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The Stratus BorQ
By David L. Jackson
© 2009 Writers Guild of America, West. All Rights Reserved
OPEN ON
EXT. OUTER SPACE
Space, deep blue darkness highlighted with distant starlight.
A large planet caresses the horizon, it's visible oceans and
land formations identify the planet as 'Earth'.
A small one man exploration pod touches by and drifts down
towards the planet.
INT. FEDERATION POD 18 / TUES. 3:45 PM
A constricted cockpit, CAPTAIN SIKH ROBERTS is employed
flicking various console gadgets among the brightly lit
buttons.
SIKH ROBERTS, a tall, well-built, 32 year-old dark skinned
man with dark windblown hair. His white jumpsuit contains a
breast logo that reads,"GLOBAL FEDERATION" and a crest on his
sleeve reveals the words "PROBE MISSION 2012".
Sikh is sporting a large headset hanging around the back of
his neck, lifts them and adjusts it back onto his head,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Mission control, this is
exploration pod 18 on final
approach, everything is in order
with a tee minus seven niner, on
course for drop zone, powering down
non essentials for re-entry, over."
MISSION CONTROL
"E. P. 18, we have you on visual,
recovery is in place, Welcome home
captain."
Sikh begins to power down as the cockpit dims with every
button affected. A quick glance over his shoulder as he
latches onto a large shoulder strap and begins to buckle
himself in,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Ready or not, here I come."
The sound of some small debris hitting the pod catches Sikh's
attention,
SIKH ROBERTS
"What the hell?"
The sound now more lively as the pod begins to rock and shake
significantly. An alarm begins to buzz.
Sikh quickly tries to turn back on the communications system
and radar. An electronic female voice quickly interrupts,
COMPUTER SYSTEM
"Unable to activate com system,
entering atmosphere for decent.
The mono-toned voice repeats itself like a skipping record,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Well...this is not good."
COMPUTER SYSTEM
"Unable to activate com system,
entering atmosphere for decent.
Sikh views the radar screen which nothing seems to be
visible, taps the screen with his gloved finger, and it
scrambles up and shuts off,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Federation junk!...C.S, Please
open navigation mode, this is an
emergency operational over-ride
command!"
The pod still rocking violently, sparks flare up on the
console.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
"Unable to activate navigational
mode, system over-ride
unavailable..."
Sikh resumes strapping effort into his seat, he slams his
eyes shut and is forced back into his seat as he hits re
entry...a click of the buckle, blood begins to trickle from
his nostril, it gets extremely bright.
BLUR TRANSITION
(LIGHT):
EXT. SKY OVER LAKE – DAY
It is a deep lucent blue sky with the just a few late
afternoon clouds in the sweep. Panning the open sky the voice
of PROFESSOR JOHNS, having a light British accent, rather
disgruntled.
PROFESSOR JOHNS (V.O.)
"It wouldn't hurt if Sikh was on
time once in a while, I have a
classroom of students who keep
better time."
The sweet challenging voice of TAY DONNELLY answers him,
TAY DONNELLY (V.O.)
"Ease up Doc, He'll be here, Beans
just told me he just hit re-entry
now..."
A loud smothered beat, as if someone had popped a balloon
under a seat cushion, followed by a roar like the hollow wind
of a Texas Tornado, A flaming ball appears in the sky
surrendering a white vapor trail behind it as it plummets
fiercely across the sky.
CUT TO:
EXT. COUNTRY FIELD - DAY
The eyes of our impatient Professor, squinting, looking up
into the sky.
YOUNG LUCY, a beautiful sweet little girl in her pre-teens is
sitting quietly on a short stoop, she is looking up as well.
The brisk wind whips her hair about her inexpressive face,
she shields the brighter light from her eyes as the ball of
fire races by.
She giggles shyly and points in front of her, looking over
excitedly at somebody present beside her.
YOUNG LUCY
"Daddy's home!"
Across the horizon of an unkept farmer's field, brownish
tinge of overgrowth within the rugged, broken terrain, the
burning pod quickly appears and just as quickly disappears in
the distance in a silent sudden puff ...hidden behind a small
cluster of trees.
A mass of dust and smoke disperses from within the tree line
and out into the open field.
A stretch of silence.
The wind begins to cut away at the smoke and whistles across
the barren field.
The Professor's eyes peer way into the distance at the fallow
horizon. The smoke gives way to reveal a single man trooping
towards them. A duffel bag tucked under his right arm.
Walking tall with his chin thrust forward, blood trickles
from his nose...It is indeed Sikh.
TORIC ROBERTS, a tall muscular, chiseled-faced man also dark
skinned, leans against his truck smoking a cigarette.
Toric is a farm hand from Jefferson's Farm, and wears a plaid
shirt unbuttoned and uneven, revealing a dirty white tee. His
faded jeans spoiled with a few small holes.
Toric grinning as Sikh approaches.
TAY DONNELLY, a striking 30 year old woman with blonde hair,
an impuissant exterior and a somewhat doff smile propped up
against a nearby tree shields her eyes from the sun's glare.
Tay is in a nurse's uniform, a badge hanging from a leash
draped over her neck.
LT. SANDRA YOUNG, a short, intense looking woman in a white
jumpsuit with similar markings to those on Sikh's. Her long
dark hair tied back in a ponytail. Sandra has a unique
looking device pointing at Sikh as he walks up.
Sikh stops just shy of the group and puts his free hand on
his hip.
Professor Johns puts on his glasses,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"About time!"
Sikh rolls his eyes in exasperation, He begins to remove the
duffel bag from around his shoulder,
SIKH ROBERTS
"What's the matter, doc? Miss me?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
"As a matter of fact, I have, with
every shot I have taken!"
Toric snubs his cigarette in the dirt, looks over and
advances towards Sikh with a friendly grin, passing by the
Professor,
TORIC ROBERTS
"You may want to try loading the
gun next time doc."
Toric saunters up and embraces his brother,
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.C.)
"Is that the reason, well I shall
remember that for the next time."
TORIC ROBERTS
"Welcome home little brother!"
SIKH ROBERTS
"Toric, thanks bro., Good to see
you...how's things over at
Jefferson's?"
TORIC ROBERTS
"We're busier than a field mouse in
a cat cage! Large yield this
season, going to be a good winter."
SIKH ROBERTS
"That's great to hear."
Tay standing with her head tilted, in a very seductive
mannerism, she too confronts the returning astronaut,
TAY DONNELLY
"What happened?... stick a big
finger in that sexy little nose of
yours?"
Sikh takes notice of her standing there and hands his bag to
Toric,
SIKH ROBERTS
"As a matter of fact... I think I
saved you a chunk..."
Sikh extends his middle finger, the bird if you prefer.
Tay smiles advancing forward, grabbing hold of his gesturing
hand, clutching it with both hands, she begins to slowly
tongue his finger from the knuckle to the nail, not once
taking her seductive eyes from his.
Sandra enters behind them, zapping Sikh in the upper right
arm with an electronic gadget.
SANDRA YOUNG
"Get a room you two!"
Tay in full grin, embraces Sikh with a warm hug and kiss.
Sikh now rubbing his arm ...giving Sandra a baneful look.
SIKH ROBERTS
"I entered the atmosphere and found
myself in some space junk, rocked
the hell out of the bird and I"
TAY DONNELLY
"Well, you quite possibly travelled
through some of the residuals of
Nara 3."
