Convoy Sequence #2/Don's backstory EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY A convoy travels down a narrow and winding road. INT. MRAP - DAY A group of soldiers and a reporter, MARK DIAZ, (24) look out at the scenery around them. Diaz holds a DSLR camera and wears a GoPro. DONOVAN PAULSEN, (26) sits there with his M4 in front of him. He thumbs a photo of his family. CARLOS HERNANDEZ, (22) drives the MRAP. Conrad stands on the mounted gun. Don looks up from the inside at Conrad. DON Hey Miller, you get your head blown off yet? CONRAD Nope, you shoot yourself yet? I know being married tends to push a guy like you over the edge. Shit, I'll do it for you should it come to that. DON Nope. I least I won't die without getting my dick sucked! How about I come up there and cut your throat open? Hernandez looks back at Diaz. Diaz jots notes down. HERNANDEZ You see what I gotta deal with man? These white boys keep wanting to whack each other. Wey, back in the hood we'd have just done it. CONRAD Well, I'd do something, but unlike you, Paulsen and I don't look all that good in orange. HERNANDEZ Say that shit in the hood, homie. DON Is it because you can't actually fight him yourself and need four of your hombres to do it for you? Diaz smirks at this. Hernandez glances back and glares at Diaz. HERNANDEZ Don't think I won't fuck you up, homie. DIAZ You've already tried. HERNANDEZ You don't need no fancy martial arts when you got four of your homies backing you up you know. DIAZ They ONLY came in when I had you on the ground. HERNANDEZ Still proves a point, carnal. Diaz looks down at his notepad again. He looks up and around at the others. DON Oh christ, he's got that look again. CONRAD Which one, the stupid question or we did a Geneva Convention no no look? DON The stupid question one. The three groan at this. HERNANDEZ Wey, why didn't you just come in like the other reporters? Just drop in by helicopter and camera crew like all them white boys, ask the questions and then leave? DON Kid's got a point, you're not like the rest of them. We get the usual run of the mill types, CNN, NBC, whole nine yards. The hell? You just wake up one day and think "I'm going to sit with a bunch of trained killers and record what I see"? DIAZ I answer those questions and you guys answer mine. DON Yeah, fine. HERNANDEZ Whatever, man. CONRAD Deal. DIAZ Well when being a creative writer fucks you and you're 200k in the hole, you kind of run out of options. CONRAD Real question is, why didn't you just opt to enlist like every other jerk off? Be cool like us. DIAZ Three heart attacks. Conrad looks down from the turret. Hernandez looks back from the driver's seat. Don j His eyes wide and for a moment he carries a look of concern. CONRAD Are you fucking serious? Paulsen? DON Yeah? CONRAD Did you bother to tell anyone that this guy could die on us at any given moment? DON It's the first I'm hearing of it. CONRAD Well, if he does go down I'm putting him out of his misery. One less guy for you you to carry. DIAZ It'd be a welcome change. Anyway, question time. A collective and annoyed groan from everyone in the vehicle. Diaz pulls out his notepad. DIAZ (CONT’D) Gimme a sec here just... CONRAD GUYS I GOT- The question reads, "What's waiting for you guys at home?" The MRAP at the front of the convoy goes off, a fiery explosion with it. The radio next to Hernandez lights up. IND SOLDIER 1 (radio) Vic two to all victors! Vics one and four are down, I repeat vics one and four are down! DIAZ No shit! Fear shows in Diaz's eyes as he throws his camera down. Conrad fires the machine gun, as the group scrambles to get out of the vehicle. Rounds fly into the MRAP doors. DIAZ (CONT’D) SHIT SHIT SHIT! HERNANDEZ Man, where the fuck they shooting from?! One flies past Diaz and Don. DON Conrad, keep those fuckers heads' down, everyone else, OUT! The radio next to Hernandez lights up. Another explosion rings out. IND SOLDIER 1 (O.S.) (radio) Vic two to all victors! Vics one and four are down, I repeat vics one and four are down! DIAZ No shit! Fear shows in Diaz's eyes as he throws his camera down. Conrad fires the M2. The shell casings fall inside. As the group scrambles to get out of the vehicle. Rounds fly into the MRAP doors. One flies past Diaz and Paulsen. The two look at each other. PAULSEN EVERYONE OUT! The Humvee behind them goes up in smoke as an RPG flies into its side. IND SOLDIER 1 (O.S.) (radio) Be advised, we just lost vic six! EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY Don keeps his head down as rounds fly above his head. A burning and turned over Humvee sits in front of a stopped MRAP. Don looks around. Diaz scrambles in front of him behind the tire of the MRAP they just exited. He takes his helmet and checks it, then looks up at Don. DIAZ What the hell are we doing man?! Screams fill the air as rounds start to land on the MRAP. Don raises one finger and peers out behind him. IND SOLDIER 1 (O.S.) MEDIC! OH GOD, DOC! An RPG hits the second vehicle at the front of the convoy. It's a one