Dear John (9 page)

149       
INT. BASE CAMP
-- CAPTAIN STONE’S TENT

John ransacks Stone’s desk until he finds the satellite phone. He takes it, starts pacing the room like an animal in a cage, going over in his mind what he’s going to say.

Then he begins to dial. He knows all the numbers by heart, and there are a lot. But he stops before he hits the last one.

His finger hovers over the button... and he just can’t bring himself to push it. No matter how hard he tries.

So instead, he kicks a trash can across the room.

150       
INT. BARRACKS
-- MAIN ROOM

John barrels in, a man on a mission. Noodles nods hello as he walks by their poker game, but John’s too focused to notice.

He pours all the stuff from his footlocker onto the ground.

151       
EXT. BARRACKS
-- DAY

John takes all 112 of Savannah’s letters and dumps them out loose on the ground. What had been a carefully organized chronological stack is now just a messy pile.

John pulls out the flint and magnesium block from his pocket and starts to shave the magnesium off over the letters.

NOODLES

Need a lighter?

Noodles has appeared behind him, but John just shakes his head, focused only on the flint now. A spark catches the magnesium and the letters ignite. John watches the fire spread.

NOODLES

You wanna talk about it?

John looks away. Knows he’s being completely transparent right now, and hates himself for it.

JOHN

Not much to talk about. She found somebody else. Somebody who’s there, and not here.

NOODLES

You know who it is?

JOHN

She didn’t say. But I have a pretty good idea.

The anger flashes in John’s eyes again.

NOODLES

Don’t worry, man, you’ll get her back. As soon as you go home, she’ll come running -- you know it’s true.

John stares into the fire, wearily shakes his head.

JOHN

No. It’s not.

Noodles...

Noodles. They’re already engaged. Okay?

NOODLES

I know what I’m talking ab--

That stops him cold. He pauses, unsure what to say.

NOODLES

I...Jesus. I’m sorry, John.

John doesn’t respond. Instead, he takes out Savannah’s breakup letter and drops it onto the flame, watches it turn into ashes along with the 112 letters that preceded it.

152       
EXT. CITY STREET
(NEAR CEMENT PLANT) -- THE NEXT DAY

A mini-convoy navigates through the streets. The team is split into two, and John’s in the front humvee. Rooster is in the middle of a rant, but John tunes him out from his bubble, focused only on the road ahead of him.

ROOSTER

All I’m sayin is, they recruit us, train us for five years, tell us we’re their goddamned best and brightest, and then a war breaks out and they send us to the backass end of the frickin country. Now what sense does that make?

BERRY

Look around you, man. It aint like we’re patrolling the Kansas State Fair, you know.

Indeed, up the road is a deserted cement plant, and a fire smolders nearby. It’s not exactly a war zone, but it’s not too far away either.

And as they get closer, a FRANTIC MAN runs across the road, blindly firing his AK-47 into the cement factory.

CAPTAIN STONE

Jesus. Pull over, Daniels.

They come to a stop a safe distance from the Man, who’s YELLING INCOHERENTLY as he unloads his ammunition.

Noodles squints at the guy as he opens the Humvee door.

NOODLES

What the hell’s up with this guy?

But John pushes right past him.

JOHN

Let’s find out.

He beelines straight towards the guy and swiftly, impressively disarms his weapon, sweeping him off his feet.

Starks, their language specialist, casually walks over, listens to the Guy HOWL AT JOHN in some foreign tongue. Starks raises his eyebrows.

STARKS

He’s speaking Turkish.

JOHN

Well what’s he saying?

Starks just shrugs. John glares at him with disgust.

JOHN

Jesus. What the hell kind of language expert are you?

STARKS

I speak Persian, I speak Pashto. I speak German. I speak all kinds of shit. How many foreign languages do you speak?

John rolls his eyes, then motions towards the cement plant back to Stone, who gives his okay. John stalks off.

STARKS

Where are you going?

JOHN

Somebody’s gotta find out what he’s talking about.

