Taps Page #5

Better get going.

All right.

When this is over,

you and me are gonna go round and round.

Yeah. But first

you're gonna move your goddamn arm.

- Hello, Brian.

- Hello, sir.

You look like

you might have grown an inch or two.

- You've put on a couple of pounds too.

- A couple.

- Sorry you had to come all the way up here.

- Nah.

- How you doing, Alex?

- Hello, Sergeant Moreland.

- The old place looks different...

- Get to the bottom line.

Hold your water.

Bottom line.

The truth is

these folks are worried about their kids.

They think some of them

are being held against their will.

Everyone's here

because they want to be here.

Our son would not be involved

in something like this.

Lady, if my son can be involved in it, your

son can be. Let's not get holier-than-thou.

- Let us hear it from our children.

- Yes.

I can't call my soldiers away from their posts

to calm down their parents.

- You're only children!

- They'll try to add kidnapping to the rest of it.

- We want to see our kid.

- I'll try.

- Good.

- Under my terms.

I hope you're proud, Sergeant Moreland.

You have fathered a son of a b*tch.

You people shut up!

I can't think through all your static.

We aren't in the army, Sergeant.

No apologies necessary.

Just keep the hell quiet

and let me take care of this.

Frigging feather merchants.

I don't blame them, sir.

It's a little hard to understand.

- Ever get in the habit?

- Oh. No, sir. No, thanks.

Smart. Damn things will kill you.

- What am I gonna tell those people?

- I never thought this would involve you.

Let me tell 'em it was growing pains.

The wrong execution of the right idea.

- The wrong execution of the right idea?

- Yeah. They'll understand that.

Look, Brian, all the men in our family

have been soldiers.

- I know.

- Plain dogfaces with a knack for surviving.

- I hoped somebody would break into brass.

- I have my command.

You're not thinking straight. You have

a bad way to lose a pretty bright future, kid.

Stop calling me kid.

You expect me to call you Major?

You can forget it.

Look at this operation. You got your strength

nose to nose with the cops.

Eventually even they'll figure out you've got

a vulnerable rear flank and they'll sneak in.

There, by the field, behind the trees,

and they'll throw a net over your asses.

You can say that...

The first canister of tear gas,

half your troops'll wet their pants and run.

And how bright was it

to let this delegation in here?

Look at me. I could break your neck and

you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

You'd be shot.

My next in command would take over.

I read that book too.

We could take you all as hostages,

but we won't. We have a code of honour.

Sweet Jesus! Is that what this is all about?

Somebody's lofty sh*t about honour? Yours?

Yes, mine, and I learned it here.

General Bache lives it...

- He's here because there's no place...

- He is the example we follow!

Bache has been passed over so many times,

he's got a stiff neck from the draught.

Bache! Bache is living proof

that horses' asses outnumber horses!

Captain Shawn, escort my...

the sergeant off the base!

- Muster the men in the quad.

- Yes, sir.

- We've pulled together well, haven't we?

- Yes, sir!

General Bache would be proud of us.

If he were here, I know he'd tell us to hold out.

To finish what we've started

and not to be halfway about anything.

They're saying some of you are being held

against your will, you don't want to be here.

Either they're right or we're right.

Nobody's gonna cut you down

if you don't believe in what we're doing,

or if you're afraid of parents or the cops.

Anybody who isn't 100 per cent sure

of why we're here and what we're doing,

take one step forward.

- Battalion!

- Company!

Attention!

- Left!

- Left!

Face!

- Forward!

- Forward!

March!

- Major Moreland, he's our man.

- Major Moreland, he's our man.

- Bunker Hill we make our stand.

- Bunker Hill we make our stand.

- Sound off.

- One, two.

- Sound off.

- Three, four.

- One, two, three, four.

- One, two, three, four.

Sir? You got any grenades?

Thank you, sir.

- You got any grenades?

- Sure.

- Can I have one?

- Here you go.

- Thanks.

- Oh, and, Shovel?

- Don't eat it.

- Cute.

- Carry on.

- Thank you, sir.

- Any news from the outside?

- Attention.

- Carry on.

- No news, sir.

His batteries are down.

We can't even pick up the shitkickers.

We can see them from here.

They've got their thumbs up their asses.

- They don't scare us, do they, Charlie?

- No, sir.

Me either, sir. They don't scare me.

- Good night, guys.

- Good night, sir.

Charlie.

That's what I call grace under pressure.

Why not? Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

- That wasn't grace, that was crazy.

- Depends on your point of view.

That's Peru.

- Meaning?

- Meaning maybe this is just as crazy.

Alex, you've been picking at this

from the beginning.

What's wrong with you?

Things are going beautifully.

We're in better shape now.

Now we're a corps. General Bache

used to talk about men under pressure.

- How they act as one. We're seeing it.

- Thus spake Saint Bache.

- OK.

- He's only a man, Brian.

Like your father, my father. Just a man.

Not every word out of his mouth

is some holy nugget.

Right. Whatever you say.

Don't let that display of loyalty

go to your head.

It won't mean beans to anybody out there.

They'll say it was brainwashing.

Maybe they're right.

I half expected you to be the one to break

ranks. Head for the comforts of home.

- The thought crossed my mind.

- What stopped you?

My sense of honour may be a little ragged,

but I don't walk out on a friend.

If you want to argue about this,

we'll argue in the morning.

I've got to get some sleep.

All right. It can wait till morning.

What do you think they put

in those flakjackets? Is it lead or what?

No. Lead's too heavy.

They wouldn't be able to move.

They probably use some super-plastic.

I read that it's got

something to do with the configuration...

Wanna try and spell that, bonehead?

He couldn't even spell his own name.

- What are you laughing at?

- Keep it down.

Sh*t. Down. Berets off.

Forward observation to command post.

Convoy approaching. Looks like heavy stuff.

Have C Squad cover the rooftops.

C Squad, rear of the building!

A Squad, behind the trees!

How's it going, Brian?

They had to call in the heavyweights.

- Get more power on the rooftops.

- I already have.

- Reinforce the rear and left flanks.

- Yes, sir.

- No one fires unless I give the order.

- Yes, sir.

Too much! There must be

Don't sweat it.

Stephen Miller?

Stephen Miller?

It's Mom, honey.

Will you listen to me, please?

It's still not too late to come out of there

and forget it ever happened.

We have such a wonderful summer

planned for you.

Don't go and get involved

in something like this.

Please.

Don't spoil everything, now.

Please.

Come out and at least talk to us.

Five minutes. Just let us know you're all right.

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