Sikh looks confused.
TAY DONNELLY
"It was destroyed earlier this
week. I'm surprised you didn't get
a text note regarding the whole
deal."
Tay continues to try and remove some dried blood from his
upper lip.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Why?...What the hell happened?"
Sandra views a couple of test tube through the daylight,
inspecting the color of each.
SANDRA YOUNG
"Don't really know, They sent Delta
47 up 2 weeks ago to find out why
the Federation lost contact with
the station, The Delta scouts
reported the base was vacant,
everyone was gone. They reported
the evac was initiated but the exit
pod was never launched."
SIKH ROBERTS
"That doesn't explain why they blew
it up!"
TAY DONNELLY
"Delta reported back that some of
the women on their team started to
fall ill."
SANDRA YOUNG
"Within twenty four hours, we lost
all communications with the entire
Delta team."
SIKH ROBERTS
"Some virus possibly?"
Tay shrugs her shoulders,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
Nara 3 was scheduled to reach it's
final orbit this week, Federation
decided it was best to keep it from
coming home, fearing the
possibility of an unknown
biological agent released on
board."
Toric hands Sikh a water bottle, looking rather disinterested
in what the Professor was preaching.
TORIC ROBERTS
" I know for a fact that Jeffrey
Myers was up there, and in no way
was he conducting any biological
experiments, something else
happened up there and our
Federation is just covering it up
again...like that there Roswell
incident last century."
The Professor interrupts,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Oh give it a rest now, what's done
is done and you know as well as I,
we couldn't allow Nara 3 to come
home with any possibility of
something on board that poses a
threat to Earth, whatever it
was...be it viral be it
biological...our federation made
the right call, and you Toric...
would be better off dropping your
opinion before it falls upon loyal
ears."
Toric rolls his eyes. He opens the door to his truck and
retrieves a pack of cigarettes,
TORIC ROBERTS
"I ain't dropping nothing doc, I
believe in my freedom of speech,
and ain't no way the federation
going to take that away from me!"
Tay finishes her nursing skills on Sikh's wound,as the
Professor confronts Toric, in the background,
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
" I am Federation representation
for this mission and I am suppose
to be here, you my friend are
civilian...and the only reason you
are here is cause I allowed it so!
TAY DONNELLY
"Somebody else made the trip to see
you, and may I add, has been very
patiently waiting her turn."
Sikh looks away and spots Young Lucy sitting patiently on the
short stoop watching her father with an eager smile.
TORIC ROBERTS (O.S.)
"Sikh is my brother, who the hell
do you think you are thinking you
can stop me from welcoming him
home, Come on Doc, The Federation
has clogged your arteries with lies
and selfishness."
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
"Don't push it Toric, cause I will
win."
Sikh dashed towards her, swooping her up into his arms and
spinning around in a loving, playful embrace.
Tay can't help but to watch them and smile proudly, Toric and
the Professor quit arguing as they notice the reunion of a
father and daughter.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Lucy, you are a site for sore
eyes, maybe not so little
anymore...how's my darling princess
doing!"
YOUNG LUCY
"You were gone too long daddy, I
don't want you to go anymore."
Tay walks up and tickles Lucy's chin,
TAY DONNELLY
"Don't worry baby, mommy will keep
daddy grounded for at least the
next six months."
Sikh puts his arm around Tay's shoulder and has Lucy in his
other, They walk away towards a modern federation mini van
parked on the other side of the dirty country road.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Grounded for six months, can she
do that to me?"
YOUNG LUCY
"Supply and demand daddy!"
Sikh laughs repeating the quote of the day,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Supply and demand huh."
Sandra looks over at the tow truck parked at the edge of the
field,and it's crew of TOMMY LITTLE and JAKE RODMEN who
anxiously waiting for the end of this home coming. She shouts
out to them,
SANDRA YOUNG
"Bay 9...note that they'll need to
have a look at her tiles...and
let's not damage her any more than
she already is!"
They wave acknowledging Sandra's orders.
Sikh turns back,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Oh, hey, guys take Cutter's road
around, I landed with her beak in
the river...sorry."
Jake just about to get into his truck,
JAKE
"Well at least you kept most of her
on dry land this time!"
Sikh chuckles to himself, resuming his path to the mini van.
The Professor sitting in Sandra's car, watches Toric drive
up, He raises his hand just shy of a friendly wave, as he
creeps up slowly around the idle car.
Toric just stares with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
FADE OUT.
EXT. RIVER'S EDGE / LANDING POD
On the nose cap of Sikh's shuttle POD, the marks and dents
are very noticeable, as is a small particle of a rock like
substance embedded in one of the dents.
The nose is partially submerged in the muddy waters of the
river.
Suddenly the alien debris becomes unlocked and falls into the
river's water below.
CUT TO:
I/E. RIVER WATER / UNDER
The unusual piece of scrap debris sinks into the dark water,
it begins to release a multitude of tiny air bubbles, rapidly
dispersed and continuous, it finally comes to rest on the
muddy bottom.
FADE TO BLACK.
TITLE SCREEN: STRATUS BORQ
CUT TO:
EXT. LARGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE / 68 HOURS LATER
Random college students enter and exit the front door of a
large college facility.
A soccer ball is punted up against the front college sign
"Middletown College Est. 2001". A young soccer player
retrieves the ball and throws it back from which it came.
Small groups are gathered in conversation in the school's
court yard, sharing stories, laughing, flirting, going over
notes from their previous class.
The soccer team is practicing various drills as a young woman
and a young man share a romantic kiss on the bleachers.
As the sounds of the busy college continue, we are tracking
along the rich deep green grass until we come to the bare
foot of a young female student, tossing her flip flop about
with the wiggle of her toes,
A young female student is listening to an I-Pod while reading
under a thin tree, a stack of books, biological studies in
nature and a chemistry notebook, sit next to her on her left
and a plastic lunch bag partially opened sits to her right.
She is AMANDA MARTIN, a sharp, grade driven student, more
interested in her studies than the social activities around
her.
THWACK!!... the end of a fresh tree twig snaps a couple
inches from AMANDA'S head startling her out of her reverie.
She turns looking up to see her friend sporting a modern
grunge style of fashion, a little of the wall from what we
have seen within the student body, she is helplessly giggling
away.
KATIE MOORE looks down at her casually, and proud to have
achieved a reaction she got from Amanda, tosses the twig
aside.
KATIE MOORE
"Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, this
reading of books while on lunch is
going to rot your mind and leave
you socially inadequate"
Katie plops herself next to her flustered friend who is now
shaking her head in disbelief.
AMANDA MARTIN
"Do you not understand the concept
of having to study once in a
while...and you...you're one to
talk about being socially
inadequate...dressing like that."
Katie reaches across in front of Amanda and helps herself to
one half of Amanda's sandwich, She takes a bite,
KATIE MOORE
"If I really cared what people
thought about my fashion statement,
I'd have gone to Brownstone, but
I'm only here to bug you...crawl
into that stuffed melon of yours
and keep you from making any
disastrous decisions that are best
left for me to make!"
AMANDA MARTIN
(sarcastic)
"And I so love you for that."
Katie looks through the stack of books next to Amanda,
KATIE MOORE
"So?...we on for Dayo's mid term
relief party tonight?"
