Platoon
BARNES (looks at him like he’s stupid) I’ll get him. (with a threatening undertone) You just haul ass too lootenant. (going, to Ace) … don’t send Bravo Three up till I get back to the CP. Now move out, all of you.
As he snaps his weapon onto full auto and runs off after Elias in a crouch … a man with a mission.
EXT. JUNGLE – RHAH AND CHRIS’ POSITION – DAY
Next to the Church deployed in the jungle, Rhah looks on, silent.
Chris in his position, waits. It is so silent in comparison to the racket from the battle across the forest. The Mist clings to the trees, moist and lovely. Then, a flicker of movement, sound.
Chris hears it, tightens. His POV – at fifty yards. An evanescence of beige and green uniforms moving towards him very fast, scurrying. They look like headless ghosts.
Chris opens fire.
CHRIS GET EM!!!!!
Rhah and Crawford open up. A rachet of sound, one of the fiures seems to go down, then another but at this distance through jungle it is difficult to say. The firing just as suddenly breaks off and the silence returns.
CHRIS (CONT’D) (ecstatic) Yeah! I got two of them fuckers …
RHAH I got one …
CHRIS … See them go down? Like fuckin’ target practice man, fuck you Charlie!! Ho Chi Minh sucks dead dick! … Crawford! (sees him, stunned)
Crawford, the blond-locked California beach boy, lies on the earth, hit in a lung, having difficulty breathing, moaning in a soft undercurrent. Chris runs up on him.
CHRIS (CONT’D) Oh man! … man!
Attending him. Rhah runs up.
RHAH Looks like a lung babe. But you’re gonna be all right, you only need one of them fuckers.
CRAWFORD Oh shit man I never thought I’d get hit, I was … (gagging)
RHAH Stay cool. We gonna carry you out.
Barnes appears, running towards them, looking down at Crawford, at Rhah.
RHAH (CONT’D) Sarge, ’bout five gooks tried to …
BARNES Where’s Elias?
RHAH … came through right over there. We got three of them, we …
BARNES Didn’t you hear the arty shift? We’re pulling back. Get your wounded man and get the fuck back to the church. Get going.
CHRIS (indicating jungle) … but ‘Lias is still out there.
BARNES I’ll get him. You get the man in, Taylor (indicating Crawford) NOW. Or I’ll Article 15 both your asses. Move!
Chris and Rhah look at Barnes sullenly, then reluctantly start moving Crawford onto a poncho liner they use as a litter.
BARNES (CONT’D) Move it, MOVE IT!
He’s in his blackest rage, the force of his words almost physically pushing the men to move out with Crawford. Barnes turns now to deal with Elias.
EXT. ELIAS’ JUNGLE – DAY
Elsewhere, Elias stands silently, listens to the forest. In the distance the firefight can hardly be heard. His helmet gone, his hair hanging free, he is at his best now – alone. He hears it. Somebody running through the jungle, about 100 yards, boots on leaves, coming towards him.
He begins to move lateral to the sound. His steps unheard, better at this than the enemy.
THREE ENEMY FIGURES now appear, crouched and moving very fast with light equipment through the mist.
Elias swerves up in immediate foreground, his back to us, FIRING. All three Figures fall.
A quick glimpse of Elias, not bothering to stop, moving to his next position.
EXT. BARNES’ JUNGLE – DAY
Barnes, moving through the jungle, reacts to the fire, resetting his course. Like a hunter stalking a deer. Suddenly there’s more firing. Then silence –
EXT. ELIAS’ JUNGLE – DAY
TWO MORE ENEMY lie dead in the jungle. A rustle of movement, then a CRY – chilling, jubilant, a war cry.
A pair of feet moving lightly over the jungle. A glimpse of Elias. In his full glory. Roaming the jungle, born to it.
EXT. BARNES’ JUNGLE – DAY
Barnes fixing on him, moving.
EXT. ELIAS’ JUNGLE – DAY
An NVA SOLDIER, jungle-whiskered, dirty, smart, crouches, listens, looks to his PARTNER. What are they fighting here? The First One mutter something sharp and they split fast in the direction they’ve come.
They get about six steps when Elias suddenly rises up from the bush, not ten yards in front of them, his shots ripping into them, driving the surprised life from them. Elias is gone.
EXT. NVA JUNGLE – DAY
Elsewhere, another three NVA stop, turn and flee back from where they came.
EXT. JUNGLE CHURCH – DAY
Chris and Rhah get Crawford back to the church grounds, lay him down. No activity around them. Chris plunges back into the jungle where they left Barnes.
