REVISED DRAFT
October 2, 1997
VERSION A (CHAINS)
SOLDIER
An Original Screenplay
by
David Webb Peoples
INT. HOSPITAL NURSERY - NIGHT
BABIES in bassinets, isolettes, incubators. BABIES sleeping,
BABIES blinking, BABIES cooing, BABIES chirping, BABIES
squalling.
It's the SQUALLING BABIES, the ones with pinched faces and tiny
bunched fists, that seem to interest the TWO ANONYMOUS MEN in
Military Uniforms. (Their anonymity is assured by the angles
from which they are seen; they are hands, they are feet, they are
the backs of heads.)
A lone NURSE watches them grimly as they make their "selections,"
marking the cribs of the most active, noisy BABIES with X's.
CUT TO:
EXT. VAN/HOSPITAL - NIGHT
ANGLE ON VAN DOORS slamming shut on a dozen squalling BABIES in
tiered red cribs.
ANGLE ON THE VAN pulling away from the loading dock of the large
hospital as a date is SUPERED over the scene...
1992
CUT TO:
INT. CAGE/BASEMENT ROOM - DAY OR NIGHT
Vicious teeth, savage snarls, tearing flesh as three fierce
fighting DOGS battle a single WOLVERINE in large steel cage.
The cage is in the middle of a gloomy windowless room surrounded
by twenty TWO-YEAR-OLDS seated on folding chairs and dressed in
identical gray overalls. As the TWO-YEAR-OLDS watch the battle,
amazement on their innocent faces, a date appears SUPERED over
the scene...
1994
WE DISCOVER in the shadows more ANONYMOUS MEN (and WOMEN), some
of them in Military Uniforms, observing the children.
CUT TO:
INT. A WINDOWLESS CEMENT ROOM - DAY OR NIGHT
It's creepy: the same children two years older, milling about a
bare cement room, apparently unsupervised. They ought to look
cute, but somehow these joyless FOUR-YEAR-OLDS look slightly
sinister, all of them wearing drab uniforms and military burr-cut
hair. Again a date is SUPERED over the scene --
1996
-- just as an AGGRESSIVE FOUR-YEAR-OLD approaches a PASSIVE FOUR
YEAR-OLD seated on the floor and kicks him.
It's a harmless child's kick. But then, as the DATE DISAPPEARS,
he kicks the PASSIVE FOUR-YEAR-OLD again. And again.
The servo-motor in a remote video camera mounted high on the wall
WHINES slightly as the camera pans to the record the action.
CUT TO:
INT. WINDOWLESS "CLASSROOM" - DAY OR NIGHT
Puzzles. Fingers fit shapes into holes. The puzzles aren't fun
puzzles; they're obviously tests of intelligence or dexterity or
both. SIX-YEAR-OLDS now, the boys perform in a grim room under
fluorescent lights as more ANONYMOUS MEN and WOMEN in polished
shoes and sharply creased military slacks cruise the aisles,
observing.
As a date appears SUPERED over this scene...
1998
WE NOTICE one of the SIX-YEAR-OLDS is becoming familiar to us.
TODD. We NOTICE his intense eyes as he dexterously manipulates
a puzzle.
CUT TO:
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Behind a cyclone fence topped with curlicues of razor wire, the
boys, now TEN-YEAR-OLDS, are marching in formation under the
supervision of a (faceless) DRILL SERGEANT. Again a date is
SUPERED over the scene...
2002
CUT TO:
INT. GYMNASIUM - DAY
Fourteen-year-old TODD is doing bench presses in shorts while all
around him his FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD COMRADES work out with weights
in a very grim and spartan gym that resembles a sinister
concentration camp more than the yuppie spas of the 20th Century.
The date appears SUPERED over the scene...
2006
CUT TO:
EXT. OBSTACLE COURSE/MONTAGE - DAY
The FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLDS, TODD among them, jump, roll, dive, crawl,
swim, and rappel through a brutal course featuring:
vertical wooden walls,
fast moving rapids,
tangles of barbed wire,
steep rock faces, and finally a jungle of dangling chains with tiny circular
"platforms" about eight inches in diameter every ten feet.
FOURTEEN YEAR OLDS bloody each other with pugil sticks and padded
cudgels while they swing twenty feet above the ground. One of
them is knocked off, plummets downward. CRUNCH! CUT TO: EXT. SNOW COVERED LANDSCAPE - DAY Long even strides, two inches of snow. Breathing hard, the
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLDS now lope through hills and woods in shorts and
T-shirts, their breath coming in steamy blasts as the date is
SUPERED over the scene... 2008 This a brutal cross country run under a grim sky in bitter cold
weather, but the SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLDS are super-fit, their faces
hard and without expression, their eyes as cold as snake eyes. Except for the STRAGGLER, a lone boy who's bringing up the rear,
obviously in trouble, gasping for air, struggling, struggling,
struggling to keep his feet... ANGLE ON A HILL where ANONYMOUS OBSERVERS, all in military dress,
watch. ANGLE ON THE STRAGGLER, unable to keep his feet, going down,
gasping. With fearful eyes, he looks toward the hill where he
knows the OBSERVERS are. ANGLE ON THE PACK, sixteen SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLDS not looking back,
even as a single SHOT rings out. TODD doesn't even blink, just
keeps running. CUT TO: EXT. SHOOTING RANGE - DAY Suddenly, out of nowhere, a scary mechanized pop-up target, a
MILITARY FIGURE, erupts from the long grass, weapon pointing.
Before the weapon can flash a laser bean, AUTOMATIC FIRE ravages
the target and it disappears back into the grass. The boys, EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLDS now, are wearing combat gear and carrying automatic weapons as they advance through a sloping field of tall
grass. Different sophisticated TARGETS pop up urgently, sometimes close,
sometimes far, some MOVING rapidly on tracks.
The EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLDS expertly mow down menacing MILITARY
FIGURES while holding their fire when ANIMAL TARGETS or UNARMED
CIVILIANS and CHILDREN appear. The eighteen-year-old on point is RILEY, a muscular redhead.
TODD is right behind him as a date is SUPERED over the scene... 2010 Suddenly multiple TARGETS appear, charging. BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA! First TARGET down! RILEY, panning for the next target, holds fire, passes over two
MOTHERS HOLDING CHILDREN, pans for a nearby SOLDIER TARGET. But
the SOLDIER TARGET zips behind the MOTHERS HOLDING CHILDREN,
taking cover, weapon pointed at RILEY. For half a second RILEY hesitates! BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA! TODD blazes away, mercilessly blowing away the MOTHERS HOLDING CHILDREN TARGET and the SOLDIER TARGET. THE MAIN TITLE APPEARS as the ROAR OF GUNS gives way to MUSIC... CUT TO: INT. PROCESSING ROOM - DAY Skillful hands operate a tattoo pen, stenciling an insignia and
a number on the left side of RILEY'S face over the cheekbone.
His cheek says RILEY, L.B., his face reveals nothing as... OPENING CREDITS BEGIN The next face is TODD. The skillful hands with the tattoo pen go
to work on his face, marking, stenciling the skin as... OPENING CREDITS CONTINUE Then the tattoo artist's bands finish with TODD and move on to
the next MAN, leaving TODD staring straight ahead, his cheek
tattooed, his face like carved stone, his eyes as unfathomable as
the eyes of a statue as THE OPENING CREDITS CONCLUDE. CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Machinegun fire, SOLDIERS in cammies moving through lush tropical
growth. A mortar explodes, a SOLDIER is engulfed in shrapnel. As the
smoke clears, the SOLDIER screams mindlessly like a siren. This
is real war, not training. A title and date appear on the screen, saying...
2011, THE BOLIVIAN WAR As the title fades, we glimpse TODD advancing at a crouch through
smoke and enemy fire, blazing away at the unseen enemy. Sweaty
and smudged, his uniform torn and stained with blood, TODD
reveals nothing on his stone face. But he's clearly
unintimidated by the death of his screaming comrade as we... CUT TO: EXT. PINE WOODS - DAY Automatic weapons CHATTER as TODD struggles through thick snowy
woods, half-carrying a bloody comrade barely recognizable as
RILEY. Bullets spatter bark and leaves as TODD and RILEY take
cover behind a fallen log. A date and title appear, SUPERED over
the action... 2012, THE MONTANA "INCIDENT" RILEY is nearly unconscious. TODD glances at his own wound, a
savage opening in his side. He considers the torn flesh as
dispassionately as a man checking a flea bite. Bullets whiz around the wounded man as we... CUT TO: EXT. DESERT, VILLAGE - DAY Sunbaked landscape, a burning village, ENEMY CORPSES sprawled
here and there, burned or horribly mutilated by artillery fire.
SUPERED over the corpses, a date and title... 2014-2016, THE SAUDI CAMPAIGN WE DISCOVER TODD, RILEY, and several OTHER SOLDIERS, exhausted,
parched, in torn and bloodied uniforms, sharing a single canteen
under the blazing sun. War is hard work! CUT TO: EXT. LAUNCH PAD - DAY A fury of flames, the THUNDER of ignition as huge rocket engines
lift a space vehicle off the launching pad and propel it skyward. EXT. OUTER SPACE Profound SILENCE! The space vehicle that the rocket propelled is
a weathered looking military spaceship gliding through the
blackness of outer space like a huge shark. A date and title
appear SUPERED over the scene... 2017, TANNHAUSER GATE
As the title fades away in the eerie silence, we...
CUT TO:
EXT. ANOTHER PLANET - NIGHT
A huge moon looms in the blackness above a barely visible
landscape...
2020, THE ARGENTINE SECTOR
SIX SOLDIERS stagger through the rough terrain in pressure suits
and plexi helmets, breathing from tanks.
Sudden automatic fire staggers the lead SOLDIER. His helmet is
pierced, air and blood erupt from the hole in his face plate.
The SERGEANT, his futuristic "chevrons" on his helmet, signals
the men to take cover, starts to return fire. As a flare
illuminates the battlefield, we RECOGNIZE the sergeant through
his visor. It's TODD.
CUT TO:
EXT. EXTRATERRESTRIAL CITY - DAY
Bombed out! Buildings turned to rubble, smoking ruins, rain. An
extra-terrestrial city ravaged by war to such a degree that it
bears an uncanny resemblance to Dresden/Earth in 1945 after the
fire-bombing! The architecture, even in ruins, recalls old
Europe, and the streets are narrow, as in before (or after)
automobiles.
Bursts of AUTOMATIC FIRE, occasional MORTAR BLASTS. A spooky
battle between unseen SOLDIERS is taking place in seemingly
deserted streets and alleyways. And SUPERED over the gloomy
scene...
THE THIRD DRESDEN MOON
(1.16 Earth atmos, acceptable oxygen)
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Shots!
Suddenly a terrified MOTHER dashes along the street, a screaming
BABY in her arms, looking for shelter.
A CIVILIAN MAN pops out of a doorway, pulls her to safety.
REVEAL TODD, watching from the shell of a once proud building.
TODD'S POV of four ENEMY SOLDIERS running at a crouch among the
rubble.
ANGLE ON TODD watching them scurry into a cellar door. TODD
turns and gives a hand signal.
ANGLE ON RILEY twenty yards away, hidden behind exposed
machinery, acknowledging the signal and, along with a THIRD
SOLDIER, advancing toward the cellar.
EXT. CELLAR DOOR
TODD, RILEY, and the THIRD SOLDIER converge stealthily,
coordinating with hand signals.
TODD pulls the pin on a grenade, and RILEY and the THIRD SOLDIER
kick in the door.
TODD tosses the grenade in as RILEY fires a withering barrage of
automatic fire through the cellar door.
BAHWHOOM! The grenade EXPLODES.
Then, RILEY, TODD and the THIRD SOLDIER charge in.
INT. CELLAR
HEAVY FIRE as TODD, RILEY and the THIRD SOLDIER spray the room.
ANGLE ON TODD signaling cease fire.
Sudden silence. Drifting smoke. Then...GROANS.
Four ENEMY SOLDIERS are sprawled motionless, horribly
eviscerated. A fifth ENEMY SOLDIER, horribly wounded, is
groaning.
ANGLE ON TODD surveying the scene, stone faced.
TODD'S POV of the enemy dead, and several CIVILIANS equally dead,
as well as the dead BODIES of several CHILDREN.