Amanda closes her book, with a helpless sigh,
AMANDA MARTIN
"Come on Kat, I have two papers due
and a test on Tuesday, ...I can't,
not this weekend anyway."
KATIE MOORE
"You can't do this to me
Amanda...You have to go!"
AMANDA MARTIN
"I'm just..."
Katie quickly interrupts,
KATIE MOORE
"I..I..I nothing girlfriend! Blake
is going to be there, and may I add
that Blake is now single, the way I
see it, you owe me for that whole
Buddy Williams episode in your
junior year, and if you don't go, I
don't go, and thus...
Blake will surely lose interest in
me and probably hook up with one of
them floozies from Betty Cocker's
kitchen studies. Which would surely
crush my spirit and possibly break
my heart...again!..Is this what you
want to do to me?...deprive me of
romance...love...the hope of male
companionship!"
Katie makes a pathetic pity look, her bottom lip protruding
forward, Amanda looks defeated,
AMANDA MARTIN
"For heaven sake Kat!"
Katie resumes her battle,
KATIE MOORE
"I put so much effort in getting
his attention long enough to have
him get to know the real me, beyond
the look, the tough exterior, the
person I am inside, and you're
going to blow it all off for
what?...a weekend of brain
bulking...come on!"
Amanda titters and reluctantly begins to pack away her stuff,
snatching the chemistry book from the hands of a pathetic
looking Katie,
AMANDA MARTIN
"FINE!...I'll go...Lord knows I
don't need you holding me to blame
for another failed relationship, I
don't think I could handle it."
She looks down at her watch, a delicate golden piece reading
eleven twenty three.
AMANDA MARTIN
"I'll pick you up at your mom's...
shortly after seven?"
She looks back up and over, Katie is gone, She spots her
dancing away in front of her.
Katie twists back,and exclaims,
KATIE MOORE
"Oh, and wear something sexy!"
Amanda shaking her head in amusement as her friend dances
about in the soccer field...stealing the ball from the boys
and kicking it away...holding her arms upright like she
scored. The boys upset with her begin to advance towards her
until she raises her fist, ready. They wave her off and turn
away.
Amanda gets up and heads towards the school.
CUT TO:
INT. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM / LATER
An obscurely lit classroom, a slide presentation is being
viewed by the students.
Professor Johns in a well fitted suit, slowly paces crosswise
in front of the classroom.
The faces of the students are fixed on the giant white screen
at the front of the class.
SLIDE 1:
-A red ant with a fruiting parasite protruding from its neck.
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
"Entomopathogenic fungi are not the
only parasites that can modify the
behavior of their hosts. Just as
remarkable is the enantiomorphic
hairworm..."
The professor raises a small remote control...directs it and
pushes the button,
SLIDE 2:
-A close up of a large parasite.
KATHERINE WOODS looking up at the slide covers her eyes in
disgust and groans unpretentiously. Sitting next to her is
PATTY CHARLOTTE who giggles unaffected as she doodles a
sketch of a cartoon portrayal of their professor,
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
"...also known as the horsehair
worm or to some...the gordian worm,
because of its resemblance to a
particular knot created by the
Phrygian king Gordius. According to
ancient myth, Gordius used his knot
to tie his chariot to a pole, and
declared that whomever could untie
it would rule all of Asia."
The Professor skips to the next slide, looking up at the
classroom clock, two fifty six.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"The young gordian worm infests
land-living arthropods...such as
grasshoppers, locusts and our ever
so popular beetle, however, the
adult is a free-living aquatic
species which looks to reproduce in
water."
PROFESSOR JOHNS switches on a large monitor, and shuts off
the slide projector, A video is turned on, showcasing a large
black cricket.
He continues to saunter between an isle of students,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Inside the host, the microscopic
larvae feed on surrounding tissue,
and develop into this long worm
which can reach up to 4 times the
length of its host, It will remain
within the body cavity of the host
as a long, coiled mass."
VIDEO 1:
-The black cricket jumps rapidly into a body of water, after
drowning, a large worm emerges from the face of the cricket
and swims away leaving the dead cricket.
PROFESSOR JOHNS (O.S.)
"...After metamorphosing, the adult
worm induces its host...brainwashes
it and makes the host leave its
terrestrial habitat, and commit
suicide by jumping into a body of
water and drowning itself, so that
the worm can now emerge."
Another unpretentious groan from the students.
Professor Johns flicks the lights on. A student leans towards
his buddy.
BLAKE JOHNS
(whispers)
"Insecticidal suicide...kind of
like the sound of that!"
BLAKE JOHNS, a young good looking male student with shortened
blonde hair, an earring and his choice of rock jersey sets
him apart from the others in the class, yet he has a unique
resemblance to our Professor.
Professor Johns overhears Blake's comment.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I should hope you will utilize
this information in a more
meaningful manner Mr. Johns."
BLAKE rolls his eyes and mutters something to his friend. The
Professor continues,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Maybe a three page essay
recounting the fruiting process
will help the class retain this
information...due on Wednesday."
The class groans and Blake now looks frustrated...slamming
his book closed and peering up at the Professor who is just
about to speak when,
The bell rings.
All the students begin to gather their notes and begin to
mutter amongst themselves.
The Professor raises a new friendly voice above all the
commotion...still looking at Blake with a look of
disappointment.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Let's not forget those of you who
have yet to pay your lab fees, next
week people!...Have a good
weekend!"
The classroom disperses towards the door.
The Professor catches up with Blake as he is about to pass
his desk,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Mr. Johns...a word if don't mind,
privately."
Blake removes himself from the cluster of students making
their way out of the classroom, and approaches his teacher's
desk.
The Professor patiently waits for the class to empty before
speaking,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"disrupting my classroom with your
need to crack jokes is something I
think we can do without, Some of my
students are here to learn...even
if you are not."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dad, I am not cracking jokes in
your class alone, If that makes you
feel any better, I do it in all my
classes, and as you also know, my
grades are pretty dam good,
Sometimes a few wise cracks can
help us remember what it is we are
trying to learn, humor dad, maybe
you could try it sometime...ever
since mom left, I think you forgot
all about what it is to live with a
little understanding of the lighter
side of things!...and you treat me
as though I'm the one who has a
problem!"
Blake storms away as the Professor is left standing
speechless.
DAYO BACCUS an exchange student is standing at the door
waiting for Blake, he smiles at the teacher sympathetically
as Blake walks by, and quickly follows him.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALL / CROWDED
Blake still rather upset nudges his way apologetically
through the masses. Dayo fumbles through to keep up with his
disgruntled friend,
BLAKE JOHNS
"He's the reason I hate biology!"
A locker door is closed revealing Dayo and Blake walking
through another hallway.
There are students everywhere, all socializing and gathering
books. A football is tossed, a girl is talking to her
boyfriend, small groups bid good bye to each other and head
off down the chaotic hall.
Dayo is now walking beside Blake,
DAYO
"Got to let it go dude, we were
bound to get that essay whether you
said what you said or not."
Dayo in his torn denim jeans and tight fitting Tee stops to
address a few young ladies along the wall of lockers, Blake
stops and waits with a sigh,
DAYO
"A plague of misery has befallen
us. We, the chosen people of
Middletown are shackled in
bondage...school, But alas, Our
sense of hope is not yet gone. We
have nothing more worthwhile to
achieve than our attendance,
tonight at the best damn party this
hick town has ever bare witness! .
