Top Gun Page #3

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The LSO runs up, shouting into the mike.

LSO:

COUGAR, GOOSE...COME IN COUGAR!

SHUT YOUR ENGINES DOWN, YOU'VE

ARRIVED.

AIR BOSS:

GHOST RIDER! ACKNOWLEDGE!

GHOST RIDER! ACKNOWLEDGE!

Crash crew leaps into action. The fire crew is there. The man in

the Silver Suit jumps up on the wing and crawls to the cockpit.

The figures inside are not moving. He hits the canopy release.

The canopy pops open. Silver suit grabs at the rear seat harness

release. He screams through his suit's aluminized cloth...

SILVER SUIT:

Goose, can you hear me? Goose!

Nothing for a moment. He's dead! Then the RIO'S helmet

moves...His head turns. He tears the mask away from his face,

looks up at Silver Suit. His head clears.

GOOSE:

Oh, Hello... Valet parking?

Silver suit is stunned for a moment. He straightens up, his head

inclines quizzically. Then it hits him.

SILVER SUIT:

Son of a b*tch!

GOOSE:

You will put it up front,

with the Porsches?

He grabs him under the armpits, drags him out of the plane.

GOOSE:

Hey...easy...Take it easy...

I'm a veteran!

Goose grabs a passing crewman by the arm.

GOOSE:

Can you check under the hood. I

thought I heard a funny noise.

Other crewmembers help Cougar out. He seems stunned, but Goose

reacts to his fear with frantic one-liners. He grabs a crew

member's radio, as Silver Suit helps him away and looks to the

figures of the Admiral and the Air Boss far up on the bridge...

He waves to them, does his best impression...Desi Arnaz.

GOOSE:

Lucy...Ricky...I'n Home!

28B. BRIDGE FLIGHT DECK

A moment of disbelief... Then hysterical, tension relieving

laughter.

28C. FLIGHT DECK

Goose spots Cougar being helped out. He pulls away, reaches back

into the cockpit and grabs Cougar's snapshot of wife and kid.

They lead Goose away as firemen blast the aircraft with foam.

GOOSE:

Is it extra for the hot wax?

28D. BRIDGE - FLIGHT DECK - AIR BOSS

AIR BOSS:

Clear the flight deck.

29. FLIGHT DECK

A TILLIE, a four wheel mobile crane, slams up to the plane and

slings its lifting harness. Goose turns to Silver Suit.

GOOSE:

Well...there goes your tip.

30. INT. MAVERICK'S PLANE

They have monitored the chatter.

WIZARD:

It's Goose. He's alright. Bring it

left...You're settling. IS THE

DECK CLEAR?

LSO (V.O. filtered)

(softly)

ROGER, BALL, LITTLE POWER...DON'T

CLIMB...OKAY, HOLD WHAT YOU GOT!

Wizard does a quick sign of the cross, reaches down, grabs his

balls...as...

30A. FLIGHT DECK

The TOMCAT slams onto the deck, clearing the wreckage by inches.

31. INT. CARRIER HATCHWAY - FLIGHT SURGEON, OTHERS

Watch as they bring a shaken Cougar past. Goose, eyes wild,

waves at Maverick and Wizard, rolling up. They flame out -

VVOOOMMMMM! They sit there, immobile, waiting for a tow, looking

numb. Goose does his "stewardess".

GOOSE:

On behalf of your Captain and your

crew, I want to thank you for

flying VF101. And next time your

plans include the middle of the

goddamn ocean in the dead of

frigging night, I hope you'll think

of Naval Aviation.

The surgeon looks into Goose's eyes.

SURGEON:

Stress reaction...

XO:

Check his head.

GOOSE:

(wobbling off)

Never mind my head, check my

shorts!

32. SICK BAY - LATER

Cougar lies alone in the dimness, staring at the overhead.

