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Trench 11 (2017)
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What do you see? Bag. Geophone. I don't hear anything. It's seven days, Berton. They're dead. Get the water and the lights ready. We're going in. One noise, and the Germans will blow the secondary charges. It's a trap. If there's a chance, we go. You know that. Let's get this over with. Come on. Go back to the auxiliary tunnel. Wait for me there. Get out of here. Fuck. The Germans are right above us. If they hear us, they'll blow the charges. Where in God's name is he? Bloody war will be over by the time he gets here. As you were. Give General Mackenzie my apologies. When I'm done with our friends from intelligence here, I'll be along immediately. Gentlemen. This is the front as it stood two days ago. In May of last year, the Germans began constructing an underground bunker here, deep within the Argonne Forest, almost 11 miles behind their lines. These spoil heaps indicate that they've dug three to four levels. They've gone as deep as a hundred feet, sir. That doesn't make any sense. The Germans go underground to hide from our shells or to drive tunnels beneath our lines to plant explosives. And they wouldn't need to do either so far from the front, would they, sir? So, what the devil are they doing there? We don't know, but... our sources place Reiner at the compound within the last 48 hours. Reiner, that little bastard. What do they call him, the Prophet? What do you make of this, Doctor? Reiner is a menace, sir. The man has been instrumental in weaponizing chemicals... phosgene, mustard gas. We believe he's also attempted to weaponize anthrax, cholera, and the bubonic plague. Beneath Trench 11 could be the Wotan complex, rumored to be Reiner's base of operations. If he has been developing something in there, we must go in and find out what. Surely any evidence would have been removed during the retreat. No, sir. When the German line fell two days ago, they did try to destroy the base, but they failed. They left with just the clothes on their backs. Whatever they were working on is still there. What will you need? An escort to get us through the Argonne. It will have to be American, I'm afraid. Well, Colonel, surely something can be arranged. I mean, the Americans? The Argonne belongs to them now, and they paid dearly for it. Colonel... We are about to end this war, Jennings. Every other soldier within 200 miles is now gathering near Cambrai for the final offensive. Anything else, gentlemen? A tunneler to get us down below. Given our timeline, I took the liberty of checking with brigade. Name's Berton. Canadian. What's the medal for? He tried to save some tunnelers in the salient in July. Miracle he survived. 12 days underground? My God. It says here he's on furlough. How will you find him? Well, he's a tunneler on his first leave in over a year. We've a fairly good idea where to look. Veronique. Oui. Oui, oui. J'arrive. Everything okay? I wish you didn't drink as much. Is that you or your father talking? Well, your drinking is the one thing he can relate to. Well, I guess he would. He owns a tavern, after all. He's been drinking a lot more since I've met you. Why is that? Maybe because he doesn't like that a foreigner from far away has seduced his daughter. I didn't seduce you. You seduced me. I was drunk. And... And I put my arms around you, and... Yes. You put your arms around me. Yeah, I put my arms around you, and then you kissed me. Just like that. I can't wait for you to meet my parents. Your parents? And you're gonna love Winnipeg. Why? It's even more romantic than Paris. I can't wait for this war to be over. That's the Argonne. You ever been? Hell of a place for a picnic. I suggest we wait here. Wait till this blows over, then head in. Negative. We need to push on. With all due respect, sir, we're six men. We drove most of them bastards out, but God knows how many are still hiding in there, waiting to cut us down. In this weather, we don't know what we're walking into. We wait here and observe. In one hour, we move. Understood? Fucking limeys. Just my luck, I get the one war in a hundred years where those pricks are on our fucking side. -Yeah. -What's the word on them? Nothing good. I heard the major is real ambitious. Fuck. That's just perfect. Spent most of the war riding a desk. Now he'll do anything to get a promotion before the show's over. Well, what's your professional opinion of our American escort? They've been in constant combat for months on end. That starts to take its toll. My advice, sir, would be not to push them too hard. Hit me, Pronger. Fuck off, Private. Get your own. No wonder they've been fighting over the same fields for four years. They're all drunk. This guy