Three Kings Page #27

SOLDIER #5

Twenty dollars, man, what's the

meaning of life?

TROY:

You're lucky you got to see

anybody shot in this war.

SOLDIER #5

Bobby, take my picture.

He holds the camera out.

SOLDIER #4

If he shot the guy, it's up to him.

SOLDIER #5

It's not like he shot a f***ing

deer. It's the enemy.

VIG:

It's Troy's enemy, yours for

twenty.

BACK TO THE SCENE - CLOSE UP

Troy lies on the ground, trying to breathe, eyes wide.

TROY'S POV

Archie and Imam step into frame. Archie looks down at Troy,

opens his waist pack, pulls out a sterile wrapped scalpel.

TROY'S POV TURNS TO THE SIDE --

FISH EYE LENS - The Jaguar pulls up in SLIGHTLY SLOW MOTION.

Imam's Little Girl gets out of the passenger side, SLIGHTLY

SLOW MOTION, NO SOUND. Imam scolds her and gesticulates,

indicating she should be back with the others where it is

safe. The Little Girl embraces Imam and stares down at Troy

over her father's shoulder.

EXT. DESERT

Troy's eyes are wide, staring up at the Girl as he has great

difficulty breathing. Archie rolls Troy's shirt up, exposing

Troy's chest, with the bullet wound. Archie points to a spot

on Troy's upper chest, near the collar bone --

Doc squeezes a small tube of brown disinfectant gel onto this

spot -- the only sounds are the squirt of the ointment and

Troy's breathing.

Archie looks nervous, then focussed as he brings the shiny

metal scalpel down. Troy is in great pain as he watches

Archie plunge the scalpel into his upper chest. Archie twists

the scalpel to open the incision wide --

There is a pronounced HISSING as trapped air rushes out. Huge

relief comes over Troy's face as he breathes normally.

Regular sound FADES BACK IN, THE FIRST SOUND IS THE GIRL'S

THIN, INTERMITTENT HUMMING --

TROY'S POV FROM THE GROUND, LOOKING UP

ARCHIE GATES:

I've been waiting 18 years to get

that right.

He tears open a short I.V. tube and plunges the I.V. into the

scalpel hole. There is a small valve on the end of the tube,

which he tightens.

A GUNSHOT SOUNDS -- Archie turns and looks over --

EXT. DESERT

FIVE SHIITE RIFLE MEN chase down and shoot, at 30 yards, the

last Iraqi gunner in the desert.

Troy sits up slowly and watches for a moment.

EXT. FRONT OF THE BUNKER - LATER

Shiite women and children chant and pray around Vig's corpse

as it lies in the open trunk of the Jaguar. Archie, Troy and

Doc stand together watching. Troy and Doc do a muted version

of Vig's Karate arm dance as they look down at his corpse.

TROY:

He's got no family.

Archie sadly takes Vig's big pistol from Vig's clenched hand.

ARCHIE GATES:

We're his family now.

DOC:

He wanted to go to one of those

shrines.

IMAM:

Kajatar in Iran. We can take him.

Archie takes Vig's glasses off.

ARCHIE GATES:

Good. Take him.

EXT. DESERT - LATER

Archie fills a single rusted oil drum with gold bars and

tapes it shut. Troy sits in a folding chair nearby. He looks

pained and uncomfortable.

ARCHIE GATES:

Air pressure will build up about

every fifteen minutes. Release the

valve, close it up again.

Archie unscrews the valve on the tube in Troy's chest, and

air hisses out. Troy looks relieved. Archie closes the valve.

TROY:

How long can I keep doing this?

ARCHIE GATES:

Maybe four hours, if you're not

bleeding too bad inside.

TROY:

I'm really thirsty.

DOC:

There's no water anywhere.

IMAM:

(to Archie)

I got you hooked up if you want to

call your man.

EXT. DESERT - LATER

Archie operates a radio hooked up to a car battery.

ARCHIE GATES:

(into the radio)

Tar Baby, this is Brer Rabbit, do

you read me?

DOC:

We're gonna be court-martialed.

ARCHIE GATES:

No, we're not.

Troy watches, tense.

ARCHIE GATES:

(into the radio)

Tar Baby, this is Brer Rabbit, are

you reading this?

EXT. DESERT - DAY

Walter drives the motorcycle, nude, wearing his helmet with

radio attachment. Smithson and Paco ride along.

Archie is heard in a crackling radio transmission inside

Walter's helmet. Walter speaks into the small mouthpiece.

WALTER:

(into radio)

This is Tar Baby, come in.

ARCHIE GATES (O.S.)

Where are you?

WALTER:

(into radio)

About two clicks outside camp.

ARCHIE GATES (O.S.)

We're about ready for the briar

patch, over.

WALTER:

(into the radio)

Right.

He looks uncertain, worried.

ARCHIE GATES (O.S.)

You got me, Tar Baby?

WALTER:

I think so -- who handles the

briar patch?

ARCHIE GATES (O.S.)

You do.

WALTER:

Oh, OK, and the Tar Baby goes to

the briar patch if everything's

OK, right?

ARCHIE GATES (O.S.)

No, the other way around.

WALTER:

Sh*t, I'm sorry, sir, I don't

remember how the code goes --

INTERCUT WITH Archie, who looks exasperated. He is sweating

with a fever and his arm hurts.

ARCHIE GATES:

Six personnel trucks and a Humvee.

WALTER:

Wow. That's a tall order for a

secret operation, sir.

ARCHIE GATES:

Talk to my friend Hash. Each

driver will get 100K.

WALTER:

Did you say 100K?

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