The Prisoners of Quai Dong by nd2000

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Victor Kolpacoffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

THE PRISONERS OF QUAI DONG Adapted to the stage by Harold Willis

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Cast of Characters Russell:

Kreuger:

Cowley:

Lt. Buckley:

Sergeant McGruder

Sergeant Nguyen

Finley

Dr. Mason

The Boy

17 Scene

The play takes place in Vietnam. Time 1971

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Act 1 Setting:

The inside of a tin shed.

At rise: One small light bulb illuminates the room. It is about thirty feet long and half as wide. There are no windows. The floor is dirt. To the right of back stage center is a tool rack. It stands as high as a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head. Deeper back to SL and SR where the light does not reach are dark coils of rope and wire cable. The walls of the room are of corrugated tin and in the dim light the effect is of prison bars. A little off stage center toward SR is a work table. It is made of heavy sheet metal with strong vises at either end. The only thing new in the room are the army cots; about four of them placed against the walls. Slightly to the right of back stage center is a low door. It is open a little and a shaft of light from a white hot noon day sun shines in. At curtain the room is empty. Through the partly open doorway can be heard voices and the approaching sound of men marching.

[OS] RUSSELL (OS) Come this way please. Inside please. [Two men in striped prisonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniforms, Kreuger and Cowley, enter. As Russell starts to follow them in through the doorway] Wait here for Lieutenant Buckley. [Cowley is stocky, strong, very ordinary looking, around twenty or twenty-one. His eyes adjusting to the dim light.] COWLEY What do you suppose they want with us? [Kreuger is twenty-five, medium build. There is a resigned quality about him as if he had made peace with himself and his situation.] 3

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KREUGER I don’t know. COWLEY [Moving about] Jesus, there’s not even a window in here. [Pause] Have you ever thought about escaping? KREUGER It can’t be done. COWLEY But have you? KREUGER Escape from Quai Dong? It’s impossible. COWLEY Ever think about it? KREUGER Of course I’ve thought about it. Where would you go? To the north and east there’s only the peninsula. And the sand dunes. To the south and west nothing but the foothills and the jungles. COWLEY Some have made it. KREUGER And their bodies have come back. COWLEY [Sighing] Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right. KREUGER [After a long moment] Cowley, how long were you in the army? COWLEY Two years. KREUGER What you do to get up here? 4

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COWLEY [Pausing, then smiling at him] I knocked my lieutenant’s teeth out at a bar in Saigon. [Clowning] Wanna see how I did it? KREUGER Come on… COWLEY [Closing in on him] He was facing me, about to throw his mean left again… KREUGER Come on Cowley, it’s too hot to fool… You get more like an ape every day. COWLEY [Making like an ape moves toward Kreuger again] KREUGER Cut it out. I got a typhoid shot this morning. COWLEY Got mine yesterday. You’ll have a reaction later on. Feel sick, dizzy, fever, probably throw up. KREUGER Will you shut up? COWLEY [Moves restlessly around the room, then sits looking at Kreuger] KREUGER [After a long pause] I know there are no sights to amuse you in here, but, do you have to stare? COWLEY Sorry about that. [Then looking at him again] You know something? Nobody knows why you’re here. Most everybody knows why everybody else is here, but nothing about you. KREUGER Good.

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COWLEY The first day I was here, in fact the first work detail I was on with you, Smith told me not to pay any attention to you if you didn’t speak to me. He said you didn’t talk much to anybody. KREUGER That’s the way I like it. COWLEY What were you before the army got you? KREUGER A genius! COWLEY Then what are you doing here. [STRONG SOUNDS OF DISTANT ARTILLERY ARE HEARD] Hey man, those are big ones. KREUGER [Suddenly tensing] Eight inchers. Fifteen, twenty miles from here. COWLEY That’s the first time we’ve had it that close to Quai Dong. What do you make of it? KREUGER Nothing. CROWLEY Killing some fresh heroes. They never remember how bad the old ones smell. LT. BUCKLEY (OS) Is he here? RUSSELL (OS) Yes sir. Inside. [Lt. Buckley enters. He is a handsome, trim officer of twentyfour. He is followed by Sergeant McGruder, a powerfully built man 6

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of twenty-six or so; and Sergeant Nguyen, a precise, slightly built Vietnamese of thirty. They are followed by the Staff Sergeant, who guides a young Vietnamese prisoner. His hands are tied behind his back. The Staff Sergeant moves him down SR against the wall, out of the center of light.] LT. BUCKLEY Which one is Kreuger? LT. BUCKLEY [Studies Kreuger a moment, then glancing at Cowley] Who the hell are you? COWLEY Private Cowley, sir, number two forty two. BUCKLEY [Snapping] I don’t give a damn who you are. I want to know what you’re doing here. [Glares suspiciously at Cowley] I wanted Krueger. What the hell went wrong? COWLEY [Nervous] I was called out of line just like Kreuger. [ALL ARE SILENT. COWLEY STARTS MOVING QUIETLY TOWARD THE DOOR] BUCKLEY [Turning around, stopping him] Oh no you don’t. You’re in this with the rest of us now. [Pointing to Russell] Post him outside the door and keep him there, away from any contact with the rest of the camp. Now get out of here. [RUSSELL EXITS. COWLEY MOVES UNEASILY BACK AGAINST THE BACK STAGE WALL] BUCKLEY 7

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[To Kreuger, business at hand again, Cowley forgotten.] This is Sergeant McGruder and Sergeant Nguyen, our ARVN interpreter. I’m Lt. Buckley. Do you still remember your Vietnamese? KREUGER A little. BUCKLEY Good. [Turing toward the prisoner, a boy of seventeen] We’re going to conduct a short interrogation. COWLEY [Under his breath] Jesus H. Christ. NGUYEN [Bringing The Boy closer in by table] We will require more light. BUCKLEY [To McGruder] Put the bulb in. [McGruder takes a bulb from a small pack. Stands on table and screws it in. Kreuger moves away toward Cowley. Face of prisoner can now be seen to be smeared with blood around his mouth.] BUCKLEY [During above] The interrogation shouldn’t be very difficult should it? NGUYEN We shall see. BUCKLEY I want the information fast. NGUYEN [Patiently] Such things take time, Lieutenant.

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BUCKLEY Not a long time! NGUYEN We shall see. [Closely examines The Boy’s face] We must begin properly. BUCKLEY All right but fast. [To others] You all know why we’re here and what we have to do. McGRUDER [Jumps down from table, looks threateningly at the prisoner] Let’s get it started. BUCKLEY No, we’re going to do it properly. McGRUDER [Shrugs and moves away] BUCKLEY Now listen to me, we’re a rest camp and a military stockade. We don’t have the right people to do this kind of job, but we’re going to do the best we can and get it over with. Now I’ve got a Vietnamese interpreter who says this may take a long time. Do any of you think you can do better than that? McGRUDER Let me have him, Lieutenant. BUCKLEY [Ignoring him] Kreuger? KREUGER I don’t know what you want. COWLEY [Whispering as he digs his fingers into the back of Kreuger’s arm] Keep out of it! KREUGER Are we counted as interrogators or convicts? [Evenly, straight in the eye to Buckley] 9

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Or witnesses? BUCKLEY You’re here as an officer. KREUGER What about Cowley? BUCKLEY [Pausing, frowning up at the light] We’ve had trouble from a local guerrilla outfit for a month. We need your help. Forget the stockade. KREUGER I thought the district was pacified. BUCKLEY Yeah, it is. We want it to stay that way. KREUGER What’s the kid got to do with it? McGRUDER [Slowly turning around] We took him off the Weichu road. He was trying to get through our patrols. KREUGER What will happen to him? BUCKLEY Leave that to us. [Abruptly turns to Nguyen] Are you ready, Sergeant? NGUYEN I am ready, Lieutenant. [Kreuger and Cowley move to a cot against the wall SL. NOTE: The following exchange between Kreuger and Cowley goes on simultaneously with the following exchange between Buckley and Nguyen. The Buckley-Nguyen exchange is quietly intense, not intended to be clearly understood. It 10

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would be an ad lib, except they have specific lines. The dialogue between Kreuger and Cowley, although whispered at first, is definitely to be heard above the other.] COWLEY Why’d did they bring you here? KREUGER I know some Vietnamese. COWLEY They’ve got a translator. What the hell do they need you for? KREUGER We’ll soon find out. COWLEY Use your head! Guys in the rest camp go back to the States after a year out here. They can talk and make trouble. KREUGER So? COWLEY We’re easy to keep quiet because we aren’t going anywhere. And that means that bastard Buckley is up to something. I’ve seen interrogations before. BUCKLEY [To Nguyen during above exchange] Now remember I want it fast. NGUYEN It cannot be done fast. BUCKLEY It must. NGUYEN It cannot be. BUCKLEY How long? 11

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NGUYEN I will require at least a day to make him talk. BUCKLEY A day! NGUYEN At least. BUCKLEY A whole day? NGUYEN Lieutenant, this requires time… BUCKLEY [On hearing the last lines of above exchange between Kreuger and Cowley, abruptly turns on them] This is not a joke! We’ve finally got a prisoner of war that can tell us everything we need to know and our Vietnamese ally says he’ll need at least a day to make him talk. McGRUDER They might attack again sometime tonight. BUCKLEY You don’t need to tell me that! [Earnestly to Kreuger] they’ve hit us everywhere. In six weeks they’ve cost us fifty casualties, and as far as we know we haven’t killed one of them yet—And he’s one of them. He’s a Victor Charlie. [Looking down to Kreuger as if to gauge the effect of his words.] KREUGER [None of it any longer having meaning to him, does not try to hide it.] BUCKLEY [Frowning with disapproval.] Show the lieutenant what the prisoner was carrying. McGRUDER 12