BANG! RILEY shoots the groaning ENEMY SOLDIER.
Silence again.
CLOSE ON TODD, his stone face. What does he see? What does he
feel? Anything? A mystery!
CUT TO:
INT. BARRACKS - DAY
A spartan room, bare bunk-beds. Rain POUNDS on a window that
looks out into a stormy sky over the godforsaken ruins of the
Third Dresden Moon.
TODD is sitting on a bunk, shirtless. His new rank has been
tattooed on his right cheek; there's a scar under one eye and
another scar that distorts his lip slightly. The names of
various battles have been neatly stenciled down his left arm, an
official record, not a decoration. TODD is silent, staring into
space. The room is full of SOLDIERS in T-shirts, fatigues,
sleepwear. WORDS APPEAR SUPERED OVER THE SCENE...
The WORDS FADE AWAY, the silence continues, the rain BEATS on the
barracks, no one says a word, they just stare into space or watch
the rain beat on the windowpane. They look like robots...used
robots, made individual only by their different scars.
CUT TO:
EXT. BARRACKS - DAY
Rain. Low buildings, boarded windows, slogans painted on the war-
scarred walls, the makeshift barracks in one building, command
quarters in the next.
A lone figure, a MAN IN A PONCHO, hurries through the downpour,
passing the barracks, heading for the command quarters.
INT. COMMAND QUARTERS
Entering, the MAN shakes rain off his poncho. His name is
RUBRICK, he's thirty-five, a lieutenant. He faces the two bored
OFFICERS lounging in the cluttered office where outdated
equipment is strung together by mazes of wire and the desktops
are heaped with printout sheets and styrofoam coffee cups.
The captain, CHURCH, has his feet on the desk. He's fifty years
old, gray and fat and soft. The other officer, SLOAN, also a
lieutenant, is a thirty-five year old woman, dark, moderately
attractive, but not particularly happy.
RUBRICK
Colonel Mekum has his "boys"
unpacked. I think he wants to show
them off.
CHURCH
Hmmmmph.
RUBRICK
They look...impressive.
CUT TO:
INT. "STATION" - DAY
A NEW SOLDIER fills the frame, a perfect-looking man/boy of about
twenty built like a linebacker, powerful looking with sculpted
unscarred musculature. He looks straight ahead, unblinking, and
so does the one next to him, and the next one. Twenty of them
are standing in line in one corner of an enormous space that was
once a station of some sort. They don't seem to respond to the
chill or to the occasional drops of rain from the skylights
leaking sixty feet above them.
Wearing dripping ponchos, CHURCH, SLOAN, and RUBRICK are looking
the robot-like monsters over like so much meat, while a bright-
eyed blond colonel about thirty, named MEKUM, stands proudly by,
glowing with satisfaction.
The vast interior is so large that in spite of clusters of
stacked crates, part of a dismantled spaceship, a rusty
earthmover, numerous large pieces of machinery, and a whole
arrangement of exercise gear, the place has huge open spaces and
a sense of emptiness to it.
SLOAN walks close to the line of NEW SOLDIERS and studies one,
her eyes drifting over their muscular bodies. She breaks the
long silence.
SLOAN
Well, they're...pretty.
CHURCH
(to Mekum)
What's so hot about them?
MEKUM
(proudly)
Very much improved. In every way.
RUBRICK
This is Colonel Mekum from Q. He's
their commanding officer.
CHURCH
(dubious)
Improved...how?
MEKUM
As I said, in every way. Physically
and psychologically. More
endurance, quicker responses, better
hand-eye, improved technical
training. Where the First
Psychology gave you ninety-eight
percent obedience, this bunch gives
you 99.4.
CHURCH
(dubiously)
Mmmmmm. Weeell, you know my old
daddy was in maintenance and he had
a saying...
RUBRICK and SLOAN exchange an eye-rolling private glance that
means they've heard a lot of Daddy's sayings.
CHURCH
...He used to say, "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it."
MEKUM
(patronizing)
I...see. I'm not sure I quite get
your...point...
CHURCH
(indicating the
Veterans)
Well, the soldiers we've got now,
they've been through all kinds of
heavy shit...and they've always got
the job done. Now these new ones,
these "hot shots" of yours...what
kind of action have they seen? They
are battle-tested, aren't they?
MEKUM
That's up to you field guys. H.Q.
wants you to break 'em in when you
do the annual security sweep in
January.
CHURCH
The sweep is just routine, not even
police action. I'd like to see some
sort of...meaningful evidence...
MEKUM
Such as?
CHURCH
Maybe we could run some tests. Kind
of a comparison, the old and the
new...
RUBRICK and SLOAN exchange a startled glance, but MEKUM doesn't
seem fazed as we...
CUT TO:
INT. "STATION" - DAY - LATER
A WEAPON FIRING! BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! The automatic weapon is
being fired by the veteran soldier RILEY. He's blazing away at
an elaborate electronic target a hundred yards away in the huge
space.
TODD is watching with the other VETERAN SOLDIERS. They're seated
on the floor, wearing drab fatigues, directly across from the
twenty NEW SOLDIERS.
As TODD glances at them, the NEW SOLDIERS look back unblinkingly.
(The VETERANS, in spite of their impassive expressions, look very
human compared to the NEW SOLDIERS. Their battle scars mark them
as individuals in sharp contrast to the perfectly-muscled young
giants across from them.)
The firing stops, and RILEY, his weapon empty, leaps to his feet
and salutes RUBRICK, who's been watching the demonstration with
the rest of the officers. RILEY Sir! RUBRICK Very nice, Riley. Fall away. RILEY (another salute) Sir! As RILEY joins the VETERANS squatting motionlessly, RUBRICK
glances at the shredded electronic target, glances at his
stopwatch, then looks at Mekum. RUBRICK Thirty seconds, 90 percent hits. MEKUM smirks, picks up the weapon, disassembles it rapidly.
MEKUM
Let's make it more difficult. RUBRICK, CHURCH and SLOAN exchange glances of disbelief as MEKUM
scatters the disassembled parts onto the concrete floor with a
loud clatter. TODD watches, unblinking, as MEKUM looks to the NEW SOLDIERS. MEKUM Caine Six-Oh-Seven! A blond Nordic giant is suddenly on his feet among the NEW
SOLDIERS. There is real dignity in his salute; he's like a pro. CAINE 607 Sir! MEKUM
Assemble the weapon, load, fire on
the target from various evasive positions in a thirty-second period. OFFICERS look at each other again in disbelief.
MEKUM
Starting...now! MEKUM punches his watch as CAINE 607 gracefully begins to pick up
pieces of weapon, doing it rapidly, yet without apparent haste. TODD is watching, revealing nothing.
CLACK! KA SHACK! CLICK! CAINE 607 slaps the weapon together,
loading a magazine with a final KA SHUCK, then he dives to the
floor, firing a rapid burst at the electronic target which blinks
wildly... OFFICERS watch, impressed. CAINE 607 is firing from another position. The target goes crazy. CAINE 607 is rolling and firing at the same time. The target goes wild. MEKUM's watch clicks off 27 seconds...28...29... The firing stops. TODD stares impassively as CAINE 607 salutes. Beside him, RILEY
watches also. MEKUM
(to Caine 607) As you were, soldier. RUBRICK is looking at the electronic target, grudgingly
impressed. RUBRICK Ninety-nine percent... MEKUM
(smug) While taking evasive action... RUBRICK
(amazed) That's...very good. CUT TO: INT. WEIGHT AREA/"STATION" - DAY - A LITTLE LATER A NEW SOLDIER cleans an awesome weight with what looks like ease
as RUBRICK, CHURCH, and SLOAN again exchange impressed glances
and MEKUM watches smugly. They're still in the giant warehouse in the gym section among all
sorts of ominous exercise devices. The NEW SOLDIERS and VETERANS
are gathered in separate groups at attention, their faces like
stone. TODD is watching the big man handle the weight easily.
MEKUM
See? Much stronger.
CHURCH What about endurance? CUT TO: EXT. RUINS - DAY TODD is loping through sheets of rain. The terrain around him
features ghostly shells of buildings, shards of a city nearly
invisible through the curtains of rain. His feet slash through flooding gutters and trash filled streets
bordered by ruins as he runs smoothly, evenly, keeping a good
pace, his breath rasping rhythmically, his eyes revealing
nothing as we... CUT TO: INT. OFFICER QUARTERS - DAY SLOAN accepts a cup of hot coffee from RUBRICK as she considers
the plastic "papers" MEKUM has spread on the cluttered desk.
Ponchos have been hung by the door. MEKUM is pointing to various
numbers and paragraphs. CHURCH has been staring out the window into the pouring rain. He
turns to MEKUM and interrupts. CHURCH
Our man has been out there fifteen
minutes now. Shouldn't you send one? MEKUM
(smug grin, to Church)
In a minute. (turning back to Sloan) Now, see this test? This shows what
they do under sleep deprivation
conditions. Forty-eight hours awake
and they can... CUT TO: EXT. TODD RUNNING/RUINS - DAY Rain slashes his face as TODD runs, his eyes staring vacantly
into the blinding storm, his legs pumping evenly, his feet
chopping through the thick mud in a wasteland of shelled
apartment buildings where rat-like CREATURES scurry out of his
way as we... CUT TO:
INT. "STATION" - DAY Separated by fifteen yards, the two groups of SOLDIERS, the NEW
and the VETERAN, sit on the cold cement floor, staring vacantly
into space as they await orders. Occasionally a VETERAN will rub
his chin, another will scratch his nose, but nobody says
anything, and when their eyes accidentally meet, they look away
deliberately, expressionless. Nobody flinches when a big door
opens and pale light streams in. MEKUM is standing there in a poncho. MEKUM Melton, Eight Five. Forward. MELTON, one of the husky new soldiers, climbs to his feet and
steps toward MEKUM, saluting. MELTON Eight Five, sir. MEKUM Ten miles, Melton, on the run. MELTON's face shows no expression as MEKUM continues.
MEKUM (O.S.)
You've got sixty minutes. Go.
MELTON
Sir!
MELTON heads out into the rain running smoothly and easily as
we... CUT TO: EXT. TODD/RUINS - DAY TODD's breath comes in even rasps as his feet splash over rough
terrain, splash splash splash, hard work but nothing in his
stone face indicates he's not equal to the task. Splash splash
splash! CUT TO: INT. OFFICER QUARTERS - DAY In the cluttered office, RUBRICK, CHURCH, and SLOAN look up from
a conversation as MEKUM enters dripping wet and takes off his
poncho, smiling smugly.
MEKUM
My man left exactly twenty minutes after yours. Make a note of that.
RUBRICK
What are we supposed to do with the
old soldiers? MEKUM (a shrug and a grin) Old soldiers never die. CUT TO: EXT. TODD/RUINS - DAY Running. Splash splash splash! TODD makes a turn, heading back,
his face like stone, as we... CUT TO: INT. OFFICERS QUARTERS - DAY MEKUM is filling his coffee cup as he speaks.
MEKUM
They'll serve as a labor force. You can use them for physical stuff... loading, unloading, repairs, power lines, that kind of thing. (a glance around the
office)
Even cleaning...sweeping...,uh,
tidying up. CUT TO: EXT. TODD/RUINS - DAY Breathing steadily, raspily, TODD lopes through the rain.
Something makes him glance back over his shoulder. Thirty yards back he sees a vague shape, obscured by rain. TODD looks ahead again, his face revealing nothing, his legs
maintaining the same even pace, running, running, running. Then he looks back again. The vague shape is taking form, a GHOSTLY RUNNER getting closer. TODD continues at the same even place. He doesn't look back
again until he feels closeness. Then he looks. IT'S MELTON only a few yards behind him, running effortlessly,
keeping a steady pace that's faster than TODD's. The bigger man moves even with TODD without even looking at him, as though TODD
weren't there, and then he moves ahead like a big machine,
inexorable.
As TODD runs, eyes straight ahead, he can see MELTON becoming
ghostly, disappearing in the curtains of rain ahead as we... CUT TO: INT. "STATION" - DAY The huge doors are open to the rain as SLOAN, CHURCH, RUBRICK,
and MEKUM watch for signs of TODD. Still dripping vet, the
muscular MELTON is standing beside MEKUM, breathing heavily but
not desperately.
