Top Gun Page #11

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CHARLIE:

How about what?

MAVERICK:

How about anything, anything you

want to do.

CHARLIE:

Hard to argue with that, isn't

it...

MAVERICK:

A date... Coffee... A drink...A

walk in the park.

CHARLIE:

What about the plane?

MAVERICK:

What plane.

CHARLIE:

Most of them invite me to sit in

the cockpit...play with the levers

and things.

MAVERICK:

Well, get used to it.

CHARLIE:

Used to what?

MAVERICK:

I'm different.

CHARLIE:

I'm starting to sense that now.

MAVERICK:

You're slow to engage. But you'll

come around.

She pushes him out the door

MAVERICK:

Let's make it at eight.

CHARLIE:

Make what?

MAVERICK:

Anything.

CHARLIE:

Okay, anything. Just...go. I've

gotta work.

She closes the door, turns back to her screen.

59 thru 61 OMITTED

***

59A. BEACH LA JOLLA - DAY

A day off. Pilots, other personnel are enjoying a day at the

beach. There are bikinis, and beer, sunfishes and water

skiing. The annual Over-the-Line (a variation of softball)

tournament is in progress. The team from the Teddy Kennedy

Driving School is whipping another known as Scum de Terre.

The pilots are doing pretty well at blowing off steam.

59B. UNDERSEA

Undulating sea grass. Muffled HISS of the surf. A pretty

fish comes into view. A spear shoots through it, and nails it

to the ocean floor.

59C. SHORELINE

Two figures pop to the surface and wade in to the beach.

Maverick holds the wriggling fish. Charlie is repulsed. She

pulls off her mask and snorkle, follows him in to shore..

59D. THE BEACH

They flop down. He drops the fish in front of her, sees her

reaction at watching its death throes.

CHARLIE:

Why'd you do that?

MAVERICK:

(surprised)

I had the shot.

She looks at him for a moment, then turns away, fiddles with

her mask.

MAVERICK:

It dies. We live.

CHARLIE:

You're an animal.

MAVERICK:

That's true. What are you?

CHARLIE:

I don't enjoy watching things

suffer.

He smashes the fish on a rock. It is still.

CHARLIE:

No!

MAVERICK:

It's not suffering anymore.

CHARLIE:

(she looks at him strangely,

half jokes)

You're horrible

MAVERICK:

You're not, cause you eat frozen

meatballs? (he puts it down)

Things die. Every time you breathe,

you kill millions of tiny

organisms. Every time you eat,

something had to die.

CHARLIE:

You don't have to kill it.

MAVERICK:

Somebody does. It's more honest

this way. You do your own dirty

work.

CHARLIE:

You ever think about killing

another human being?

MAVERICK:

About as much as they think about

killing me.

CHARLIE:

Does it bother you?

MAVERICK:

They know the rules...(this is too

strong for her, she turns away, he

comes around to her.) That's the

deal. That's why you're up there.

It's him or me. That's the price of

admission. (she draws away) It

bothers you, why? You're part of

it. (She stiffens, he's losing her.

He softens) Everybody dies. Most

people don't get to die for

something.

You don't want to confront it, do

you. You want to keep it all clean,

cerebral... velocity vectors,

wing-load diagrams...You ever been

up?

CHARLIE:

Flying?

MAVERICK:

You use your mind to keep things at

a distance. You ever just let go?

She doesn't answer.

MAVERICK:

You know what really scares me?

Living too long. Losing my hair and

my teeth...and my guts and my wind.

And my brains...Sitting in a room

with my hands in my lap, watching

daytime TV.

CHARLIE:

You don't believe any of this. You

don't think you'll ever die.

MAVERICK:

That's it, of course. When I'm up

there and doing it, I'm cheating it

every second. I'm subverting all

laws...gravity...whatever. I'm

skating the edge of it.

CHARLIE:

Winston Churchill.

MAVERICK:

What?

CHARLIE:

What he said..."There's nothing so

exhilarating as being shot at

without result."

MAVERICK:

All you've got is one life. I guess

it's worth about the same to every

body. You ever see an old woman

after her husband has died? And the

meaningless years of decline

stretch ahead... When you're in

the air and doing something really

dangerous, you can look ahead...

maybe ten seconds. That's your

whole future. That's as far as it

goes. But imagine what those

seconds are worth.

CHARLIE:

What if you kill yourself? Think of

everything you'll miss.

MAVERICK:

There is lots of stuff I don't know

about... Fine wine... great art...

the opera. I guess if I live long

enough, I'll get to it. If I don't,

I'll never miss it.

CHARLIE:

Are you really that brave?

MAVERICK:

(shakes his head no.)

I watched my mother die. Cancer.

She had a long time to think about

it. They say you reach an agreement

with death. Come to accept the fact

that pretty soon you won't be here.

I didn't see that. She... was very

brave...braver than I am. You go up

there, there isn't time to think.

If you make a mistake, you're just

a smudge on the ground. Simplifies

funeral arrangements.

CHARLIE:

It's just as I thought.

MAVERICK:

What?

CHARLIE:

You're totally insane.

MAVERICK:

(he smiles)

Thanks very much.

(he lifts the fish)

Care for some suchi?.

59E. THE OTHER END OF THE BEACH - LATER

A killer volleyball game in progress. Maverick and Charlie

wander toward it, talking softly to themselves. Goose runs up

and grabs him away.

GOOSE:

Come on, we're next.

MAVERICK:

What?

GOOSE:

Come on, I got over six bucks on

the line.

Maverick looks up and sees the other two-man team, the

victors, waiting on the other side of the net for them. Of

course it had to be Ice and Slider.Charlie sits and watches

as the game gets immediately out of hand. In moments,

Maverick and Ice rotate to forward positions directly

opposite each other across the net. Other revelers turn to

watch as it degenerates (?) to more than a game. Maverick

glances at Charlie. He seems uncomfortable, but irrevocably

drawn into the confrontation. She says nothing, but her

attitude is apparent. Back to the game: Slider and Goose set

them up, as they try to spike the ball in each other's face.

The final point...up over the middle. They both go up,

Maverick smashes, Ice blocks, but the ball sails away, off

his forearm. For the first time ever, Maverick beats him. He

looks over at Charlie, she is staring out to sea. She looks

back at him and he's suddenly had enough competition. They

call for another game, but Maverick turns away...

GOOSE:

Come on, come on! It's double or

nothing.. We're talking twelve

bucks American, here.

MAVERICK:

I've had enough...for now.

He grabs Charlie and his gear..

MAVERICK:

Come on.

CHARLIE:

Where?

MAVERICK:

You want to go ballistic?

CHARLIE:

I don't know. I don't like being

out of control.

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