has been at it all day. He's killed more Germans than any of us. More than Pronger? Okay, nobody's killed more fucking Germans than Pronger. Okay, so then who the fuck is this guy? A tunneler. Fuck, I wouldn't mind being underground when the war is going on above. No fucking way. When the lines formed, Germans started digging beneath no-man's-land. Guys like him are sent underground to stop the German tunnelers and to plant bombs of their own under Fritz's line. Three months ago, he gets trapped 80 feet down. Nobody comes for him. So, what does he do? That crazy bastard digs himself out. By the time he finally gets out, his family has already thrown his funeral. Yes, that's it, all right. Any movement? Nothing but the rats. You ever eat rat, Major? Move in and take a look. You heard the major. Pronger, we're up. What is it they keep chewing? Seems they live on it. Forced March, sir. Cocaine. A stimulant. Seems they hand it out with rations these days. Apparently rather effective. Let's go. Let's go. I don't think we pushed this far. We didn't. These are German shells. Why are they killing their own guys? There's something you need to see, Major. Two main entrances were blown in, but for some reason this one was spared. And, here... as you can see, there used to be a ladder. Whoever got rid of it did it in a hurry. You care to tell us what we're here for? This is a reconnaissance mission. Observe and report. This base is abandoned, so we don't expect any resistance. What a shame. Once we're in, the doctor and I will collect any relevant evidence, and we'll be on our way. -Simple enough. -How do we know it's abandoned? I heard entire divisions got left behind when the line fell. Shut it, Kelly. We don't got the numbers for a raiding party. If we run into more than a couple of these guys, we're in some serious trou... This mission was approved by my superiors. Risks were assessed and appropriate measures taken. We are wasting valuable time. Captain Cooper. Yes, sir? Control your men. Or I will. -All right, the tunneler... -Berton, sir. Will take the lead. Sausage eater is a tricky bastard, all right? When he pulls out of places like this, he likes to leave little presents for stupid farm boys looking for trophies. So for all our sakes, don't touch anything unless I fucking say so. All right, Berton. Let's go. Let's move. Cooper, you're up. I smell the bastard from six feet... Quiet! Sneak up on me. Smelled like sauerkraut. Berton, check the door. Watch your step, Doc. Hey, shut up! He's fucking dead. Quiet, for God sakes. It's all quiet. We're good to go. Sir. I think he tried to climb out. Do you guys speak German? He's saying, "Don't open the door". Okay, what the fuck is he saying now? Spit it out, Doc. He says if we open the door, we're all gonna die. Did I tell you to stop? Come on! -Nein, nein, nein! -Shut that idiot up, Captain. What do you want me to do, shoot him? He's fucking C3. Find out if he's got friends down here. Maybe we should listen to him, sir. We don't know what's behind that. Shut up! Come on! Hey! Doc, you tell this asshole if he takes another step, I will shoot. Shoot? Shoot, ja. Ja! -Hey, hey! -Shoot, ja! Ja! Bitte! -Shoot, shoot. -Hey! Come on. On three. One, two, three! You understand what I'm saying? -Bitte! Bitte! -Doc? -Shooting me. -I swear to God. He keeps moving, I will shoot. Do you understand what I'm saying? -I'm ordering you to get back! -Bitte. Hey, Captain... All right, Berton. You take the lead. There's someone in here. Hold your fire! Hold your fire. I can't fucking see anything! Where is he? Where did he go? Aaagh! Grenade! Grenade! Take cover! Everybody okay? -Yeah. -You okay, Kelly? Yeah, I'm fine, Captain. Abandoned, my ass. Who the fuck was that? Can it be cleared? My guess is the entire tunnel collapsed. Can it be cleared? Best we search for another way out. Are you saying we're stuck down here? This room's not gonna hold much longer. -We need to move. -How are we gonna breathe? -We're 50 feet deep. -Shut up, Kelly. We're gonna fucking suffocate. Shut up! Save your breath. Let's go. We ain't alone down here. Look sharp. Watch the corners. The air is moving. Fritz left a door open somewhere. Yes? And? We go down. Sit tight while I scout ahead. That German back there, was that shell shock? Shell shock? You've really never been on a battlefield, have you, Major? That Hun was sick. He ain't the first one, either. We've been finding them all through the Argonne. There have been reports that the German line was recently struck by a particularly lethal form of influenza. Is that why we're here? Maybe that's why they sealed the base. That guy just hacked all over me. This place is a maze. Best you just come with me. No. Captain Cooper will escort you. Help him find an exit. The rest of us will continue our sweep and meet back here. Sweep? We've got no idea how big this place is. You go sightseeing, you'll get lost. No, he's right. How are we gonna get back without him? We'll lay markers. Okay, sir, with all respect, six men are stronger than four. You are under my direct command. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. Captain, this is bullshit. Not my call. Without that tunneler, sir, we're dead. Like the major said, lay markers, trace your way back. Yeah, this is crazy, though. Hey! I'll come back for you. Yeah, and I'm not dying down here, sir. Gentlemen! I understand your concerns, but we have prepared for this contingency. As we speak, a team of Royal Engineers is en route and will check in on us. If our tunneler can't find an exit, and if we fail to check in by 0900 tomorrow, efforts to extract us will begin. Now, in the meantime... we are here to complete a vitally important mission, and, by God, I intend to see that it's done. Lieutenant Berton, find that exit and be back here in three hours. Yeah. You got three hours. Three hours to find whatever it is you came down here for, but don't expect me to find you if you're not back. I expect that you and every other man in this unit will do his duty. Do I make myself clear? Good luck. It's a bad idea, Captain. What kind of place is this? Some kind of command center? 12 miles behind enemy lines? What about that metal door we found? -What about it? -It locked from the outside. Place wasn't built to keep people out. It was built to keep people in. You think you can get us out of here? I mean, you've gotten out of worse, haven't you? A place this size should have two or three emergency shafts. We find the outside wall, we'll find a way out. Pronger, Kelly. What's a hospital doing down here? Major, you should see this. -Over there. -Pronger, stand down. Doctor, with me. My fucking light. Damn. Quiet! Shit! Let's go. Come on. Out of the way. Behind you! Berton! Let's go. Bloody hell. Reiner's built an entire city down here. The Wotan rumors were true. "Laboratorium". Labs. You were right. We have to go down there. What about the tunneler? How long has it been? -Well, he'll have to wait. -What if he doesn't? Cooper said he'd come back for you, yes? He wouldn't leave us behind. Then he'll bring Berton with him. Focus on the task at hand. We'll be done before you know it now that we have the map. For all we know, that could be a shaft. Or that. And what if these exits are blocked in? We'll deal with it then! Scheisse! Scheisse! Scheisse! Scheisse! Wait, Doc, Doc, Doc. Doc, look. His stomach. I spring a leak, you can start to worry about me, okay? This place is crawling with Germans. You ever see anything like that? I've seen some ugly fucking Huns before. Never quite that ugly. And I've never seen them kill each other. You know something about this place you're not telling me? Jennings tell you anything? Nothing. My CO gave me my orders... get Jennings in and out without so much of a scratch. And your CO didn't tell you anything? -Didn't know. -Didn't tell you. Didn't know. But whatever Jennings is doing down here is important enough to secure the full cooperation of the American army. How else could he get a whole division down here to help us out? Let me tell you something else you don't know. Nobody is fucking coming for us. Jennings is a fucking liar. What is a scheisse, anyway? You be quiet, please. Give me some light. -What are you looking for? -Answers. If I could see anything. Light, please. Major, open up this side, please. Hold the table, you two. Light, please. What is it? I think it's a type of Dirofilaria. American, Doc. Parasitic worm. Like you would see in cats or dogs. A heartworm. But humans can't contract these worms. Not in this quantity or size. Well, this is truly... extraordinary. They've... They've occupied his orbital cavities, the sinuses, the prefrontal cortex. What? Well, the frontal lobe governs our personalities. It's how we tell right from wrong. The tiniest lesions there can cause dementia. This is not a natural phenomenon. This disease was engineered. Achtung. You ever get scared down here, places like this? They say you're only scared when you got something to lose. You got something to lose? I'm scared all the time. Yeah. What's her name? Veronique. Veronique. That's a nice name. We're close. Right. Let's go. I said, "Let's go". I don't think so. We're gonna find that tunneler, and then we leave. All right. This has gone far enough. I gave you a direct order! You're heading down a very hazardous path, Sergeant. More hazardous than following your sorry ass around? Not one more step. Drop it. This is mutiny. You'll hang. We live long enough to get out of here, and we'll worry about that. Drop