The Ninth Configuration Page #6

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Name one example!

A soldier throws himself on top of a live grenade

to prevent the other men in his squad from being hit.

That's reflex action.

A shipwreck survivor in the middle of an ocean...

... finds out that he has typhoid...

... and deliberately goes over

the side of the life-boat...

... to keep the others in the

boat from contracting the disease.

Now, what do you call that? Reflex action?

No, I call that suicide.

Suicide and giving up your life are not the same.

You're so dumb you're adorable.

The essence of suicide is dispair.

The essence of suicide is you

don't collect the insurance.

Listen, who doesn't know what all these

examples we keep on hearing about aren't bullshit?

And don't have some basically bullshit selfish explanation?

- I know.

- I don't.

Now give me just one example - just one -

that you know of personally.

Personally, just one!

I thought as much.

Tomorrow's Sunday. Take me to Mass.

Would Foot give a sh*t about what I'm wearing?

Is that Edgar Cayce?

If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.

The thief comes only to steal,

to kill, and destroy.

But I have come that they may have life,

life in all its fullness.

That the father knows me,

and I know the Father,

in the same way I know my sheep,

and they know me, and I am willing to die for them.

"I have given YOU an example"

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd

gives his life for his sheep.

Infinite goodness is creating a being...

...that you know in advance is going to complain.

"To be or not to be"

Thanks, I dug it.

If you die first and there's life after death,

...will you give me a sign?

- I'll try.

- You're terrific.

Did Cutshaw behave himself?

As usual. Where are you going?

To the beach. The diner down there serves

great eggs Benedict. You'd like to come?

- Yeah, it's my favorite food.

- Why don't you come along?

No, thanks. I feel tired. I think

I'm going to lie down for a while.

- Excuse me.

- Sure.

I was hoping you'd come along and pick up the check.

- Colonel...

- Goddamit!

Is there any news from earth?

I'm sorry.

Any letters?

- Your planet has demanded your return.

- F*** that.

Any packages?

When I was on Mars my mother

sent me a cheesecake once a month.

She used to pack it in popcorn to keep it moist.

All that sh*t about canals on Mars is a myth.

Mars is drier than an armpit in hell.

Yes, I know.

But not here! Here it's nice.

Well Ok, I'm sealing off my mind.

Colonel Kane.

- Yes?

- New inmate, sir.

He got in about half an hour ago.

I put him in your office.

I didn't think you'd want him mixing

with the others until you'd -

well - sort ofexplained things to him.

He seems pretty straight to me, sir.

Just combat fatigue, from the look of him.

-Thanks Krebs, I'll see him in a minute.

-Right, sir.

Jesus.

'Killer' Kane!

Colonel, Colonel. Its me, Gilman!

Come on, let's go.

Hey, you got a Charlie.

- Just a boy.

- Forget about it sir, let's get out of here...

I cut off his head with a wire...

...and he kept on talking.

What're you holding?

What's there in your -

Jesus!

Christ, this is obviously mistake, sir.

Some computer must have goofed up.

It puts you down as...

... incharge of the state asylum...

...your MOS as 'Psychiatrist'.

Your serial number's wrong...

There must be another Colonel Kane.

There must be another Colonel Kane.

Vincent.

Tell me again about goodness in the world.

You lying bloody butchering bastard!

Don't touch me, don't come near me.

There's your brother up there.

There's your bloody green-soaked brother

that's Kane. That's 'Killer' Kane!

He'll cut your f***ing head off with a wire!

I needed you!

- What happened?

- You fainted, don't you remember?

What do you remember?

I don't know.

Nothing.

I was walking to my room...

You remember the new inmate?

New inmate?

You don't remember.

What the hell are you talking about?

Groper, who was that?

Cutshaw, sir.

When Kane got the orders, he was...

... he was commanding a Special

Forces camp just south of DMZ.

By the time he got to the States,

they'd caught the mistake.

But by then it was clear he

meant to go through with it.

We've been watching him.

We heard the - we heard the stories about his cracking.

He seemed to be on the edge of a

very serious breakdown, and then...

...one computer dropped the stitch

and gave a halfway out:

A way to find help without facing his illness;

A way to hide from himself;

But mostly...

Mostly a way to wash away all the blood:

a way to do penance for all

the killing - by curing.

At first, it was just a pretense but...

...on the way back from Viet Nam

it developed into something more.

His hatred of the Kane who killed became denial,

and also projection:

'Someone else must have done all the killing'.

Then after a time the denial became so strong that...

...it totally obliterated Kane's identity.

He suppressed the Kane who was the killer,

and became the better-self that's in all of us.

Completely.

Except when he dreamed.

We were experimenting, you see...

He was on the inside, looking out.

An inmate functioning as a psychiatrist...

...and coming to bear on the problem

like nothing we'd ever seen before.

We hoped he might come up with a new

answer, or atleast some new insight.

And I think he did.

I think the men have been responding to him.

But he suffered a setback today. And a bad one.

...You see, his only hope of finding cure

for himself is ...

...to wipe away the guilt by a saving act...

by curing the other inmates,

or atleast see some improvement.

But that takes time.

Time and your help.

And you've seen my orders. But I

want Kane to play out the string.

You understand?

- Lieutenant Gilman.

- Yes, sir.

I'd like you to try to convince the other inmates

that you were mistaken. That shouldn't be too

hard to sell around here? Will you do that?

Oh yeah, sure.

Groper, Krebs, Christian and the

others will back you up. So will I.

Colonel.

Let me get something straight.

You've been incharge here, all the time.

That's right.

Kane is Vincent Kane.

I'm Hudson.

I'm the psychiatrist.

Vincent is my patient.

When we ah - when we were kids

I used to make him laugh all the time.

I was the clown, you know.

And I've been trying to help

him remember me. But he won't do it.

He's my brother.

Hey waitress, could I have a runway

for the young lady and one more scotch.

Sir, you've got five right there in front of you.

I wanted six.

Quiet.

That's him. I know that's him.

- You're demented.

- Up yours! I've seen his picture in the paper.

You don't read papers, Stanley.

- You're an illiterate.

- Then TV, you a**hole!

Look at him! Look at his face!

He's the astronaut,

the one that lost his marbles!

What's he doin' in a joint like this?

Now, how the f*** do I know?

Dude, they have all types of those army

whackos stashed up in that Biltmore dump!

What if it could be one of them?

I don't know!

But that's him, I swear.

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