«ZUGZWANG OF OBER LIEUTENANT BRUNO THEVS» Page #21

127. EXT. HEADQUARTERS "NORTH" ISAF — DAY.

Bruno calls MSF headquarters in Geneva.

BRUNO:

Good evening!

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

(in a pleasant female voice)

The office of the international medical organization "Doctors without Borders".

How can I help you?!

BRUNO:

(alarmed)

Hello! I can't get through to my fiancee — your employee working at the MSF hospital in Kunduz. Her name is Seeta Akhmadzai. I'd like to make sure she's okay.

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

I'm sorry, we have an emergency right now. The situation with the victims is still being clarified. Please stay on the line.

An MSF employee puts the call on hold, a melody started playing on Bruno's phone.

Bruno is nervous, he taps the wall with his palm in time to the melody.

The MSF office secretary returns to Bruno's call.

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

Thanks for waiting! A lot of calls, I'm sorry. Please repeat your fiancee's last name.

BRUNO:

(clearly)

Akhmadzai! Seeta Akhmadzai!

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

Please stay on the line.

The secretary of the MSF office puts the call on hold, a melody started playing on Bruno's phone.

The Secretary returns to the conversation in a faded voice.

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

I'm sorry, but I have bad news for you: Dr. Seeta Akhmadzai is listed as dead.

AN ECHO IN BRUNO'S EARS

"..Sita Akhmadzai is listed among the dead..."

MSF OFFICE SECRETARY (V.O.)

Please leave your contact phone number, we will certainly call you.

Bruno already skips these words, he is crushed, hangs up the phone. Bruno's phone rings — Otto calls.

OTTO:

(mournfully)

Bruno, do you already know?!

BRUNO:

(with longing)

How did this happen?!

OTTO:

I was in a dressing. When the air raid began, we were urgently evacuated to a hospital bunker. I couldn't contact anyone from there. At the time of the impact, Seeta was in the main building at the meeting. The bomb exploded right under their window. The explosion knocked out all the windows. The fragments of the bomb hit everyone who was there. No one survived!

(pause)

I express my condolences to you!

128. EXT. MAZAR-I-SHARIF AIRFIELD — DAY.

TITLE:
MAZAR-I-SHARIF AIRFIELD.

The plane lands. The Akhmadzai family descends the ramp — Seeta's parents, older brothers. Everyone is depressed, the mother is in mourning, broken.

129. EXT. CEMETERY — DAWN.

TITLE:
IMAM SAHIB, KUNDUZ PROVINCE.

A large house near the mausoleum "Baba Hatim Ziyarat", adjacent to the cemetery. Bruno and Otto drive up to the open gate of a large house. In the center of the courtyard, Seeta's body is wrapped in a shroud. There is a large crowd of women around. Cars continuously drive up to the house, dropping off armed men. They line up, enter the courtyard and approach the cohort of Akhmadzai men. They express their condolences.

Halfutdin has arrived, passes by Bruno and Otto standing at the gate. Halfutdin is followed by a swarthy stranger, an Afghan, who came with him in the same car. It was he who informed Bruno in Russian in Yakub Khan's teahouse that the Taliban knew about "the relationship with Shamsutdin Ahmadzai's niece, and that it was very dangerous." The Afghan stranger does not recognize Bruno, passes into the courtyard.

Bruno and Otto are standing at the gate of the house, not daring to go inside the courtyard, attracting the stern looks of men, curses of women who were moaning. The situation is heating up.

Seeta's father AYUB Ahmadzai, who is seeing off a group of elders, comes out of the courtyard outside the gate of the house. He is heartbroken, sees the Europeans, recognizes Seeta's fiance, Bruno, approaches them.

AYUB:

(delicately in German)

It would be better if you left now!

Bruno and Otto, nodding understandingly, leave.

130. INT. BRUNO'S ROOM — EVENING. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.

Bruno is lying on the bed in his room, remembering Seeta.

THERE IS A VISUAL SERIES — Bruno gives Seeta pre-wedding jewelry, Seeta dances at a concert at the MSF hospital.

131. EXT. ALIABAD. KUNDUZ PROVINCE — DAWN. A BLUISH VEIL OF FOG.

TITLE:
ALIABAD. KUNDUZ PROVINCE.

A wasteland, the outskirts of a village, a taxi pulls off the highway onto a country road. Bruno and Otto get out of the taxi.

Three armed Taliban approach Bruno and Otto. The Taliban tie Otto and Bruno's hands behind their backs, blindfold them, and take them behind the nearest adobe buildings.

A column of 5 units of German armored vehicles appears on the horizon: four ATF DINGO-2 armored cars with special forces, an armored MUNGO truck in the middle. The column decorously pulls off the highway, gets up.

Oberst Jung, two TF-47 officers dismount from the lead armored car, immediately surrounded by the guarding special forces. The fog is clearing. Oberst Jung is tense.

2 motorcycles with 3 Afghans with radio stations are approaching the place. The TF-47 officer points the Afghans to the truck where the Taliban prisoners are. TF-47 officer with a hand gesture orders the special forces to lower the awning on the MUNGO body. In the back of the MUNGO is Mullah Abdul Rahman, 5 Taliban leaders, TF-47 guards.

Motorcyclists are convinced of the presence of Taliban prisoners. Motorcyclists exchange phrases with Taliban prisoners, report to someone by radio that everything is in order, leave.

Halfutdin comes out into the wasteland from behind the adobe building where Bruno and Otto were taken. Halfutdin takes Abdul Rahman with him, 5 Taliban prisoners, all disappear behind the building.

Alfred Jung immediately appears from behind the building in traditional Afghan clothes — in brown perukhan, beige pakol. Alfred sees his father, beamed with a smile, walked towards him with a quick step. Behind Alfred, Bruno and Otto step sedately behind.

Oberst Jung and Alfred with TF47 officers retire to the armored personnel carriers.

Oberst Jung turns to Zimmer on the move, nods silently, thus releasing the order to act.

EC-665 Tiger HAP attack helicopters appeared in the sky, they begin to hit buildings behind which the Taliban barely disappeared. From the buildings, retaliatory shooting opens at helicopters and, at the same time, at Bruno and Otto.

Bruno and Otto ducked and started running, leaving the affected area. A long machine-gun burst from the Taliban hits Otto in the back, his legs gave way, he fell. Bruno ran up, Otto is still alive.

OTTO:

(with the last of his strength)

It was impossible to believe Jung!

Otto goes into agony, death throes, dies. Bruno leans towards Otto, throws his head up.

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