. ."
The barbarian impersonator passes a paper flier. The girls
look excited and assure the messenger they would attend. He
thanks them with a mocking bow, and continues with Blake up
the hall, the same group of girls checking them out as they
walk away,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dude, you can deep six the fliers,
I think everyone and their uncle
knows about the party tonight."
DAYO
"I paid a whole quarter for each
replication buddy, I got to make
sure, you know...get my money's
worth!"
Dayo stops a young nerdy looking kid in the hall.
RYAN NICKELS, in his striped polo shirt and cargo pants, has
his dark rimmed glasses hanging low on the tip of his nose.
DAYO
"Hey, Brian...right?"
The young nerd acknowledges Dayo as he pushes his glasses
back up to his face and looks rather skittish.
RYAN
"Umm, Ryan, Ryan Nickels"
DAYO
"Cool, Brian, my man, I need a big
favor, I need you to take these
fliers and pass them out to anyone
who is willing to take one, think
you can handle that for me buddy?"
The boy nervously nods yes and takes the small stack of
papers from Dayo.
DAYO
"Awesome, I owe you one Brian!"
Dayo and Blake continue down the hall as the boy stands there
with the stack of papers, watching them exit. He mumbles,
RYAN
"It's Ryan..."
Ryan takes a deep breath and turns and offers one to the
first passing student who quickly knocks them out of his
hand, the papers fly and spread out all over the floor.
The boy sighs, rolls his eyes and ducks down as he begins to
pick them up, a few other students passing by, step on the
papers, one will even kick a sheet across the hall away from
Ryan.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. FRONT LOT OF COLLEGE / DAY
An ant makes its way along the railing slowly, disappears
from view just as Blake and Dayo exit the school and are in
the middle of a friendly conversation,
BLAKE JOHNS
"...and I could not pop that son of
a bitch out of there!"
DAYO
" There is a trick to it, Back home
we had elders who would teach us
various tricks to succeed in
various tasks, I learned so much,
they kicked my ass out of the
country and into your American
schools."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Well, the old man wasn't
impressed, his only offspring is
not a "biological propensity," and
would rather tear apart an electric
turbine than an arthropod...I don't
even know why I decided to take his
class."
DAYO
"Arthropods are animals belonging
to the Phylum Arthropoda, which
together mean "jointed feet" and
include many insects, arachnids,
crustaceans and others...dude
biology is not that boring, I think
you just resent the fact that your
father teaches it."
Blake swings his back pack to the other shoulder now, trying
to contain his laughter at his friend,
DAYO
"And as it is, it is not your
strongest subject, so be it, do not
pretend to be something you are
not, your father will not hold it
against you, trust me."
BLAKE JOHNS
"You have no idea how important it
is to my father that I follow in
his footsteps...It has been his
dream to have a son to continue his
legacy in biological
engineering...anything else just
doesn't matter."
DAYO
"What you believe about your
father's dream may be true,
however, He is an intelligent man,
I am certain he has accepted the
fact that you are your own person
and have your own interest, do not
underestimate the power of being an
individual, in my country, for
most, individuality means not
having to share toilet paper!"
Blake laughs,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dude, that's just not right... But
thanks for the additional
Psychology tutoring."
DAYO
"Anytime my friend, You will
receive my bill via Federation
Collections...sometime next
Tuesday."
Blake playfully slugs Dayo in the arm, He laughs as Dayo
makes like his arm is broken, they make their way up the
sidewalk, As they walk away the topic is changed as they talk
about DAYO'S party plans.
BLAKE JOHNS
"I want you to meet this girl
tonight, We hit it off last week in
the cafeteria, she's...a bit off
the wall but...she's really a lot
like myself."
DAYO
"I will meet this new love interest
of yours, just don't forget the
kegs!"
BLAKE JOHNS
"I will not forget the
kegs!...relax dude."
FADE TO:
INT. KATIE MOORE'S HOME / LATER
Katie saunters in through the front door, she tosses her
school bag down on the floor and peeks into living room.
CUT TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM / DAY
Katie's mother is on the edge of the sofa, her appearance is
not quite what you would expect for late afternoon, her hair
in rollers, a beat up old robe and smoking a cigarette in
dire need of butting. She is fixed on a news broadcast on the
television.
The news is reporting an outbreak of an unknown illness in
Chatham.
MRS. MOORE turns and acknowledges her daughter's
presence...the report is heard in the background
NEWS REPORTER (O.S.)
"Newly elected Mayor Peterson has
not issued any statements regarding
the outbreak but is expected to
meet with Health Officials this
weekend, The Federation has been
notified and Chatham has been
placed under a light quarantine
order until officials can identify
the cause of the illness."
MRS. MOORE
"Hello dear, there's some lunch
meat in the fridge if you want a
snack,..."
Katie smiles, and nods towards her mother's cigarette,
KATIE MOORE
"You may want to be more careful
with that thing mom, I kind of
enjoy living in this old house and
really don't want to have to move
cause you decided to burn it down!"
Katie's mother takes heed of her ash, cupping her hand
beneath it.
MRS. MOORE
"Oops!"
She puts out the cigarette into an over flowing ashtray.
NEWS REPORTER (O.S.)
"There is no immediate threat to
males, strangely enough the illness
has only effected woman, twenty
seven cases have been reported,
doctors are baffled, symptoms
include loss of appetite, vomiting
and bloating, bleeding and swollen
neck..."
MRS. MOORE
"I can't believe Chatham is under
another quarantine order, that's
three in the last two years, they
are just forty minutes down the
road and we have yet to even get
the flu around here, I tell you, we
moved to the right town!"
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY / DAY
Katie looking aloof continues down the hall towards the
kitchen. She shouts back,
KATIE MOORE
"Chatham is one of the biggest
polluters in the area, it's no
wonder they conjure up every god
forbidden illness known to man... "
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN / DAY
KATIE selects her I-pod from her front pocket, also removing
a detention slip, she tosses the slip onto a counter
cluttered with personal keys, a watch, change wallet, and
some unopened mail. As she begins to listen to her music,
KATIE MOORE
(shouts out)
"I'm going out ma, hanging out with
Amanda tonight at Dayo's mid term
bash...it's just down the road
actually"
MRS. MOORE (O.S.)
"Katie, you behave out there
tonight, especially if you're
planning on drinking, I don't need
the sheriff back on my doorstep!"
KATIE turns up the volume on the I pod,inserting the ear
pieces properly as she replies back to her mother in a
sarcastic loud mannerism,
KATIE MOORE
"Of course ma...what trouble can we
possibly get into here in
Middletown on a Friday
night...unless we head to
Jefferson's Farm and tip a few of
them dizzy cows..."
She then mutters to herself,
KATIE MOORE
"I did that last week end!"
MRS. MOORE (O.S.)
"Don't even joke about that, the
police are still looking for some
kids who did that last weekend!"
KATIE starts to flitter about, she walks up to the
refrigerator and looks inside,
P. O. V.- INSIDE REFRIGERATOR:
KATIE searches the racks, notices the baloney and grabs it,
then reaches for the butter container...she closes door.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN
KATIE proceeds to the counter, splashes her ingredients onto
the counter and begins to make her sandwich.