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[Holding a string of grenades up to the light.] They were rolled inside the little bastard’s blanket. BUCKLEY Recognize them? They’re Chinese, in a North Vietnamese Army sling. KREUGER I can see. BUCKLEY It’s clear that he was running supplies for the guerrillas. And medicine. All we have to do is make him tell us where he was meeting his contact, and our job is finished. [Casting one last official look around the room] Saigon says that this zone is a military backwater. A rest camp and a stockade. According to the brass, we have nothing to do out here but sit on our ass and play cards. We’re a joke in Saigon bars. I’ve heard it. Well now, we’ve got a little operation of our own, This kid is our first break. He can lead us to their base and supplies, and by God we’re going to make him do just that. Untie him. McGRUDER [Unties The Boy’s hands] BUCKLEY All right, Sergeant, he’s yours. [As Nguyen begins, Buckley almost immediately starts moving back and forth from one wall to the next as if he cannot control himself now that his ignorance of the language has forced him to surrender the proceedings to Nguyen] NGUYEN [Examines The Boy’s hands, then suddenly begins questioning him in a quiet, controlled voice, but with a razor’s edge to it.] Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY [Speaking humbly, in a low voice] From the dead soldier.

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NGUYEN Was he American? THE BOY North Vietnamese. NGUYEN Where was he? THE BOY On the road to Weichu. NGUYEN There are no dead soldiers there. THE BOY He was in a ditch. NGUYEN Why did you take the grenades? THE BOY To protect myself. NGUYEN Where did you get the medicine? THE BOY From the dead soldier. NGUYEN Soldiers of the Democratic Republic of North Vietnam do not carry penicillin and morphine! THE BOY This one did, sir. NGUYEN Where were you taking your supplies? THE BOY I was going to Saigon, to my sister. NGUYEN 14

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The Weichu Road does not go to Saigon. THE BOY There was fighting on the other side of the hills. I was afraid to go that way. NGUYEN Where were you told to meet your comrades? THE BOY I am alone, sir. I was only going to my sister. Our parents are dead. INTERROGATION CONTINUES INAUDIBLY IN BACKGROUND KREUGER [As Buckley stops pacing near him] How do you know he’s a guerilla? COWLEY [Nudging him hard] Keep quiet. BUCKLEY [Snapping] What are you talking about! McGRUDER [Moving toward them] We caught this little son of a bitch red handed, and we’ re not gonna let him off! McGRUDER Throw the Chinaman out of here, Lieutenant. Let’s do it our way. He’s wasting time! I can make him squeal like a monkey. BUCKLEY [Ignores him, continues pacing around, nervously smoking] COWLEY [Quietly to Kreuger] Do you really think he’s a Cong? KREUGER Maybe. Or maybe he’s just taking stuff to Saigon black market. But it’s none of my business.

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COWLEY You better believe it isn’t. And quit talking to Buckley. Just keep quiet. BUCKLEY [To Nguyen, as he stops near him] Hurry up. We’re wasting time. McGRUDER He’s afraid to hurt him. NGUYEN [Stopping wherever he happens to be in the cycle of questions] Not true! Lieutenant, that is not… BUCKLEY Come on! We don’t know when the guerrillas will attack again. [Looking down at Kreuger] Every minute we lose may cost an American his life. NGUYEN It will require patience. He is very strong. McGRUDER Like hell he is. God damn prissy… NGUYEN [Contemptuously] I do not mean physical strength. I mean a stubborn spirit, which is much stronger. That is why you must not injure him again. Pain will not break his spirit. It will only kill his body. We must exhaust him McGRUDER If I hit him he’ll talk. NGUYEN No, he will only die.. McGRUDER [Threatening motion to Nguyen] Youuu… BUCKLEY Keep away! [Turning to Nguyen] How much longer do you think it will take?

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NGUYEN [Studying The Boy’s face intently] Two, maybe three days. BUCKLEY But you said it would only be a day and a night. NGUYEN [Straightening up and facing him] I did not know then how strong he was. BUCKLEY We can’t wait that long. The major will never stand for it. McGRUDER Let me have him, Lieutenant. BUCKLEY [Ignores him, turns to Kreuger] What do you think? KREUGER It’s none of my business. BUCKLEY I’m only asking your opinion. KREUGER I don’t have one. BUCKLEY [Looks at The Boy, then back to Kreuger, shrugs] Do what you can, Nguyen. NGUYEN Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY From the dead soldier. BACKGROUND RESUMPTION OF INTERROGATION – COWLEY 17

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What’s he saying? KREUGER It’s meaningless, he’s just asking him questions. COWLEY It sounds like he’s saying the same thing over and over again. KREUGER He is. COWLEY Why? KREUGER Simple exhaustion. To wear him down. He’s trying to beat the boy’s mind into a shapeless mass, and in it, like splinter of broken glass, he’ll find what he’s been looking for. But it looks like the end is a long way off. COWLEY And you speak Vietnamese. KREUGER Only about two thousand words. COWLEY [Knowingly] That’s enough. KREUGER [Realizing] Of course. COWLEY Yes. KREUGER [Instantly across Buckley] If I’m supposed to be Nguyen’s replacement? I won’t do it. I’ll go back to the stockade first.

the

room

BUCKLEY [Friendly] Here, sit down. Can you understand what they’re saying to each other?

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KREUGER [Listening a moment] Yes, I can understand them. BUCKLEY Good. For now, all I want you to do is listen to what they say. Don’t let a word slip by, not one word. We’d be fools to trust Nguyen. KREUGER They’re only repeating the same thing. It’s meaningless. BUCKLEY I don’t care. We’ll let him do it his way for now; but they’re both Vietnamese and they’ll try to stick together. KREUGER I’ve never seen an interrogation before. BUCKLEY If Nguyen doesn’t break him soon, we’ll have to do it ourselves. KREUGER [Crosses to Cowley] COWLEY Buckley thinks you’re his man. KREUGER Let him think it. COWLEY Are you? Look out! [McGruder suddenly lashes out, throws Nguyen aside and knocks The Boy down.] NGUYEN You are a fool. McGRUDER He’ll talk now, by God. NGUYEN You are a fool Sergeant McGruder! You are a barbarian! McGRUDER 19

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I swear to God I’ll kill him if you don’t get it over with. NGUYEN You think then he’ll talk? BUCKLEY [Calmly] Get over there. If you attack the prisoner again I’ll have you put in detention. [McGruder moves to a far corner BUCKLEY Kreuger, see if the prisoner is all right. NGUYEN [Helping Kreuger stand The Boy up] He is all right. [Nguyen takes The Boy from Kreuger and drags him back to the light, but when he releases him The Boy falls again.] NGUYEN You see that we cannot go on. BUCKLEY Stand him up. NGUYEN It is no use if he cannot speak. BUCKLEY All right, bring a medic. COWLEY They’re all down in the stockade giving shots. BUCKLEY Get one up here then. COWLEY It’s outside the gate. BUCKLEY Damn it I don’t care where it is! I gave you an order! I want a medic in here and I want him fast.

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[Cowley exits without a word. Nguyen, Buckley and Kreuger remain silent. Buckley notices Kreuger looking at him.] BUCKLEY I don’t like this any better than you do. But it’ll end as soon as he talks. KREUGER Do you want the truth or a confession? BUCKLEY [Turning away to Nguyen] Are you sure he’s not faking? NGUYEN He is not conscious, Lieutenant. [After another long moment of silence Cowley enters with Finley, a young medic of nineteen.] FINLEY He’s bleeding! BUCKLEY Check his forehead [Finley cleans and bandages The Boy’s head then gives him a shot] All right. Can he stand up? FINLEY Yes sir, I guess so. BUCKLEY (to Nguyen) Get back to work.

NGUYEN [Stands The Boy up and begins again, with a new sense of urgency in his voice. From time to time The Boy 21

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jumps or makes an involuntary movement as Nguyen jabs him in the groin whenever he pauses in his answers.] Where did you get the grenades? [Intensely] Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY From the soldier. NGUYEN [His hand threatening] Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY From the dead soldier. NGUYEN Was he American? THE BOY North Vietnamese. NGUYEN Where was he? THE BOY The road... on the road. NGUYEN Where was he!? THE BOY On the road to Weichu. NGUYEN There are no dead soldiers there. THE BOY He was in a ditch.

