hatch of

the big sub, then force himself through the tiny hatch of the

midget sub.

SAILOR'S VOICE (LETTER)

I hope it is a destiny that will bring

honor to our family, and if it requires

my life I will sacrifice it gladly, if

you can think of me and my hope to be a

good servant of our nation, and a worthy

son. With love and devotion, Kazuyoshi.

EXT. FLIGHT DECK, JAPANESE CARRIER - NIGHT

A single scout plane launches into the air.

INT. SCOUT PLANE - NIGHT

The plane climbs to a high altitude, toward the dawn and

Pearl Harbor.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT

The Japanese carriers turn into the wind and raise combat

pennants. A color guard raises the Japanese flag as the deck

crew stand at attention, seeing the rising-sun flag snap

potently in the wind.

EXT. JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - NIGHT

The first wave of Japanese planes begins to launch. It is a

stirring sight for the Japanese; the pilots waiting in their

cockpits, the officers watching from the bridge, the seamen

on the flight deck.

The first plane taxis along the flight deck and lifts into

the sky. The seamen cheer and wave their caps.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NEAR PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT

The American destroyer WARD cuts through the water, moving

back into port after a night patrol. It's CAPTAIN is on the

bridge, and its lookouts are still scanning the waters.

LOOKOUT:

Captain, do you see that, in our wake?

The Captain raises his binoculars and looks out behind the

ship. He sees something small and black there.

CAPTAIN OF THE WARD

That's a conning tower.

OFFICER:

Could it be one of ours?

CAPTAIN OF THE WARD

He's trying to follow us through the sub

nets, into the harbor. Sink the son of a

b*tch.

EXT. DECK OF THE DESTROYER WARD - NIGHT

The deck gun barks, aimed toward the conning tower of the

Japanese sub in the distance. The first shot sails directly

over the tower, missing.

INT. THE SUB'S CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT

The Japanese sub commander sees, through his periscope, the

flame erupt on the Ward's deck; he's being fired upon. He

snaps orders --

JAPANESE SUB CAPTAIN

Dive! Dive!

EXT. THE DECK OF THE WARD - NIGHT

The gunners snap in another shell and fire again. It's a

direct hit, the sub is ripped apart, it rolls over.

INT. WARD'S BRIDGE - NIGHT

The Captain watches the sub sinking and snaps an order.

CAPTAIN OF THE WARD

Fleet command, from destroyer Ward. Have

fired upon and sunk enemy submarine

seeking to enter Pearl Harbor.

EXT. ESTABLISHING - RADAR STATION - PEARL HARBOR - DAWN

INT. RADAR STATION - PEARL HARBOR - DAWN

There are two guys left in the room, yawning over their new

radar equipment. The Officer, ELLIS, checks his watch; it's

a few minutes after seven a.m.

ELLIS:

Time to shut her down. That was a good

first session. You'll get the hang of

this new radar soon.

PRIVATE:

Thank you, Sir. Hey...what's this?

His screen shows a huge cloud of blips, heading toward them.

ELLIS:

I've never seen anything like that

before.

He gets on the telephone.

INT. ARMY HEADQUARTERS - DAWN

The phone rings and an officer answers.

OFFICER:

Watch command... Coming from which

direction?... Hold on.

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