33. 03 LEVEL - BELOW DECKS - OFFICER'S COUNTRY

The usual CLANGS, WHISTLES, ENGINES of Navy life sound FORLORN

ECHOING through the dim, deserted passage. From the distance, a

single figure passes in and out of the glow of the overhead

lights. Cougar comes closer, hobbling unsteadily.

He reaches a door, pulls himself erect and knocks on the sign:

Commander Tom Otawoczek

CO VF 101

STINGER:

34. STINGER'S CABIN

The skipper works at his desk, responds without looking up.

STINGER:

Come in.

He looks up. Cougar stands in the doorway, a strange, dazed look

on his face.

STINGER:

Cougar, what is it? You should be

in sick bay. What are you doing?

He walks over to the skipper's desk. His eyes are glazed, but

his jaw is firm.

COUGAR:

Thinking of my wife and kid.

A determined movement. Hand to chest.

34A. OMITTED

Something metal hits it, skids across the polished surface and

clangs up against the coffee mug: gold wings.

35. PASSAGEWAY

Cougar comes out of Stinger's room, bumps into Goose, and

Maverick. He turns the other way.

GOOSE:

Cougar!

He stops, turns to them. There is nothing to say. Goose hands

him his snapshot. Cougar looks at his wife and kid for a moment,

then looks up at them. He turns away.

MAVERICK:

Cougar?STINGER (O.S.)

Maverick, Goose...Come in here.

36. STINGER'S OFFICE - DOORWAY

Maverick appears, followed by Goose. They stand at

attention.

MAVERICK:

Sir?

The Skipper says nothing. Maverick sees the wings on the

desk. He enters, walks over, stares down at them. He picks

them up.

GOOSE:

Don't worry. I'll talk to him.

STINGER:

Don't.

MAVERICK:

He's a good pilot.

STINGER:

I talked a man back once. Three

months later, we lost him. It's his

decision. Only he knows.

GOOSE:

He's the best you have. He's going

Top Gun!

STINGER:

Was.

MAVERICK:

What?

STINGER:

Was going. (Turns to Maverick.) Now

you are.

MAVERICK:

Me?

Maverick stares at the wings, lost in conflicting emotions.

STINGER:

Well, he's going (indicating Goose)

and he needs someone to fly the

plane.

GOOSE:

Skipper, you can't do this!

STINGER:

I didn't do it, he did it himself.

Something about a wife and kid. The

fact is, he's lost it. He knows it.

I know it. You were up there, you

know it, too.

GOOSE:

Give him a break, Skipper. It was

raining snakes up there. He'll be

alright, soon as all the gorillas go

home...

The Skipper stares at Goose, non-plussed for a moment.

STINGER:

I know some RIOS are a little

wiggy...but you abuse the

priviledge! I don't believe I'm

going to have to put the two of you

in the same cockpit...but there it

is! It may be good for the Navy. It

might be good for you, but most of

all, it's good for me. It'll get

you out of my sight.

GOOSE:

But, Skipper, Cougar's been picked

for Top Gun...He's the best of the

best!

STINGER:

Well, you'll just have to make do

with him (indicates Maverick).

Goose and Maverick exchange looks.

GOOSE:

Mav's a great flyer but....

STINGER:

He's a hell of a flyer. In fact,

he's so damn good he might have

been picked for Top Gun himself.

Except for one thing. (SCREAMS) He

just can't seem to follow orders!

Stinger moves slightly, to stand now, directly in front of

Maverick and speak eye to eye at four inches.

STINGER:

You just did an incredibly brave thing!

What you should have done was land your

plane. You don't own that plane, the

taxpayers do. I should ream you out for

it. But it just doesn't work with you.

You're a hell of a flyer. You are maybe

...too good. You never really stepped in

it yet. So this is your chance. I'm

gonna send you up against the best. They

are better than you. Maybe they'll knock

that shine off your eagle and you'll

see, finally, where discipline and

teamwork fit it.

Maverick hasn't really heard anything but TOPGUN. He snaps out

of it.

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