NGUYEN 22

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Why did you take the grenades? THE BOY To protect myself. [Nguyen and The Boy cycle continues in rhythm again during the following dialogue] FINLEY [Sitting next to Kreuger and Cowley on a cot] What’s going on? KREUGER Nothing… guerrillas. FINLEY Oh. Is he really a guerrilla? KREUGER [Shrugging] Most likely. FINLEY I’ve never seen a guerrilla before. [Stares fascinated at Nguyen and The Boy as their cycle of questions continues. Then straining forward to see.] He’s using a knife on him. The tip of a knife! [Horrified, rushes to Nguyen] You‘re torturing him! BUCKLEY Sit down! NGUYEN Where were you taking the supplies? THE BOY I was going to Saigon, to my sister. [Kreuger and Cowley protectingly take Finley back to the cot]

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FINLEY He’s torturing him. INTERROGATION CONTINUES COWLEY [Looking at The Boy] I thought the little fellow had a chance of winning, but with Nguyen using that knife on him… KREUGER That’s not going to happen. [Crosses to Buckley] Release me. Let me go back to the stockade. BUCKLEY To the stockade? KREUGER I want to leave. BUCKLEY Of course you can leave, Kreuger,. But let me warn you. You’ll do penal march for the rest of your time at Quai Dong. Have you seen the sand dunes? KREUGER I’ve seen them. BUCKLEY The major has ordered me to seal this room off. No one leaves unless he’s under special orders, and no one enters who isn’t prepared to sit it out with us. We’ve got a prisoner, Lieutenant, and the word isn’t getting out—not through anyone. COWLEY [As Kreuger sits by him again] We are totally fucked. KREUGER I’m ready for him. COWLEY Are you afraid? I know you’re not afraid to hurt a man. KREUGER 24

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It’s easy with a machine gun at two hundred meters. COWLEY But will it be so easy sticking a boy, even with quarter of an inch of knife, when you’re forced to look into his face as you do it? Have you noticed, Nguyen never takes his eyes off of his face. KREUGER I won’t do it. COWLEY Are you sure? END OF SCENE 1

SCENE 2 FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER Kreuger, Cowley, Finley and Buckley in same position. Nguyen is in background with The Boy NGUYEN Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY From the dead soldier. NGUYEN Was he American? Was he American? THE BOY North Vietnamese. NGUYEN Where was he? THE BOY On the road to Weichu. NGUYEN There are no dead soldiers there. 25

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THE BOY He was in a ditch. [The Nguyen-Boy cycle continues. Buckley and Kreuger remain standing by watching] BUCKLEY Sergeant Nguyen, what is the reason for this senseless line of questioning? It’s useless. It’s getting us nowhere! NGUYEN [Calmly, patiently] Lieutenant, I have dealt with many boys this age. They are very strongwilled, but they lack endurance. One must outlast them until they beg you to permit them to confess. Eventually the interrogation turns the victim into the cause of his own torment. BUCKLEY Then why isn’t it working? NGUYEN If we are patient he will collapse and answer any question you put to him. BUCKLEY [Skeptical] You don’t give him a chance to confess. NGUYEN Ah, I do, but you do not listen. Each time he refuses to confess, I start from the beginning. He will not know how long it will be before I will give him another chance to escape by giving up his information. BUCKLEY So! NGUYEN Right now he thinks only of his comrades. In time he will come to blame himself. BUCKLEY I hope he realizes it’s all his fault. NGUYEN 26

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He will. And then he will accuse himself to us and it will be over. BUCKLEY All right go on. But be quick. Be quick about it. INTERROGATION RESUMES BUCKLEY Why is it such a slow process? Christ! How much can he take? KREUGER It’s not punishment. You’re witnessing the killing of a mind. [Buckley abruptly turns away. Kreuger moves back to his cot. All sit listening as the cycle continues. Buckley continues to pace nervously around, as if caught up in a maddening dance] McGRUDER [Leaping to his feet] I can’t take any more monkey talk! [No one pays him any attention. After a moment he sits down again.] COWLEY [To Kreuger, who is beginning to breathe heavily] What’s the matter? KREUGER Nothing… it’s the typhoid shot I guess. BUCKLEY [Coming up to him] Where are the questions now, Kreuger? I don’t think Nguyen is making any progress.

KREUGER That depends on how you look at it. The boy’s fainted once, not counting the time McGruder knocked him down.

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BUCKLEY I don’t like this any more than you do. Anyway, it’s no harder for him than it is for us. KREUGER [Moving away toward an empty cot] We’re not being tortured. BUCKLEY [Following him] Listen, I’ll put a stop to this as soon as he tells me what I have to know! KREUGER Maybe he told Nguyen everything. BUCKLEY No, the kid’s lying. I know he is. And we have a moral duty to get the truth out of him. We have to sacrifice our good will toward this boy, no matter how painful it might be for us to see. KREUGER You seem very eager to sacrifice yourself. BUCKLEY For Christ’s sake, the kid’s a communist! KREUGER How do you know? BUCKLEY Look Kreuger. There’s no other way out. We’ll have the blood of a hundred men on our hands if we don’t see this thing through to a finish The guerrillas could be hitting us somewhere right now, while we sit here arguing! You don’t have a right to do nothing when something like this has been dropped in your lap and the fate of a hundred of our… KREUGER Why do you keep saying a hundred of our men? Does that make it easier for you to have your way with this boy? BUCKLEY Do you believe I… KREUGER I believe - I certainly want to believe that you only want to save American lives. But the boy’s real. Your hundred men – 28

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BUCKLEY – You can’t get away with this Kreuger, Either you’re with the kid, or with us – You’re the only one who understands what he’s saying – the only one that can bring this to a close. I don’t trust Nguyen. . All I want is information. So help me God that’s all I want! Do you understand? KREUGER Yeah – I understand. I’ll translate for you. But that’s all. [McGruder crosses over and sits on the cot beside Kreuger and Buckley. Kreuger starts to rise, but much weaker now from the effects of his typhoid shot, sits down again and leans back against the wall.] McGRUDER You’re still letting him off, Lieutenant. Give the kid a forty-five and he’ll kill every man in this room. This is a Viet Cong terrorist, Lieutenant. This is the enemy! KREUGER [Hating him and also fearing him, keeps his eyes on Nguyen.] You don’t know that. He may be only what he says he is. McGRUDER Shut your mouth, jailbird! I’ve been in this war since the day it started. I learned about my Vietnamese the hard way, and you ain’t gonna tell me a thing. KREUGER Once, in my platoon, I had a man like you. The Army was his license to kill. McGRUDER [Grabbing Kreuger’s open collar] You… [Kreuger starts to stop him, then stops.] That’s right, don’t even try. I’m a Sergeant, you’re a convict. BUCKLEY Let him go. Are you all right? KREUGER 29

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I’m okay. BUCKLEY Don’t put your hands on him again. McGRUDER [Grunting an apology] I came in at Danang before anybody else got into this stinkin’ mess. Believe me, Lieutenant, this little devil we’ve got knows every trick in their book. KREUGER But the kid is helplessBUCKLEY - not if you put him behind a thirty-caliber machine gun. Look. The villagers help them. No one’s on our side out here. KREUGER Then what are we doing here if… BUCKLEY If you aren’t going to help us, at least don’t stand in our way. KREUGER [Slowly realizing] My God, now I get it! you want my consent don’t you. The more of us who share responsibility for this, the less you can be held accountable later on, No one’s guilty if everyone’s an accomplice. Leave me out of it. BUCKLEY If we get the information out of the kid you won’t go back to the stockade. I have special orders from the major, and I’m telling you exactly what they are, Kreuger. You’ll get a full reinstatement to rank. Do you remember how good it was when you were an officer? Do you remember? KREUGER Yes. I remember. BUCKLEY Well you’ll have it again. Believe me it can be done. KREUGER Get away from me. BUCKLEY 30

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But first, you have to cooperate with us. The major is in a hurry. KREUGER [Weakly struggles to his feet, starts to move away, speaks almost to himself] The typhoid. COWLEY [Helping him to his cot] What’s happening? What did you do? KREUGER Nothing. [McGruder and Buckley slowly move to either side of the table. McGruder takes Nguyen by the arm and draws him to one side. There is a sudden silence in the room. Finley covers his ears as though it is unbearable. McGruder, now reaches out his big hand and takes The Boy by the throat, while he slowly draws his, other hand, clenched in a massive fist, under The Boy’s face. He turns his fist this way and that in the light, forcing The Boy to look at it.] COWLEY [Seeing the above] So you gave in. KREUGER [Also seeing now, weakly] No, that’s not what I meant. That’s not what I wanted. NGUYEN [Slightly afraid] Please, you must not do this. [McGruder ignores Nguyen and draws his fist a few inches away from the Boy’s head, then brings it back against his skull, knocking The Boy to the ground.]