MEKUM Of course, age is a factor, but the real factor is the training program, especially the psychological. The mind controls the body after all, and we're doing wonderful things
with the mind. A shape appears in the rain a hundred yards off, moves closer,
takes the form of a runner running. It's TODD, still moving at
the same pace, his face like stone. TODD lopes into the big warehouse and, breathing hard but evenly,
comes to a halt in front of RUBRICK and salutes. TODD
Sir. RUBRICK
At ease, soldier. CHURCH has been thinking and now he speaks to MEKUM. CHURCH What's the price of all that speed? Is he tired?
MEKUM
Tired? CHURCH Todd here ran the pace he's been taught to run. He's still strong.
Send him up the chain, Rube. RUBRICK (to Todd)
Soldier! Up the chain!
TODD
Sir.
TODD salutes and lopes toward ten chains that dangle from the
rafters sixty feet above, grabs one, and starts up it, hand over
hand.
MEKUM watches TODD climb, then looks at CHURCH who is looking at
him expectantly. MEKUM grins at CHURCH. Then MEKUM looks back at TODD, not hurrying. TODD is thirty feet up and climbing, passing the eight inch
circular "platforms" or footholds in the chain every ten feet.
MEKUM
(sharply)
Melton, on the double! Up a chain! MELTON
(saluting)
Sir! MELTON takes a few easy strides, gracefully catches a chain mid-
stride, and smarts up, climbing easily and twice as fast as TODD. CHURCH, SLOAN, and RUBRICK crane their necks as the two men
struggle upward toward the rafters. Three quarters of the way up, MELTON comes even with TODD, then
passes him.
MEKUM, watching, smirks. CHURCH is watching too, and he's still not satisfied. His brow
is knit, something's bothering him. ANGLE HIGH ABOVE, AMONG THE GIRDERS Stonefaced, MELTON is resting an a "platform" on the chain, sixty
feet up, beneath the girders, swaying gently. His stony gaze is on the next chain where TODD is arriving at a
"platform" on an adjacent chain...only three feet away. Their eyes meet, TODD and MELTON alone together sixty feet up,
three feet apart. Neither man blinks, neither man flinches,
neither man reveals anything at all... LOW ANGLE, LOOKING UP CHURCH considers the men high above, then to MEKUM. CHURCH What about...spirit?
MEKUM
(as in "what's that?") Spirit? (...a grin)
Oh! You mean "AQ"..."aggressive
qualities"?
CHURCH
Whatever the latest jargon is. MEKUM
Much better, much higher. For
example, where your old ones
expressed ninety percent of their
sexual energy in aggressive
physicality, these new ones are
ninety-nine percent without
sexual inclination. It's all
aggression. SLOAN (dryly)
Real men! CHURCH (sharply, to Sloan)
At ease, Lieutenant. (turning to Mekum, serious)
What if they fought? A sudden silence. SLOAN raises her eyebrows, gives RUBRICK a look. Frowning thoughtfully, MEKUM looks up.
MEKUM
You mean up there? CHURCH (to Rubrick) Go ahead, Rube. Tell Todd to take
him.
MEKUM
No! They all look at MEKUM. Is this the chink in the armor? The new
soldiers can't fight? CHURCH "No"?
MEKUM
Not fair. No contest. Send two
more of your old ones up. Now CHURCH, RUBRICK, and SLOAN are stunned. They exchange a
glance. MEKUM
Go ahead.
RUBRICK shrugs, turns to the VETERANS still sitting stoically in
a group on the cement floor. RUBRICK
Romero, A. -- Goines, D.L. -- up the chains. Two of the veterans, ROMERO and GOINES, leap immediately to their
feet and climb rapidly. SLOAN, CHURCH, and RUBRICK exchange a look as MEKUM smirks
confidently. ANGLE ON TODD AND MELTON ABOVE. They're still facing each other
across the sixty foot drop. MELTON glances down...without losing sight of TODD. ROMERO and GOINES are coming up the chains fast, hand over hand.
They're within ten feet, their impassive faces look dangerous. Nothing shows on MELTON's machine-face, but he starts a slight
motion in his chain so that he spins slowly. That way, as the
veterans surround him, he keeps a continual eye an all three. TODD, his face impassive, eyes MELTON vigilantly. ANGLE ON RUBRICK BELOW For a long moment, RUBRICK looks up at the three men dangling
around the new soldier, then he shouts loudly at them.
RUBRICK
Get him, men! ANGLE ON TODD as SMASH! TODD is hit hard in the face even as he
starts to swing. WHAM! MELTON hits him again and TODD loses his
grip on the chain, starts to fall, grabs at the chain, clutches,
slides... ANGLE ON MELTON, CRUNCH!, hit as he swings at MELTON. WHAM!
MELTON hits him again, hard. GOINES swings against MELTON from behind, smashing at him with
his free hand and with both feet. MELTON ignores the blows from behind as he grabs ROMERO by the
face with one hand, yanks the face close to his own, and squeezes
mercilessly. ANGLE ON TODD, TWENTY FEET BELOW. He's managed to get a foothold
on one of the mini-platforms. His face horribly bloody, he looks
up at the action twenty feet above him and sees MELTON suddenly
hurl ROMERO downward. ROMERO rockets down past TODD...
ANGLE ON THE FLOOR as SMASH! ROMERO's body crunches against the
cement not far from RUBRICK, SLOAN, and CHURCH, splattering them
with blood. Their eyes are wide with disbelief and horror as they look up
again... ANGLE ON MELTON in the girders as he turns to face the man who's
been clubbing him from behind...GOINES!
GOINES swings his chain wide and MELTON, eyes merciless, deadly,
swings after him. ANGLE ON TODD, bloody, struggling up the chain hand over hand.
His eyes follow MELTON above as the new soldier swings and
swings, trying to get a blow at GOINES. Just then, GOINES lunges at MELTON, SMACK, SMASH, he hits him
hard, and WHAM! MELTON hits him back... ANGLE ON TODD who has climbed to a "platform" foothold on his
chain five feet above the swinging fighters. TODD looks down
on MELTON's back as the big man swings close, watching, tensing,
then... TODD dives off his chain and lands on MELTON's back, crooking one
arm around the new soldier's neck and pounding him with one free
hand and strangling him with the other arm. MELTON gurgles while GOINES hits him in the face. ANGLE ON MEKUM WATCHING BELOW. For the first time a frown of
concern wrinkles his brow. ANGLE ON MELTON AND TODD on chains just below the girders. MELTON slams an elbow back into TODD's ribs hard and TODD gasps
for air, but... GOINES uses the moment to slam a knee into MELTON's balls and... MELTON gasps, then grabs GOINES by the neck with one hand, rips
him from the chain, and sends him plunging violently downward
even as... TODD goes for face with his free hand. SLAM! MELTON smashes TODD in the ribs with an elbow. TODD savagely gouges out one of MELTON's eyes. ANGLE ON MEKUM, sixty feet below, enraged at the sight of
MELTON's injury. ANGLE ON THE VETERANS watching the brutal fight with blank
impassive faces, RILEY among them. ANGLE ON THE NEW SOLDIERS watching, robot-like.
ANGLE ON THE STRUGGLE OVERHEAD. SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! MELTON's
elbows drive back into TODD's ribs. The breath knocked out of
him, TODD gasps for air, pain contorting his face. MELTON manages to get TODD's forearm into his mouth and bites
furiously, drawing blood. TODD grits his teeth in pain. WHAM! Another blow to the ribs from MELTON's elbow. TODD is losing his grip. RILEY watches below, his face a mask. MELTON bites and elbows furiously. TODD loses his grip and grabs at MELTON, rakes flesh as he begins
to fall and then... Plunging downward, TODD grabs wildly at the chain and catches it
...but he keeps falling, the chain ripping flesh from his hand
for twenty feet until... He can't hold on any longer! TODD plunges the last thirty feet
to the floor, landing with a terrible crunch right on top of
ROMERO's broken body below. Sudden silence! ANGLE ON THE VETERANS watching impassively as TODD lies
motionless, sprawled on ROMERO's body. ANGLE ON THE NEW SOLDIERS revealing no feelings. ANGLE ON CHURCH, SLOAN, and RUBRICK looking stunned and shaken. It's MEKUM who breaks the silence, SCREAMING furiously at the one-
eyed MELTON who's still sixty feet up...
MEKUM
GET DOWN HERE! GET DOWN HERE ON THE
DOUBLE, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, YOU
MISERABLE PISS ANT STINKING SHIT FOR
BRAINS!
CHURCH, SLOAN, and RUBRICK lift their stunned faces from TODD to
MEKUM who's continuing to rant at MELTON as MELTON comes down the
chain fast...
MELTON
COME ON, DOUBLE IT UP, DOWN, DOWN,
DOWN, YOU MISERABLE THIRD RATE
SHITHEAD INCOMPETENT CLOWN! MELTON lets go of the chain and drops the last fifteen feet,
landing gracefully on his feet in front of MEKUM and salutes.
MELTON Sir! MEKUM
LOOK AT YOU, YOU BIG DUMB SHIT,
YOU'VE LOST AN EYE. WHAT THE HELL GOOD IS A GODDAMN ONE-EYED SOLDIER? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT COST TO BREED YOU, YOU BIG MORON? TO TRAIN YOU,
FEED YOU? As MEKUM turns, including all the NEW SOLDIERS in his continuing
tirade, CHURCH, SLOAN, and RUBRICK confer in low voices. RUBRICK
They're...fantastic! CHURCH (reluctant agreement)
Mmmmmmm... SLOAN (worried)
We could have a problem here,
couldn't we? I mean, we just lost
three men... CHURCH
Oh, I wouldn't worry about that.
"Training accident." Paperwork. SLOAN What about the bodies? CHURCH (turning away)
Incinerator.
Turning his back on SLOAN and RUBRICK, CHURCH approaches MEKUM
who's still raging, indicating MELTON to the blank-faced NEW
SOLDIERS. MEKUM WHAT GOOD IS THIS MAN NOW? WITH ONE
GOOD EYE! HE'S GOT NO DEPTH PERCEPTION!
HE'S CANNON FODDER. ALL HE CAN DO
IS WALK POINT AND TAKE THE FIRST
HIT.
CHURCH (interrupting)
They're very...impressive. MEKUM
(fuming)
Yeah, well, the big moron shouldn't
have lost an eye.
CHURCH glances at TODD's corpse dumped over ROMERO's broken body,
tries to assuage him. CHURCH
It was our best man who got his
eye... Todd, a real tough one.
Survived police action in Montana,
fought in the Argentine Sector, and
in the Saudi Campaign to say nothing
of --
MEKUM
Old news! They're nothing at all!
Wait until you get these new fellas
into some real action. I guarantee
you'll be awed. I guarantee it. The NEW SOLDIERS sit impassively, the bleeding MELTON among them,
staring right at the VETERANS. Not far away three dead bodies lie motionless as we... CUT TO: INT. FURNACES/FURNACE ROOM - NIGHT A rage of flame! The mouth of a huge furnace leers with yellow
fury, eight feet high. Two men, BURNERS, in asbestos fire suits and helmets, appear,
laboriously dragging a tattered sofa leaking stuffing. With
effort they shove it into the blazing furnace where it is quickly
consumed. Slowly the BURNERS turn and trudge back for another
load as we REVEAL A REFUSE BIN, seven feet high, looming in the
shadows not far from the flickering light of the furnace. It's
overflowing with junk, barely distinguishable in the gloom. The BURNERS grab blindly and haul out the next object. It's ROMERO's dead body. They haul it out of the bin and let it
flop limply to the floor where ROMERO stares sightlessly at
nothing. The BURNERS stare at the body, exchange a blank look through
their visors, shrug and start to drag the heavy carcass toward
the flames. INT. REFUSE BIN/FURNACE ROOM/CLOSE BY In the near darkness, the faintest flickering light reveals two
tangled BODIES, motionless in the confusion of refuse. But not
quite motionless! A hand opens and closes! A bloody hand!
Fingers twitch. INT. FURNACE ROOM
ROARING FLAMES as ROMERO's body is tossed unceremoniously into the
fire where the flames begin to consume it.