As he heads off, Stone jerks his head at Noodles -- go with him.

153       
INT. ABANDONED CEMENT PLANT
-- DAY

John enters the factory, weapon at the ready. Systematically clears the giant room.

Then Noodles walks in, sees John relax his weapon --

-- and then a bullet catches Noodles squarely in the chest.

A hidden ARMED TALIBAN SOLDIER emerges nearby and, in one quick, instinctual motion, John unholsters his secondary weapon and shoots him twice in the chest. He flies back, dead before he hits the wall.

John hurries over to Noodles, who’s still conscious and is frantically ripping off layers to find the entry wound...

...till he finally reaches it... and EXHALES.

He shows John the flattened bullet, caught right on the edge of his FLAK JACKET. Two inches more to the left and it would’ve gone right through him.

NOODLES

God, I’ve never loved a piece of clothing more in my entire life.

Noodles grimaces from the pain, but he’s so relieved that he’s almost grinning. John stares down at the smoldering bullet, just as relieved.

BUT DOWN BELOW -- their team is flying into action. From safe cover, Stone sends Berry and Daniels stealthly towards the staircase, then hollers up towards the hole in the wall.

CAPTAIN STONE

The hell’s going on up there!?

Tyree! Gallo! What’s your status?

John stands up, now half-grinning himself, and calls out to them.

JOHN

All clear, Capt--

Suddenly a bullet SLICES into John’s neck.

His eyes widen, but he’s too stunned to cry out. He falls onto his back, his eyes searching the dingy ceiling above him.

Meanwhile, Noodles stumbles to his feet, starts to return fire towards the other TALIBAN SOLDIER hiding in the shadows across the room. Berry and Daniels charge up the stairs as well, guns blazing, riddling the Rebel with dozens of bullets.

Noodles finally stops firing, kneels over John, cuts open his fatigues now, sees all the blood.

NOODLES

Medic! I need a medic up here!

John draws a sharp breath, GULPS for air. His PUPILS begin to DILATE as he stares up at the SKY.

He GASPS again. Try as he might, he can’t hold on. And as his eyes finally close, and the sound fades away --

EVERYTHING TURNS SILENT. EVERYTHING GOES BLACK.

154       
INT. MILITARY HOSPITAL
-- STUTTGART, GERMANY -- DAY

John opens his eyes again. He’s in a strange room. A NURSE is changing his IV.

NURSE

Welcome back, Sargeant Tyree.

John struggles to get his bearings. He tries to speak, but his mouth is parched and dry. The Nurse turns his morphine drip a notch higher.

NURSE

Rest easy, okay? You’re alive, and that’s all that matters right now.

But although John does not appear to agree, and although he fights as hard as he can to maintain consciousness --

-- it is ultimately a losing battle.

155       
INT. MILITARY HOSPITAL
-- DAY

John abruptly sits upright in bed. Weeks have passed -- obvious because his arm is now in a sling, his neck is wrapped in gauze, and his face is lined with impatience.

He stands up, goes over to the wardrobe. Stares at his reflection in the mirror. Then he slowly pulls his arm out of the sling. It causes him immense pain, but he pushes through.

He grabs his dress uniform out of the closet. Winces as he buttons his shirt. Tight. Tighter still. Winces as he pulls on his rather sparsely decorated jacket, ties his tie.

By the time he puts on his beret, his forehead gleams with sweat. He wipes his face, stares at his reflection.

At least now he looks like a soldier again.

156       
INT. MAKESHIFT OFFICE
-- DAY

John stands at attention in front of Captain Stone, who’s catching up on some paperwork.

JOHN

Requesting permission to return to duty, sir.

Stone looks up at John. He’s trying hard to look whole and healthy, but he’s not fooling anybody.

CAPTAIN STONE

It’s been three weeks. I’m impressed, but I’m not stupid.

He grins at John, proud of him.

CAPTAIN

Go home first, get some R&R. Give your Dad some company for awhile.