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NGUYEN [Coming to life, screaming] Do you want to kill him? Is that what you want? BUCKLEY Finley, fix the prisoner. NGUYEN I have worked for many hours. He is growing weak. Do not ruin everything. [Finley looks to Kreuger for help, then goes slowly to The Boy and gives him another shot.] BUCKLEY Put him on his feet. NGUYEN Wait. If you are going to do this. You must do it properly. It is more difficult than you imagine. I also have much experience in physical compulsion. Above all we must not damage the head. BUCKLEY All right, good. Now we’ll finish this. NGUYEN [Looking hopefully to Kreuger] Lieutenant, Kreuger? COWLEY [Whispering] Keep out of it. Keep quiet. KREUGER [Leaning back against the wall, closing his eyes, quietly to Cowley] There’s nothing I can do anyway. Can’t you see that. BUCKLEY Tell him the talking is over. Make him understand what will happen to him now if he doesn’t confess. NGUYEN [Turning the blade in front of the prisoner’s eyes, ] 32

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I will cut you with this if you do not speak. [The Boy’s face remains rigid and expressionless] BUCKLEY My God, you didn’t give him a chance! NGUYEN I am doing only what you wanted. The ultimate application of your own logic, Lieutenant. BUCKLEY I didn’t tell you to stab him! NGUYEN It will do no good to threaten him if he does not have a reason to believe us. Perhaps you wish to use the knife? BUCKLEY No. Ask him if he’s ready to talk now. INTERROGATION COWLEY [To Kreuger, who has begun to moan] Hold on, it’s that the damn serum. It’ll pass in a minute. KREUGER The face... the face. COWLEY What? KREUGER I’ve seen it before… in a village, a surprise attack… it was a hut… a hut! a school room, an orphanage, FINLEY [Next to them on the cot, whispering] They’re crazy. They’ve gone crazy, Lieutenant. COWLEY Shut up. FINLEY 33

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You’ve got to stop them. COWLEY Can’t you see he’s delirious. KREUGER [Through them] I wanted to tell… I’ve got to tell someone… I commanded two hundred men. … my job was simple… so simple! … COWLEY Hold on… KREUGER … we were the hammer… machine guns, grenades, flame throwers … bayonets. … Ahhh …. My orders were – No Survivors. I watched the Vietnamese trying to dig in, COWLEY [Holding him now] Hang on Kreuger, you’ll be okay… KREUGER faces… human faces… like my own… young, like I am… kids… I heard the order to attack. My company was waiting… I waited too… gazing at the small figures of the men we were about to kill… and then I pulled my company back. COWLEY [Seeing Buckley look over at them] Shut the fuck up. KREUGER I was court martialed. . . refusing to obey an order under fire. Aiding and abetting the enemies of the United States. COWLEY [As Buckley looks at them again] Lieutenant, quit talking. Please. Please, Lieutenant…

KREUGER They found out I knew two thousand words of Vietnamese… I was “Valuable Army Property… “

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COWLEY Kreuger, please! Will you shut up. BUCKLEY What’s the matter with Kreuger? COWLEY Nothing. He was just having a reaction to his typhoid shot. BUCKLEY Christ! COWLEY He’ll be alright in a minute. [Buckley abruptly turns and moves back to the table] KREUGER I’m soaking wet. Did I fall asleep? COWLEY Sort of. FINLEY You’ve been doing a lot of talking. KREUGER What?... What did I say? COWLEY Nothing. You didn’t say anything. Just a lot of words. Mostly about how much you love the Army. NGUYEN We must turn him around and use the back. McGRUDER More God damn time wasted. BUCKLEY Shut up. McGRUDER You’re still letting him off. You can’t make him talk with that little knife. 35

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NGUYEN You will see… McGRUDER Goddamit why don’t you get it over with? NGUYEN Do not allow him to touch the prisoner again. BUCKLEY Keep away! McGRUDER I don’t want any part of it. I don’t trust all this talk. What’s it gotten us? BUCKLEY Get out of the way. We’re going to let Sergeant Nguyen show us what he can do. Only let me warn you. If you can’t make him talk you’ll be replaced, and I won’t be responsible for what will happen then. LIGHTS DIM ON THEM NGUYEN We are wasting time. [To Russell] You will hold his wrists across the table please. [Nguyen cuts the cord that binds the Boy’s wrists. His hands instantly cup themselves over his groin, where the flesh is torn. Nguyen places him on the table. The Boy’s hands move across it. Buckley reaches forward and holds his arms down.] BUCKLEY Do what you’re told, soldier! [Russell makes an involuntary motion forward, then stops. McGruder moves forward, eager to use his hands on Russell. Cowley starts for McGruder with a hammer from the tool rack in his clenched fist. Russell finally grips The Boy’s arms. McGruder stops, turns back to his cot. [SR] Cowley recovers himself 36

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and moves back, replacing the hammer. NO ONE NOTICES THEM BUT KREUGER.] NGUYEN That is good. Draw the arms forward a little more, please. [Then beginning to cut The Boy on his back, with slow twisting motions of the blade.] You will tell me now, where were you told to meet your comrades? You will tell me now. Now. Confess. Where were you told to meet them? Where? Confess to me. [Nguyen continues cutting The Boy on his back and repeating the cycle of questions during the following exchange] COWLEY Jesus! We’ve got to get out of here. KREUGER What good would it do? We’re all in it now. COWLEY Not me. KREUGER All of us. RUSSELL [Suddenly letting go of The Boy’s wrists and rushing out the door] I’m gonna vomit. [Russell is heard vomiting off stage. McGruder moves up and holds The Boy’s wrists.] BUCKLEY Goddamit to hell! FINLEY [Whispering to Kreuger] Russell’s going to pass out. BUCKLEY 37

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Finley, help him. Get up you bastard! FINLEY [Makes a cry of despair and half rises] COWLEY [Pushing Finley back on the cot] I’ll go. KREUGER [Grabbing Buckley by the elbow] You’ve got to stop this.

[Before Buckley can reply, the room is filled with an unearthly wail, as The Boy throws his head violently to one side and makes his first cry of pain: a sustained scream that contains all that he has held back for hours. Everyone freezes. The knife is suspended in mid-air] NGUYEN [Instantly recovering] Confess. You will now tell me. BUCKLEY [Jerking his arm free] We are going through with it no matter how long it takes. NGUYEN Where were you told to meet your comrades? BUCKLEY By God, Kreuger, we’re going to make him talk. KREUGER [Pursuing him around the table] You’re gonna kill him. NGUYEN You will tell me now. Where? Where? Where? BUCKLEY 38

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[Through Nguyen] We’ve gone too far to stop now. Besides it’s Nguyen who’s doing it. It’s his method, not ours. KREUGER I don’t care whose method it is, you can’t go on with it! BUCKLEY Do you think we can go back to the questioning after this? Don’t be a fool. KREUGER [Becoming weak again, exhausted] Then let McGruder have the boy! Get it over with if this is what you wanted. BUCKLEY You wanted it too, Kreuger. We asked you. You didn’t say a word to stop it. KREUGER I didn’t want this! BUCKLEY What then? What did you think it was going to be? You knew the kid wasn’t going to talk. KREUGER [Weakly] I thought it would be over quicker than this. [Russell and Cowley enter as Buckley helps Kreuger back to his cot] BUCKLEY It will be. We won’t let this go on a minute longer than we have to. But Kreuger, we have no choice. It’s this or nothing now. You have to keep your nerve. Come on, rest for a while. Go outside. Get some air. You’ll feel better. And you’ll see we’re right. KREUGER [Sitting down on his cot] No! BUCKLEY

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Don’t buck me, Kreuger! The major is backing me. No one in this room can tell me what to do. And nothing will keep me from getting what I need out of this little bastard. NGUYEN [After a long moment of silence, looking directly at Kreuger as if to tell him something] The ribs are still unmarked and free of pain. Lieutenant Kreuger? [The eyes of everyone fix upon Kreuger: Buckley’s with a cold look of warning, McGruder’s smoldering and Finley and Cowley with fatigue. Nguyen stands with the knife poised, a silent question in his dark eyes. Kreuger stares back at Nguyen helpless. Silent.] NGUYEN [Slowly bringing the knife down to The Boy’s ribs] Very well.

SCENE 3

[Later in the night, near dawn. Nguyen is bending over The Boy, who now is face-up on the table, staring into the light. Nguyen is speaking to The Boy in a softer voice, telling him to confess then sleep, confess then sleep, over and over again. Finley and Russell are lying huddled close together on the floor. Buckley is asleep on his cot SR, with his back and shoulders hunched against the wall. McGruder is snoring fitfully on a cot far SR. Kreuger on his cot SL is slowly waking up. Cowley, who has been 40

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watching Kreuger, sees him waking now, and as though he has been waiting for such an opportunity stealthily crosses the room and sits next to him.] COWLEY [Leaning closer, whispering] We’ve got to get out of this. KREUGER What do you mean? COWLEY You and I have got to escape before Buckley or McGruder wakes up. I can handle the sentries. It’s still dark outside. KREUGER Where do you think we could go? COWLEY The Delta. Or the Cambodian border. KREUGER You’re out of your mind. COWLEY I haven’t given it a lot of thought, but we’ve got to get out of here. Then we can figure out what to do. Kreuger! Did you hear me? KREUGER Yes I heard you. COWLEY Are you with me or not? KREUGER No. COWLEY You’re letting me down, eh. I was counting on you to help me! KREUGER Look, they’ll shoot you down before you get out of the maintenance yard.