your weapon. I'm warning you! Gentlemen. We're on the same side. Everybody... Everybody lower your weapons now. I ain't dying down here so this prick can make colonel. Listen to me. Listen to me, gentlemen. Men of the 49th Infantry are mustering above us right now. If you drop your weapons, I will see to it... Cut the shit, Jennings. Drop it or I fire! I'm warning you! This is your last chance! Okay. Let's go back for the others. Hey, you're in no shape to go hunting for your men. I say we send a team to come back looking for them, okay? Come on, let's go. Look, I promised I would go back for them. This place is a maze. We're outnumbered. We're lucky to be alive. Even if we make it back to the meeting point, there's no guarantee they'll be there. Listen, I tested fate once before. Yeah, you lived. I was lucky. Look, I'm sorry nobody came back for you. But if there's a chance... we go. You are men of action, so I will be brief. We have come to destroy the compound, and we need your tunneler. Cooperate, and your lives will be spared. No. Until we know what spreads this disease, no attempt should be made to leave this base. If you wish to be in this place when it is destroyed, you may be my guest. Does he speak for all of you? Good. Then who among you is the tunneler? I'm the tunneler. You? You're very tall for a tunneler. That's what my mother said. Yeah. Yes. All right, the rest of you will assist him. Berton, nobody should leave here until we get some bloody answers. Fine. You may remain here under guard. Gentlemen, this base has been sealed for a reason. There has been an outbreak here the likes of which I've never seen in my years of medicine. And you can't stop it, can you? Can you? -Come. -Danke schoen. Follow me. We're going to descend two levels to where the main charge failed to detonate. The tunneler will fix them. Any explosives that need to be carried, you will help him. How are we supposed to defend ourselves if we run into any more of your pals? You do your job, and I will see to your safety. Come. There's so much joy in the food the French make. They are a disgrace on the battlefield, but they certainly have their talents. Do you know how much joy is in German food? It has been quite the week for the democracies, no? The Hindenburg Line smashed. The Fritz on the run. How exciting. But I'm wondering what you will do next. Consolidate your gains in the Argonne, or exploit your breakthrough at Cambrai? I vote for Cambrai. The mustering point of the next Allied attack. What about it? Where is it? Well, I'm a doctor. You're asking the wrong man. You... You are obviously a medical officer attached to British intelligence. Where is it? I couldn't tell you, Herr Reiner. Johann. Let's forget... for a moment that we are enemies. After all, we are friends in science, aren't we? So, what did you find on your little expedition? That you and I don't practice the same science. Of course we do. When a person falls ill, do you heal them with words, or do you cut them open and rearrange their insides? -I do what I have to do. -Exactly. This is the only criterion under which science should be judged... its effectiveness. You think... You think cutting a man open with a scalpel is not an act of aggression? Because to fix him, you have to inflict a violence upon him. An educated violence. A violence you went to school for. And what you're doing here has nothing to do with science. It's a perversion... Now, we know that you've engineered some sort of parasite, presumably designed to devastate Allied livestock. So I think that you've had a little accident, and your strain has jumped species, and you've tried to seal this base to stop it spreading. No one was more surprised than myself once it jumped. But I started breeding a more virulent strain of the parasite, and within months I had created one that could overwhelm its host in a matter of hours. Even before it migrates to the brain, the fever caused by the infestation can radically alter the personality. But once it reaches the cerebral tissue, the results are, well, spectacular. Some like to fornicate. Others drink. But most... they just want to kill. Quite liberating, I should think, no? Let's go. It's time to get moving. Let's go. We don't have time for this! Hey, easy, Fritz. You know, I'm pretty good with those maps. Kelly, hey. I can help you find your way. You got to show me the map. Got to move, okay? Come on. Kelly? Kelly? No! No! No! My nose! -Give me the map. -No. Don't make me shoot you. Give me the map. You're the only who knows how the wire the explosives. This is an outbreak, and we can't control it. Look at your friends. Look at them. Germany has lost the war, but there will be no peace if this gets out. Don't do this for me. Think of the lives you can