For half a second the BURNERS watch ROMERO melt into fire, then
they turn their backs and head back for another load. INT. REFUSE BIN/FURNACE ROOM BURNERS' hands reach in and haul out another corpse, GOINES,
dragging the body right over TODD's body. As GOINES' shoe drags over TODD's face, TODD's eyes flicker
stupidly. Then GOINES' corpse is pulled over the edge of the bin. TODD blinks, fighting for consciousness. Where is he? He moves
his head... INT. FURNACE ROOM The BURNERS, silhouetted by flames, feed GOINES' body to the
furnace. CLOSE ON THE FLAMES as GOINES' body is consumed by raging
flames. ANGLE ON THE BURNERS trudging to the bin. They reach in blindly
for whatever's next. Tugging with effort, they struggle the
clumsy object over the rim, and let it fall to the floor. It's a
mattress! Communicating with a look, the FIRST BURNER drags the mattress
toward the fire while the SECOND BURNER reaches again into the bin. The SECOND BURNER frowns through the visor, struggles with
something, frowns, wrestles with it. Finally, with great effort, he pulls out a big carton that
immediately spills old magazines on him. Disgusted, he pulls the partially full carton across the refuse-
littered floor toward the furnaces. ANGLE ON HIS FEET, as the SECOND BURNER struggles toward the
fire, stepping over a trail of blood which is hardly noticeable
in the flickering firelight. He passes another big corrugated bin with a sign an it. The sign
says NONFLAMMABLE WASTE DISPOSAL...and the trail of blood leads
to that bin! CUT TO: EXT. OUTER SPACE - "DAY" Silence! A vast darkness with only a few tiny lights in the
infinite depths.
A battered rusty spaceship glides slowly and silently into view.
This is a GARBAGE SHIP and it looks it. Awkward and slow and
totally unglamorous, it moves through space like a great clumsy
church made of steel as we... CUT TO: INT. HOLD/GARBAGE SHIP - "DAY" As the massive doors on the underside of the ship open, light
spills in and there is a huge ROAR as tons of debris, including
massive pieces of machinery, huge statues, old vehicles, and
numerous containers, spill out through the open bays and tumble
downward. The one that says "Nonflammable Waste" on the side
careens against the bulkhead with a THUNDEROUS sound, then
hurtles downward. EXT. JUNK MOUNTAINS/LANDSCAPE As debris from the ship tumbles down onto one of several huge
mountains of junk that loom 800 hundred feet above a windswept
terrain dimly lit by four pale suns, the bays close, and the
rusty GARBAGE SHIP glides away. Still the cascade of machines and other bulky junk THUNDERS down
the steep slopes, shattering, breaking into parts, tumbling and
tumbling, settling here and there, while a SCREAMING WIND, very
powerful, picks off the lighter pieces and carries them off like
snow blowing off a mountain. The familiar-looking container somersaults halfway down the slope
where it bursts open, spilling a confusion of junk. Above the container, a huge drum smashes into a hunk of machinery
and splits, oozing an awful looking liquid that spills down onto
the contents of the container, sizzling and smoking on steel,
eating it like acid. Not far from a smoking piece of steel, WE FIND TODD'S foot
protruding from the junk heap! It's motionless! Acid drips and
hisses. ANGLE ON TODD, sprawled "inside" the mountain of junk, grimacing
in pain as acid hits his exposed foot. Trapped in the debris,
battered and bloody and weak, he struggles to rise, fights the
heavy objects pinning him, fights to avoid the dripping acid. As
the wind SCREAMS furiously, he continues to struggle against the
junk that pins him as we... CUT TO: EXT. "INSIDE" AND OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAIN - DAY - A LITTLE LATER TODD's head, caked with blood, appears from the junk like a man
looking out of a cave. Wind seizes at his hair furiously.
He looks up, sees four pale suns in the sky...just as a huge
steel lathe comes somersaulting down from above like a loose
boulder, and TODD has to duck hastily to avoid certain death. As the heavy steel tumbles down the slope below him, wind plucks
a twelve-foot I-beam from the slope next to him and whips it off
in a frenzy. Holding on for dear life, TODD looks down at the ground four
hundred feet below and sees a bleak wasteland strewn with junk
shifting and skittering in the wind. He notices something and reacts. Far down on the floor there is a strange pattern of lines...and
moving along one of the lines are four tiny FIGURES...they could
be humans...but maybe not! For a moment TODD watches them. Then he starts to climb downward through the labyrinth of junk
"inside" the mountain, and we... CUT TO: EXT. LOWER ON "JUNK MOUNTAIN" - DAY - MINUTES LATER Far down the slope, perhaps forty feet from the foot of the
massive mountain, TODD's head pokes out of the confusion of junk
and he looks down at the FIGURES below. Seen more closely, the FIGURES are more distinct, but no less
mysterious. Heavy outer garments like huge parkas and hoods blur
their individual shapes as they inch across the landscape,
apparently clutching one of several crisscrossing wires that
stretch tautly for miles across the bleak terrain like "roads"
through the wind. TODD watches as one of the FIGURES moves off the "road." He's
trailing rope that attaches him to the others as he struggles
through the wind, walking almost on all fours like an ape. TODD watches the FIGURE moving among bits of junk until he
locates something he wants, picks it up, and starts to struggle
back toward the others, dragging his burden after him. TODD is watching what would seem to be some sort of scavenging
process by these strange unearthly FIGURES as we... CUT TO: EXT. FADING SUNS - DUSK - LATER The four suns are changing color, dimming in the sky, as we... CUT TO:
EXT. LANDSCAPE AND "JUNK MOUNTAIN" - DUSK Tiny in the distance, the four FIGURES are moving together along
a cable, headed away from the junk mountain. At ground level now, TODD is watching them, crouched behind a
massive transformer that teeters slightly in the wind in spite of
its great bulk. Peeking around the sheltering transformer, he spots one of the
taut cables lashed to an enormous piece of junk near the foot of
"his" mountain. The cable is twenty yards away in a "canyon" of
junk and he'll have to move across open space partially exposed
to the wind in order to get to it. He starts out from behind the transformer... WHOOOOOO! Screaming wind lifts him and hurls him thirty feet,
his arms flailing. He comes down even further from the cable,
struggling to keep on his feet. Gritting his teeth, he fights
the wind, struggles toward the cable. Suddenly a chunk of steel whips at him and he ducks just in time
as it whistles close to his head. TODD drops to the ground and starts to crawl "under the wind,"
toward the taut cable, and we... CUT TO: EXT. "STEEL HENGE" - DUSK - LATER Seen by TODD, the four tiny FIGURES are far ahead, disappearing
in the distance and the dusk. Following them on a taut wire, TODD is passing through a barren
landscape punctuated by strange ruins, great shapes of steel
thrusting out of the ground and looming over and around him,
vaguely recognizable as the wreckage of a space vehicle that must
have crashed long ago. The mountains of junk squat a mile behind him. He's come a long
way, it's almost dark, he's weak. He hangs onto the wire, walking with effort. He can no longer see the creatures ahead of him on the wire. He notices something thirty yards off the wire to the right. Steel crosses. Maybe a hundred of them. A cemetery. Just then, the wind catches TODD, yanks him, but he hangs onto
the wire, holding on desperately, as the wind pulls at him and
makes him flap like a pennant in the breeze.
Then the wind dies enough for him to get both hands on the wire
and get weakly to his feet. For a moment he looks like he might
collapse, but he doesn't, and we... CUT TO: EXT. LANDSCAPE - NIGHT At night the four suns glow darkly like night lights. TODD is alone on the planet, punished by the savage wind,
struggling along the wire, shivering. Every stop is an effort, but the eyes stare into the dark and
they reveal no emotion, not even when he suddenly tenses, seeing
something ahead. In the distance a faint light glows. TODD considers it as we... CUT TO: EXT. WINDOW/SKYLIGHT - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER The window is detached plexi from some kind of vehicle, embedded
in a low mound of "earth" like a skylight. Whatever is making
the light comes from below in a sort of hut that slopes only
inches above the ground. TODD is hanging onto the cable only ten yards from the strange
window. He can see more of them glowing all around him, as well
as silhouetted pipes issuing smoke to the wind. TODD drops to his belly to keep under the wind. He crawls ten
yards to the window and pears through it. TODD'S POV of a fantastic confusion of color and movement seen
through the thick scratched plexiglass window. The wild blurs of
activity make no sense to him whatsoever, nor do the very FAINT
SQUEALS of sound barely audible over the deafening ROAR of the
wind. (What he's seeing in the room below is a violent pillow fight
between eight BOYS and GIRLS ranging from four to ten years old.
Wearing cotton shifts dyed red, blue, or yellow they're smacking
each other violently with rag pillows and laughing happily in a
dormitory-style full of stacked bunks.) ANGLE ON TODD, prone on the "roof," mystified. He's never seen
anything like it. His grease-covered face barely reveals his
puzzlement when he is suddenly distracted by a change in the
wind. The ROARING WIND that has dominated the environment since he first
arrived has diminished to a strong breeze.
TODD tries sitting up. The breeze doesn't overpower him. He
looks around. The meaningless SHRIEKS of the pillow fight, though still muffled
by heavy plexiglass, are LOUDER now, but TODD's attention is on
the other window/skylight that glows from this strange "roof" and
on the strange sound that's coming to him, borne on the breeze...
a MUSICAL sound. Struggling weakly to his feet, TODD staggers toward the next
window. The MUSIC is LOUDER as he approaches -- it's waltz music
played on an accordion. TODD drops to his knees and peers through the next window. TODD'S POV through the second "window," another mysterious
vision! The color and movement are more subdued, but TODD is
just as puzzled. What he's seeing indistinctly through the thick plexiglass is an
OVERHEAD VIEW of a man and a woman gliding across the floor,
moving as one, first this way, then that, in time to a WALTZ. In
the corner, another person is making a strange movement that
seems to initiate the music... ANGLE ON TODD, flat on the roof. Now that the weak breeze has
given way to a deathly stillness, the mysterious (to him) MUSIC
is clearly audible as TODD peers through the plexiglass at the
warm scene below, as puzzled by the waltzing couple as by the
pillow fights. Then he gets to his feet again and in the stillness makes his way
past a smoking chimney toward the next window. Halfway there he
freezes...listening! A strange haunting WHISTLING sound is coming from somewhere... TODD looks around at the blackness beyond the roof windows.
There's nothing visible... The mysterious sound is louder now, drowning out the music
ominously, drowning out everything, everything, everything. Suddenly TODD understands, but he's too late... ROOOOOOOOOOAAR! It's the WIND, back with renewed fury, more
powerful than ever! TODD is hurtled into the air, tossed head over heels by the wind,
struggling, clutching at empty air in vain, buffeted, slammed to
the ground, lifted again before he can flatten himself, tossed
violently, somersaulted helplessly...
EXT. INSIDE A TRENCH WHAM! TODD is slammed face first to the ground. For a long
moment he's motionless, untouched by the HOWLING WIND for reasons
that aren't clear.
Finally he rolls over weakly and looks up. In the weak light he can just make out the steep earthen walls of
a narrow trench looming eight feet straight up, protecting him
from the wind howling overhead. TODD tries to get up...but the fall has injured his leg and he
slumps to the floor of the three-foot-wide trench, too weak and
injured even to crawl. Lying there, barely conscious, gasping for breath, he suddenly
sees something. Shoes! Less than a foot from his bloody face. He manages to lift his head a little and look up. Silhouetted by the light spilling from an open door in the trench
wall are four children...ELLEN, ten, WILL, six, TOMMY, five, and
JOHNNY, eight. Barely conscious, TODD can just make out the astonishment on
their blurred shadowy faces as they look down at him in
amazement. Then they go OUT OF FOCUS altogether as TODD slumps
unconscious and everything goes BLACK BLACK BLACK, and we... CUT TO:
INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT VOICES, CONFUSION. About fifty people are jammed into the low-
ceilinged meeting room, all of them talking at once. They are
PIONEERS, men and women of all ages and many races, a hardy,
weathered-looking group dressed in plain clothes of muted color. Their faces seem to have been etched by the wind with deep lines,
the skin burnished, and even the younger ones have crow's feet
around the eyes from squinting. As they chatter excitedly, asking each other what happened, who
found him, where, and so on, a sharp-faced fifty-ish woman,
HAWKINS, is standing behind a table in the front of the room,
calling for order. HAWKINS Please! Quiet, please! Just as the hubbub finally dies down, a grizzled pioneer named
SLADE bellows loudly at her. SLADE Just tell me one thing! How many of them are there and are they armed? HAWKINS stares SLADE down, refusing to speak until she has real
silence. When she finally speaks, her voice is calm and
controlled.