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COWLEY I thought you would know how to escape if anyone would! KREUGER Even if you got away, you don’t have anywhere to go but Quai Dong. COWLEY [Standing up, moving away] You’ve let me down, Kreuger. KREUGER Cowley… COWLEY I’ll look out for myself from now on. [Kreuger moves to the door, opens it, looks out a moment, then closes it, making sure it’s locked] NGUYEN Is it morning? KREUGER Yes, it’s nearly dawn. NGUYEN Confess. Then sleep. THE BOY [Tries painfully to answer, but sounds like he is mumbling] KREUGER Did he rest? NGUYEN I did not let him. It would not be a kindness to allow him to regain his strength now. KREUGER What’s he saying? NGUYEN It is an old proverb. He has been saying it most of the night, trying to finish a phrase that is beyond his reach. 42

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KREUGER Has he said anything about the guerrillas? NGUYEN No, he has said nothing but what you hear. KREUGER Nothing else? Are you sure? NGUYEN Yes. KREUGER He must have said something else. Nothing? NGUYEN [Reluctantly] Mostly he has been talking of his father and mother. He says they were killed a year ago in their village near Darlac. KREUGER What else? NGUYEN He also speaks of his sister, who is alone in Saigon, waiting for him. KREUGER Then he’s been telling the truth! NGUYEN You do not understand. His parents were killed by American planes. He told me that he and his sister were in the rice fields working when the village was bombed. They saw everything, but they could not help. So you see, he became a guerrilla. KREUGER Buckley won’t stop until he has what he wants. Shit, if the boy is innocent and has nothing to confess, Buckley will keep on until he kills him. NGUYEN Are you ready to help me save his life? We do not have much time left. KREUGER I’m ready if there’s a way. 43

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NGUYEN [Bending toward Kreuger across the table, with The Boy lying beneath them] Only you and I understand the prisoner’s words. They are nothing without us. If we help each other, there is a chance to save him. If you are on their side he will surely die, for then they have the language, and I am nothing. KREUGER You think I’m on their side? NGUYEN Of course. You are an American. KREUGER I’m a convict, under military sentence! Nothing more. NGUYEN I am grateful for your help. KREUGER I don’t want your gratitude. Do you have a plan that will get us out of here? NGUYEN The boy is weak, and he is desperate. The information that he has held back for so long is rising to the top of his mind. KREUGER What then? What will happen to him if he confesses and tells Buckley where the guerrillas were going to meet? NGUYEN They will send him to a camp for rehabilitation of prisoners of war. KREUGER But he’ll live. NGUYEN Of course. Once they have their information they will forget him entirely. KREUGER Do you think he’ll talk? NGUYEN If we are patient, yes, he will tell us everything. 44

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[As Kreuger glances at Buckley and McGruder to see if they are awake] Do not worry about them now. We must protect the prisoner from himself. KREUGER What do you mean? NGUYEN He has lost his fear of death. He wants only to die. Twice during the night he reached for the knife. KREUGER [Looks down at The Boy whose lips are still moving, although no sound comes out of his mouth; ] KREUGER There must be something we can do to make him talk before they wake up. NGUYEN What would you suggest? KREUGER I don’t know! But you know what will happen if McGruder gets his hands on him again. Warn the boy. Make him understand. NGUYEN It is you who do not understand. McGruder is the prisoner’s only hope now. He knows McGruder will kill him. KREUGER [Glancing involuntarily down at the knife] What about this? NGUYEN Not even the knife will help. He is too weak for it to have the proper effect. KREUGER Okay. What do you want me to do? NGUYEN You are the Lieutenant’s friend. Keep him from losing patience. That is all I ask. I will do the rest. KREUGER 45

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All right. I’ll try. [Russell and Finley are now awake staring quietly at the two of them. Kreuger looks down at The Boy, then looks over to Buckley, who also is awake and staring at them. Buckley moves over to them.] BUCKLEY [Picking up the knife and seeing the dried blood stains] Why hasn’t it been used? NGUYEN He no longer feels it. BUCKLEY You, go up to the mess and tell them to get our food and coffee in here. And make sure it’s hot. KREUGER I’ll go. BUCKLEY Sit down! I’m still in command hero. I’ll give the orders. [To Cowley} Get out of here and do what I told you. KREUGER He’s going to try to break out. COWLEY [Lunging at Kreuger] You stinkin’ bastard. [McGruder is quickly on his feet and grabs Cowley from behind by both arms and holds him back] BUCKLEY What are you talking about? KREUGER If you let him out of here he’s going to try to escape the compound. He told me. He asked me to go with him.

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McGRUDER [Shoving Cowley toward the door] We know how to take care of this guy. BUCKLEY What’s your part in this, Kreuger? KREUGER I tried to talk him out of it, he wouldn’t listen. COWLEY You bastard. McGRUDER Keep your mouth shut. I’ll take him to the stockade. They’ll fix him so he won’t go anywhere for a long time. KREUGER [Quickly to Buckley] He’ll talk in the stockade, no matter where they put him. The whole camp will know what’s going on inside here. McGRUDER What’ll we do with him? KREUGER Leave him alone. BUCKLEY I think you’re right. You get the food from the mess. McGRUDER What’s to keep him from going over the wall too? Send Russell. BUCKLY No, I’m going to need Russell. McGRUDER He’s a jailbird, just like this one.

[MCGRUDER EXITS TO TELL THE SENTRY, SHOVING COWLEY ON TO KREUGER’S COT.]

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BUCKLEY [To Nguyen] All right now. Let’s get on with it. [As Nguyen bends over The Boy] No. Sit him up. Russell, sit the prisoner up. [As The Boy falls over again after Russell helps Nguyen sit him up] Hold him. [To McGruder as he re-enters] Shut the door! COWLEY [During the above, while Nguyen and Russell are sitting The Boy up] If we were outside I’d kill you. KREUGER You’re lucky I told him. You’d be dead by now. They’d shoot you at the fences, only you’re too stupid to know it. COWLEY You turned me over to him! KREUGER And you’re alive. So is the boy. I did it to save him too you fool. If you’d gotten out of here with what you know, Buckley would have finished him on the spot. [Cowley abruptly moves to another cot across the room. When The Boy is finally sitting up, he begins gasping out inarticulate sounds] THE BOY [Mumbles, ad lib] BUCKLEY What’s he saying? [Moving toward Kreuger] What’s he saying? [As Kreuger quickly looks to Nguyen] No, I want it from you. Quietly. Just tell me quietly what he’s saying. KREUGER He’s asking you to let him rest.

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BUCKLEY [Picking up the knife and turning the point of it toward Nguyen] What did the boy say to me? NGUYEN [Glancing at Kreuger, then stepping back, his eyes on the knife] He has said nothing of importance. BUCKLEY Answer me or I’ll use this!

NGUYEN The prisoner is calling for his family to help him. He is Buddhist and he thinks you will kill him now. His ancestors are sacred to him. BUCKLEY Goddamnit to hell I can’t trust either one of you now. Get away from the table. I’ll interrogate him myself. NGUYEN You must let me do it. BUCKLEY I’ll put you under arrest if you don’t stand aside. NGUYEN [Drawing himself up, shouting] I am a Vietnamese! BUCKLEY As long as you’re at Quai Dong you’ll do what we tell you. NGUYEN [Controlling himself immense effort] Please give me the knife. BUCKLEY [Signaling to McGruder] I’ll give you ten seconds to get away from that table.

with

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NGUYEN [Losing control, shrieking] I am his interrogator! BUCKLEY You’re nothing but what I say you are. I’ll interrogate him now. You’re finished. [Nguyen suddenly lunges for the door, then stops, going to a cot and sitting down, a look of a complete exhaustion masking his face]

McGRUDER [Expectantly, as if his time had come] Lieutenant? BUCKLEY Sit down! I’m only going to question him. KREUGER [Seeing the way Buckley is holding the knife, suddenly jumps up] I’ll translate for you. BUCKLEY Keep away. I don’t need you for this. He knows well enough what I want out of him. [To The Boy now] Where were you instructed to meet the guerrillas? I’m not going to hurt you. Tell me. Where were you to meet your friends? Where? Where were you going? [To Kreuger] Get away! [Keeps his eyes on Kreuger until he returns to his cot, then back to The Boy.] Where were you going to meet your friends? Where? What village? Give me the name of the village! Or the rice field! In what rice field are you hiding your arms? Now tell me! Tell me, look, I’m not going to hurt you. [Buckley continues the above questions—in no particular order— during the following dialogue. The Boy never answers him] NGUYEN [Next to Kreuger on his cot] He will use the knife! 50

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KREUGER No, not until he talks. BUCKLEY [To The Boy] Come on now. You can tell me. NGUYEN I have done everything that I can, but now it is over. BUCKLEY Look, I said I won’t hurt you. Tell me now.

KREUGER Nguyen, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t stand by you at first, instead of waiting. BUCKLEY You’re going to talk to me. Yes, yes you are. KREUGER I didn’t know it would come to this. NGUYEN One cannot choose between survival and torture without first seeing how bad the torture can be. BUCKLEY Tell me! Talk to me damnit! KREUGER We’ve got to stop him. SENTRY (OS) Chow [Russell goes to the door and takes the food from the sentry. McGruder comes forward and takes some cans of cereal and coffee then moves off to a cot where he eats with great spoonful. Nguyen takes a coffee. No one else eats.] 51

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RUSSELL [Sitting by Nguyen on the cot] How old is he? NGUYEN Who? RUSSELL [Nodding toward The Boy] When I looked at his face… before I got sick, I couldn’t tell how old he was. I’ve never seen anything like it before. NGUYEN He’s sixteen, seventeen. Eighteen at the most. RUSSELL But man his face! He looks so old. NGUYEN He was in pain. RUSSELL [Shaking his head, as if unable to believe it] I don’t see how you could do that to him. He’s one of yours. KREUGER Shut up. NGUYEN [Without anger] Have you killed a man yet? RUSSELL No sir. NGUYEN Then you do not know enough to ask me such a question. In my village every man over sixteen was shot by the Vict Cong. We have seen death. THE BOY [Suddenly crying out at Buckley] Despiseeeeeee, despiseeeeeee. FINLEY Listen! 52

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BUCKLEY [To Nguyen who has jumped up and moved to the table] What is it? THE BOY Despiseeeeeeeeee… despiseeee! BUCKLEY What is it? What is he saying? NGUYEN [Turning away] It is not importance. BUCKLEY [Bringing the knife Nguyen’s chin.] Tell me exactly what he is saying. Don’t change a word.

under

NGUYEN The prisoner said that he despises you. BUCKLEY He said more than that. NGUYEN That is the only way I can translate it. BUCKLEY Kreuger! KREUGER That’s all the boy said. [Furious, Buckley turns despairingly back to The Boy and rises over him as if he will use the knife.] NGUYEN You see, he wants you to kill him. He is trying to trick you. BUCKLEY [Stares down at The Boy a moment then puts knife down on the table.] Pick up the knife. Pick it up! Now go back to work, Sergeant.

