Three Kings Page #17

INT. BUNKER - CRUDE CEMENT BATHROOM - DAY

Troy is thrown onto the floor of a cluttered cement bathroom

with two crude toilets. His clothes are thrown on top of him.

IRAQI SOLDIER:

Get dress.

TROY:

OK.

IRAQI SOLDIER:

Get dress.

TROY:

I said OK.

The door is slammed. Stolen blenders, radios, CDs, stacks of

new Levis litter the floor. Troy kicks all the crap angrily

and hundreds of cell phones tumble from a box.

Troy looks at the pile of cell phones, picks one up, tries it

for a dial tone, drops it, tries another, until he gets one

that gives him a tone and dials.

OPERATOR (O.S.)

Jalam nafad.

Troy looks stunned.

TROY:

(into the cell phone)

Um. Do you speak English?

OPERATOR (O.S.)

(British accent)

Yes.

TROY:

(into cell phone)

Can you -- I need --

He frantically pushes stuff on the floor to block the door.

OPERATOR (O.S.)

What number, please.

TROY:

Operation Desert Storm.

OPERATOR (O.S.)

I'm sorry?

TROY:

The big army in the desert, come

on, it's an emergency.

OPERATOR (O.S.)

I don't have that number.

TROY:

Maybe you could -- hello?

The phone is dead.

TROY:

F***.

He throws it to the ground, tries another, no dial tone,

throws it, tries another, no dial tone, throws it.

TROY:

Come on, come on, come on.

He tries another, chucks it, another, gets a dial tone,

dials, and waits. Troy dials a number.

He waits while the PHONE RINGS.

INT. TROY'S HOME - TORRANCE, CAL.- NIGHT

Darlene, Troy's wife, tired from the pregnancy, picks up the

RINGING TELEPHONE. She has a crying baby in her arm.

INTERCUT with bunker:

DARLENE:

(Southern accent)

Hello?

TROY:

Honey, it's me.

DARLENE:

Troy?

TROY:

It's me, honey.

DARLENE:

My God, the baby's crying.

TROY:

I can hear her.

DARLENE:

That's our little Krystal.

TROY:

How's she doing?

DARLENE:

She hasn't been sleeping good, and

Mamma had to go back to work, so

I'm real, real tired, baby.

TROY:

I wish I was there to help, gooney-

bird.

DARLENE:

Oh, gooney-bird, when are you

coming home?

TROY:

I'm working on that right now,

baby.

DARLENE:

I saw an ad for a computer job.

You want me to call and set up an

interview for my war hero?

TROY:

Listen, honey --

DARLENE:

What date are you coming home?

TROY:

They haven't given us an exact

date yet. Listen --

DARLENE:

I'm henpecking you.

TROY:

No, you're not.

DARLENE:

I'm lonely and tired and most of

all, I miss you.

TROY:

I miss you, too.

FIRE and CONCRETE EXPLODE into one wall of the bathroom.

DARLENE:

What was that?

TROY:

The wall just exploded.

DARLENE:

I thought the war was over, honey.

TROY:

It is and it isn't, babe. Can you

do me a favor and call the C.O. on

base?

DARLENE:

You want me to call the C.O.?

TROY:

Tell him I'm stuck in a bunker

near 223 north outside Karbala --

DARLENE:

What do you mean 'stuck'? I

thought the war was over.

TROY:

I'm gonna be fine, honey, I don't

want you to worry, I tried to do

something for the family, and I

want you to know --

DARLENE:

Know what?

Another MORTAR SMASHES through the wall, covers Troy in dust.

TROY:

That I love you.

DARLENE:

What's happening, Troy?

TROY:

Tell Krystal --

Soldiers push at the door, trying to open it.

DARLENE:

Troy?

TROY:

Tell Krystal I'm a rich man and if

things work out she'll be taken

care of no matter what --

DARLENE:

What are you talking about?

The door is kicked open and soldiers enter.

TROY:

Gotta go, gooney-bird, I love you--

The soldiers punch Troy in the face, drag him from the room.

DARLENE:

Troy?

She waits for a moment, tears in her eyes, and hangs up.

INT. TV ROOM OF OASIS BUNKER - DAY

A MORTAR ROCKS THE ROOM; soldiers frantically exit.

'CNN' is left playing in the empty room with Bill Smithson's

report from the previous day. "I Just Want to Celebrate"

PLAYS:

BILL SMITHSON:

Spirits are high and the music is

soaring as these young troops

celebrate --

EXT. OASIS BUNKER - DAY

Iraqi soldiers shoulder-launch a rocket at the tank,

EXPLODING it. Soldiers shoot into the flaming wreck.

PULL BACK TO Bill Smithson and PACO, the cameraman.

BILL SMITHSON:

I'm being held captive by Iraqi

troops in the gritty city of

Karbala, where Shiite --

PACO:

You said gritty city again.

BILL SMITHSON:

OK, we'll go again.

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