Starship Troopers Page #20

Chariot bugs move the Brain Bug down a hole. Workers seal the hole

behind it with amazing speed. Johnny drags Carmen back toward the

tunnel he entered from. The warriors charge.

JOHNNY:

Roughnecks...NOW !

Johnny throws himself on top of Carmen as the Roughnecks burst into

the chamber, guns blazing. The fight is furious, point blank, deadly to

bug and Roughneck alike.

Sugar Watkins screams as a warrior rips his arm off. Zander takes a

claw through the gut.

ZANDER:

AAAAAAAAAAAAA !

He blows it away, sees his intestines hanging out of the wound, shoves

them back inside and keeps on fighting. A warrior rears up over Johnny

and Carmen.

JOHNNY:

Weapon !

Ace throws him a Morita. Johnny catches it, pumps three rounds into the

bug's nerve stem. He struggles out from under the dead warrior.

Every bug in the chamber is dead.

JOHNNY:

Are you hurt ?

Carmen throws her arms around Johnny.

CARMEN:

Johnny...!

Zander takes this in. Carmen sees him, then his wound.

CARMEN:

Zander...! Oh, you're hurt.

Ace takes a look at his wound, makes a face.

ACE:

Ah geez...

Zander pushes him away, struggles to his feet.

JOHNNY:

Can you walk ?

ZANDER:

(clenched teeth)

Not a problem.

JOHNNY:

Let's get some armor on her, and

the we'll get outa this stinkin

bug hole !

Various components are gladly passed forward. Johnny and Ace

help her putting it on.

CARMEN:

I thought I was dead. Lucky for

me you jokers showed up, eh ?

ZANDER:

It wasn't luck. Rico ignored the

mission objective to rescue you...

CARMEN:

Is it true ?

JOHNNY:

Yeah, if I live through this,

they'll probably hang me.

Now com'on, let's move out !

175INTBUG CITY TUNNELS - DAY - THE ROUGHNECKS

double-time it, racing for the surface. They come to a fork.

CARMEN:

Which way ?

JOHNNY:

Up. We gotta be near A Company

by now.

The tunnel floor drops out. FIVE ROUGHNECKS disappear into the hole.

WARRIORS climb up into the tunnel.

JOHNNY:

FALL BACK !

The Roughnecks bachk up fast, shooting. Zander staggers, collapses.

Johnny drops to his side, rolls him over.

JOHNNY:

How bad are you, pal ?

ZANDER:

Been better, buddy.

Johnny sees warriors coming up into the tunnel by the score.

JOHNNY:

Alright, we're gonna carry you...

ZANDER:

Nah, I figureyou folks oughta get

upstairs before it's too late...

Gimmee the nuke.

Zander checks his pulse cannon's available power.

JOHNNY:

Don't be a hero...

ZANDER:

This is my farm. Now c'mon, give

me what you got and get out of

here...

Johnny nods, hands him the nuke. Carmen sees what's happening.

CARMEN:

Zander, what are you doing ?

ZANDER:

Just giving you something to

remember me by, baby.

CARMEN:

Zander, no...!

He grabs her and kisses her. Johnny drags Carmen away. Zander opens

fire as the first warriors reach his position.

176INTBUG CITY - INCLINED TUNNEL - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN

race desperately for the surface. They hear the chatter of Zander's pulse cannon

and the screams of dying bugs.

JOHNNY:

GO.GO GO GO GO...!

Tears stream down from Carmen's face.

177EXTPLANET P - DAY - JOHNNY AND CARMEN

and the surviving Roughnecks make it to the surface. WOMP !

A subterrenean nuclear explosion blows a column of earth and stone

into the air.

178EXTPLANET P - A COMPANY BASE CAMP - JOHNNY

and the others enter A Company's perimeter. No one notices their arrival

because everyone's gathered in a big circle watching the Brain Bug.

CARMEN:

Look... they got it.

Several of its delicate legs were apparently broken during the capture.

Carl approaches it without fear, puts his hand on the thing.

GENERAL:

What's it thinking, Colonel ?

Carl smiles in a cruel way.

CARL:

It's afraid.

Johnny and Carmen approach the General.

JOHNNY:

Sir, I'd like to turn myself in.

Dereliction of duty by an officer

during wartime.

GENERAL:

And you freely admit to it ?

JOHNNY:

Yes, sir.

GENERAL:

Is what this man says true,

Lieutenant ?

CARMEN:

To the best of my understanding,

it is, sir.

The General sighs, turns to his AIDE.

GENERAL:

Round up a field court martial,

wilya ?

Carl steps in.

CARL:

It's alright, sir. Acting

Lieutenant Rico was under

my orders... psi-orders.

The General smiles, relieved.

MAJOR:

Oh, I see. Well, that's completely

different. That's classified.

The General heads away. Carl winks at his friends.

JOHNNY:

You always told me you couldn't

do human...

CARL:

I can't... but like I told you,

it's a number's game. The

Federation needs all the pilots

it can get...

CARMEN:

I don't know why, but every time

the three of us are together I feel

like everything's gonna be alright.

CARL:

I hope you're right, Carmen.

We've got one of their brains now.

Pretty soon we'll know how they

think, and then we'll know how to

beat them. One day it'll be over, and

everyone will forget that this was the

moment. This is when it turned. And

it wasn't the mighty Fleet, it wasn't

any fancy new weapon, it was a cap

trooper named Zim who captured

a brain...

JOHNNY:

Zim...?

Johhny sees a knot of soldiers around Zim, who is smiling, selfconscious

and admirers shake his hand, pound his back.

Johnny rushes to congratulate him.

JOHNNY:

Hey, Sergeant Zim. Good job !

Zim turns, gives Johnny a wry look. He wears the single stripes of a private.

ZIM:

Thank you, sir.

Zim snaps to attention, salutes. Johnny has to smile.

JOHNNY:

Carry on, private !

179FROM THE FEDERAL NET - AND SO THE WAR GOES ON !

Starships parked row-by-row in the floating yards above Luna.

Meanwhile, at Camp Currie, cap troopers train.

OFFICIAL VOICE:

Armed with more soldiers, more ships,

and with a unity unmatched in all of

human history, the Federation marches

on !

180TECHNOLOGY - NEW WEAPONS !

Federation scientists are hard at work.

OFFICIAL VOICE:

Better gas to kill bugs with and, soon,

the capacity to crack a planet in half

with just one bomb !

181ENLIST NOW !

Proud YOUNG PEOPLE in uniform, the bloom of human evolution.

OFFICIAL VOICE:

Citizenship now guaranteed to all able

applicants. Put your plans on hold to

fight for the future ! Protect your

continued right to evolve !

Would you like to know more ?

182INTSTARSHIP SPARTA - THE BRIDGE - CAPTAIN CARMEN IBANEZ

stands on the bridge of a brand new starship, the Sparta.

CARMEN:

We're over the target area now, Lieutenant !

183INTSPARTA - DROP ROOM - LIEUTENANT JOHNNY RICO

looks his Roughnecks over before the drop.

JOHNNY:

Saddle up, Roughnecks !

ACE:

You heard the Lieutenant !

On the bounce, troopers !

One thing's for sure:They'll keep fighting, and they'll win !

THE END:

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