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NGUYEN It will be best not to use it anymore. BUCKLEY I’m giving you an order, Sergeant. [Finley and Russell reluctantly obey his order. Buckley crosses and sits by Kreuger after Nguyen starts questioning The Boy.] NGUYEN [Suddenly jabbing The Boy] You will confess to me. Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY Soldier… from the soldier. NGUYEN Where did you get the grenades? THE BOY From the dead soldier. NGUYEN Was he American? Was he American? Was he American? THE BOY North Vietnamese. NGUYEN Where was he? Where was the dead soldier? THE BOY On the Weichu road. NGUYEN There are no dead soldiers there. There are no dead soldiers there! THE BOY He was there. NGUYEN There are no dead soldiers there. THE BOY 54

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He was in a ditch. [The Nguyen-Boy cycle continues as before during the following dialogue] BUCKLEY [Sitting down next to Kreuger] Let’s get this straight.. Nguyen has been lying from the beginning. You’ve been lying to me, too. I’m not going to come down on you for that because I’m only interested in information. But now it has to stop. I’ve been very patient with you. KREUGER I didn’t hear anything

BUCKLEY Listen to me, Kreuger. You hate the sight of me. All right, to me you’re a stinking convict that isn’t worth a bullet. But we’re in this together and we don’t have any choice. We have to help each other. I’m willing to trust you because I don’t have anyone else. You’ll have to help me for the same reason, or you’ll never come through this. [Pauses, then almost shouts] I know the boy told Nguyen everything! [Now pleading] Tell me what you know, Kreuger. For the love of God, tell me so I can put a stop to this. I’m not asking for myself anymore. It’s the boy who’s suffering now. KREUGER As far as I know, the prisoner hasn’t said a thing. BUCKLEY [Under his breath, leaning back against the wall] God damn it to hell. God damn it to hell. [Suddenly leaning up again, quietly, intently] You’ve get to help me. You have the major’s word. There’s a full reinstatement waiting for you when we leave this room with the information he needs. KREUGER The boy said exactly what Nguyen told you. He despises you. BUCKLEY [Insisting, frowning with disbelief] Yes, but he said more than that. KREUGER I don’t know what to say.The language is like that. 55

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BUCKLEY A full reinstatement to rank. Clean sheets again, a clean uniform, You’ll be an officer again, looked up to, respected… [There is a loud clang of metal as Nguyen throws the knife on the table. Kreuger and Buckley jump off the cot.] NGUYEN [Raging as he looks down at The Boy who has fainted] It is no good to use the groin! You see that he cannot stand it! This is not the proper way! [Russell is trying to hold The Boy up. Finley will not help him.] BUCKLEY Drop him on the floor. RUSSELL [Holding his blood stained hands out in front of him, tears running down his face] Let me out of here. Please let me out of here. [Buckley ignores him. Kreuger leads Russell to his cot.] BUCKLEY [To Finley] Examine the prisoner. Give him a shot. [When The Boy does not revive] Give him another one. FINLEY It might kill him. BUCKLEY Damn it, do what I tell you! I’m in command here. Do I have to prove it to you? FINLEY [After giving him another shot] 56

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His pulse is a hundred and forty. BUCKLEY Stand him on his feet. [Finley raises The Boy slowly, but when he lets him go he falls back in a heap on the floor] BUCKLEY Again. He’s faking. [As The Boy falls again] Again! [The Boy falls once more] Again. He’s faking, I tell you. [As Finley remains on his hands and knees beside The Boy, refusing to lift him] Stand the prisoner on his feet! All right. Sergeant McGruder, stand the prisoner up so the interrogation can go on. [Before McGruder can lay a hand on The Boy, Nguyen steps forward and raises him up with his arm around his waist to keep The Boy from falling. Neither of them makes a sound] BUCKLEY [Looking at them for a moment] That’s very good of you, Sergeant, but it’s too late. [Buckley motions McGruder forward. McGruder shoves Nguyen to one side and takes The Boy by the throat and puts his fist in front of his face. A sudden cry from The Boy startles McGruder and he lets The Boy go. The Boy holds himself up against the table, shouting a cry of defiance.] THE BOY Despiseeeee… despise. I will defeat youuuuu, I will defeat youuuu. BUCKLEY 57

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What’s he saying? THE BOY [Weaker now] I will defeat you… I will defeat you… BUCKLEY Kreuger, for Christ sake this is our last chance! What’s he saying? KREUGER It’s only another cry of hate. He’s saying he hates you.

BUCKLEY [Frantic now, walking around and around the table] He’s confessing! The sight of McGruder’s fist has frightened him into confessing! THE BOY [Very weak now] I will defeat you… I will defeat… BUCKLEY You’re a bunch of murderous bastards! Why won’t any of you tell me the truth? You want this to happen! [Grabbing the edge of the table and glaring at Nguyen and Kreuger, then to McGruder] All right, go ahead. [McGruder moves toward The Boy, Buckley stops him] Wait. Do you want to see him killed? [Buckley waits a moment then signals savagely to McGruder, who instantly strikes The Boy’s head, knocking him to the floor. The blow was powerful and for a moment there is total silence.] FINLEY [Standing next to Kreuger] He murdered him, and you did nothing to stop it. [Kreuger starts to lunge toward McGruder, but before he can, Nguyen attacks McGruder. 58

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McGruder slaps him violently across the face. Nguyen leans dazed against the table after the slap.] BUCKLEY [Quickly opens the door.] Sentry, come in here. [To Nguyen] You’re under military arrest. [To Sentry] Take this man to the stockade. Put him under maximum detention until we can get someone from Saigon to pick him up. [Nguyen walks silently out with the sentry. The door closes] BUCKLEY [To McGruder] Put the prisoner on the table. We’re going to finish this now. Finley, examine him. FINLEY [After trying to find his pulse] I think he’s dying. BUCKLEY What? FINLEY I think… I think he’s dying. BUCKLEY McGruder, go and find Dr. Mason. Tell him we need him here. And be fast about it, Sergeant, fast! [McGruder exits] BUCKLEY [Peering over Finley’s shoulders and looking down at The Boy] It’s your job to keep him alive. FINLEY He’s in shock. Cover him with blankets… that’s all I know. [Buckley, frightened now, quickly 59

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pulls the blankets off the cots and wraps them around The Boy. Kreuger helps him.] BUCKLEY [To Russell, who was been lying on a cot staring at the wall, as he tries to pull the blanket out from under him] Move, damn you! KREUGER I’ll get it. BUCKLEY What’s his pulse? FINLEY I can’t find it. BUCKLEY [Under his breath] God damn it to hell. [Dr. Mason enters with McGruder. He starts to move toward The Boy, then glances at Russell. He looks again at Russell and moves toward him.] BUCKLEY This is the one we wants you to look at. DR. MASON [A pleasant man in his thirties] What happened to this man? BUCKLEY He was sick last night. DR.MASON [To Kreuger, as he examines Russell. Russell’s eyes do not blink when Dr. Mason passes his hand in front them] What happened to him?

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KREUGER Nothing that didn’t happen to all of us. DR. MASON He’s had a nervous breakdown. How long has he been lying like this? KREUGER About an hour. Maybe more.

DR. MASON [Helping Russell to door] Take him to the infirmary. I’ll be along when I can. BUCKLEY [To Sentry] You heard him! [Russell exits with the Sentry helping him out the door] DR. MASON [Moves to table, starts examining The Boy] Finley. [As Finley moves forward to help him] He’s alive at least. Give him a shot of penicillin. [Dr. Mason and Finley clean and bandage The Boy] We’ll take him to the infirmary, too. He can’t be kept here in this condition. BUCKLEY There’s an interrogation going on here, and it isn’t finished yet. DR. MASON It’s finished. I’m the medical officer of this god forsaken command and the health of the inmates is my responsibility, not yours. We’ll move him to the infirmary. BUCKLEY This isn’t one of your inmates. This is a Viet Cong prisoner of war. DR. MASON

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I don’t care what he is! He’s going to die if he isn’t properly cared for. Or do we execute prisoners now too? BUCKLEY He’s not being executed. Just interrogated. DR. MASON Interrogation didn’t put him in this condition. BUCKLEY That was Nguyen’s fault. DR. MASON [To McGruder] Get a cot. We’ll use it for a stretcher. [To Finley, when McGruder doesn’t move] You do it. McGRUDER [Exiting] I can’t believe I’m seeing an Army doctor treat a Viet Cong guerrilla.. BUCKLEY [As Finley lifts one end of a cot] Put it down. DR. MASON You exceed your authority, Lieutenant! As a doctor I have the rank of captain, and I’m telling you to stand aside and stop interfering! BUCKLEY It isn’t my authority. I’m acting under the major’s special orders. Y’know, they need doctors in worse places than Quai Dong. DR. MASON Okay. But I warn you, Buckley, he can’t take any more punishment like that. You’ll kill him. Think about answering for that. [Finley puts down the cot and retreats to a far corner] BUCKLEY All we want is information. Can he talk? DR. MASON 62

