Starship Troopers Page #2

Carmen enters her name, receives her score:97% !She beams.

JOHNNY:

Good for you.

CARMEN:

Your turn...

Then she spots Carl across the way talking with MARCO, 17.

CARMEN:

Hold on... I wanna talk to Marco.

His sister's at Fleet !

Carmen rushes off. Johnny checks his score:35% ! Crushed, he

makes sure no none else has seen. Carl walks up to him.

CARL:

You still haven't kissed her yet ? Don't lie.

JOHNNY:

What's the hurry ?

CARL:

Others are waiting.

Carl points out Dizzy, talking with friends.

JOHNNY:

Did you read her mind ?

CARL:

Don't have to... Some mating semaphore

is pretty hard to miss.

It's true. You can tell by the way she looks at Johnny.

JOHNNY:

Yeah, but I want Carmen.

CARL:

You got it bad.

Carmen returns to Johnny as Carls heads off.

CARL:

Don't forget about this afternoon.

(to Carmen)

He's always late when he walks you home

to fish for a kiss.

Carmen blushes, covers.

CARMEN:

She's flying starships !

JOHNNY:

Who ?

CARMEN:

Marco's sister. Can you imagine

maneuvering half a million tons through

crwoded space lanes...

You gotta have nerves of steel !

Reflexes are critical

JOHNNY:

I have good reflexes.

Carmen notices the way Dizzy's looking at Johnny, doesn't

like it one bit, takes Johnny's arm.

CARMEN:

C'mon Johnny, we'll be late for Biology.

9INTBIOLOGY LAB -- DAY - THE BIOLOGY TEACHER

is an older woman, very spry, also blind. Johnny, Carmen and

other students gather around covered lab tables.

BIOLOGY TEACHER:

For our final today, please identify the mouthparts,

the abdominal organs, and for extra credit, locate the

nerve cord and count the ganglia.

You may begin.

The students remove the cover to reveal large alien bugs, 60

centimeter ARKELLIAN SAND BEETLES laid out for dissection.

CARMEN:

Eeuch !

JOHNNY:

Aw, c'mon, it's just a bug.

BIOLOGY TEACHER:

Just a bug, eh ? We humans like to think we are

Nature's finest achievement. I'm afraid it isn't

true. This Arkellian Sand Beetle is superior in many

ways. It has fewer moving parts, can reproduce itself

in vast numbers, and unboud by concerns of ego and

mortality, makes the perfect selfless member of

society.

JOHNNY:

Better put your goggles on.

Johnny slices the abdomen open with asurgical laser. Green

fluid sprays from the slit. Carmen turns away looking ill.

BIOLOGY TEACHER:

Our galaxy is teaming with insect life. We have

identified over two billion species so far.

Human, life, it would seem, is the anomaly.

CARMEN:

But we 're intelligent. Human minds have invented

art, mathematics and interstellar travel.

BIOLOGY TEACHER:

True, we know of no insect society that has

produced a Shakespeare, an Einstein or a

Cherynkov, but before you let that go to your

head, take the example of the Arachnids, a

highly organized, highly evolved insect society.

She points to an insect evolution chart that starts with a

common ant and ends with a two meter tall ARACHNID WARRIOR.

BIOLOGY TEACHER:

They are relatively stupid by human standards. Workers

have an IQ of 12, warriors around 35 , and yet the

Arachnids have colonized planets. Over a million years

of evolution, Nature has provided the Arachnids with the

biological means to hurl their spore into space.

Johnny applies a spreader and jacks the insects abdominal cavity

open with aresounding crack. Bug guts gush out.

JOHNNY:

Well, if that's the crop, that must be the gastric

caecal...

CARMEN:

Excuse me...!

She heads for the door, hand over her mouth.

10EXTCIVIC PARK - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN

walk home from school together.

JOHNNY:

35% on the math final ! No one could be

that dumb with numbers.

CARMEN:

Well, at least you didn't lose your lunch

over a bug. How embarassing.

JOHNNY:

Who cares about bugs ? You can't go anywhere

if you don't know math.

CARMEN:

Don't be so sure. I like you even if you are

dumb with numbers.

JOHNNY:

Then how come you won't hold hands with me

at school ?

CARMEN:

I don't want everyone to see.

JOHNNY:

Why won't you kiss me when we're all alone ?

CARMEN:

How come that's all you talk about anymore ?

JOHNNY:

It's all I think about anymore.

Indeed, they are all alone now. The look in Johnny's eye says how

about it. Carmen grins, reaches for Johnny's hand.

11EXTPUPLIC TRANSPORTATION - DAY - CARMEN

and Johnny stand together near a bank of TRANSPORTERS.

CARMEN:

You can't walk me home.

JOHNNY:

Why not ?

CARMEN:

I thought you were going to help Carl.

JOHNNY:

Carl can wait.

CARMEN:

Johnny, my Dad's home today.

Johnny's face darkens with frustration.

JOHNNY:

What's he got against me... I mean, I 'm

a teenager. You can't be a citizen when

you're only a teenager !

CARMEN:

It's not you, Johnny. Your parents are rich

they don't need to be citizens, and that stuff

means a lot to my dad. He's a veteran.

JOHNNY:

Well, if your dad doesn't like me, how come

we're such good friends ?

CARMEN:

Sometimes I do what I want, eh ?

Carmen steps into the flux.ZAPPP!She's gone.

Johnny grins, happy to be in love.

12INTCARL'S HOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY - JOHNNY

is hard-wired to the stacks of processing units that comprise Carl's

basement workshop. Carl concentrates on the image of a playing card,

the six of diamonds, displayed on a monitor.

CARL:

Don't think about it... go on instinct.

JOHNNY:

Ace of spades.

The ace of spades appears, and the computer indicates "no match".

Carl puts another card up, the jack of diamonds.

CARL:

Statistically speaking you should've accidentally

guessed right by know.

JOHNNY:

In addition to "psychic dolt" this test also proves

I'm unlucky ? Two of hearts.

Wrong again.

CARL:

Luck is not a factor. No one really knows why

some people are sensitive and some aren't.

Federal studies like this might provide a clue.

The next card up is the nine of clubs.

JOHNNY:

I wouldn't want to know what everyone was

thinking. Four of spades.

Suddenly, A GIANT YELLOW FROG jumps onto the keyboard, fritzing

the monitor. Johnny removes the blindfold.

CARL:

Cyrano, you big yellow turd !

Johnny knows this frog, scratches him on the neck.

JOHNNY:

He just wants attention. You don't play with

him like you used to.

Carl concentrates for a moment.

CARL:

Go bug Mom, Cyrano.

Cyrano's eyes widen. He hops off the table and up the stairs two at

a time. Carl clears the screen.

JOHNNY:

How do you make him do that ?

CARL:

I gave him the impression that there was a fly crawling

up my mom's leg. He is going to go eat it.

From upstairs, CARL'S MOM shrieks.

MOM (O.S.)

Get out ! Get out ! CARL...!

JOHNNY:

Carl, promise me you won't ever do anything like that

to me.

CARL:

Don't be afraid. Can't do humans... yet.

C'mon let's go.

Carl, puts up more cards, Johnny misses them all.

JOHNNY:

Ten of clubs. You still gonna sign up for

Starside R&D ?

CARL:

Passport to the Universe.

Who wouldn't want that ?

JOHNNY:

I've been thinking about applying for

Federal Service, too. Fleet, maybe.

CARL:

Your father will never let you.

JOHNNY:

I'm eighteen. It's my decision, I think I'd

make a pretty good pilot. I've good great

reflexes. You need that for maneuvering,

you know.

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