lane road. DON There's no escape... We're fuckin' boxed in. The Humvee behind him has dead soldiers in it. One door is open. One soldier lays there, his head in the ground. Don takes a moment to look at all this. Conrad lays down fire with the .50. Hernandez looks back at Don. HERNANDEZ STAFF SERGEANT, WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE DOING WEY?! DON (looks around more) Hold position here! KEEP LAYING DOWN FIRE! Don takes off his rifle and passes it to Diaz. He takes the rifle magazines off his vest. DIAZ Give me a gun, I can fight! DON Good, remember what I taught you? Diaz nods and stands up, rifle in hand. His hands shake as he tries to lay down fire with the rest of them. Don looks up. DON (CONT’D) Miller, you- A round hits Miller's helmet. He falls down from the turret. DON (CONT’D) Oh, fuck! Don opens the door to the MRAP. Rounds hit the glass as Don drags him out. He takes Conrad's helmet off and takes out a pack of cold compress. Conrad swats it away from his head. Conrad throws his helmet off to the side. CONRAD I'm fine, take care of the others! Conrad stands back and stumbles for a second. He reaches back into the MRAP and takes a 240 SAW. Don nods. He checks behind him at the downed soldier. He looks back at the front of the convoy. DON Son of a bitch. Don turns around. DON (CONT’D) FUCKING COVER ME, I GOTTA GET TO THE BURNING HUMMER! CONRAD GOT IT! HERNANDEZ COPY! The two start firing at the same time. A volley of bullets returns fire. CONRAD (CONT’D) GO! Don runs across to the next MRAP and opens the passenger's side door. He knocks on the side door. DON Friendly coming through! VALENTINE, (21) is on the radio. VALENTINE (O.S.) (into radio) Baseplate, I say again! We are troops in contact along MSR Houston, grid to follow! Diaz watches the hillside as he watches more fighters try and make their way down from the mountainside. DIAZ I see four, they're on the mountain. I think that's 200 meters away from us! Shots begin to ring next to him, the dirt around him starts kick up from incoming fire. HERNANDEZ You can count homie? Great, next thing you're gonna tell us is that you write! How many did you get?! Miller and Hernandez start to light up the village below them as the fire continues. CONRAD Four, fuckface! Diaz tries to range the target. HERNANDEZ Damn it, I got three! Diaz's gun goes dry. DIAZ This is fucked up man! HERNANDEZ Not as bad as your girl back home! Hernandez laughs as he reloads. HERNANDEZ (CONT’D) Come back from this and you're definitely getting laid! Diaz shakes as he fumbles with the mag. He ejects the other one and fumbles with the full one magazine. Diaz readjusts his glasses. He finally places the magazine in as a round flies into his chest. He falls back. DIAZ Oh fuck I'm shot! Miller runs over to him and looks him over. MILLER It's just your vest, get back in the fight! Diaz struggles with his gun, then checks the paddle. He chambers another round, then fires more. Miller looks back. Diaz's shots land around the insurgents, causing them to reposition. MILLER (CONT’D) REPORTER! YOU'RE JERKING THE TRIGGER. SLOW DOWN! TAKE A BREATH. Diaz does so, his eyes in line with the sights. MILLER (CONT’D) BREATHE! Diaz calms down and stops shaking. MILLER (CONT’D) SQUEEZE! He squeezes the trigger, his ACOG sight aligned with an insurgent. Four shots ring out next to them. Diaz fires a shot, as pink mist leaves an insurgent. MILLER (CONT’D) KILL! Don comes back from this, an unconscious soldier over him. DON Friendlies, watch your fire! Miller looks over. MILLER Paulsen, WHAT HAPPENED?! Did you just commit a fucking war crime?! Miller provides cover fire. The soldier has a bandage over his abdomen. Don sets the other soldier down behind the MRAP, then runs back through the Humvee's smoke. He comes back almost another second later. DANIEL CHO, (21) comes out, a bandage wrapped around his arm. CHO I can't feel my legs, doc! DON Don't worry, your dick still works. Don cracks a weak smile, then holds a serious look in his eyes. DON (CONT’D) I need you to call in the nine lines, you're the only one who can do it right now. I'm a little caught up. Cho looks at Don with fear in his eyes. He trembles as he's given the radio. CHO You trust me? DON Don't get your head blown off. Cho takes out a map and gets on the radio. CHO (into radio) Baseplate this is Alpha 3-3, standby for nine line! Don takes a breath. DON Hernandez, good? HERNANDEZ Still kickin'! DON Miller! Miller shoots a thumbs up as he stares down the sights of his rifle. Miller takes a few more shots. DON (CONT’D) Diaz! He turns around. DIAZ I'm good, yeah I'm- A round flies through the side of Diaz's neck. Diaz falls behind the MRAP tire, rifle in hand. The blood splatters on Don's kevlar and face. DIAZ (CONT’D) I'VE BEEN SHOT HELP! Diaz rolls around behind the MRAP. DON Hernandez, watch the mountainside! Hernandez switches positions. The fire continues near them. He picks up where Diaz left off. The fighters on the mountain start taking cover and firing back at them. A