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No. BUCKLEY He has to talk before we can let him go. DR. MASON Not my business. All I say is that he can’t be touched again. Not in any way. You’ll kill him if you do. [McGruder enters carrying a hand generator. ] BUCKLEY Kreuger, you’ll have to carry on. You’re the only one who speaks Vietnamese. KREUGER What do you want? BUCKLEY Interrogate him. KREUGER I told you I won’t do that. McGRUDER Why wait! I can crank up this generator and get over a hundred volts out of it. Put one of these wire leads around his balls and he’ll talk. He’ll talk all day! BUCKLEY Kreuger? McGRUDER Lieutenant, I know this works. I’ve made them talk before. KREUGER All right, I’ll do what I can. McGRUDER He’s only going to waste more time… BUCKLEY Shut up. Lieutenant Kruger is going to interrogate the prisoner for us. [Buckley and McGruder move to a cot, SL] 63

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DR. MASON Finley, there’s a bottle of dextrose in my bag. Finley? FINLEY I’ll get it. DR. MASON What’s that thing over there? FINLEY Some kind of a rack. DR. MASON Bring it over. We’ll use it for a stand. Would you help him? [Finley and Kreuger move the stand by the table. Finley attaches the bottle of dextrose on top of it. Kreuger looks down at The Boy on the table.] DR. MASON What are you going to do? KREUGER Talk to him. When you’re finished. DR. MASON Stay out of it. You know better than this. KREUGER All I want is to give the boy time. He might confess to me. At least it’ll keep McGruder from getting hold of him. There isn’t any choice now. DR. MASON Let them have him if that’s what they want. KREUGER You haven’t seen what it’s been like - . DR. MASON I can see exactly what it was like. Use your head, Kreuger. You know what this camp is. Nobody gets killed so nobody gets promoted. The major probably offered Buckley a recommendation for captain if he gets those

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guerrillas for him. Either one of them would do anything to get a commendation from Saigon, if they think they have a chance. KREUGER [More to himself] So that’s what he’s after. Sacrificing the boy for a hundred imaginary Americans. DR. MASON What did you say? KREUGER Nothing. In any case, the boy pays if we don’t help him.

Doc, you don’t know what it’s been like in here. DR. MASON All the more reason to stay out of it. KREUGER I haven’t hurt him. He’ll talk to me. If I stay out of it McGruder and his machine will take my place. Then we’ll all be forced to watch an execution. DR. MASON [Turning away] Finley, will you get some more sponges out of my bag? KREUGER [Awkwardly at first, gradually becomes assured] Are you ready to confess? Tell me what you know and then you can rest. You can sleep. How many days have you been without sleep? Why did you want to go to Saigon? What is your sister’s name? What was the name of the road you were on? You told Sergeant Nguyen that the dead soldier was North Vietnamese. Why was he on the road to Weichu? Had you been to Weichu? Were you coming from Weichu? Were you going to Weichu? Answer my questions and you can sleep. You must answer my questions. I’ll allow you no rest until you do. Why did you tell Sergeant Nguyen you got the medicine from the dead soldier? Answer me! Was he an American soldier? North Vietnamese? Where did you get the grenades? Did you get the grenades off the soldier? What were you doing on the Weichu road? How long has your sister been in Saigon? What is her name? Confess! Where were you meeting your friends? Why were you on the Weichu road? 65

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Why were you going to Saigon? Where did you get the grenades? Where did you get the medicine? What is your name? Where were you meeting your friends? Why were you on the Weichu road? Where did you get the medicine? Why were you going to Saigon? Where did you get the medicine? Why were you going to Saigon? Where did you get the grenades? Was the dead soldier North Vietnamese? What was he doing on the Weichu Road? Where are the grenades? Where were you going? Why were you going to Saigon! Did you get your supplies from the North Vietnamese soldier? Was he North Vietnamese? American? Why did you take the supplies from the dead American soldier?... are you sure he can hear me? DR. MASON [Sponging off The Boy’s face] Yes, he can hear you. His pulse is stronger now. What are you saying to him? KREUGER I’m just asking him some questions. DR. MASON He can hear every word you say. KREUGER Look, I mean you no harm. I’m not going to hurt you, but you must speak to me. I’m the only one that can save you. Don’t you understand? I am the only one standing between you and, and the big guy, that hit you. Why were you going to Saigon? THE BOY [Slowly raising up a little off the table] You are a fool. I will speak not another word until I die.

BUCKLEY [Rushing over] What was it? KREUGER Nothing. BUCKLEY He said something! We all heard it! What was it? KREUGER 66

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He’s complaining of pain in his abdomen. BUCKLEY [Glaring at Dr. Mason] Well? DR. MASON It’s possible. He’ll be unconscious if I give him enough anesthetic to kill all the pain. BUCKLEY [Nods and returns to his cot] Get on with it Kreuger. KREUGER I saw how you looked at him. I also hate him. I’d like nothing more than to defeat him too. And the only way to do it is for you to live. We can do it if you talk. Say anything. Anything you want to say. If you cooperate with me we can soon be free. I promise you. We’ll all be free. You can trust me. I haven’t hurt you, have I? [In the process of examining The Boy, Dr. Mason discovers the wounds on his back. He sits The Boy up on the edge of the table and bandages his back, all the while Kreuger continues.] DR. MASON Good holy Christ! Finley, why didn’t you tell me about the wounds on his back? Never mind, I’ll dress them myself. KREUGER You don’t have to answer, just speak to me now and then. I’ll keep at it until you speak. Do you understand that? Where did you get the grenades? Why don’t you answer me? Don’t you want to get out of this prison? Don’t you want to be free? Don’t you want to see your parents again? I’m sorry. I forgot. Your parents were killed in a raid on your village, weren’t they. But don’t you want to get out of here? Look at them. It’s you they’re whispering about. Speak to me! [Intense and almost frantic as Buckley and McGruder start moving toward the table]

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[A loud knock on the door. Buckley opens it] VOICE(OS) Lt. Buckley, the major wants to see you. BUCKLEY [Slams the door as he exits] All right. [McGruder stands by the table a moment watching Kreuger.]

KREUGER [Angrily] Where did you get the grenades? Why were you on the Weichu road? Why were you going to Saigon? Listen! I’m telling you to cooperate now. I’m not asking any longer. [Slowly picks up the knife] Don’t you understand if you don’t talk before he comes back, it’s over for you. Where were you to meet your friends? COWLEY [Who has been pacing around and from time to time coming up and looking at Kreuger, now suddenly stops beside him, as he sees him using the knife] You bastard! KREUGER It’s for his own good, you fool. His life. COWLEY You dirty bastard! You really believe that, don’t you. I’m getting out of this. [Quickly grabs a hammer from the tool chest] Get out of my way! McGRUDER [Moving toward him] Put it down! 68

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COWLEY [Swinging the hammer above his head and forcing McGruder back] Get away from the door! KREUGER Cowley. DR. MASON Are you out of your mind? Sit down! COWLEY Get out of my way! I’m getting out of this! [Opens door, rushes out] McGRUDER [Following him off, OS] Guard! [Dr. Mason and Finley follow him off, Kreuger stands in doorway looking out] McGRUDER Fire a warning shot. GUARD (OS) Halt! Halt or I’ll fire! KREUGER Cowley, don’t do it! [Guard fires a warning shot] GUARD Halt! [Fires another warning shot] KREUGER Cowley! DR. MASON That one got him. FINLEY He’s still running. 69

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McGRUDER Stop him. KREUGER Wait! McGRUDER Stop him! [Two shots ring out] DR. MASON (OS) Hurry, get him inside. DR. MASON [Entering behind Kreuger and Finley and McGruder, who are carrying Cowley] Careful, don’t bend his legs. [Examining him] They hit him in the back of the legs. His knees are shattered. COWLEY [To Kreuger] I told you I’d get away. DR. MASON [To Finley] Give him morphine. McGRUDER You’re in for it now, soldier. COWLEY I don’t give a damn. I wasn’t going to see it start again… not for anything. KREUGER [Entering, breathlessly] One hour ago the guerrillas ambushed a convoy ten miles from here. They killed five Americans. In broad daylight! BUCKLEY [Intently to Kreuger] This is the chance we.ve been asking for!

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McGRUDER Where did they hit us? BUCKLEY On the main road a mile outside Tri Quang. But they can’t have gone far. Patrols are covering the area. We have a flight of copters coming in. All we have to know is where they’re hiding their equipment. That’s all we have to know! McGRUDER They can go a long way in an hour. BUCKLEY No, they have too much equipment with them this time. DR. MASON Did you say there are helicopter coming in? BUCKLEY If we’re fast, we have a chance to get them. DR. MASON Are there helicopters? BUCKLEY A flight of six cobras is on its way from Bien Hao. DR. MASON Then we’ll fly him out of here. He needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible. OS VOICE (OS) Stretcher! [Finley and Dr. Mason take the stretcher at the door and go about placing Cowley on it] BUCKLEY [Still intent to Kreuger] No more waiting. That kid has already cost us five dead men. KREUGER nNothing you can do. Unless you want to start over. BUCKLEY 71

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Kreuger! Don’t you understand what I’m saying to you? We’ll get you out of this! For Christ sake you’ll be a lieutenant again!! [There is a long moment of silence. Dr. Mason and Finley rise and look accusingly at Kreuger, who stands defenseless and silent] COWLEY [Pulling himself up on an elbow] You stuck the kid for a lousy chance to be a lieutenant again? KREUGER [Dumfounded at their misunderstanding] No, no… I… BUCKLEY Damn it Kreuger, he must have told you something! KREUGER [With controlled hate to Buckley] He said he was from the village of Bien Thieu. BUCKLEY Are the supplies stored there? KREUGER I don’t know. Wait here.