HAWKINS
There in a man...one man. He was
found in the trench by several
children... A sudden murmur dies away quickly under HAWKINS' hard stare.
HAWKINS
This man was not armed. A murmur goes through the crowded room, then a woman named ELISE
speaks over the hum of voices... ELISE How could there only be one? How could he get here? HAWKINS glances toward MACE, a muscular, bearded man, about
thirty. MACE
He was unconscious. We couldn't ask
him anything. He -- A commotion in the back room causes MACE to break off as JIMMY
PIG, a clean-shaven burly-looking pioneer in his thirties, pushes
his way in, followed by four more PIONEERS. All five of then are
wearing their huge hooded parkas, strange Eskimo-type wind
goggles, and carrying weapons. JIMMY PIG Nothin' out there. We couldn't see nobody, couldn't see no ship, no
vehicles, nothin'...plus the wind's
up again real strong. An excited hubbub. HAWKINS is trying to restore order when SLADE
shouts over the commotion. SLADE They're hiding, I bet. HAWKINS ignores him as she speaks with firm authority. HAWKINS Let's everybody calm down right now!
(beat; silence; then)
We have an injured man among us.
One man. A traveler. Unarmed.
(another pause; then) We all want to do the decent thing.
The decent thing is to help him.
Mace's wife, Sandra, is looking
after him now. Now, I'd like a vote
of support on this course of action
from all of you.
The way she says it, you know she's used to getting her way, and,
in fact, PIONEERS are exchanging glances and nodding when SLADE
shouts again. SLADE You keep an eye on him, Mace! You watch him! CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT TODD is on his back in a bed in a tiny earth-walled bedroom. He
stares stupidly at the woman bending over him. She is SANDRA, a
woman of twenty-five who is attractive, but not in a glamorous
way. It's a very natural beauty worn with intelligence and
dignity. She's wiping away blood and grease from TODD's face. TODD's eyes flick around the room even as he lies motionless. He sees a window high on one wall. He sees old-fashioned magazine pictures and bits of patterned
material hung here and there for decoration. Clothing hangs from pegs on the walls. He doesn't see the look in SANDRA's eyes as she discovers the
savage scar on his forehead or the sergeant's tattoo on his
cheek. Eyeing these telltale marks, SANDRA pours liquid into a
spoon and holds it to his lips. SANDRA Want to try some more of this? TODD swallows weakly. SANDRA smiles, stands up, moves toward the door. SANDRA
You rest now. I'll give you more
later. TODD watches her exit. He hears her VOICE in the next room...a low murmur. He's looking around again when a NOISE makes him look back toward
the door. A two-year-old is crawling into the room on hands and knees. The
baby boy, NATHAN, stops just inside, seeing TODD in the bed. NATHAN looks into TODD's eyes with childlike interest and wonder.
TODD meets the look with those blank soldier's eyes.
INT. "LIVING ROOM" A second tiny room next to the bedroom is the rest of the
Mace/Sandra/Nathan living quarters. MACE and SANDRA are deep in
conversation. MACE What do you mean he's survived worse? Did he say something? SANDRA No, but he's covered with old
wounds, all sorts of scars. Knife scars, bullet scars, burns. MACE (worried) A soldier! SANDRA
There are words on his shoulder. Tannhauser Gate, the Argentine
Sector, Montana, Bolivia, Shanghai
2012... MACE The Tannhauser Gate was a battle... MACE and SANDRA look into each other's eyes, very worried. Then... SANDRA We'll have to sleep on the floor. MACE (suddenly alarmed) Where's Nathan? MACE is looking around. He spots the open door to the bedroom,
hurries to it, and disappears. SANDRA starts after him, looking worried...but before she gets to
the door, MACE reappears with NATHAN safely in his arms. MACE
If there's any danger to Nathan -- SANDRA (interrupting grimly) I won't permit danger to Nathan. MACE and SANDRA lock eyes in firm understanding as we... CUT TO:
INT. WAR SHIP - "DAY" EXPLOSION! SCREAMS! SMOKE! A SIREN! We're in some kind of war
ship in outer space during a battle. The interior is a lot like the interior of a submarine, cramped
even in the best conditions and right now the conditions are awful as SOLDIERS in bulky space suits stumble through thick
smoke while a SIREN WHOOPS urgently and wounded SOLDIERS scream
in agony. WHOOOOM! Another EXPLOSION! SCREAMING METAL! Part of the bulkhead is shot away and the suction is like wind,
ripping SOLDIERS out of the hole into space.. We FOCUS ON a soldier in a space suit who's wedged himself behind
a cannon. As we look closely at his visor, we recognize TODD
who's firing back at the enemy while all around him SOLDIERS are
screaming and dying as we... CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - MORNING SUDDEN SILENCE! TODD blinks awake. He looks around. It's the same bedroom, but morning light is streaming in the high
window. He can hear SOUNDS...LAUGHTER...coming from beyond the door. INT. OTHER ROOM NATHAN is wobbling forward with wide eyes as MACE holds one of
his hands and SANDRA holds the other. They're teaching the child
to walk, encouraging each step. But when they let go, NATHAN
totters forward only one step before landing flat on his ass.
MACE and SANDRA laugh, making the whole thing a game, and NATHAN,
after a moment of confusion, joins in the laughter. It's a warm
moment until SANDRA, sensing a presence, turns toward the
bedroom, suddenly serious. MACE follows her look. TODD is standing in the doorway, supporting himself on the door
frame...his soldier's eyes full of unspoken menace... one leg
heavily bandaged. SANDRA (nervous)
You must be...you must be feeling
better. TODD says nothing. His eyes flick to NATHAN. MACE is watching TODD sharply.
MACE We're teaching the boy to walk. SANDRA (nervously filling silence) He's late learning. He was sick for a long time. TODD says nothing. His eyes follow MACE who's gone to the corner
where he's seizing a heavy metal rod that might be a weapon. TODD tenses. Ready. Dangerous. As MACE turns toward him, MACE doesn't notice the danger in
TODD'S eyes. MACE I got something for you. He innocently approaches with the metal rod. Super alert, TODD watches MACE hold the rod out to him. MACE
Here.
TODD looks mistrustful. MACE Like this. MACE demonstrates, using the rod like a cane.
MACE
See? Expressionless, watches MACE use the cane. MACE Practice with it. In a day or two maybe you'll be strong enough to go out to the garden with Sandra. MACE never even realizes how much danger he was in. CUT TO: INT. OTHER ROOM - DAY - A LITTLE LATER TODD's heavy boots come close to NATHAN, the cane clumps down,
just missing him. NATHAN looks up with open-mouthed innocence and childlike wonder
at TODD who looms past him, walking very cautiously with the help
of a cane.
TODD looks down at NATHAN. Their eyes meet for a moment. TODD
is wearing one of the heavy parkas the pioneers wear. SANDRA answers a KNOCK at the door, opens it, revealing ELLEN,
the ten-year-old, in the doorway. Behind her are JOHNNY and
WILL, as well as several other CHILDREN of various ages. ELLEN I came for Nathan. But ELLEN's eyes are on TODD and so are the others crowding
behind her to peep over her shoulder. They all want to get a
look at TODD, but when he looks in their direction, they retreat
shyly. SANDRA is wearing a parka too. She picks up NATHAN from where
he's sitting near TODD's feet and carries him to the door, giving
him a kiss, then handing him to ELLEN. NATHAN starts to cry and holds his arms out to his mother as
ELLEN hugs him and comforts him. TODD watches the drama as ELLEN and SANDRA comfort the child and
soothe his fears at being separated from his mother. Nothing shows in TODD's eyes...but affection seems to fascinate
him. As ELLEN and her cohorts hurry off with NATHAN, they sneak over-
the-shoulder glances at the strange monster, TODD. Just then MACE, dressed in a heavy parka also, comes out of the
bedroom and heads for the door. MACE Let's go. Come on, Sergeant. MACE is heading out the door as we... CUT TO: EXT. INSIDE THE TRENCH - NIGHT - MINUTES LATER Single-file, a dozen PIONEERS move along a trench as the wind
SCREAMS overhead. We DISCOVER the cane and boots of TODD among them. The MAN in
front of TODD glances back at him occasionally, curious, while
MACE and SANDRA walk behind him. As they pass huts, there are windows high in one sloping wall of
the trench. TODD doesn't notice the distorted faces of the
CHILDREN peering out at him, their noses pressed against the
plexiglass, full of curiosity as we... CUT TO:
EXT. A JUNCTION OF TRENCHES - DAY Three trenches meet. Some of the PIONEERS move off to the left,
some to the right. MACE is going left, but SANDRA guides TODD
toward the right with her. SANDRA This way... MACE gives her a wave. He waves at TODD too. TODD looks
confused at the wave, then he salutes. MACE is startled by that. He sort of grins as we... CUT TO: EXT. GARDEN - DAY - LATER A nasty little snake, a ten-inch VIPER, slithers through the dirt
among the neat rows of seedlings growing there until... SQUASH! One neat blow from the sharp edge of a trowel
decapitates the VIPER. SANDRA flips the still wriggling thing aside and wipes her trowel
clean in the dirt as TODD watches with those blank snake eyes of
his. They're on all fours in a garden. The garden is simply a much
wider trench covered by a trellis so the light can be regulated.
There are already neat rows of vegetables are growing. Behind
them, kneeling PIONEERS are planting new seedlings and weeding
around more mature plants. SANDRA turns back to place a seedling in the dirt with only an
offhand glance at the dead VIPER. SANDRA You have to watch out for them.
They probably wouldn't kill someone
your size, not if you were healthy
anyway. But they'd make you pretty
sick. Someone smaller...like me, or
a child... Her meaning clear, SANDRA continues to demonstrate to TODD how to
plant the seedling in the earth. SANDRA In a month this one will be as big
as those. TODD follows her look to the other side of the trench where the
plants are already eighteen inches high. Other PIONEERS, working on their hands and knees also, are
sneaking glances as TODD, among them, a middle-aged woman named
JUDITH and an older woman, EMMA.
SANDRA frowns one of their looks away protectively as she selects
another seedling from a tray and hands it to TODD. SANDRA
Here. You try one. TODD looks at it. He doesn't exactly look scared, but he handles
it gingerly, seemingly intimidated by the delicate seedling. He
starts to plant it carefully as we... CUT TO: INT. DINING COMMONS - EVENING Jabbering VOICES, the click of utensils. Heaping plates of food
are being passed the length of long tables set up in communal
style. JOHNNY is kicking ELLEN under the table, WILL flips a
piece of food at TOMMY when his mother, ILONA, isn't looking, and
the outspoken SLADE is lecturing a pioneer named CHESTER. SLADE You can't talk to a soldier no more than you can talk to a...a...bomb! Or a bullet! They're trained, they're killing machines. They got
an objective and they go after that objective and nothing stops them but
killing them. CHESTER (a glance over his
shoulder)
Just one? To kill us all? The conversation gets the attention of JOHNNY and WILL who stop
food-fighting to listen to the adults talk. SLADE First off, if there's one, there's
more. That's how it is, soldiers
travel in bunches. Second, they don't waste soldiers on folks
like us, that's for police! Training
soldiers to kill weaklings like us
is not what they call "cost
effective." CHESTER
Then who do they fight?
SLADE
Other soldiers! There's a saying,
"Soldiers deserve soldiers." ANGLE ON ILONA noticing WILL and TOMMY listening.
ILONA
Slade, hush up.
ANGLE ON TOMMY and WILL glancing toward the next table. ANGLE ON THE NEXT TABLE where TODD, wedged between SANDRA and
MACE, is eating like a machine, looking neither right nor left as
people jabber all around him. ANGLE ON JUDITH whispering to EMMA at a nearby table as she
watches TODD eat. JUDITH You see how much he's eating? ANGLE ON SLADE who turns now and boldly addresses TODD across the
gap between the tables... SLADE I don't see how you can not remember how you got here, Sergeant. There's a sudden hush in the noisy room, broken only by a few
urgent whispers and a cough. TODD looks up from his food and meets SLADE'S look. SANDRA scowls at SLADE as SLADE persists... SLADE You're not a deserter, are you...