round flies past Don. Don crawls over. DON (CONT’D) Reporter, hey! Look at me! Diaz looks up at him. Don moves his hand off Diaz's neck, cleaning off the area around the wound. He wraps it. DON (CONT’D) Hold that. He places the bandage, wrapping it under his opposite arm. Don passes the rifle back to him. DON (CONT’D) Get back to it. Parks takes a breath. He repositions himself sitting against the MRAP tire and goes firing at the insurgents on the mountaintop. DON (CONT’D) Hernandez, back where you were. An explosion rocks the Hummer behind them. SPECIALIST JACK MANSLEY, (22) crawls out from the smoke of the explosion mere seconds later. MANSLEY Doc! My leg! Doc! DON COVER ME! Hernandez, Miller, and Diaz start firing from their positions. MANSLEY DOOCCCC! DOCCCCC! Mansley stares at the sky. Don runs over to him. DON Fuck. Don ties off the tourniquet. MANSLEY How's it look doc? DON You're gonna fucking die. MANSLEY I'm never gonna taste that stripper's pussy again. Don chuckles. DON Which one? MANSLEY Your sister's. Don glares as he bandages his stump. DON Don't make me take this off. MANSLEY When I see your sister, the only thing coming off is that tank top she's got. He drags Mansley behind his Hummer. Mansley's leg sits on top of the hill. Don stops, grabs it, and throws it next to him. Parks is next to them. He's on a mounted Squad Automatic and engages targets below them. Parks begins to switch rounds in his belt as the fire returns back to his position. He scoots back and finishes his reload. Don shows up next to him and taps him on the shoulder. DON You hit?! Parks gives a thumbs up. A round hits his helmet and causes him to roll over. Parks looks up at Don. Don takes Parks's helmet off. A bruise sits along his head. DON (CONT’D) You're good, come on! Don puts the helmet back on Parks's head and helps him up. He grabs Parks's machine gun and passes it over to him. Parks nods and begins to fall back to where Conrad and Diaz are. Don runs toward the front of the convoy. Wounded soldiers run by him. Some shout orders, some fall back toward the front while others cover them. James stands there and fires rounds of a mortar tube. He hears a thud. O'DONNELL The door's closed! Don reaches in and pulls O'Donnel out. DON Stay here and shoot back! He looks at the Humvee. The three are positioned around different sections of the MRAP and shoot back at the assailants. DON (CONT’D) Cover me, I gotta move! O'DONNELL GOT IT, I got you! BELL On it! DON Moving! The two fire off a volley of shots as Don crosses to the burning Hummer. There he hears screams from the inside. They grow louder as he approaches. He looks at the Humvee. The engine's on fire alongside the driver's side. The driver RYAN, (24) panics and burns alive inside the vehicle. RYAN HELP ME! HELLLLPPP! SOMEONE FUCKING DO SOMETHING! Don makes his way over the door. The glass breaks and the entire Humvee is engulfed in flames. Screams ring out. Don's eyes widen as he tries to go around the Hummer, only to be met with another volley of gunfire. DON Oh, no... He looks around him. Soldiers sit frozen, while others are on radios calling for support. Others shoot back, while others tend to their wounds. Don takes a deep breath and takes out his M9. DON (CONT’D) I'm so sorry. He walks up to the burning Humvee. Don takes his Beretta and fires into the sitting positions in them. INT. MRAP - DAY Three of the soldiers ROSS, (20), BELL, (19), O'DONNELL, (18) inside freeze up in fear. A body lies in the middle of them. His nametape reads "Vazquez". DON GET THE FUCK OUT! They hold their rifles as they stare at the burning Humvee in front of them. Don taps one on the leg. DON (CONT’D) HEY! LET'S GO! The three wake up from their trance. Two get out from Don's side. One gets out from the side the fire comes from and gets lit up by the incoming fire. DON (CONT’D) Other way, moron! He opens the door as a round flies in and hits him in the chest. DON (CONT’D) Jesus, fuck! Don ducks down and takes out his Beretta. Bullets whiz past his head. EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY He hears a thud. O'DONNELL The door's closed! Don reaches in and pulls O'Donnel out. DON Stay here and shoot back! He looks at the Humvee. The three are positioned around different sections of the MRAP and shoot back at the assailants. DON (CONT’D) Cover me, I gotta move! O'DONNELL GOT IT, I got you! BELL On it! DON Moving! The two fire off a volley of shots as Don crosses to the burning Hummer. There he hears screams from the inside. They grow louder as he approaches. He looks at the Humvee. The engine's on fire alongside the driver's side. The driver RYAN, (24) panics and burns alive inside the vehicle. RYAN HELP ME! HELLLLPPP! SOMEONE FUCKING DO SOMETHING! Don makes his way over the door. The glass breaks and the entire Humvee is engulfed in flames. Screams ring out. Don's eyes widen as he tries to go around the Hummer, only to be met with another volley of gunfire. DON Oh, no... He looks around him. Soldiers sit frozen, while others are on