The North Star Page #5

I'll watch.

Planes?

It's hard to tell.

You get some sleep, my dear.

Everything sounds

like planes to me.

I think of Damian

and the children...

Wherever they are.

And Kolya.

You are quiet for you.

I haven't had any

sleep for 30 hours.

I've been on four

bombing trips today.

You're my fifth.

How did you do?

Well, I always do well.

I got two planes...

Whole line of supplies.

Got some big guns

near the river.

Well, get ready

to do it again.

We'll be over them

in three minutes.

We'll see how good you are.

Oh, I'm good.

You must have heard about me.

First flight, son?

This is my first flight

in the war, Grandaddy.

I was at home on leave.

Well, don't get

shaky about it.

I'll bring you

through all right.

He talks that way.

I've been flying

with him for years.

I'm used to it.

I can blow those supply trucks.

What do you say?

Save your bombs.

This will make a

good strafing job.

We're going down.

Tanks. Tanks in

those trees ahead.

Pilot, are you all right?

Are you all right?!

Gunner, they got the pilot.

Come forward at once.

Sir.

Where did you get it?

Are you bad?

I don't know.

I can't feel it.

Remember -- years

ago in training?

They said when you couldn't

feel it, it was bad!

That's not true. That's all

talk. You hold on.

We'll go over the road and

let go what we got left,

and I'll have on the

ground in 10 minutes.

We're badly clipped in the back.

It's worse than I thought.

You crawl to the back.

I'll let you know

when to bail out.

No, never. Never been

frightened, I mean.

Maybe there's something

the matter with me.

All right. Crawl back now.

If you can't open the

hatch, I'll do it for you.

If the plane's too bad to land,

I'm gonna try something else.

And it doesn't need more

than one man to do it.

Now, don't argue and sound

brave and be a nuisance.

I can do it alone.

Get ready to jump!

Well, you'd never

have made it anyway.

I'll get ready for it.

This is going to be for

my father and for me

and for my village and for

people I've never seen.

Those are big words.

I guess I'll have to

stand by them now.

I'm coming down, and

it's going to hurt you!

And I'm coming down

just where I want to

because I was a good bombardier

and a good pilot, too!

The children were given their

supper at the hospital tonight.

Good. They needed it.

Why did they do that?

There's been

nothing but bad bread.

What? What, Anna?

The children are still

at the hospital --

in the hall, on the

benches where I saw them.

Supper was over long ago.

Shh. Shh.

What?

Sasha.

Shh.

He says we are to stay here.

He says we --

Mischa and Sonya

went in there and...

Forceps.

Gauze.

No. Don't do that.

No. Don't do that.

Rag.

Orderly!

Guard! Guard!

Guard!

Take this man out. Put

him under arrest.

Do not be so nervous,

Captain Richter.

You are well guarded

in this room

from the feeble attacks

of an old man.

Dismissed!

After you, Dr. Kurin.

I realize that this is difficult

for you to understand.

But our plasma supply

was insufficient,

so we have to take blood for our

wounded where we can get it

and where the donor is

easiest to control.

I was looking at your

hospital library today.

I had forgotten that Kurin

the pathologist was Russian.

Strange to find you in

this little village.

You came to the University of

Leipzig to read your paper.

Must have been...

30 years ago.

I was a student, of course,

and not allowed to hear you.

But I remember it.

Cigarette?

They said that men of medicine

see all that can

happen to people.

I'm an old man, and

I have seen much.

But how can a doctor

bring himself

to not only take

blood from children

but to bleed them white?

Comrade Kurin.

This boy needs help.

May I? Of course.

Dr. Von Harden,

do you mean that you're not

having this man arrested?

If you wish to be a

warrior, Captain Richter,

you must take chances

with your life.

Dr. Kurin is a famous

man of science.

He's not a man who kills and

therefore no danger to us.

Halt! Who goes there?

It's me -- Dr. Kurin.

Advance to be recognized!

The Kechins' boy.

You recognize him, comrade.

Take me to Rodion.

Yeah.

Twenty trucks. Now

start counting.

One, two, three, four, five,

six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Ten seconds. And

here they come.

Twenty trucks,

then 10 seconds.

Eight motorcycles

in 15 seconds.

And more trucks without ammo.

Yes. That's the track.

Karp hasn't seen these

hills for 10 years,

but he remembered

them as if --

we'll go straight through

without stopping,

and we'll be there.

We'll have done our work.

Yes.

Your face has changed.

And yours.

Tired and hungry.

You read about hunger,

but you don't understand how bad

it is until it happens to you.

If Karp and I can keep awake,

nothing else will matter.

I can do some of the driving.

Not this time.

We'll be climbing.

It'll be hard.

You'll sleep on my shoulder.

That'll make me feel

good, sure of myself.

Could I, Marina?

I've never...

Could I?

I'm going through the

woods to this side.

As their group of motorcycles

come around this turn,

I'm going to fire at them.

That'll stop the column.

You will be ready here.

As the firing starts, you will

take the wagons across the road.

The firing will

cover the noise,

and they'll not be

watching for you.

They'll be busy with me.

I hope.

If two people were

there to fire,

one one side and one another,

it'll be a better

chance for you.

I'm coming with you.

It's not for us to talk of

what's best for one of us.

You're needed to

take home the guns.

That's what you must do

and what you will do.

When you hear the

firing, go across.

When it's over, I'll meet you

on the hill by the cow path.

On the hill by the cow path.

He's right, Marina.

It's the only way.

Soon now.

When you hear the firing, go

across as fast as you can.

And remember to leave room

for me to cross next to you.

Grisha.

Where's Clavdia?

She's gone.

She went after Damian.

I saw her.

Grisha.

Why didn't you -- I

must go find her.

You must not go after her.

You must let her alone.

I saw her face.

Oh, Grandpa.

Anna.

Oh, somebody help me.

Make me do something right,

the way everybody else does.

Keep me from being

so frightened.

Keep me from crying, please.

Where are you hit?

Bad?

There are only two --

don't go, Marina. Wait

a few more minutes.

A dead kid and a fat girl.

All right. Signal

to them to go on.

The dangerous enemy

has been dealt with.

I'm going.

Stay here.

Blind.

Clavdia?

Come on. We just have time.

Is it bad?

No wounds on him.

Clavdia.

It's me -- Marina.

And Karp.

Clavdia.

Cla-- where is she?

Clavdia.

She's dead.

Clavdia.

Marina?

Yes?

Where are we?

Over the Yunageno Hills.

How much longer?

Not much more.

What time is it?

About 5:
00.

5:
00.

In the morning or --

or in the afternoon?

All right! All right!

You say Boris has not

come with the guns,

but they are your children, and

they're being bled to death!

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