Sergeant? The silence is even more charged than before. SANDRA looks alarmed. Someone coughs. The tension is
unbearable. TODD No, sir. A sigh of relief from everybody! But SLADE presses on. SLADE Then how come you're not with your unit? JIMMY PIG Oh, come on, Slade, let the man eat. SLADE It's not an unreasonable question.
(to Todd) How about it, Sergeant? ON TODD, actually struggling with the question...
remembering. Suddenly he blurts... TODD I was...replaced.
MACE
Replaced? TODD hesitates for half a second before answering. TODD By a better soldier, sir. There are looks exchanged among the PIONEERS as we... CUT TO: EXT. GARDEN - DAY A little seedling is fitted into the earth gently. TODD's strong
hands pat the earth around it. TODD reaches for another seedling. He's one of a group of ten
PIONEERS, all on their hands and knees, all working intently,
silently. They seem to have accepted him. Nobody stares. TODD is carefully patting the next seedling in the ground when
something causes him to look up. Five ENEMY SOLDIERS in torn and dirty uniforms are looming over
him, weapons pointed at him. All around them is a desert of sand
stretching forever under a baking sun. One of the soldiers kicks TODD. ANGLE ON EMMA, JUDITH, and several other PIONEER WOMEN exchanging
nervous glances as they look back to where TODD's kneeling. There are no soldiers...but somehow, he's trampled several rows
of seedlings. TODD looks toward them, confused, disoriented by his "memory." The women look away quickly, frightened, and we... CUT TO: INT. OTHER ROOM - NIGHT SANDRA is changing NATHAN's diaper as she chatters, her back to
TODD.
SANDRA
...And it got worse and worse. My father hadn't had any work in three
months and...also...there were other
things...violence... political
feelings. My father said he'd heard
it was better in the Trinity moons.
A lot of other people must have had
the same idea because the ship was
jammed with people...mostly
families. That's probably why it
broke down... overloaded. Across the room, TODD, wearing a T-shirt and baggy pants is
sitting on a stool, his face impassive as ever. As SANDRA talks, her back to him, TODD's eyes are on the contours
of her body against the shift she's wearing. It's very...erotic. SANDRA Even after they made the repairs, it
barely got off the ground, it was an
old converted mining transport, a
piece of junk to start with. It
just...dropped. Maybe you saw
what's left of it...out there in the
wind. A lot of people died. And we
couldn't make any radio contact...
So we were stuck here. Nobody was
happy about it. A few years later,
when the dumpers started coming over
and dropping stuff, people tried to
get their attention with explosions
and fires. But it didn't work.
They must be unmanned...or they just
don't care. Maybe they think we're
garbage too! TODD'S face is as impassive as ever while his eyes caress the
shape of her body...and she, unaware, continues to reminisce. SANDRA
So there really wasn't any choice.
People had to pull together and make
the best of it. We became a...
community. As SANDRA maneuvers NATHAN, TODD catches glimpses of her breasts
pushing against the material of the shift. She continues, still
not noticing where his attention is. SANDRA One good thing...nobody bothers us. Who'd want to fight over a godforsaken place like this? A wry laugh. She turns to put NATHAN down on the floor and
catches TODD's eyes just as he shifts them quickly from her
breasts. For a moment it's awkward...she looks at him...then she recovers.
SANDRA I guess that's what you like! The fighting, I mean. The wars. (unsure, a question
really) You must...you're a soldier... TODD doesn't answer as we... CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR (AND MEETING ROOM) - DAY The CHILDREN are peeking around a doorway, watching something in
the meeting room. HAWKINS, coming along the dirt-walled corridor, spots the
CHILDREN ahead. HAWKINS
You children are supposed to be doing lessons. The CHILDREN barely acknowledge her as she comes even with them.
She looks at what they're looking at. What they're seeing through the doorway is TODD, shirtless, doing
an eerie sequence of tai chi exercises. His muscular body
ripples, revealing an incredible map of scar tissue that speaks
eloquently of the life he's led...gash marks, long zippers of
stitches, the puckered patches of burns. HAWKINS watches for a long moment, her eyes worried. In the midst of a slow graceful movement, TODD suddenly whirls
and delivers a lightning blow to an unseen enemy with amazing
speed and fury, the terrible force contained in the movement all
too obvious. Even as HAWKINS and the CHILDREN gasp silently, TODD returns to
the graceful, almost balletic movement, even spookier now, that
preceded the deadly thrust. The CHILDREN's eyes are like saucers, their jaws agape. HAWKINS shudders...and breaks the hypnotic spell, speaking aloud
to the children. HAWKINS
Lessons.
CUT TO: EXT. INSIDE TRENCH - NIGHT It's dark, the wind's HOWLING just above the trench walls as TODD
peers into a faintly lighted window in the wall of the trench.
TODD'S POV THROUGH THE BEDROOM WINDOW reveals a tender moment
between MACE and SANDRA as they enter the bedroom and kiss. A
flickering candle on a low table, the only light, exaggerates
their shadows. ANGLE ON TODD, his face revealing no feelings as he turns away. Light spills from other windows, some more brightly lit, as TODD
begins to jog along the trench, gradually picking up speed, until
he's running hard through intermittent pools of light in the maze
of dark trenches. CUT TO: EXT. BARREN WASTE - DAY Stillness! No wind! Everything is quiet. Bits of junk are
strewn across the landscape under the four suns. MACE'S VOICE (O.S.) She's down now, but she'll come up
again. Always does. EXT. INSIDE A TRENCH As MACE continues talking to TODD, he loads the pockets of his
heavy parka with miscellaneous hunks of metal. MACE (continuing) That's why we're weighing down. And
that's why we're always on the wire
even when the wind's down, like now.
You don't get much warning. Here,
load up, you'll want the weight, I
promise. MACE hands heavy hunks of metal to TODD who's wearing a parka
like MACE'S. He pockets the metal obediently. Behind them a small crowd of PIONEERS are doing the same: JIMMY
PIG, SLADE, CHESTER, RED, a woman named SALLY and several OTHERS.
In addition to the parkas, they wear eskimo-style eye-protectors
and carry canteens, tools, and coils of rope attached to various
parts of their outfits. ANGLE ON MACE noticing TODD eyeing the rifle JIMMY PIG is
carrying. MACE Oh, we're not going to shoot
anything. That's not what we mean by "hunting." (then, laughing, to
Jimmy Pig) Jimmy Pig, you're not going to shoot
anything, are you?
JIMMY PIG (laughing)
What could I hit? MACE (to Todd) It's how we call for help. Two shots. There'll be someone on duty, listening in case we get off the
wire and get lost or something. We
have flares too. Come on. Other are already climbing the ladder out of the trench to the
surface above as MACE urges TODD to follow. CUT TO: EXT. "STEEL HENGE" - DAY It's very still, no wind. The little group of PIONEERS is moving
along a wire that passes close to the towering ruins of the
wrecked spaceship. They are tiny figures in the vast landscape. CLOSER ON TODD AND MACE as they plod along in the line of
PIONEERS. MACE indicates the wreck off to the right. MACE Sandra said she told you how we wound up here. Our parents and so
on. (turning left,
indicating)
Over here, we call these "catcher trenches."
TODD follows his look to a long open trench leading, apparently,
nowhere. MACE (continuing)
Smaller stuff that blows across the
ground, it falls in these trenches,
it works sort of like a filter. We
go through the trenches sometimes
and get some good stuff. As they pass close along the trench, TODD looks in and observes
the trench is knee deep in muddy water with rusty machine parts
and assorted junk protruding. MACE chuckles at the sight. MACE We try to work 'em when they're dry. It's lousy going in there when
they're flooded. You can see... A sudden SHOUT, "HEYYUP! YO!" distracts them. TODD looks forward, sees RED pointing to a chunk of steel a
hundred yards off the wire. ANGLE ON JIMMY PIG, already fastening his safety rope and a
second rope to the wire, then heading off toward the piece of
steel, trailing the two ropes. ANGLE ON MACE, explaining the procedure to TODD. MACE Whatever looks useful, if we can get a rope to it, we'll go for it. But you can't ever go further than your safety line because it'll come up on you with sometimes maybe ten seconds
or even less. TODD is watching JIMMY PIG as he approaches the piece of steel
and starts to attach his rope to it. MACE Like right now. You hear that? TODD listens. Nothing at first...then a very faint WHISTLING. The sound he
heard that first night when he was on the settlement "roof." MACE
It's close when you hear that. TODD can see JIMMY PIG. He's attached the rope to the steel and
he gives a signal. As PIONEERS start to haul on the line, pulling the steel toward
them, MACE shouts at JIMMY PIG. MACE SHE'S GONNA BLOW, JIMMY. JIMMY waves, starts back toward them. MACE indicates for TODD to help haul the steel and the two of
them are just joining in the effort when... WHOOOOOOOOOO! THE WIND IS SUDDEN AND FEROCIOUS! IT STAGGERS
THEM!
MACE
GRAB ON, SERGEANT! TODD follows MACE'S example and, like the others, grabs the wire
and hangs on as the wind SCREAMS and tears at them. One of the pioneers, CHESTER, shouts, points.
They all see JIMMY PIG being blown faster than he can run, his
legs churning desperately to keep up with his wind-propelled
body. To no avail! He's suddenly airborne, his legs still
churning like cartoon legs as he flaps helplessly at the end of
his safety tether like a kite, fifty feet in the air. An eighty-pound steel barrel blows past, tumbling in the wind.
Bits of junk zip dangerously around like missiles. ANGLE ON THE PIONEERS, crouched low on their knees against the
wind, clutching the wire with one hand while they pull on JIMMY
PIG'S safety line. But the wind is too strong...until suddenly
TODD is pulling, and TODD'S strength makes the difference...
slowly JIMMY PIG is pulled toward them...and Pioneers exchange
amazed glances at TODD'S strength. As he pulls, TODD notices what the others don't... ANGLE ON THE RIFLE dropped by JIMMY PIG, ten yards away. ANGLE ON JIMMY PIG as he's hauled safely in to the group of
PIONEERS who clap him on the back and hug him. CHESTER is
laughing so hard he can barely stand up as he tries to describe
and mimic JIMMY'S desperate effort to outrun the force of the
wind... CHESTER (shouting, guffawing)
JIMMY...RUNNING...CAN'T...HA HA
CAN'T...KEEP UP WITH HIMSELF...
HA HA HA...
CHESTER breaks off, suddenly sober, staring off, and the others
turn to see what he's looking at. Everybody stops laughing. ANGLE ON TODD, carefully moving away from the wire to retrieve
the rifle!!! The WIND is dropping off some, enough to stand. ANGLE ON MACE and the other PIONEERS reacting with alarm at the
sight of TODD picking up the rifle. ANGLE ON TODD as he turns, rifle in hand. TODD'S POV of the PIONEERS staring at him, the WIND diminishing
further. ANGLE ON TODD looking toward them. Nothing shows on his face. ANGLE ON SLADE looking sour. Trouble! Just what he expected. ANGLE ON MACE, taking a deep breath, smiling as he moves toward
TODD, holding out his free hand for the rifle... MACE Uh, thanks, Sergeant. Thanks a lot...