radios calling for support. Others shoot back, while others tend to their wounds. Don takes a deep breath and takes out his M9. DON (CONT’D) I'm so sorry. He walks up to the burning Humvee. Don takes his Beretta and fires into the sitting positions in them. Each round fires wears on his face. One. Two. Three. He goes to take out the fourth person. His gun malfunctions and he clears it. He pulls the trigger once more. The world goes silent, then comes back. Bags form under his eyes. He carries a thousand yard stare. Don holsters his handgun and looks to his side. One of the wounded looks Don in the eyes with a look of fear. Don just nods at him, then peers out. Smoke covers his advance. He runs across and makes it to the Humvee over to JOHNSON, (19). JOHNSON YOU JUST FUCKING SHOT 'EM MAN! Like- Like dogs! Don stops the bleeding from Johnson's arm. DON Can you fight? JOHNSON You fucking murdered them! Don nods- DON I know. Johnson gives him a look of disgust. JOHNSON You're a fucking murderer, man! DON Not right now! Don runs over to the next vehicle and dodges another volley of bullets. A group of soldiers sits around a map. COLONEL TYLER, (mid- 40s) is in the middle of the group. He looks down at a map. TYLER ...Negative baseplate, we are 40 percent combat ineffective at this time, and cut off from the other half of our convoy. We are requesting a QRF at this time, how copy? The radio goes off. BASEPLATE (O.S.) Copy 1-1, we're sending ANA to assist. DON Oh that's bad. Don holds his handgun with both hands. He takes cover behind vehicles. Gunfire rings out around them. Don moves to another MRAP. DON (CONT’D) Friendly coming through! An insurgent rises above a hill and shows himself. He holds an AK in his hand. Don raises his Beretta dumps a magazine into the insurgent. The rounds land in the side of the AK. The insurgent points his rifle Don. It lets out a clack. Don drops the magazine to his Beretta. As Don reaches for an extra magazine, the insurgent charges at Don. PARKS (O.S.) They're right on us! The insurgent tackles Don to the ground and pushes his gun away. He begins to strangle Don. Don looks off to his side at Johnson. Johnson holds a rifle out and trains it on the insurgent's head, but sits there frozen in fear. Don reaches for his knife and slashes in the insurgent's leg. The man's leg heals itself in an instant. Don's eyes widen in shock. Don starts to lose consciousness. James runs over with an e-tool and bashes the insurgent's skull. The insurgent falls to the ground as James takes out a 9mm and fires two rounds into his head. Don rolls over and coughs. He tries to catch his breath. James looks over at Don. JAMES Stay down, doc! We'll find someone else! Don stands back up and coughs again. He walks over to a Humvee. DON I'm fine! James nods at Don and runs back to a mortar tube. Don stands back up and turns looks over at a group of officers. Don struggles to catch his breath. Behind Don, the soldier that loads mortar rounds takes a bullet in the head. A LIEUTENANT MARSTON, (24) stands behind Tyler. He carries a look of concern in his eyes, his inexperience shows as he struggles as he looks at a map. DON (CONT’D) Sir. Marston looks back at Don with a look of confusion. DON (CONT’D) I'm from vic five. A rocket goes off near them. The Lieutenant flinches. Don points to the burning wreckage of a Humvee. DON (CONT’D) We've got multiple wounded, our infantry guys are gone and done for. MARSTON What do you want me to do, Staff Sergeant? Don's eyes widen. DON I'm saying our guys are pinned down... MARSTON Where's your rifle, Sarn't? Don rolls his eyes. DON Fuck this. Don looks over his shoulder. Don turns around and makes his way back to their MRAP. Soldiers fire back at the insurgents above and below. Don looks at one that stands and takes shots with an M2 Browning on another MRAP. The soldier next to Don lays prone with a 240. TYLER (O.S.) ANA's currently engaged, we're not gonna see them for 20 minutes. Rounds fly past Don. DON FUCK! Don takes cover behind the MRAP, then looks at the soldier on the M2. DON (CONT’D) HEY! The soldier on the turret looks at him. Another explosion rings out and lands against the MRAP. Don's hands shake. He's not there anymore. Don's eyes widen and carry shock and confusion. The dust around him is kicked up. A volley of fire comes down next to him, then stops. He takes the chance to cross to the next Humvee. Parks sits on a 240 and continues to fire down below. He begins to reload. Don opens up the door to the interior of the MRAP. MRAP The soldier, a SPECIALIST THOMAS, (21) lies there. THOMAS Am I gonna be okay, doc? Something doesn't feel right, it feels a little chilly. Don chuckles. His stare changes from that of hope to sorrow. DON (muttering) Oh christ. Thomas has a blanket draped over his body. THOMAS Doc? I don't feel right, I just don't feel right. Half of Thomas's torso is missing. DON You're gonna die, that's what's happening. Thomas looks down at himself with wide eyes. He lets out a groan of pain as he looks at