save. Thank you. Like you said, I'm not doing this for you. Which way? Down and to the left. You think an outbreak in our lines would allow you to counterattack? This awful war is finished. It's over. Think about the civilian casualties. And what about your blockade? This euphemism for the premeditated starvation of thousands of innocent lives? You, sir, are in no position to lecture me about morality. Agreed. Then think about your own people. This monstrosity won't recognize any flag. So be it. Consider it a radical surgery to save the host. If Germany loses this war, it will fall to the democrats or the communists... the herd or the Jews... and I will not allow either to happen. So you're gonna drag it all down with you, like some petulant demigod in one of your fucking Wagner operas? Perhaps I will drag it down. And why not?! Europe is a perfumed corpse waiting to be set ablaze. And if Germany is strong enough, brave enough, then it will emerge purified while the rest of this dung heap burns! And if it perish, so be it. It wasn't up to the task. The mustering point. -Gramophone? -Of course. My God. What did you think I was going to do? I rather thought you were going to torture me. But I am. When the line broke, the order was given to destroy this compound. They were able to contain the infected, but this main charge never went. How do I know I'm not infected? We were told it only transmits through bodily fluids, through blood, through saliva. -Well, what are the symptoms? -Begins with a fever. You become increasingly violent. How do you feel? I feel like blowing something up. That is a symptom. Can you salvage the explosives? The explosives are fine. Detonators are fine. Then what's the problem? They weren't connected. Somebody wasn't ready to say goodbye. I found more det cord. How much longer? Finish wiring the explosives, bring it up to the charges on the second floor, then up to the surface. Good. I found these in the guard room. Thank you. Prost. -Prost. -Prost. Prost. Cheers. Cheers. German beer. You like? I like. To the end of the war. I'll drink to that. You know, they say that this disease drives men insane. But I believe after the last four years, both sides have already been infected. I was on the Somme, and we were shelled for seven days straight. Even deep down in the dugout, the sound was deafening. After 72 hours, some of the men began to kill themselves. One of my men... put a grenade in his mouth, and I spent the next day picking his teeth out of my arm, And after five days, I crawled up to the top, out of the dugout... and I think I wanted to die. And there I watched the fields rise and fall, remade and destroyed again with each new salvo. And for what? To kill a handful of Germans cowering in a little hole? Yeah, well, maybe... Maybe after what both sides have done, we all deserve to be wiped out. Just not today. Not today. Gas! Gas! Come! Down this way! Up! Okay. Let's go through this again. Which way did you enter? We came down here through the emergency exit. That's going to be filled with gas just like the other exits, so that's not gonna work either. There. Thank God for German engineering. -What is that? -It's an auxiliary shaft. They use it to bring mining cars up they've filled with spoils, keep the main tunnels clear when they're digging. That will take us up to the next level. Yeah, but what about the explosives? How do we detonate? -What's that? Sleeping quarters? -Yeah. Personal belongings. Let me go through them. In case they stop us, I'm setting the detonation from here. How much time will we have? I'm giving us 45 minutes. But this is not gonna be enough to finish the job. We got to run the det cord up to the next level. Whatever survives the blast will be engulfed in flames. At least the labs will be destroyed. Let this be the last. Your back! Can you fix this? I'll rig something else up. Yeah? And how about my leg? Well, you're not gonna waltz for a while, but you'll live. Just show me how to do it. Show you how to do what? You and I both know what needs to happen. Just show me. You bring the two together. Electricity will do the rest. Just touch them? And how much time do you need? I need 20 minutes to make it to the next level, five minutes to rig the explosives. 30 minutes to be sure. I give you till 7:00. Good God. One of those colonials. What are you even doing here? This is not your war. On your knees. On your knees! And now raise your hands. Put your hands up! Yeah. You stupid Canadian. You are going to die underneath a French field thousands of miles from home, and you're smiling. Why are you smiling? I know they call you the Prophet, but... I know something you don't. What might that be? I know how this ends. |
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