KATIE MOORE
(singing the lyrics of a strange
new song)
KATIE reaches into cupboard and pulls out a large glass, she
returns back to the refrigerator, looking for something to
drink, retrieving nothing, she will settle with water as she
moves to the sink.
INT. KITCHEN / SINK
Katie turns on the kitchen faucet.
The water runs for a few seconds, Katie places her finger
under the flow to make sure it is cool, then fills the glass.
The glass is topped and she turns the faucet off.
CUT TO:
INT. KATIE'S ROOM / DAY
Katie dances into her room with her sandwich hanging from her
mouth, still humming her song playing on her I-pod. The room
like KATIE is decorated in grunge like manner, Gothic, dark
and music posters everywhere.
Sets her glass of water on the dresser...next to a set of
brass knuckles, The water swirls back and forth as she dances
to the closet.
Closet door is pulled open, Katie starts to search through
various outfits, she chooses two and holds them up, they are
two very sexy outfits, one red one, one black one, she
deliberates.
She selects her outfit and lays it out on the bed,
KATIE MOORE (O.S.)
"Never go wrong with something
black!"
Katie heading into a personal bathroom removes her top, her
bare back exposes a stunning tattoo, the door to the bathroom
is left open. The sound of the shower turned on.
A glimpse of her jeans being tossed upon the floor.
Standing in front of a vanity unit, she wiggles her toes
leaning back and forth from her toes to her heels, humming,
she is brushing her teeth, she finishes with a full spit into
the sink, looking into the mirror she wipes her lips and
smiles, turns and steps into the shower, a few drips drop
from the faucet.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. AMANDA'S HOME / DAY
Amanda and her father are washing up dishes, her father
washing, she is drying, they stand together at the kitchen
sink.
AMANDA MARTIN
(shocked)
"I don't believe you!"
MR. MARTIN
"It's true, I wouldn't lie to you,
I was just a little older than you
are now I suppose,"
Amanda wipes the freshly washed dish her father hands her.
AMANDA MARTIN
"I can't believe you only had to
pay a buck for a litre of gas, At
those prices I'd be travelling all
over the country!"
MR. MARTIN smiles, a wet glass is set in front of AMANDA, the
suds roll down the exterior of the glass onto a towel laid
out on the counter.
MR. MARTIN (O.S.)
"Well, that was a few years ago,
before renewable fuel cells, thank
God the Federation mandated the new
auto industry standards."
The sudden sound of broken glass, MR. Martin curses. His hand
is cut, a drop of blood into the soapy dish water.
MR. MARTIN
"Nuts!..I'm OK, I never liked that
glass anyway, it was a wedding gift
from your Aunt Ugly..."
MR. Martin applies pressure to his hand and hands Amanda the
dish cloth...smiling sarcastically,
AMANDA MARTIN
"Dad!...Aunt Erma is not ugly!"
Amanda whips him with her towel,
MR. MARTIN
"I'll finish these up later, I know
you have plans and are running
late, go on, get ready."
Amanda looks concerned over her father's wound,
AMANDA MARTIN
"Are you sure your OK, you sure you
don't need stitches or something, I
don't want to come home and find
out that you've bled to death."
MR. Martin laughs, and begins to head out of the room,
MR. MARTIN
(sarcastically)
"I'm not going to bleed out bozo,
go on get out there and enjoy your
evening, and try 'not' to get home
at a reasonable hour."
Amanda folds up her drying towel and places it on the
counter, she speaks loudly to ensure her father can hear her
from the other room,
AMANDA MARTIN
"Ha Ha...I'm hoping for a quick
exit tonight, I have a lot of
school work to attack this
weekend."
MR. MARTIN (O.S.)
"You need a night out, you've done
well with your studies, trust me, a
night of stress free fun is going
to refresh you better than a chic
flick and a bowl of popcorn..."
Amanda goes to exit the room, her father now bandaged up
steps in front of her in the doorway,
AMANDA MARTIN
"But I like popcorn!"
Her father smiles,
MR. MARTIN
"Go, have fun, behave and if you
need me, call."
AMANDA MARTIN
"I'm going, I'm going, geez, you're
just as bad as Katie!"
MR. MARTIN
" Katie Moore?"
AMANDA MARTIN
"Yes, you've met her here before."
MR. MARTIN
"Yes, yes I remember, strange duck
isn't she?"
AMANDA MARTIN
"Maybe a little, She's everything
I'm not, I think that's why we seem
to get along...bye daddy!"
AMANDA leans up and kisses her father on the cheek.
FADE TO:
EXT. LARGE ESTATE / NIGHT
The enormous estate is surrounded by an array of extravagant
trees and is fully landscaped, there are animated students
everywhere. They are enjoying the start of a very hip party
as small groups arrive in droves. TWO PARTY GIRLS approach up
the sidewalk,
PARTY GIRL #1
"You only wish Tommy!"
PARTY GIRL #2
"Oh my God I can't believe he said
that!"
The girls giggle as they pass through our P. O. V.
A group of guys are talking on the front step passing around
a joint, the girls pass them entering the house, the guys are
all fixed on getting their attention as they howl and
whistle.
A conglomeration of shots of students hanging out and
drinking, playing party games and enjoying themselves.
CHUCK is funneling a large amount of beer, being poured down
his throat as three friends pour large cans of beer into the
funnel, he finishes, wipes his face and shouts out to the
cheering crowd,
CHUCK
"This is freakin awesome!"
Chuck suddenly looks faint and falls backward as a few of the
guest gasp in delight.
CHUCK (O.S.)
"Somebody stop this ride, I need
off."
We track the legs of two woman walking in stride up the
sidewalk,
KATIE MOORE (O.C.)
"Now the rules are simple,"
Katie and Amanda approach the house.
KATIE MOORE
"...No books, no television, no
school talk what's so ever...just
drink and try to have some fun."
AMANDA MARTIN
(quickly
interrupts,stopping in
her tracks)
"Don't you worry about me, just
make some headway with Blake so I
don't feel like I totally wasted my
time..for poor pathetic you!"
Katie grabs Amanda's hand and pulls her towards the house.
KATIE MOORE
"Come on!"
CUT TO:
INT. LARGE ESTATE / FRONT ENTRY
The large front door swings open as the two girls enter. The
same guys are behind them checking them out.
Katie whispers,
KATIE MOORE
"You may even try unbuttoning that
top button,"
Amanda rolls her eyes and follows her in.
CUT TO:
INT. LARGE ESTATE / FRONT ROOM
Katie is panning the busy room, Amanda looks a little out of
place.
Katie looking over the room suddenly gets a grin across her
face, she has spotted Blake standing over next to the kegs of
beer, chatting with a few male buddies.
KATIE MOORE
"I think we need to get a drink."
Resume on Blake laughing with his friends.
KATIE MOORE
"I am going to have a draft, care
to join me over at the keg?"
AMANDA MARTIN
"Just go and talk to him, I'll grab
a spot on that sofa and...have some
of that fun you so highly
recommend."
KATIE MOORE
"On the sofa?...Amanda!...(laughs),
seriously, If I come back here and
find you sober...I'll..."
AMANDA MARTIN
"Go already!"
Katie looks back towards the boys at the keg and smiles,
turning back quickly mouthing a friendly threat to loosen up,
as she heads towards Blake.