JOHN

My Dad doesn’t care much for company, sir.

Stone regards him, still standing there rigidly.

CAPTAIN STONE

Your Dad called twice a day, every day, while you were in that hospital. Maybe he cares more than you think.

John looks away, clearly surprised. He processes the information, lets it shake him out of his stubbornness.

Stone watches him, then SIGHS, looks him honestly in the eye.

CAPTAIN STONE

Listen, John. I’m being transferred. Back stateside.

(before John can object)

It has nothing to do with what happened -- my command time’s just over. I’m going back to Fort Bragg.

He stands up, walks over to John.

CAPTAIN STONE

Berry and Daniels have decided to get out, most of the others are coming down on assignment. Now you have less than four months until separation yourself. You’ve served your country well -- there’s no need to go the extra mile at this point.

John pauses, considering him... considering what it would be like back in Charleston.

And then he makes his mind up. He stands even straighter, his eyes focused on the wall behind Stone.

JOHN

No, sir. I’m reenlisting again, sir.

Stone stares at him in disbelief.

CAPTAIN STONE

Let me get this straight, Staff Sargeant. All this time here you’ve been, just itching to get out--

(off John’s reaction)

-- c’mon, we both know it’s true.

But now here you are, you finally have your chance, and now you’re telling me no thanks, cause you actually wanna go
back
out there for another three years?

John doesn’t move, still rigid as a board.

JOHN

Better make it six, sir.

CUT TO:

157       
THE MOON
--

Waning and small up in the night sky.

158       
EXT. LOCATION TBD
-- DAY

Underneath that sky, there’s a quick but dramatic action set piece (location and elements pending, but if possible it shouldn’t look Middle Eastern) where John leads his team in accomplishing whatever military objective needs to be accomplished (and can be affordably staged).

Point being -- he’s a professional soldier now. And a good one. Then fade from the darkness of that to--

THE SUN
--

Beating down from the sky. John looks up at it, shielding his eyes from the glare. Now he’s at --

159       
EXT. ARMY BASE
-- DAY

-- in full uniform again. But his once sparsely decorated jacket is now full of bars, medals, commendations, badges. John’s head is still shaved, but his wounds have long healed.

SUMMER 2007

160       
INT. BARRACKS
-- DAY

John returns to his very modest room. Noodles is long gone, replaced by a new roommate, BERG -- very young, very green.

BERG

Ah, home sweet home.

Berg tosses his bag down, then focuses on JOHN’S MAP nearby -- which is now BLANKETED WITH PINS, coating six continents.

BERG

Where to next, ya think?

John pushes past him towards his foot locker without even bothering to look up at the map.

JOHN

Wherever they send us.

John has just started to unpack when--

VOICE FROM BEHIND

Actually, we’re sending you back to the States, John.

He turns to find CAPTAIN MIKE KITTRICK standing in the doorway (Stone is long gone by now, as well).

CAPTAIN KITTRICK

I’m sorry. I just got the news.

John stares at him. Immediately realizes something’s wrong.

JOHN

You just got what news?

161       
INT. MILITARY AIRPLANE
-- DAY

John sits in a seat, clearly distracted, trying to ignore the bumpiness of the flight.

162       
INT. AIRPORT
-- DAY

The escalator runs emptily. Finally John’s feet appear.

He looks around. The airport has not changed one bit except for the fact that this time, no one is here to greet him.

163       
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM
-- NIGHT

Mr. Tyree lays in bed, asleep, tubes coming out of him from every angle. If John looks a few years older now, Mr. Tyree looks a few decades.

John does not touch him. Instead he just stands there, silently watching his father breathe through a tube.

164       
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY
-- NIGHT

John speaks quietly with a DOCTOR.

DOCTOR

He’s conscious, but that doesn’t mean he’s lucid. And he’s almost never responsive. It’s just very hard to say how severe the stroke really was because it’s very hard to say how long he’d been lying there before they finally found him.

John looks away. Guilt flashes on his face. He speaks quietly.