BUCKLEY [To McGruder as they hurriedly exit]

Come on. COWLEY [As Finley and Dr. Mason carry the stretcher through the doorway to the waiting sentries] You filthy stinking son of a bitch. You were his accomplice all along.

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KREUGER Would you believe me if I told you I’m not? COWLEY Not, now I wouldn’t. Lieutenant. [Exit] DR. MASON Take him to the infirmary. FINLEY Will he lose his legs? DR. MASON [Glancing at The Boy on the table] Most likely. [Then moving to The Boy, examining him] Finley, quick. Get me a bottle of plasma. KREUGER What happened? DR. MASON He used a scalpels. FINLEY Here it is. DR. MASON The wrist of his left hand is cut to the bone. He knew exactly where to find the artery. KREUGER Is he dead? DR. MASON There’s no pulse. FINLEY How’d he do it without the guards hearing/ DR. MASON A scalpel doesn’t make much noise. FINLEY There’s still no pulse. 73

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DR. MASON It’s hopeless. His arteries have collapsed. See where the plasma is draining off into his tissue. There’s no circulation left to carry it. FINLEY Nguyen said he was suicidal.

DR. MASON There’s nothing to be done now in any case. KREUGER Are you sure he’s dead? DR. MASON He’s been dead for five minutes. He was over here bleeding to death while we were helping Cowley. Go to the infirmary and send someone up here to clean up this mess. FINLEY [Exiting] Yes sir. DR. MASON He has nothing more to fear, but I suppose that was why he killed himself. KREUGER What do you mean? DR. MASON Don’t pretend to be such a fool, Kreuger! I mean that he informed on his own people! KREUGER Isn’t there anything we can cover him with? DR. MASON A blanket I suppose, if you think it matters. They’ll come for him in a little while. KREUGER Do you mind if I open the door? DR. MASON 74

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I don’t care one way or the other. KREUGER It’s cooler outside now. DR. MASON Nothing matters to you, does it? The kid is dead, and mostly it’s your fault, and you don’t give a damn! Of course you’ll get what you wanted. You’ll be reinstated to rank. KREUGER [Desperate] That’s not what I wanted!! I wish he were alive, if that’s what you mean. DR. MASON Forget it. KREUGER Do you have a cigarette? DR. MASON No. You gave Buckley his promotion, you know. I wish you hadn’t done that. KREUGER I didn’t give Buckley a thing. DR. MASON Hell man, we all heard you tell him what the boy said. KREUGER The boy? He didn’t say a damn thing and he never was going to. The major was on Buckley’s back. He and McGruder were going to get the information out of the kid if they had to kill him to do it. All I did was get them out of here to buy time for the rest of us. DR. MASON But the boy is dead anyway. KREUGER That wasn’t my fault. DR. MASON What about Bien Thieu? KREUGER 75

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As far as I know there’s nothing there. DR. MASON Well I’ll be damned. KREUGER No one’s going to be killed. All the patrol’s gonna find are are the women and children. The farmers will still be in their rice paddies. The infantry will pull back. The cobra pilots will return without a rocket fired. They’ll tell the story tonight in Saigon bars, swearing and chuckling about Quai Dong. And the major will have no one to come down on but Buckley. DR. MASON So Buckley’s finished. KREUGER He missed his chance at the guerrillas, and now the kid has escaped. There’s nothing more he can do. DR. MASON He’s going to come down on you. KREUGER I don’t give a damn what Buckley does. DR. MASON [Gets up and gently covers The Boy with a blanket] Do you want a cigarette? KREUGER Thank you. DR. MASON You’re a fool, you know. When Buckley comes back he can’t blame you because he didn’t find anything in that village. Who’s he going to argue with? The kid’s dead. I’m the only one knows you lied to Buckley and I’m not gotta tell. KREUGER I am. DR. MASON Why, for Christ’s sake? 76

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KREUGER It’s something between Buckley and me. I want him to know. DR. MASON But there’s no reason for it. KREUGER If I keep quiet, Buckley only made a mistake. But if I tell everyone what I did, and keep on telling it no matter where they send me, he comes out looking like a fool. He’s finished. DR. MASON You take my advice. The boy is dead. Nothing matters to him now. You play along with Buckley and nothing will happen. KREUGER I know what I’m doing. DR. MASON All right, but keep us out of it.

[Sounds of helicopters is heard] DR. MASON That must be the flight from Bien Hao. KREUGER What will happen to Cowley? DR. MASON He’ll wind up in a stateside hospital. They don’t have any use for a cripple out here. You know, they’ll have you up for aiding the enemy again, only this time they’ll throw the book at you. You won’t have much of a reputation as an interpreter after this. FINLEY It’s taken off. There were five of them. KREUGER Have you got another cigarette?

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DR. MASON [To Finley, who is straightening up, as he upsets a plasma bottle] Be careful. McGRUDER [Entering] Lieutenant, you’re to wait here for Lieutenant Buckley. He’ll take you to the major. I’ve got to get a work detail and secure this hut. DR. MASON Did he seem upset? McGRUDER Who? DR. MASON Lieutenant Buckley. McGRUDER No. why should he be upset? Are you ready for me to escort the prisoner to the infirmary? DR. MASON The prisoner is dead. McGRUDER How’d it happen? DR. MASON He slashed his wrist with a scalpel when we were outside with Cowley. He bled to death. McGRUDER Then we can clear everything out of here. I’ll get a burial detail to remove the body. DR. MASON [Suspicious] Wait a minute. What happened at Bien Thieu? McGRUDER Nobody’s sure. DR. MASON Tell us about it. 78

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McGRUDER It was a turkey shoot. KREUGER [Horrified] But there wasn’t anything in Bien Thieu. DR. MASON What happened, Sergeant? McGRUDER All I know is our patrols drew fire when they got near the village, and they called down the cobras. One of them was hit, but the rest flattened the place with rockets. KREUGER Flattened it. McGRUDER When it was over our guys went in and cleaned it up. We heard it on the radio. There was something at Bien Thieu. DR. MASON So Buckley got his guerrillas. I wish you hadn’t done that, Kreuger. KREUGER There was nothing at Bien Thieu! It was nothing but a name! A guess! DR. MASON Good holy Christ. How many were killed? McGRUDER One of the cobras, like I said. I don’t know if the crew got out or not. DR. MASON I mean in the village! McGRUDER How should I know? The village was leveled. If there were guerrillas in there, we got ‘em. Anyway, Lieutenant Buckley said it was the outfit we were after. He’ll be along in a minute. [Exits] KREUGER It was an accident! The kid never mentioned Bien Thieu! How could any of us have known? 79

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[Finley looks at Kreuger a moment, then silently rushes out] DR. MASON Kreuger, you knew this would happen. KREUGER [Desperately] I didn’t. I couldn’t have known. DR. MASON A column of G.I.’s would draw fire from any village in the district. Of course you knew, you bastard. KREUGER I didn’t! DR. MASON It was the only way to get yourself out of this. KREUGER I didn’t know. DR. MASON [After a long pause] What are you going to do? KREUGER Exactly what I told you. Nothing has changed. DR. MASON Everything has changed! I don’t give a damn about Buckley. He has what he wanted. So does the major. I want to know what you’re going to do about the boy. KREUGER Let go of my arm. DR. MASON Don’t you understand that you can’t get at Buckley now. He’s won! [Pulling Kreuger over to the table] What are you going to do about him? [Releasing his arm, very quietly] Go back to the stockade. 80

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KREUGER They’ll send me back when I tell them what happened in here. DR. MASON You’re determined to tell them? KREUGER Yes. DR. MASON Well, for what’s it’s worth, I admire you for doing it. [Turning back at doorway] You’re determined to tell them. KREUGER Yes. DR. MASON Good luck. [Kreuger nods to Dr. Mason as Dr. Mason exits. Alone, Kreuger stands a long moment looking at the dead Boy on the table. He gestures helplessly toward The Boy] KREUGER I wanted to save you… I … I … wanted… BUCKLEY [Entering] Are you all right? KREUGER [Turns to face him] Yes. BUCKLEY I’ll show you to your quarters first. Then the major wants to see you. They’ll be only temporary quarters. You’ll be getting mine in the officers’ billet. KREUGER Yours? 81

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BUCKLEY Yes. I’m being promoted and transferred to Saigon. KREUGER You got your promotion? BUCKLEY That’s right. KREUGER Captain? BUCKLEY [Nodding yes] And nothing can stop it now. The wheels have started turning. It’s funny, but in this man’s army once the wheels start turning they can’t stop. Ready? KREUGER [Looking at The Boy again] What does it matter… what does it matter. BUCKLEY What? KREUGER [Turning back from The Boy, almost to himself] I’ll never escape. BUCKLEY What did you say? KREUGER Mason… I’ll see him three times a day in the officers’ mess. BUCKLEY Of course. He’s not a bad type really. Come on, let’s go. Is there anything I can get for you? KREUGER [Turns and takes one long last look at The Boy, then turns back and as he exits with Buckley] First of all, I’d like a clean uniform.

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[The stage is empty a moment, then slowly the lights dim off to The Boy on the table.] CURTAIN