Blake looks in her direction and smiles, One of Blake's
friends, SIMON, chuckles at her Gothic/punk like appearance,
SIMON
"Wow, There's something you don't
see everyday, you want to borrow a
wooden stake?"
Blake smirks and pushes him away, Simon exits just as she
arrives.
BLAKE JOHNS
"Katie, You look...stunning, I'm
glad you showed up."
Blake bends and pours her a drink from the keg, Katie can't
help but to enjoy the view,
KATIE MOORE
"Well, It was either this or cow
tipping, I thought I'd much rather
tip back a beer."
BLAKE JOHNS
"I'm with you there."
Blake and Katie smile as they are caught in a moment of
shyness, Katie nervously takes a drink from her cup, just as
the arrival of Chuck has him bumping clumsily into Katie,
causing her to spill some of her drink onto herself, he is
super apologetic.
Katie tries hard to control her eagerness to thump him out,
for the sake of Blake,
KATIE MOORE
"Really Chuck, I'm fine, In a few
hours I'll be spilling my own
drinks, trust me."
CHUCK
"You sure, well at least allow me
to pour you a new one"
Chuck stumbles about trying to work the tap on the keg, Blake
takes this opportunity to lean over and whisper,
BLAKE JOHNS
"While he tries to figure out the
tap, let's go in the kitchen and
grab a towel."
KATIE MOORE
"My hero."
They escape as the drunken Chuck continues to be flustered
over his non ability to work the tap.
CUT TO:
INT. LARGE ESTATE / FRONT ROOM
Amanda is sitting alone on the sofa as the party continues
around her. The guests are dancing to music, and cheering yet
another funnel attempt, and mingling around with friends.
A drink is extended out from behind Amanda, she looks around
to see Dayo, a drink of his own in his other hand.
DAYO
"Why is it that the most exquisite
girl here is the only one not
enjoying the party."
Amanda smiles and takes the drink, Dayo climbs over the top
of his sofa and sits down beside her.
AMANDA MARTIN
"Dayo, you know I'm not into this
party stuff, I'm only here as a
favor for my friend."
Taking a drink from her glass, she winces,
AMANDA MARTIN
"My God what the hell is that!"
DAYO
"It's my own signature American
cocktail, a social cocktail, I call
it the Face-look, ...cause of the
look on your face when you drink
it."
Amanda sets her drink on the table, and joins in on the play
with Dayo.
AMANDA MARTIN
"Well, I believe you have too many
applications added...it kinda lags
in taste!"
Amanda turns towards Dayo who is smelling his drink.
DAYO
"Good connection with the aroma
however."
They exchange laughter,
AMANDA MARTIN
"So...are you ready for Mrs.
Pyknic's Chemistry test on
Tuesday?"
DAYO
"Whoa, halt, cease!...no school
talk tonight, I'll have to ticket
you for an 834!"
Amanda laughs,
AMANDA MARTIN
"And just what is a 834?"
DAYO
"An 834?...that is...well, I really
have no idea what an 834 is, but it
can't be good...Look all I know is
that everyone must be having a good
time, and setting all school issues
aside."
AMANDA MARTIN
"I'm having a good time, honestly,
you have a great place here, very
comfortable, and if the host would
just supply me with a glass of
water with a slice of lemon in
it...I think you may have, in my
books, hosted one of the best
parties in Middletown in recent
history."
Dayo smirks,
DAYO
"I'll acquire this beverage for
you...this Arctic Lemon
Twist...that's a very marketable
brand name...we'll make millions!"
AMANDA MARTIN
"If you say so"
Dayo launches himself up and over the edge of the sofa.
Amanda is left laughing, and looking about the room...as she
notices that nobody is looking her way, she quickly and shyly
unbuttons her top button of her outfit.
CUT TO:
INT. LARGE ESTATE / KITCHEN
A dirty frying pan surrounded by a cluster of partial booze
bottles, a plate of sliced lemon and lime. A bottle of wine
sits in a vat of ice foreshadowing the kitchen door,
Dayo walks in.
It's a large kitchen, Katie stands talking with Blake in the
corner of the room.
Chuck is passed out on the floor, someone is drawing on his
face.
Dayo notices the artwork being done on Chuck and laughs.
DAYO
"Tribal war paint...how fitting!"
He carefully steps over Chuck and nods to the young prankster
painting up Chuck's face.
BLAKE JOHNS
"He walked in and just...passed
out, not before spilling Katie's
drink a little earlier."
DAYO
"Blake, my friend, you wouldn't
believe the work it takes to ensure
this thing goes according to
design."
KATIE MOORE
"I think you've done a wonderful
job."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dayo Baccus, this is Katie Moore."
DAYO
"Ah yes, Blake has mentioned you,
glad to meet your acquaintance."
KATIE MOORE
"He's talked to you about me has
he?"
Katie looks over at Blake with a seducing smile,
Dayo busy getting a glass of water from the tap,
DAYO (O.S.)
"Several times...."
Dayo looking over, winks and smiles, Blake looks embarrassed,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Cut it out!"
Katie notices what Dayo is preparing,
KATIE MOORE
"Water with a slice of lemon?"
Dayo drops a slice of lemon in the glass,
DAYO
"Yes, I call it an Arctic Lemon
Twist...care to try one?"
KATIE MOORE
"No thanks anyway, but my friend
Amanda would, that's all she ever
drinks."
DAYO
"Yes, this is for her, she's in my
chemistry class you know...smart
girl...pretty too!...Have fun
guys."
Dayo scampers back out of the room as Blake and Katie resume
their conversation,
KATIE MOORE
"So, Blake Johns, you've been
talking about me have you?"
Blake smiles and begins to pour himself another drink,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dayo is a man of many talents
including causing shit."
KATIE MOORE
"Sounds like a great guy."
BLAKE JOHNS
"My best friend."
Katie pushes some bottles aside and sits up on the kitchen
counter,
KATIE MOORE
"So, I hear you are single, and I
really haven't anything planned
this weekend..."
Blake interrupts,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Are you asking me out?"
Katie looks into Blake's eyes, very seductively,
KATIE MOORE
"And if I were, what would you
say?"
Blake smiles.
FADE OUT.
INT. FEDERATION MISSION BASE / NIGHT
A large warehouse, Sikh's pod is parked in an open area with
various parts removed and being inspected by men in white
hazardous material suits.
A door with the words "Ontario Room".
CUT TO:
INT. ONTARIO ROOM / FEDERATION MISSION BASE
Sikh sits before a panel of military officials, The tension
is felt just with the expression on his face, and the faces
of the three men across from him. An armed guard stands by a
side door.
SIKH ROBERTS
"I really think we need to further
investigate this, It has been three
days and all in all it is just too
consequential to be unrelated."
One of the men, a FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVE sitting in the
centre of the three speaks up.
FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVE
"The nature of this investigation
is to remain quiet and on a need to
know basis only, I don't want this
too get out to the general
population... unless we are 100% on
our findings. Mr. Roberts, you
understand the severity of the
situation and the consequences?"
Sikh gathers up his papers and stands before them,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Sir, If I am correct on this, we
won't have to worry about the
consequences."
The officials look at each other, and then back at Sikh,
FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVE
"If you are correct Mr. Roberts, we
may already facing the
consequences."
Sikh looks suddenly helpless,
SIKH ROBERTS
"We have a light quarantine
already, I highly suggest raising
it too red level five!"
FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVE
"We cannot go to red level five
without raising a few eye brows at
global headquarters, I'm sorry, We
need to deal with this at a local
level."
SIKH ROBERTS
"For the record, I think the global
federation should be involved, I
don't think we can handle this
alone!"
FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVE
"Our decision is final Captain."
Sikh stares in contempt at the officials then rather angrily
salutes and turns to the door and marches out.
CUT TO:
INT. FEDERATION MISSION BASE
Sikh stands just beyond the Ontario room door and flips open
a small communications device, staring off towards his pod as
the men continue to dissect it.
SIKH ROBERTS
"zero nine..."
Sikh stares at the nose of his pod...a number of tiny dents
and burn marks.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Hey, I need you to meet me outside
the base in ten minutes...or less!"
A short pause as Sikh's eyes glance around aimlessly,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Kay."
He closes the device once again staring off towards the pod's
nose, pockets his device and exits.
FADE OUT TO:
EXT. FEDERATION BASE / NIGHT
A cigarette is being lit, Sikh's face begins to be
illuminated with the headlights of an approaching vehicle.
Sikh inhales deeply, slowly exhales.
The jeep stops in front of him, Toric is looking out his side
window.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Why is it that you only ever call
when you need me to pick you up
from somewhere."
Sikh silently walks around the front of the jeep and enters
the passenger side door.
CUT TO:
I/E. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
Inside the jeep Sikh looks over at Toric with a involved look
of pending trouble.
SIKH ROBERTS
"I think we are in one hell of a
pickle bro. ... I only hope it's
not too late."
TORIC ROBERTS
"Maybe you want to put me in the
loop, on what's going on?"
Sikh tosses his cigarette out the window and looks at his
watch as it reads 9:03 pm.
SIKH ROBERTS (O.S.)
"On the way...We need to get to
Chatham...tonight."
Toric starts up his jeep and puts into drive...still staring
at Sikh.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
The jeep races out from within the front of the building and
back up the road.
CUT TO:
I/E. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
Toric glances over at Sikh who is transfixed on the road
ahead of them, deep in thought.
TORIC ROBERTS
"So?...Do I need to play twenty
questions on this or what?"
Sikh remains focused ahead,
SIKH ROBERTS
"5 hours ago, we had 27 cases of an
undefined illness among woman of
all ages, I just got word twenty
minutes ago, that number is now
over 300...General Hospital is a
state of chaos and at full
capacity, and to make matters
worse...they want to start sending
new cases to the York Medical
Facilities in Beaumont."
Toric looks confused.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Is it a virus?"
SIKH ROBERTS
"It's not your typical virus...in
fact, it may not even be a virus."
TORIC ROBERTS
"I don't follow?"
SIKH ROBERTS
"I believe it is a living spore,
quite possibly remnants of what
ever went wrong on NARA 3...brought
down on the nose of my pod...to the
best of our knowledge, it needs a
female host to mature."
Sikh looks back at a nervous Toric, who is now lighting up a
cigarette,
SIKH ROBERTS
"I thought you quit?"
TORIC ROBERTS
"I did."
SIKH ROBERTS
"Chatham is under quarantine orders
from the Federation which prevents
them from pushing patients into
Beaumont, however, If we can't find
a way of eliminating it before it
becomes an epidemic, the federation
may have no choice than to issue a
block zone."
TORIC ROBERTS
"What is a block zone?"
SIKH ROBERTS
"Complete containment, nobody
in...nobody out, until whatever it
is, is gone."
Toric continues to quickly smoke down his cigarette,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Chatham has a population of nearly
sixty thousand, how could they..."
Toric cuts himself off in awe, shaking his head,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Always knew the Federation was
going to be our downfall, should
have kept the old political system
in place, at least we knew who to
blame when shit hit the fan."
Toric looks over at Sikh who holds a clenched fist up to his
forehead, eyes closed.
TORIC ROBERTS
"How do you reckon these people got
infected?
Sikh leans back, chin up,
SIKH ROBERTS
"My guess is the water, Balking's
water treatment station is just
down river of where I landed the
pod, If the spore did hitch a ride
down on the pod and ended up in the
river, it somehow survived not only
the extreme heat of re-entry, but
the chemicals and filtration
systems failed to kill it as well."
TORIC ROBERTS
"I've done work at that plant Sikh,
Did you know Balking's also
supplies Middletown!..it's re
routed back, takes a little longer
to reach us, but it's..."
SIKH ROBERTS
"You've got to be kidding me, I
forgot all about that!...I Need to
cut the water supply, how can we do
that?"
TORIC ROBERTS
"Impossible, once the water is re
routed back here... it's here...you
could dig up the main line and
block it, but that would take a few
days...time we probably at this
point don't have."
Sikh suddenly expresses a sense of urgency,
SIKH ROBERTS
"I have to warn the girls!"
Sikh pulls out his communication's device, nervously fumbling
to get it open,
SIKH ROBERTS
"zero three"
As Sikh anxiously awaits for the ring of the phone, Toric
pulls out his device,
TORIC ROBERTS
"I'll get Frank to sound the alarm
and post a media alert..."
Sikh nods his head still listening to the phone ring,
SIKH ROBERTS
"So much for keeping things quiet."
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / NIGHT
An elegant well kept home ,dimly lit, a light shines brighter
in a room down the darkened hall...the phone rings four or
five times, another sound can be heard from the room down the
hall, the sound of a music box dancer chiming.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / BEDROOM
The distant sound of the phone continues, Lucy is tucked in
her bed while Tay is next to her, a musical globe held in
front of Lucy's face, watching it in amazement.
YOUNG LUCY
"telephone's ringing mom!"
TAY DONNELLY
"It's OK, they will call back, but
now it's bedtime for you Miss Lucy,
We'll see you in the morning..."
Tay kisses Lucy on the forehead and gently smooths out the
blanket around her,
YOUNG LUCY
"Mom, I'm thirsty!"
Lucy looks tired but has a devilish smile,
TAY DONNELLY
"OK, I'll bring you back a drink of
water, then it's lights out silly."
Tay exits towards the door...the phone stops ringing, Tay
turns back from the doorway and dims the room light with a
dimmer switch,
TAY DONNELLY
"I'll be right back with your
drink."
CUT TO:
I/E. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
Sikh slams the communication's device closed, and looks over
at Toric.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Not picking up, get me there
fast!"
Toric nods as he continues to talk on his device,
TORIC ROBERTS
"you have to trust me on this
Frank, Just do it, I'll assume all
responsibility, don't worry, Have I
ever misled you before?.....Kay,
Thanks Frank, We'll head over as
soon as we can...don't drink the
water!"
He snaps closed his device and looks over at Sikh who looks
worried.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
The jeep wheels around a city corner, tires squeal.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / HALLWAY
Tay exits the bedroom and is heading up the hall.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
The jeep roars past through a desolate neighborhood.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / KITCHEN
Tay enters the kitchen and opens a cupboard door taking out a
small juice cup.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
The speeding jeep races up yet another desolate street...and
squeals around another intersection...startling another car
who was just about to advance through.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / KITCHEN
Tay turns on the tap and begins to fill the cup, turns off
the tap.
CUT TO:
INT. JEEP / NIGHT / CONT.