Don. THOMAS No, no, doc you're doc! You can make this better! A tear rolls down Don's eye. DON Not this- I can't do anything for this. Don grabs his hand. DON (CONT’D) Look at me Thomas, look at me. Thomas looks into his eyes. His breaths become more labored. DON (CONT’D) Who cares about you, Thomas? THOMAS M-My dog. She passed recently. DON Close your eyes. She's there waiting for you. It'll hurt a little bit, then you'll feel warm and all this pain goes away. Don holds Thomas's hand tight. Thomas closes his eyes. THOMAS Thank you, doc. Thomas's hand goes limp. Don throws the blanket over his now dead body. Don's hands continue to shake. Parks continues to suppress with the 240. DON P-Parks! Parks looks over at Don. PARKS What do you need?! DON H-help me get the wounded. Don steps away, covered in Thomas's blood. EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY Parks takes a look at Don. PARKS I'm sorr- DON Shut up! I'm gonna kill every last one of these fucks! Parks nods at him. PARKS Once I start firing, move! Don nods and takes out his 9mm. He chamber checks it. Parks lays down fire. Don moves across, 9mm in hand. Don takes out his handgun and fires at the insurgents below. Rounds ping off the metal of the Humvee around him. DON Parks, go! Parks moves to Don's position. Don reloads his handgun and throws the magazine off to the side. He loads a fresh magazine. DON (CONT’D) (pointing to the 240) You good? PARKS Yeah! Don moves to the other side of the turned over Humvee. He peers inside. It sits with all four soldiers unconscious inside. Don grabs them all out, one by one. He sets them out. Four soldiers run past Don. Don turns around and stops them. DON Get these guys to the front of the convoy! IND SOLDIER 1 You crazy?! Don just gives a glare. The soldier examines Don and nods at him. The group begins to pull the unconscious soldiers out of the turned over Humvee. Parks continues to fire back. They pick up the unconscious soldiers and continue to make their way to the front of the convoy. DON Parks! You got smokes? PARKS Thomas did! DON (mutters) Fuck. Don goes back into the MRAP MRAP Don looks away as he gropes around Thomas's vest. DON I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry... He reaches for a pouch and takes a smoke grenade from it. Don comes back to EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY blood covered smoke grenade in hand. Don looks at the other soldiers that carry wounded. DON Parks, stay with me! Don pops the smoke, clear exhaustion in his eyes. PARKS 10-4! Parks continues to lay down fire. He throws it out, bullets ping off the MRAP's metal. DON (waving them on) Go... Parks, with me! The smoke screen rises between the armored vehicles. Don cuts across the vehicles back to Diaz, Hernandez, and Conrad. Parks follows behind him. DON (CONT’D) We're getting out of here! CONRAD What about you?! DON I gotta get the rest of the wounded! CONRAD Well we're not leaving you alone, you fucking faggot! I want to be able to pop your sister's cherry at the funeral. Don has to hold back a smile. DON Fuck it! (chuckles) Hernandez, get reporter outta here! We got QRF on the way! Diaz looks back from his rifle. DIAZ Fuck you, I'm not leaving! This shit's story of the century, Paulsen! Don gives a small grin, then looks at Parks. DON You up for this? PARKS Fuck yeah, I am. Diaz has an eccstatic look in his eye. HERNANDEZ I'm with you, homes! DON Fuck it, let's do it. Move with me, I'm gonna clear the vehicles and check for wounded. I get fucked up, you pull me away. You move when I do. Sharpnel flies into Don's helmet, which causes him to fall back. CONRAD Doc! Conrad pulls him aside. Don takes his helmet off. DON FUCK! Conrad reaches out for Don. DON (CONT’D) I'm fine! (throwing his helmet to the side) Bastards! Let's go! Don moves to the next the vehicle, a turned over Humvee. Behind him, Parks, Diaz, and Conrad open fire Soldiers lie there in wounds. One soldier writhes around in pain and tries to hold his chest. Don takes out his IFAK and pulls out a chest seal kit. Don puts it on the soldier. The soldier's breathing normalizes. Don looks down at the name tape. DON (CONT’D) I'm gonna need to keep you here till the QRF gets here... The gunfire continues to ping off the metal of the Humvee. DON (CONT’D) Let's fucking go. Don looks at the other soldiers. One lies face down. He turns him over. DON (CONT’D) Ah, fuck. A bullet sits in his head. DON (CONT’D) Fuck. Don looks at another soldier. He has a round in his leg but lays there, unconscious. His leg continues to bleed. DON (CONT’D) Fuck... Don takes out another tourniquet and ties the soldier's leg off, then picks him up. DON (CONT’D) Hernandez, you got smokes?! HERNANDEZ Yeah! DON Pop one here, I'm gonna move this guy, get the other two! HERNANDEZ Got it! The smoke comes out as Hernandez picks up the other injured soldier. Don and Hernandez run through the smoke screens and make their way to the front of the convoy. Another A-10 strafes the mountains, its machine gun lights up the brush