RHAH Taylor!
EXT. ELIAS AND BARNES’ JUNGLE – DAY
Barnes moving, stops, listens. Something is running towards him. But it’s hidden by the bush. He brings his rifle up smooth and quick, waits, then as the bush parts, Elias is standing there. Looking at Barnes.
Barnes sees him, starts to lower his rifle, but then stops. He raises it back an inch, sights it. Pause. A cold searing look of hatred coming over his face.
In that moment, Elias understands. Quick as a deer, he makes his move, trying to plunge back into the bush.
Barnes fires. Once, twice, three times – the blast rocking the jungle.
Elias jerking backwards into the bush, mortally wounded. Bird cries. A crime against nature.
Barnes calmly lowers his rifle, and walks away from it.
EXT. CHRIS’ JUNGLE – DAY
Chris, cutting through the jungle, hears the shots. He stops, listens. Someone is moving through bush towards him, leaves and foliage shaking.
Chris tightens, raises his rifle.
Barnes steps through into his sight – sees him.
Chris lowers his rifle. Barnes walking past him as if he weren’t even there.
BARNES Elias is dead. Join up with the platoon. Move it.
CHRIS (shocked) He’s dead! Where? … You saw him?
BARNES Yeah. Back about 100 metres. He’s dead, now get going, the gooks are all over the fuckin’ place.
Moving on quickly. Chris has no choice but to follow, looking back one more time.
EXT. CHURCH GROUNDS – JUNGLE – DAY
TWO CHOPPERS are coming into a LZ in front of the Church. The two platoons, Second and Third, reinforcing, are being evacuated as quickly as possible, one load (6-8 men, depending on the wounded) after other. The choppers are spraying dust all over the place. A scene of chaos, radio talk layering it. Doc is out of supplies, making do with improvised bandages, etc.
WOLFE MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT.
Lerner goes by, horribly wounded on a makeshift litter, into the chopper, Doc attending, holding the IV.
Chris catching a glimpse of him, waiting to get on the chopper, turning to look as:
Hoyt and Sgt.Warren, both wounded, are hurried aboard on litters. The chopper lifting off.
Chris and others now running to the corpses of Flash, Morehouse, and Fu Sheng lying under dirty ponchos, their boots sticking out. The ponchos are blown away in a burst of wind off the chopper blades, revealing their faces – dirt stuffing their eyes and mouths, waxen figures.
Chris and the others lifting them and carrying them towards the next chopper now coming in.
They throw the bodies on. Tubbs and Crawford, both wounded, now move past Chris, into the chopper. Chris running back, with King carrying a litter – their eyes falling on:
Barnes talking with Wolfe and Ace, making signals under the roaring sounds of the chopper. Shaking his head. No. No Elias.
Chris and King looking at each other, mute. They numbly start loading Big Harold, minus his leg, onto the stretcher.
The Third Chopper is down now, waiting, roaring blades silhouetting off the face of the cathedral. A ROCKET BLAST suddenly goes off not too far from the chopper, incoming fire. The DOOR GUNNER signaling for them to hurry, laying out fire.
INT/EXT. CHOPPER – JUNGLE – DAY
Chris and King hustling Big Harold’s 250 pounds into the chopper. Climbing in with him. Wolfe, Barnes, Ace running in with them. The perimeter is bare.
Chris’ eyes flitting over Barnes as he jumps in. The chopper lifting off as another explosion rocks the area. The Door Gunner sees something, opens up.
Big Harold, cursing, looks chalky but hog happy as he manages a glance down at the jungle. His right leg is gone. Tears are rolling out of his eyes.
KING Man, you gonna be in Japan this time tomorrow, Big Harold.
BIG HAROLD Yeah, I’se lucky dis time, what’s a leg to get the fuck outta here … (at the NVA) Eat ma shit, you motherfuckers!
He sinks back, sick. Chris’ eyes sudenly fix on something. He can’t believe it. He shoves King, points. King sees it. Both stunned.
Barnes is looking. So’s Lt.Wolfe, so’s Ace. So’s the Door Gunner.
Elias is coming out of the jungle. Staggering, blood disfiguring his face and chest, hanging on with all his dimming strength, looking up at them – trying to reach them.
Chris shakes Wolfe, his words drowned out by the roar.
The Chopper Captain looking down, dips. His co-pilot pointing.
The NVA are coming out of the jungle, closing on the spot where Elias is.
Incoming rounds are hitting the chopper. The Door Gunner maniacally firing.