But MACE breaks off, realizing that TODD'S attention is
elsewhere. TODD is beyond MACE toward the landscape. MACE (and the other PIONEERS) turn to see what TODD'S looking at. ANGLE ON THE "JUNK MOUNTAINS" in the distance, several miles off,
where, hovering high above the junk mountains, an ancient DUMPER
SHIP issues a steady stream of metal and concrete debris onto the
junk heaps far below. The faint THUNDER of the refuse tumbling
onto the steep slopes is just audible over the SOUND of the wind. CLOSE ON TODD, as realizes how he got here. ANGLE ON MACE, reacting to TODD'S intense interest. MACE
Dumpers. They come every twenty or
thirty days. As TODD turns and looks at MACE, MACE puts out his hand again for
the gun. TODD seems to notice the weapon in his hand for the first time. Unhesitatingly, he hands the rifle to MACE... As MACE casually takes the weapon, the PIONEERS breathe a sigh of
relief, grinning again as the tension eases. TODD has turned his gaze back to the DUMPER SHIP, fascinated. So
that's what they did to him! Just then, JIMMY PIG claps TODD heartily on the shoulder. JIMMY PIG Thanks, partner. These no-goods woulda just let me blow away. TODD, reacting to the smack on his shoulder, looks at JIMMY PIG
like what was that? Are you hitting me? But all the PIONEERS are gathering around TODD in such a jovial
manner that the puzzled soldier sort of understands this isn't an
attack. CUT TO: INT. OFFICE (OTHER WORLD) - NIGHT A CHRISTMAS TREE! The corny little tree with plastic needles,
blinking lights, and topped with a super cute angel is only a
foot high. It's sitting on CHURCH's cluttered desk next to
framed photographs of CHURCH's wife and children. We can hear
MEKUM's voice badly transmitted...
MEKUM (V.O.)
Sorry to disturb the tranquillity of
outer space on Christmas Eve, but
I'm off to the Caribbean in a few
hours, and I wanted to make sure
you'd got the transmission on the
security sweep. Glowering at the monitor where MEKUM's badly transmitted VIDEO
IMAGE is quivering and distorting, CHURCH waves the print-out map
he's holding in his hand, a map showing hundreds of little dots
against a vast field, stars and moons in the vast sea of space.
RUBRICK and SLOAN watch as CHURCH addresses MEKUM's image
indignantly. CHURCH
We got it all right. This is an
outpost here, not the Third Army!
You've got us securing thirty-four
locations and erecting monitor units
in one month and -- MEKUM
(interrupting) Piece of cake, guys! These are totally remote, totally uninhabited
territories. All you do is set
down, send out a patrol purely as a
formality, then have those veterans
of yours put up an A-Type unmanned
monitoring unit. You should be on
about number twenty-five by the time
I get back from my vacation... CHURCH What if we do run into people... say squatters or refugees?
MEKUM (a frown)
Well, you sure as hell don't want to
get involved in evacuating people
and that sort of thing. (then, meaningfully)
My advice would be to..."avoid
paperwork."
CHURCH
Eliminate them, you mean.
MEKUM
Well, no one's out there, but officially these are "hostile zones." Therefore you'd be within your rights to classify anyone as
"hostile," I think.
But I repeat, you should be worried
about boredom, not action. Any
other questions before I go? CHURCH hesitates. SLOAN and RUBRICK look at him. Then CHURCH
blurts a question, his voice breaking... CHURCH Down there...is it snowing? MEKUM
(a smirk)
Not in the Caribbean. Have a good
Christmas, guys. See you when I get
back. MEKUM'S IMAGE disappears and the video screen goes blank, leaving
a glum silence broken only by the DRUMMING of the rain on the
roof. CHURCH moodily strolls toward his desk, and his eyes go to the
photographs. His wife and children smile back at him from the pictures. Just then SLOAN taps him, and be turns to see her handing him a
cup full of amber liquid. SLOAN Merry Christmas, Captain. RUBRICK is pouring another glass from a bottle of Scotch as the
little tree winks on and off, and we... CUT TO: INT. BARRACKS - NIGHT Silence. Darkness. Dim shapes in the darkness, hard to
distinguish.
Rain BEATS on the roof monotonously, relentlessly. The room is alive with BREATHING. Then we hear a MUFFLED WHOOP from outside. The darkness is tense, the BREATHING changes rhythm. The RATTLE of the door breaks the quiet. The door swings open, a flashlight stabs the dark. A woman GIGGLES: SLOAN!
The flashlight beams and wavers in the darkness, catching brief
glimpses of the faces of the NEW SOLDIERS. Their eyes glitter in
the lurching beam, their faces are ghostly like vampires. RUBRICK switches on a dim overhead lamp as he and SLOAN (holding
the flashlight) and CHURCH stagger drunkenly into the bunkhouse,
carrying a couple of half-empty bottles. SLOAN Hi, fellas. At ease! RUBRICK
Merry Christmas, everybody. Eyes riveted on the THREE OFFICERS, the NEW SOLDIERS are
unresponsive to Christmas cheer. In fact, they look almost
angry, like big dangerous animals, as the three OFFICERS stagger
stupidly down the row of bunks, every eye following them. CHURCH We brought you a little Christmas
tree. CHURCH almost falls over as he places the tree on the floor As stone faces watch him without expression, RUBRICK waves a
couple of bottles. RUBRICK
And some good cheer. SLOAN, giggling, does a provocative bump and grind. SLOAN How about some Christmas pussy,
guys? Anybody for a quick piece? The NEW SOLDIERS don't react. Stone faces.
RUBRICK
(smirking)
That's "conduct unbecoming," Sloan. SLOAN It's Christmas! Haven't you heard
of piece on earth? "Piece on
earth," get it? CHURCH (suddenly serious, sober) Christ, I wish we were on Earth. RUBRICK sets three bottles down and indicates them to the NEW
SOLDIERS.
RUBRICK
Eat, drink, and be merry, men. For
tomorrow you go on patrol in the
"hostile zone." RUBRICK burps stupidly as the NEW SOLDIERS stare back at him from
their bunks, muscles bulging, eyes glittering, nothing but danger
in their stone faces as we... CUT TO: INT. PIONEER MEETING ROOM - NIGHT "JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY." In sharp
contrast to the gloom of the soldier Christmas, the PIONEERS,
MEN, WOMEN and CHILDREN, are SINGING and celebrating. There's a six-foot carved wooden tree festooned with makeshift
decorations and ringed with heaps of presents in crude wrapping. There's an appetizing looking buffet and a punchbowl. ANGLE ON TODD seated against a wall not far from the door. He
stares uncomprehendingly at the merriment all around him. What
on earth is going on? What are they doing? JIMMY PIG is marching around in a Santa Claus costume, doling out
presents to ELLEN, WILL, TOMMY, JOHNNY and OTHER CHILDREN. JIMMY PIG
HO HO HO! HO HO HO! Passing TODD, JIMMY PIG acknowledges him with a wink and a
special "HO HO HO." TODD'S eyes give away his confusion. What the fuck is this?
JIMMY PIG in a fake beard and a fake stomach? This is the
craziest shit TODD has ever encountered. ANGLE ON NATHAN, a wrapped present in hand. He hasn't a clue
what it is or what he should do with it. Laughing, MACE and SANDRA hover over him, showing him how to pull
the wrapping off. Great idea! NATHAN likes pulling wrapping
off! That's fun. SANDRA and MACE watch joyfully as NATHAN tears
at the wrapping enthusiastically. ANGLE ON TODD getting to his feet. ANGLE ON NATHAN pulling away the last of the wrapping to expose a
pull toy, a METAL BIRD on crude wheels made of wire and junk.
MACE takes the toy, demonstrates pulling it. The wings flap as
the wheels turn! NATHAN reacts with delight and amazement! Then grabs it! A SUDDEN SCREECH...
ANGLE ON TODD looking alarmed. He's on his way to the door, but
EMMA is charging at him, SHRIEKING!!! Not sure whether this is an attack or not, TODD watches the older
woman scramble onto a stool next to him, still SHRIEKING giddily. As TODD eyes her (and everybody else) warily, she gives him a
peck on the cheek and points over head. TODD looks up, sees a strange cloth decoration with a sign on it
that says "MISTLETOE." Means nothing to TODD. There's a burst of applause as EMMA
scrambles off the stool. Somebody starts to sing "GOD REST YE
MERRY GENTLEMEN." A MONTAGE OF FACES: JIMMY "SANTA" PIG, MACE, SANDRA, RED,
CHESTER, SALLY, ELLEN, HAWKINS, even SLADE, SINGING. ANGLE ON THE DOOR. No sign of TODD! Gone! CUT TO: EXT. "ROOF" - NIGHT - MINUTES LATER A low wind MOANS and mingles with strains of "OH, HOLY NIGHT" as
TODD bellies up to the "skylight" and peers down at the scene
below in the Meeting Room. TODD'S POV THROUGH THE SKYLIGHT. The merriment has evolved into
a more spiritual mood as the PIONEERS join in the solemn hymn. But TODD spots NATHAN trying to pull his pull toy along so the
wings flap. NATHAN is pretty wobbly and he goes down hard and
starts to cry. Immediately SANDRA disengages from the adults and rushes to the
sobbing NATHAN and clutches him to her breast, soothing him...and
MACE joins her, hovering over his son. ANGLE ON TODD, watching. After a moment, TODD scrambles off the
roof and drops into the adjoining trench while "OH, HOLY NIGHT"
continues to blend with the soughing WIND. EXT. INSIDE THE TRENCH Lit by spill from a window in the wall of the trench, TODD starts
doing push-ups. One-two-three-four-five-six-fast-fast-fast-fast. CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR AND MEETING ROOM/SETTLEMENT - (ANOTHER) DAY HAWKINS is walking along the corridor outside the meeting room
when she hears strange SOUNDS. She approaches the door and looks
in.
ELLEN and other CHILDREN (including NATHAN) are playing
children's games on the floor, paying no attention to the source
of the strange noises...JOHNNY and WILL. JOHNNY and WILL are doing exercises, obviously inspired by TODD's
martial calisthenics, and including the sudden violent movements. As the two boys make their ritual grunting noises, HAWKlNS frowns
a worried frown, and we... CUT TO: EXT. TRENCH GARDEN - DAY The seedlings have grown to twelve-inch stalks. SANDRA is
pulling some from the ground as TODD imitates her. She shows him
the fat edible root. SANDRA We'll eat these. Other PIONEERS are also harvesting, with occasional glances at
TODD as we... CUT TO: INT. OTHER ROOM - DAY Cleaning vegetables, SANDRA is separating the roots, shaking the
dirt off, cutting away the excess. TODD is carefully following her example, cutting the stalks away
with the knife. NATHAN is tottering across the floor an a beginner's wobbly legs. SANDRA It seemed like he was never going to walk. Then all of a sudden...he's an expert. Whump! NATHAN falls on his ass. SANDRA (a laugh) Well, not quite an expert. TODD watches SANDRA go to NATHAN and hug him affectionately. Turning back to the vegetables, stone faced, TODD cuts his
finger. Blood flows. He ignores it, continues working... But SANDRA, returning to the vegetables, notices TODD's cut
finger and immediately grabs a rag and takes his hand. TODD looks startled is she takes his finger. Then, staunching
the blood with the rag, she looks him in the eye, curious.
SANDRA Sergeant Todd...what's it
like...what's it like being a
soldier? What's it like...? TODD stares at her, trying to process the
question. Seeing his difficulty SANDRA tries to help... SANDRA
What do you think about? No answer, a stare. SANDRA
Do you think about food? Or women?
You must think about something. TODD gulps. His blank stare could pass for stupidity. SANDRA
What about feelings then? You must
have feelings. You must feel
something.
TODD wets his lips. He seems about to answer...and yet it's
difficult for him. He could kill a person easier. On the floor NATHAN GOOS happily, oblivious. TODD (at last)
Fear. SANDRA (startled) Fear! You mean...you feel afraid? (as he nods)
That's when you're in battle... What about other times? Now, for
example? TODD
Fear.
SANDRA (amazed)
Now? TODD Always.
A stunned silence. Finally SANDRA speaks... SANDRA
You don't...look afraid. You look
fearless.
TODD looks at her. This is incredibly difficult for him, like
physical labor. He wets his lips and take a breath. TODD
Fear and...discipline. SANDRA (growing horror)
Oh, my God. But there's nothing to
be afraid of here. I can't hurt
you. I wouldn't. TODD
Always. It makes us...alert. SANDRA is overwhelmed. She reaches for him, hugs him to her
breast like a little baby, holding him. But TODD is as tense in her arms as steel. He can't relax. He's
even trembling. NATHAN, on the floor, looks up, smiles innocently.