around it. An attack helicopter lights up the insurgents at the bottom of the hill. Rounds pass over Don's head. DON (mumbling) I don't care if I don't make it home, but fuck am I getting all of you assholes out of here... A Stryker appears in the distance as Don clears both smoke screens. Canadian troops and US Marines pour out of the armored vehicle. A Marine Corpsman, LANCE CORPORAL SHELBY, (20) comes out with a stretcher. SHELBY What's the situation, Sergeant?! A round pings off the top of the MRAP that Don and Shelby take cover behind. DON We got at least four critically wounded, and at least 14 seriously fucked! Another round pings off the top of the MRAP. DON (CONT’D) Get as many of the critical guys loaded up, how much armor do we got?! SHELBY We got this and two other Strykers on standby! DON Good! Don nods at this. Another A-10 strafes behind him. Other soldiers run through the gunfire and carry other wounded troops. They use the vehicles for cover. Don looks at Shelby. DON (CONT’D) You got this? Shelby nods. Soldiers carry their comrades past. The soldier with the sucking chest wound makes his way past him. SHELBY (O.S.) Critical first! Don moves through them. Other soldiers cover their push. Don moves past them, Beretta in hand. Many of the wounded still fight and hold rifles in their hand. Canadian soldiers pull many of these wounded away, the non injured soldiers providing cover fire for them. Don makes his way back to Diaz, Conrad, and Hernandez. DON We're gonna move again, come on! The three follow behind Don and give him covering fire as he moves to the second to last vehicles. Two dead soldiers lie on the ground with rounds in their heads. DON (CONT’D) Fuck... JAMES O'REILLY, (24) loads another mortar round into the tube. JAMES Doc, you think you can help me? Don puts up one finger. James nods at this. DON Lemme check the last vic! Two soldiers step out. One has a round in his leg, the other is blind. DON (CONT’D) Cover me! The group take positions and start to lay down fire for Don. Don makes a run forward- CONRAD (O.S.) RPG! Only for an explosion to go off, knocking Don back. James flies back and hits his head against the hood of the Humvee. Blood spatter goes on the front of the Humvee. Don lays there as gore falls all over his uniform. The blood stains his uniform and his face. Don makes his way up, then examines himself. Don screams as he looks at himself. Conrad runs over with a canteen. CONRAD (CONT’D) Come on, clean yourself off. He pours a canteen over his face. Don spits out a piece of human flesh. His hands shake as he vomits to his side. CONRAD (CONT’D) Doc? DON I'm-I'm okay, I'm okay... I gotta take care of him! Don points to James. His body shakes. James crawls behind the Humvee and looks at himself. JAMES Doc, everything looks fucked up man! You got a fucking tail, Paulsen! James looks at himself and shakes in fear. Don runs over to him and wraps a bandage around his bleeding head. DON Keep that there! CONRAD Doc, we'll take care of this. Hernandez, with me. Don looks at the blood all over him. He lets out one more scream. FADE TO BLACK. INT. STRYKER - DAY Don sits in the Stryker, a thousand yard stare in his eyes. DON (lighting a cigarette) We-We got everyone, right? A gunner looks down at Don. IND GUNNER Hey buddy, you know you can't smoke in here, right? Don glances at him, the things he's seen reflective in his look. The gunner looks away. IND GUNNER (CONT’D) I didn't see shit, never mind. The doors open to EXT. MILITARY BASE - DAY The sun shines into the vehicle as the ramp lowers. Don looks around. The uninjured soldiers all show looks of shock and confusion in their eyes. Don watches the scene around him as the wounded are taken away and the dead are covered with black blankets. He's still covered in the gore of his comrades. Conrad comes out of one of the three Strykers. He walks over to Don. Diaz stands there and looks through the photos on his camera. A medic walks up to Diaz. IND MEDIC 1 Mr. Diaz, come with us. They bring out a stretcher. Diaz shakes his head. Diaz has a bandage around his neck. He looks at Don, nods at him, and grins. He gives Don a thumbs up. DIAZ I'll walk, give it to someone who needs it. Diaz stands up and holds his bandaged neck. IND MEDIC 1 Alright, I'll walk you there then. DON (O.S.) (thinking) You didn't do enough. He looks at the 18 bodies in front of him. Another batch of medics comes in to take the medic. Medics take away a man in a stretcher. His leg is missing. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) (thinking) This is your fault. He looks down at ROGERS, (21). Rogers shoots him a smile and a nod. DON (CONT’D) (thinking) I'm this way because you weren't fast enough. Don continues to walk through the scores of wounded. CONRAD So far, we've got 18 dead and another 48 wounded. Don looks down. DON Who's in charge? CONRAD I was in with a bunch of privates and specialists. Lemme go check the other. James is taken away by stretcher. His arms are held down by restraints as two doctors wheel him off. DON Hey! What the fuck?! Don walks over to James. James reaches for Don's ass. JAMES You got a tail, doc! You got a fucking tail! The two medics take him away. Parks comes out and smokes a cigarette. PARKS There's only about 12 of us left in total. Conrad comes back. CONRAD Doc, you're the most senior out of all of us. DON Oh, fuck... Don looks both ways. The blood still sits on his face. DON (CONT’D) Yeah, yeah- Get 'em together. Don's cigarette goes out. He pulls out another Lucky Strike and lights it. The other soldiers look on in terror at Don. Don motions the other soldiers to follow him. Hernandez follows Conrad. The depression is visible in his eyes. They gather away from the Strykers to a spot by a road. Some stand at parade rest, some just stand and watch him. Don looks them over. They all carry thousand yard stares. Their clothing is stained in blood and dirt. Some of them have burns on their clothing. The fear in their eyes is palpable as they look at Don. There's blood and body parts all over his vest, bones are lodged into the cloth of his plate carrier. His face is covered in ash. Don takes off his gloves. DON (CONT’D) (takes the cigarette out of his mouth) At ease. Turn your weapons in to the armory, get yourselves cleaned up, and come back here to await further orders. It's been a bad day. Get back here in two hours, hooah? GROUP (in near unison) Hooah, staff sergeat. DON Get the fuck outta here. The group heads off. A rifle still slung around his shoulder, Don walks alone. He passes by NICK FLETCHER, (34). He wears UK DPM camo and a pair of jeans. NICK Mate? Don looks at him. He says nothing and continues to walk forward. He checks behind him. No one seems to pay any mind to him. Don walks into a stall and closes the door behind him. INT. SHOWER STALL - DAY The screams ring out in his mind. Don vomits into the drain. His hands shake as he takes his handgun out. Don sobs in pain as he looks at his handgun. The screams only grow stronger in his mind. He gives a tired grin. Don puts his blood soaked Beretta to his skull. He brings the hammer down and puts his finger on the trigger. He stands up and turns away from the door. The blood washes away as Don steps into the shower. He lets the water run down him for a moment, his finger still there. The door comes down behind him as Nick and Parks tackle him down. Tears roll down Don's eyes as the water begins to clean the blood and dirt off around him. DON LET ME FUCKING DIE GOD DAMN IT, I DESERVE IT! IT'S MY FAULT THEY'RE ALL FUCKED UP! I HURT THEM! NICK Be reasonable here, mate! DON (CONT’D) Fuck you, Nick you weren't there! You don't know what I did. Nick just gives Don a look of genuine empathy. NICK I was. Parks takes throws the handgun and rifle out, then zip ties Don's hands. DON (sobs) Just let me die, it's my fault that they're fucked up, I'm the reason they're all fucked up... GO TO: INT. POLICE ACADEMY - DAY Don runs alongside a formation of other younger, police academy recruits. DON (O.S.) I got out of the court martial. Everyone thought I was justified given the circumstances of the situation. Got a Distinguished Service Cross for what I did- Or didn't do. Don stands at attention. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) I was an alcoholic when I got out. An academy INSTRUCTOR looks down at a clipboard. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) Wife helped me get through that I guess. INSTRUCTOR TRAINEE PAULSEN! FRONT AND CENTER! DON (O.S.) Didn't really prepare me for the other shit, though. DON (CONT’D) SIR YES SIR! Don runs to the front of the formation and stands there, his face looks forward. He's the sharpest in the group. INSTRUCTOR REPORT TO CAPTAIN MCDOWELL, NOW! DON Sir yes sir! CAPTAIN MCDOWELL, (mid-50s) and LIEUTENANT MORETTI, (mid-40s) are in the room with him. MCDOWELL Have a seat, son. DON Yes, sir. MORETTI Ass kissing already? You're great for job, chump. Don looks up at Moretti. MORETTI (CONT’D) The fuck you lookin' at? DON The guy that's about to get my fist across his fucking face. MORETTI You want to go tough guy? MCDOWELL Gentlemen! The two stop. Don takes a deep breath. MCDOWELL (CONT’D) I'll get to brass tacks here, Paulsen. We got a gang war brewing in Hartford. DETECTIVE RUSSO, (32) comes into the room. MCDOWELL (CONT’D) We need a man of your expertise. Russo here is an ex-Green Beret. Don looks at Russo. He's rugged and has a beard with his tanned skin. DON Yeah, I can kinda tell. RUSSO Your name English? DON Yeah, why? EXT. ALLEYWAY - DAY Don walks up to an Irish mobster. The mobster stands there in front of a door and smokes a cigarette. RUSSO (O.S.) You'll need to do a bit of extra work with them, they like theatrics. It's what impresses 'em. Don walks up to him, says something, then punches him across the jaw. He pulls out a grenade and walks inside to INT. MANAGEMENT OFFICE - DAY DON (O.S.) I worked with the SAS, I know a thing or two about that. Don kicks the door in. SARAH, MICKEY, and JONATHAN (mid-20s) point guns at Don. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) Why me though? The other mobsters pull guns on Don. MCDOWELL (O.S.) We've been watching trainees and you seem to have a flair for the unconventional. Don grips the grenade. DON Go ahead. I drop this spoon and we all meet God in three seconds. The boss watches Don. He puts a cigarette out into the ashtray in front of him. Don takes a seat in front of JOHN BRADLEY, (mid-40s). He puts his grenade hand on the table in front of him. Don shoots him a grin. DON (CONT’D) How's your day going? JOHN You walked in here to ask how my day's going? How many of my guys did you take out? DON Three, pretty bad too. They're not dead, but they're gonna have some nasty hangovers. John nods. JOHN Well you don't look like any cop I've ever seen. Don shakes his head. DON My wife is one, but she's on the payroll. Yours, precisely. JOHN And you want us to take her off it. DON No, I want you to put me on it. John looks around at his goons. He chuckles, puffs on his cigarette, and looks around. JOHN You got balls, I'll give you that. I'll consider it. Don looks at the open door behind him for a moment. DON Well, while you ponder that. Don takes out a business card with his free hand, then slides it across the table. DON (CONT’D) Have a good day, gentlemen. JOHN Did I tell you this conversation was over? DON I'm the one holding the grenade. JOHN Very well. I never caught your name. DON Paulsen. JOHN Not bad for an Englishman then. Don stands up and still holds the grenade as he looks the other henchmen in the eye. The grenade lands inside the room. The door closes behind Don. JOHN (CONT’D) JESUS CHRIST! The group scrambles to get out. The grenade lets smoke out. EXT. STREET - DAY DON (O.S.) I think I got that covered. Don jumps into his Mustang, starts it, and drives off. Smoke comes out of a second story window behind him. EXT. HOUSE - DAY Jackie leads a man, TRAVIS RODGERS, (28) into the house. She grabs his crotch and kisses him on the lips. MCDOWELL (O.S.) You'll be answering to your wife. And she answers to me and Moretti directly. No one else knows about this. Ash sees this and walks in the other direction. She looks down in sadness. EXT. STREET - NIGHT Two cars pull up beside each other. Their occupants shoot it out. DON (O.S.) What do you need me to do exactly? MCDOWELL (O.S.) Take out the Italians. Both sides take casualties. DON (O.S.) How? Don steps out of one of the vehicles. Sarah gets out of the door behind him, 1911 in hand. MCDOWELL (O.S.) We got a man embedded with the Italians. We need you to work with the Irish. See if you can create losses on both sides. Then uniformed officers should take care of the rest. Don holds an AR. Sarah walks over to the other car. DON (O.S.) You fucking serious? MORETTI (O.S.) You got shit in your ears, smartass? DON (O.S.) Don't you think me and others are gonna get caught in the crossfire? Russo lays on the ground and holds his neck. He reaches out to Don. His face changes to that of one of Don's four squadmates from the convoy. Sarah walks over and puts a bullet in his head. She looks at Don and shrugs. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) Sure, I'll do it. GO TO: INT. HOUSE - DAY Don types an email to a Mark.Diaz@gmail.com. The subject line reads, "Help me." INT. ITALIAN DELI - NIGHT A car sits crashed into a deli. Other mobsters follow Don inside. A mobster steps out of his car. He reaches into the backseat of it and pulls a little girl from it. He wraps the girl's arm around his neck and carries her. Don catches up to him and raises his rifle. The two exchange looks. Muzzle flash. Don's eyes look at this in despair. Behind him, the others give him glad looks. Sarah walks up next to him. She looks at what he did and looks down in sorrow next to him. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT Don bursts into the house. DON JACKIE! Jackie bursts out of her bedroom. Ash watches behind her. JACKIE Do you know what time it is? Stop yelling! DON We need to talk. I want out. I want out so fucking bad. JACKIE You know it doesn't work that way, right? DON I know about Ben and the other guy too, Jackie. After everything I've done for you and your fucking career! This is what you do for me? JACKIE It's not like that! You're never here! DON Oh, and whose fucking fault is that?! JACKIE You're the one who took the job, Don! You knew what you were gonna have to do! DON I was gonna have to kill a mobster and his kid?! Is that what it is?! JACKIE You should stop being a fucking pussy, Don! For someone who spent a third of their life in the sandbox- DON Shut your fucking mouth, Jackie! Ash watches this from her bedroom. JACKIE I WANT YOU OUT OF MY LIFE, DONOVAN! DON Have it your way, you bitch! Don looks at Ash. His face changes to that of genuine concern. Jackie lets out a scream of anger. She slams her door. DON (O.S.) (CONT’D) For two weeks I applied for jobs before I ended up at Sentinel Securities. Wasn't a good time for me or Ash. I just hope that everything I did was worth it.