Taps Page #7

Go on, lie down, Brian. You'll feel better.

- Wake me if something happens.

- Will do.

Hey! Hey! What the hell's going on here?

- Hey! Where's the water?

- Who turned off the goddamn...

- How does it look?

- It's OK right now.

- We should guard the other water heaters.

- Let's make thirst a capital offence.

He's right. We run out of water, we've had it.

If we can't trust our own guys,

what's the point?

We couldn't trust them to stay with us.

How can we trust them to save water?

- West cut our strength in half.

- Wait a minute, dammit.

- He is our friend.

- With friends like that...

Hey! I don't wanna hear anyone

bad-mouth West.

He did what he felt was right.

- Put guards on the water supplies.

- Yes, sir.

Brian!

MASH!

Any news?

You want the news? I'll give you the news.

We take you now to reporter Alex Dwyer

on the scene of the uprising.

I'm outside the gates of Bunker Hill Academy

talking to a National Guardsman,

a young man not much older than the infants

who have taken over this old institution.

Let's see what the grunt on the street says.

Trooper, how do you feel about the

possibility of taking this school by force?

- Give me those!

- I'd like to frag the freaks!

Sir, what's your opinion of this crisis?

I feel sorry for the little cherubs. It's

society's fault. We failed to meet the needs...

Thank you, Private Bleeding Heart.

We take you now to a press meeting,

live in progress,

with Colonel Adolf Kerby

of the National Guard.

- Can you hear me?

- You're an ass, Dwyer.

It's the governor's fervent hope that force

will not be necessary in retaking the school.

However, the governor will not stand by

indefinitely and allow this to continue.

Let's have an interview with Major Moreland.

What's going on here?

What's going on here?

- I'm here inside the walls of Bunker Hill...

- On your feet! Let's go!

... with Major Brian Moreland,

commander of the rebellious youths.

Correction. Defending cadets.

Let's go. Come on.

- There seems to be some dissension...

- No, this is a military operation.

A military operation. I see.

- No dissension, no desertion and no...

- Knock it off!

- Those of you not on station should sleep.

- You can't escape the press that easily.

Knock it off! It's not funny any more!

It's getting to be a real pain in the ass! Drop it!

Back to you, Walter.

The major's getting pissed off.

- Come on. Move out.

- And we don't want to piss off the major.

Piss off the major, you find yourself escorted

out between two of Shawn's Red Berets.

You just keep going and going,

don't know when to stop.

Think with your brain,

you'll piss off the major.

Piss off the major and you find yourself

escorted outjust like the major's father.

Leave my father out of this.

- Reason with the major, out you go.

- Let's go.

Pretty soon there'll be nobody left

but one pissed-off major.

Knock it off! We've had enough!

You don't wanna save this school

for posterity.

You wanna wear it like your own cocoon!

Just you and Bache,

snug as two bugs queer for each other.

Stay back.

- Come on, Brian!

- Get him!

Hold it down! Hold it down!

- They turned off the power.

- Turn 'em on!

- Hold it down!

- What's that noise?

Listen up! Get your weapons

and man your battle stations!

Check the 50s and 60s.

Make sure they're prepared and ready.

- Come on!

- Move, move, move!

- Don't let friendship keep you here any more.

- Don't worry.

Get down.

Give me a wire brush, Charlie.

Looks like it hasn't been run

since World War I.

Yeah, if then.

OK, that ought to do it. Hold your breath.

All right, hit the switch.

Got it.

Go on, get somebody.

Major Moreland.

- You know you're responsible for that boy?

- It was an accident.

I've gone to the mat with the civil authorities.

I'm urging them to take into consideration

your youth and the strain...

Cut the bullshit.

Nobody in here's young any more.

Excuse me if I don't shed tears

over your lost youth.

You've had your chances to toss it in.

You've got this chance.

The governor is this close

to ordering us to take you in by force.

When that order comes, I'll do it

and you won't ever be that unhappy again.

I'll have to do it.

They want us to be good little boys now so

we can fight some war for them in the future.

Some war they'll decide on.

We'd rather fight our own war right now.

Brian, we're talking about boys so young

they haven't got hair one between their legs.

That's never been

any qualification for a soldier.

Good Christ!

The final stage of any mobilisation

is the children, the seed corn.

What in God's name did they teach you

in here? What did they turn you into?

A soldier. The only thing I ever wanted to be.

A soldier? No, goddammit, I'm a soldier,

with the career goal of all soldiers.

I wanna stay alive in situations where it ain't

easy, but you, my friend, you're a death lover.

I know the species.

has put you in love with death.

Somebody sold you on the idea

that dying for a cause is romantic.

Well, that is the worst kind

of all the kinds of bullshit there is!

Dying is only one thing. Bad.

Don't find that out. Please.

We'll reduce our demands to just one.

I'm listening.

A meeting with General Bache.

Let the order come directly from him.

We'll obey.

General Bache died last night at six o'clock.

You son of a b*tch.

You and I have nothing more to talk about.

Company, halt!

Left face!

Firing detail, ready!

Take aim! Fire!

Take aim! Fire!

Take aim! Fire!

General Bache... prized this sword.

It was given to him by General MacArthur

in appreciation of his service.

And he used to say

it was forged in the furnace of honour.

What I know of honour I learned from him

and what I know of dignity I learned from him.

He taught us

there are things worse than death.

Defeat, dishonour.

General Bache,

we commit your spirit to eternity,

to the company of great soldiers...

and great souls.

Company, left face!

Forward march!

How come they

knocked off the tapes, Charlie?

I don't know.

Probably just to keep us wondering.

It's working.

Yeah.

Charlie?

I'm scared.

I mean it. I'm really scared.

We're all gonna get killed. I know it.

No, we're not, Derek.

Try to think of something else.

I can't.

Please, let's just give up, OK?

I mean, we'll leave, OK? Please?

- It'll be all right.

- No, it won't.

- Close your eyes.

- I can't.

Get low, Derek. Come on.

- Derek! Derek, don't run!

- I don't wanna die!

Derek! Don't run!

- Derek!

- Hold your fire!

Stop!

You boys in here, this is the end of it.

Right now, right here.

You're coming out.

Someone finally had to die.

Kerby, hold it right there!

You will talk to our men through us.

I want all of you boys to know

that at dawn we will take this campus.

My men, our tanks, our helicopters,

we will take this campus.

I don't want to see any more of you boys die.

Men, stand fast and listen up.

You are soldiers. You will continue

to follow the orders of your superior officers.

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