SANDRA lets go of TODD and steps back, looking at him, her face
troubled, as we... CUT TO: INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY ELLEN is supervising block building (babysitting) with several of
the younger children (OMAR, BUCKY, ANGIE and JANICE) while WILL
and TOMMY play their own separate games close by. Then WILL
looks up and sees something disturbing. WILL
You're not supposed to do that anymore. He's speaking to JOHNNY who is doing martial exercises. JOHNNY
So what? I'm a soldier. WILL
They're gonna kick him out. ELLEN looks up from the blocks. ELLEN They can't kick him out... WILL
They're gonna. My father --
ELLEN (interrupting strongly)
My mother says when someone's sick
or hurt, you have to help them. You
don't have a choice. JOHNNY (getting interested) Yeah, but what if the hurt person is...evil? ELLEN You still have to help them... because if you don't, you're evil! WILL (importantly)
My father says...uh...he says,
"Soldiers deserve soldiers." TOM
Yeah. That's what my father said
too. ELLEN
My father's making Sergeant Todd a
scarf because he saved his life one
time. He's knitting it.
WILL
That's dumb. Your father's dumb. WILL is smirking with satisfaction at having settled that when
out of nowhere ELLEN's little fist hits him hard on the nose.
WILL looks stunned. Blood oozes from his nose. He starts to
cry. ELLEN looks horrified at what she's done as we... CUT TO: INT. OTHER ROOM - DAY The scarf! It's been knitted with an elaborate and colorful
design. JIMMY PIG'S WIFE (O.S.) Jimmy knitted it himself. He worked
on it for two months. SANDRA is examining the knitted scarf as JIMMY PIG and his WIFE
stand in the doorway. SANDRA
It's beautiful, Jimmy. He'll love
it. JIMMY PIG looks very embarrassed. He shrugs.
JIMMY PIG He saved my life out there. I guess
Mace told you. SANDRA
(nods)
You should give it to him yourself.
I think he's in the meeting room...
doing...exercises. JIMMY PIG nods, takes the knitted scarf back from SANDRA as we... CUT TO: EXT. ALLEY/CITY - NIGHT
Frantic CIVILIANS, mostly women and children, are illuminated by
FLASHES from rocket fire overhead as they scramble for cover
amidst heavy CROSSFIRE from automatic weapons.
A terrified LITTLE GIRL, separated from her family, seeks shelter
in a doorway when suddenly she's confronted by THREE SOLDIERS IN
RED UNIFORMS looming over her.
Looking up in abject horror, she sees a RED SOLDIER casually pan
his assault rifle, pointing the muzzle right at her from only a
foot away, unmistakably flexing to fire.
BLAM! Suddenly the RED SOLDIER is blown backwards violently,
shot in the chest. ANGLE ON TODD, visored, in a torn black uniform, firing again. BLAM! A SECOND RED SOLDIER goes down. CLICK! TODD's weapon jams. As the LITTLE GIRL, amazed to be alive, watches open mouthed,
TODD swings his weapon like a club, attacking the THIRD RED
SOLDIER before he can aim. Then she runs, leaving TODD savagely beating the THIRD RED
SOLDIER to death. TODD is delivering a final savage blow to the prone body when a
movement or shadow catches the corner of his eye and he whirls
savagely to defend himself from behind -- INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY WHUMP! JIMMY PIG is slammed up against the wall of the meeting
room, TODD's big hand around his neck.
Gurgling desperately, his eyes popping out of his head, JIMMY PIG
stares helplessly into TODD's merciless soldier eyes and his
stone face only inches away.
TODD blinks. He sees he's got a terrified JIMMY PIG pinned to
the wall, his feet dangling two feet off the floor. Slowly he
lowers JIMMY PIG to the floor. All JIMMY PIG can do is squeak desperately and point to the
floor. JIMMY PIG Scarf! Scarf! TODD looks down. He sees a knit scarf lying on the floor. He
doesn't understand. He looks up. He sees JIMMY PIG'S WIFE, HAWKINS, SLADE, and several other
PIONEERS standing in the doorway of the meeting room, their
stunned expressions indicating they just saw something
horrifying. TODD stands there, isolated, bare-chested, his huge muscles
glistening with sweat, decorated with terrible scars and
mysterious tattoos, as we... CUT TO: INT. OTHER LIVING QUARTERS - NIGHT EVA, Johnny's mother, is reacting, horrified. EVA What....? What... are...those? Chester! CHESTER! CHESTER, Johnny's father, rushes in to see what the commotion's
about. ANGLE ON JOHNNY in the tin cauldron that serves as a bath tub.
JOHNNY'S bare chest and shoulders are covered with crude
imitations of TODD's tattoos. JOHNNY (sullen) Those are my war marks. From the battles I fought. CHESTER and EVA exchange a look. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT MACE and SANDRA are lying awake in the bed in darkness. For a
long moment they're both silent with the silence that comes in a
heavy moment in a conversation. Then MACE speaks, his eyes on
the ceiling. MACE There's going to be a meeting. People are upset about him.
SANDRA
He's not fully recovered.
MACE That's what scares people. He gets
stronger every day. They're both silent for a long moment. MACE has something
weighing on his mind that he hesitates to say...but finally he
says it. MACE I've caught him..sneaking looks at
you. At your body. SANDRA
I know. A heavy silence, then... SANDRA Are you afraid of him, Mace? MACE stares at the ceiling and speaks with difficult honesty. MACE
Yes. (pauses, then) God knows where he's been...or what he's done. Another pause before... MACE
I've never been afraid of anyone
before...not this way. I feel he
could break me in half...with no
real effort and no real...feeling. SANDRA He told me he's afraid. MACE Maybe he is. It doesn't matter. MACE is staring grimly at the ceiling as we... CUT TO: INT. WINDOWLESS CEMENT ROOM - DAY OR NIGHT (FLASHBACK) Silent and surreal, the events of 1986 continue with the PASSIVE
FOUR-YEAR-OLD sitting on the floor while the AGGRESSIVE FOUR-YEAR-
OLD looks down at him, and other FOUR-YEAR-OLDS gather ominously. It's only now, as he gets to his feet, suddenly trading vicious
blows with the AGGRESSIVE FOUR-YEAR-OLD that we realize that this
passive boy is FOUR-YEAR-OLD TODD. The boys don't fight like
children; they don't quit or cry as the blood flows. Highly-polished shoes, sharply creased trousers, and eyes
glittering from the shadows are all that is visible of the
faceless OBSERVERS who make no move to interrupt the violence. FOUR-YEAR-OLD TODD, his nose pouring blood, exchanges savage
hurtful blows with his opponent, bloodying him viciously, as
we... CUT TO: INT. OTHER ROOM - DAY (PRESENT) Eyes! The adult TODD blinks away the memory, stares straight
ahead... into NATHAN'S face, only six inches from his own. They're all alone in the room. It's very quiet. NATHAN smiles a tentative smile, raises a hand, reaches out to
touch TODD'S face affectionately, curiously, testing their
friendship...
ANGLE ON TODD, his eyes. Dangerous. He draws his face back
enough to avoid being touched. NATHAN looks unsure. He's used to affection. Then he
realizes... it must be a game! He reaches out again... Again TODD avoids the touch...and as he does so, something
catches his eye. TODD sees a VIPER sliding across the floor toward NATHAN. NATHAN doesn't see it; he's still trying to figure out this game. TODD pulls off his boot and hands it to NATHAN. NATHAN accepts it, thinks it's a gift. He's pleased. It's that
kind of game! He gives TODD a friendly "thanks for the boot"
smile. TODD points to the VIPER which is close to NATHAN now. NATHAN looks at the VIPER. He doesn't understand what he's
supposed to do. TODD makes a hitting motion with his hand. The VIPER is close to NATHAN, coiling. NATHAN looks from the VIPER to TODD. TODD indicates the VIPER with his eyes. His look is intense, a
message in his eyes.
The VIPER is like a spring, it strikes... TODD's hand is like a blur, almost invisible as he catches the snake and flips it a couple of feet. NATHAN stares. The angry VIPER SPITS and HISSES and coils to strike again. NATHAN looks at TODD. TODD eyes the boot, then indicates the VIPER with his eyes. NATHAN frowns; he's getting the idea. The VIPER is about to strike again... SQUASH! A heavy boot comes down on the snake, crushing it. TODD looks up to see MACE standing on the snake, reaching down
for NATHAN. As MACE hugs the boy protectively to his chest, he
glares down at TODD with eyes blazing with fury. TODD meets the look without blinking. He never blinks. SANDRA (O.S.)
What happened? TODD turns to see SANDRA standing in the bedroom door, her eyes
almost as hard as TODD's as we... CUT TO: INT. MEETING ROOM - NIGHT TODD stares impassively as HAWKINS addresses him... HAWKINS No one here has any animosity toward
you, Sergeant. None of us here is
your enemy. TODD is standing in front of the room full of grim-faced
PIONEERS, all looking at him. It's like a court. HAWKINS is flanked by MACE and SANDRA...
HAWKINS Moreover, we respect your qualities. We have no doubt that you are a very, very good soldier. As she speaks, TODD's blank stare considers the weathered faces
of the PIONEERS facing him. He sees CHESTER, EVA, RED with his
WIFE, JIMMY PIG and his WIFE, SLADE and MRS. SLADE, JUDITH, EMMA,
SALLY. As HAWKINS continues, TODD's sharp eyes pick out details.
He sees JIMMY PIG opening and closing his hands nervously, he
sees SLADE fingering a barely noticeable rifle barrel. CHESTER
has a weapon too. HAWKINS (O.S.) But, because of your training, I don't think you'll ever be able to
function in a group like this, a
community of vulnerable people, of
families, of children, where the
ability to fight is not the sole
purpose of existence. The PIONEERS are nervous, ready for trouble, afraid TODD might
take this badly and fly off the handle. As TODD's huge hand opens...and closes, their eyes are on it. He
could pick up the table and hurl it at them, break men in half
with his bare hands. His face is like stone, his eyes like
diamond chips as he glances toward SANDRA. TODD sees SANDRA is moved, trying to suppress her emotions,
biting her lip, as HAWKINS goes on... HAWKINS You're different from us, Sergeant. We don't hate you for that, but we
have agreed that to try to include
you would pose an intolerable risk
to the community itself. MACE We'll give you any tools you need, warm clothing, a good knife, boots.
SANDRA
(emotionally)
And if you're ever sick...or you get
hurt... MACE You're a friend, Sergeant. It's just... MACE doesn't finish. TODD's eyes glance again at the PIONEERS.
They too seem moved, not so ready to shoot. TODD blinks. Once. And we... CUT TO: EXT. INSIDE THE TRENCH - MORNING (WIND) TODD is wrapped in a heavy parka, his mouth wrapped with the
scarf JIMMY PIG knit, his eyes covered with eye protectors as
MACE hands him another sack in addition to the one already over
his shoulder.
MACE If you need us...you can ask us for
help. TODD glances at the knot of PIONEERS gathered in the trench, all
eyes on him. SANDRA is among then with NATHAN in her arms. For
just a second TODD's eyes go to the cheerful face of NATHAN; then
he turns to MACE. MACE is startled to see TODD pull the scarf from his mouth to
speak. He's never spoken before unless spoken to.
TODD
It's not true. (then, with great effort)
I'm not a good soldier. Then TODD replaces the scarf over his mouth and starts to climb
out of the trench into the wind as we... CUT TO: EXT. LANDSCAPE (AND "STEEL HENGE") - DAY - LATER Four suns glare down from the sky onto the vast, windswept
wasteland. TODD is a tiny dot in the vastness, traveling like a bug along
one of the long cables that stretches for miles and miles. He's
out by the skeleton of the old ship as we... CUT TO: EXT. ANOTHER PLANET - DAY A low slung armored vehicle on caterpillar treads RUMBLES over a
steep rocky terrain faintly backlit by a cold sun that looms
enormously on the horizon while giving off only a faint glow. Hanging on to the outside of the insect-like scouting vehicle
(called a "CRAWLER") are two nasty-looking NEW SOLDIERS in space
suits designed for battle, their heavy rocket rifles cradled and
ready, their visors blank and ominous. INT. CRAWLER The husky sergeant, CAINE 607, steers the vehicle and speaks into
a radio mike at the same time.
CAINE 607
Crawler, Crawler to Daddy. No
hostiles! The GUNNER beside him and the NEW SOLDIERS in the back seat stare
stoically out the windows as CAINE 607 replaces the mike.
INT. COCKPIT/"DADDY" RUBRICK is sitting at a console cluttered with coffee cups and
half-finished cheeseburgers, responding to the radio.