«ZUGZWANG OF OBER LIEUTENANT BRUNO THEVS» Page #6

Oberst Jung gets up from his seat, goes to a large map hanging on the wall.

OBERST JUNG:

(to officers)

I suggest we approach the map.

The officers leave the table, stand behind the Oberst in a semicircle.

Oberst Jung points a red ray at the map.

OBERST JUNG:

The village of Khalazai.

(pointing the red beam)

The method of delivery of special forces by air. After the landing, it is necessary to urgently and accurately establish in which rooms the Taliban are located and where the hostages are being held. This will dictate the choice of fire density.

Work jewelry! The first thing the Taliban will do when you break into the premises is to start shooting hostages.

This will happen even if the Taliban did not plan to do it ahead of time. The key to success is in the factor of surprise, coherence of actions.

(to Bruno)

Do you understand, Ober-lieutenant?!

BRUNO:

That's right, Mr. Oberst!

The officers leave the Oberst's office. Zimmer stays in the office and turns to Oberst Jung.

ZIMMER:

Why did you assign the task to an untrained Thevs, Mr. Oberst?

OBERST JUNG:

Thevs and Shamsutdin have their own scores. In a battle with his squad in 1986, Thevs's father died. Let him taste the sweetness of retribution.

37. EXT. HELIPAD — NIGHT.

TF-47 garrison helipad. Oberst Jung and Ober-lieutenant Thevs approach the helicopters. Bruno looks at his IWC-PILOT watch. The hands of the clock show 02.15.

Two crews of NHI NH90 helicopters and two groups of special forces — 20 fighters each - are waiting for departure for the operation with slight excitement.

Oberst Jung screams, trying to be heard by Bruno over the noise of running engines and rotating blades.

OBERST JUNG:

Good luck, Ober-lieutenant!

BRUNO:

(To Jung)

Thank you, Mr. Oberst!

Bruno jumps into the helicopter that has started to rise, stands at the edge, the flight technician pushes Bruno inside, slams the door.

38. EXT. KHALAZAI VILLAGE - EARLY MORNING.

TITLE:
KHALAZAI VILLAGE, KUNDUZ PROVINCE.

2 helicopters hover over the roofs of the village, fighters land on the roofs by cables. They open fire on the Taliban running out.

Bruno and his group kick out doors with their feet and gun butts, break into the premises of adobe buildings, open fire on the Taliban.

They receive a fierce rebuff from the Taliban. Hostages are rushing to the sides, huddling in corners, trying to hide from the crossfire.

Bruno breaks into one of the rooms, there are dead and wounded inside.

A wounded Talib lies on the floor, looks at Bruno with a pleading look so that Bruno does not shoot him, Bruno comes closer, looms over Talib and, without hesitation, shoots Talib in the head.

The shooting stops.

BRUNO:

(to special forces group)

Specify the losses!

Fighters are checking to see if there are any survivors among the killed Taliban. They turn over corpses with their feet, holding them at gunpoint.

Bruno, with his hands in leather mittens, takes a photo out of his breast pocket, approaches the corpses of the Taliban, turns them over with his foot, bends down, carefully investigates everyone's face, looks for leader Shamsutdin among the dead.

He understands that Shamsutdin is not among the killed Taliban. Annoyed.

BRUNO:

(hissing with annoyance)

Gone!

SPECIAL FORCES MAN

Herr Ober-lieutenant!

We have two dead, three wounded.

"Der Spiegel" reporter Otto Greenberg was wounded.

Bruno gets in touch with Robert Jung on the radio station.

BRUNO:

(disappointedly)

Mr. Oberst, it's over!

(pause)

I have two dead, three wounded, with varying degrees of severity. The reporter of "Der Spiegel" is also wounded... damn him!

OBERST JUNG:

(serene)

What about Shamsutdin?!

BRUNO:

He is not among the dead. But no one left the perimeter.

(with anger)

I don't understand where we missed him!

There is silence on the air.

OBERST JUNG:

(critically)

Bad!

(pause)

OK, after returning to base — debriefing! As for the evacuation of our dead and wounded, load them into a helicopter and into Mazar—I-Sharif. Load the Der Spiegel reporter onto an armored personnel carrier and take him to the MSF Doctors Without Borders (MSF) civilian hospital in Kunduz— there's nothing for him to do in our military hospital!

He already broke our operation.

Oberst Jung comes off the air, a special forces soldier approaches Bruno.

SPECIAL FORCES MAN

Reporter Greenberg's translator, an Afghan, was found. According to the documents, Sultan Mukhadi. In a shootout, he was shot in the head, died on the spot.

BRUNO:

(to the special forces)

I suppose Oberst Jung is not interested in this.

There are five ATF DINGO-2 armored personnel carriers at the site of the operation.

TF47 special forces medics give Otto Greenberg an analgesic injection, the thigh stitched with a bullet is tightened with a tourniquet, bandages.

A helicopter has arrived. Bruno orders two commandos to load the bodies of 2 dead and wounded commandos on board. The board lifts off the ground, Bruno switches to Otto Greenberg.

BRUNO:

(with dissatisfaction to the commandos)

Load the reporter into an armored personnel carrier! There is an order to escort him to the MSF hospital in Kunduz.

Bruno sits in the front next to the driver, Greenberg and two special forces men — in the back.

39. INT. ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER ATF DINGO-2 — DAY.

Armored personnel carrier is moving, Bruno stares ahead with a glassy gaze, he rides silently, everything is boiling inside him. They drive into Kunduz. Bruno turns sharply back, grabs Otto by the collar and attacks Otto with a loud curse.

BRUNO:

(to Otto)

What are you doing here?!

Why didn't you stay at home?!

You've disrupted our operation!

Two fighters were lost because of you, two more were wounded, Shamsutdin was missed!

OTTO:

(pale from blood loss, pain shock, analgesic)

You do your job, I do mine!

Bruno turns away silently.

40. EXT. MSF HOSPITAL — DAY.

TITLE:
KUNDUZ.MSF HOSPITAL.

The ATF-DINGO-2 armored personnel carrier with the wounded Otto Grinberg drives briskly into the courtyard of the Doctors Without Borders MSF hospital. The accompanying commandos help Otto get off, put him on a stretcher, and bring him into the emergency room.

Bruno comes in after them.

41. INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM — DAY.

The reception room has snow-white walls, the staff in ironed clothes, everything is in turmoil.

BRUNO:

(astonished - to the commandos)

Well! After the heat of Kunduz, this is a real paradise!

Here is an island of civilized Europe in the medieval East!

There's a commotion in the waiting room. Doctors come running, then run away again — nobody cares about the wounded Otto. Bruno is very nervous, looking with his eyes for someone to get rid of Otto sooner. Bruno sees that the paling Otto is getting worse.

BRUNO:

Where do you live in Germany?

OTTO:

(peaceably)

In Munich!

BRUNO:

(slightly delighted)

Great! And I'm from the south -from Freiburg!

And what are you doing in Afghanistan?!

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