Our P. O. V. - From the rear seat out the front windshield as
the jeep races around another corner...two teens are on the
road and are startled as they dive out of the way.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / KITCHEN
Tay is walking out of the kitchen with a cup of water.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIKH'S HOME / DRIVEWAY
The jeep flies up to the house, Sikh jumps out the side and
runs to the house,
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / HALLWAY
Tay is walking back up the hallway with the cup of water and
disappears into the bedroom.
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / FRONT DOOR
Sikh comes rushing in, he looks around and sees the light
coming from the bedroom...
SIKH ROBERTS
"Tay?"
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / HALLWAY
Sikh rushes up hallway,
CUT TO:
INT. SIKH'S HOME / BEDROOM
Tay is handing Lucy the cup,
TAY DONNELLY
"Daddy's home... Just a few sips,
we don't want any accidents
tonight"
Just as she raises the glass to her lips, Sikh rounds the
doorway and sees the cup.
Just as the glass touches her lips, a hand smacks the cup
across the room and it bounces around on the floor.
Sikh collapses on the side of the bed next to Lucy.
TAY DONNELLY
"What the hell Sikh!"
Tay is in shock, Lucy seems to be startled and whimpers. Sikh
is exhausted...trying to catch his breathe,
SIKH ROBERTS
"The water... is... contaminated!"
Sikh wipes away a tear from Lucy's eye, Tay cover's her mouth
in shock at the thought of how close she came to allowing
Lucy to get ill, Toric peeks his head into the room,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Sikh...they're OK?"
Sikh looks from Toric to Tay to Lucy and nods,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Let's go we need to get the word
out now!"
CUT TO:
INT. LARGE ESTATE / FRONT ROOM
Several of the students are now paired off and dancing
together, the party has slowed down to a more romantic scene,
Amanda is on the sofa still conversing with Dayo, She begins
to struggle with an abrupt uneasy feeling, Dayo has a look of
concern,
DAYO
"You feeling OK, you suddenly look
a little white...more white than
you are normally that is."
Amanda tries to chuckle but begins to struggle to breathe,
looking up at Dayo in fear, she coughs and blood is spewed
across the front of Dayo's shirt.
DAYO
"Holy Shit!"
Dayo holds his arms up in disgust,looking down at his blood
splattered shirt than back up at Amanda.
With blood coming from her mouth, Amanda turns violently over
the edge of the sofa and begins to gag.
Several other's in the room gasp out in horror and begin to
gather round.
Amanda falls to the floor and rolls onto her back, revealing
a very discouraging swollen neck, her eyes rolling back.
Dayo looks about in shock,
DAYO
"Somebody call 9 1 1 !"
Katie and Blake push through a group of onlookers stopping
suddenly at the sight of Amanda,
Katie screams out,
KATIE MOORE
"AMANDA?"
Blake tries to hold her back,however she gets through and
arrives kneeling beside Amanda who is now suffering from some
erratic convulsions, Katie crying out as she watches not
knowing what to do with Amanda's condition.
KATIE MOORE
"What the hell happened to her!"
The front door opens, a YOUNG GIRL is crying, she has blood
down the front of her blouse, from her mouth,
YOUNG GIRL
"Help me...please?"
The girl drops,
Blake is stunned,
Another guest starts to feel weak as she braces herself up
against the wall, her face is blank and staring straight
ahead as we watch her neck suddenly swell as if something
swam beneath her skin.
BLAKE JOHNS
"What the hell is going on here?"
CUT TO:
EXT. NIGHT SKYLINE / CITY WARNING HORN
The dark silhouettes of the town horns against the dark sky,
They start, we hear the roaring sound of the warning horn.
A darkened street is awaken as lights begin to flick on from
the homes on either side,
A man emerges covered in blood, he is an older man, in his
late sixties, looking lost, he looks over to see others
emerge from their homes in panic as they try to help their
ailing family members,
FADE TO BLACK:
EXT. DESOLATE STREET / DAY
The street is unpretentious, a car is parked irregularly with
its drivers door ajar...a light fog lingers.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK SWING / DAY
An devoid swing sways in the city park.
CUT TO:
EXT. BICYCLE ON ROAD / DAY
A tricycle is left in the centre of a road, a child's
backpack lays next to it.
CUT TO:
EXT. HOUSE FRONT STEP / DAY
The front door of a quiet neighborhood home is left yawning,
a large amount of blood smear stains the front arch.
CUT TO:
EXT. FACTORY / DAY
The industrial warehouse is quiet, NARRATION begins,
NARRATOR
"It seems like only yesterday, and
yet it has been an eternity...That
horrible night the sirens sang out
and everything we once took for
granite was lost..."
An unidentified MAN in sweats runs in a panic athwart the
vacant parking structure...into a staircase.
NARRATOR
"It happened so fast, it came
without warning, not only did it
happen to us, but it happened
globally, we were unprepared to
deal with it..."
The man runs to the corner of the wall and glimpses around
searching.
NARRATOR
" They tried to stop it, we tried
to contain it, but it was just too
late, even the federation in all
its power was helpless against it."
The man launches himself off again, towards a car in the lot.
NARRATOR
"I feel that we are not alone, I
feel that there must be others who
have managed to evade and survive
this hell we are forced to endure
each and everyday..."
The man gets into the car and looks into the backseat to see
the girl with her jaw ripped open propped up dead behind him,
outside of the car we can hear him screams out.
FADE OUT.
INT. DARKENED WAREHOUSE / DAY
Panning across a large room, Blake is propped up by a window,
staring out into the sunlight...speaking into a personal
recorder,
NARRATOR/BLAKE JOHNS
"My name is Blake Johns, and this
is my personal journal to anyone
who may come across it in the
future...a future I don't even know
that will exist...."
CUT TO:
INT. DARKENED WAREHOUSE / DAY
The steel door suddenly slides open, Blake quickly turns and
points a gun towards the door.
At the door a startled friend, Dayo raises his hands.
DAYO
"Whoa, hold the trigger now, just
me...still me, no added features!"
Blake looks relieved, as he lowers his gun and tucks it back
beside him. His hand still trembles.
DAYO
"Nothing scares me more than a
nervous white guy with a loaded
gun!"
Blake looks out the window, sets his recorder down and
stands, stretching and yawning.
BLAKE JOHNS
"Nothing scares me anymore, I think
I lost the ability to feel any
emotion."
DAYO (O.S.)
"Well alright, Rambo, I just came
from the storage room and we are
completely out of some stuff, you
think we should take a trip into
town and shop."
Blake turns to face Dayo,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Don't suppose you mean we are out
of toilet paper."
DAYO
"That is on the top of my list."
Blake snickers and grabs his gun and makes his way to the
door, at the door the two former college students exit,
closing the door behind them.
CUT TO:
INT. WAREHOUSE TUNNEL / DAY
Blake and Dayo are walking up the hallway.
BLAKE JOHNS
"It rained yesterday, we better not
trust Queen street, we'll take
Arnold to Pamela and hook back on
Indian Creek."
DAYO
"We haven't scrounged the college
yet, I say we start there, should
be plenty of toilet paper too!"
They approach a cabinet, Dayo opens it revealing a number of
guns and some jackets.
DAYO
"I don't have to remind you that if
either of us are...the other is
under no circumstance to interfere,
but to get the hell out of dodge as
they say."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Just be careful, bud your all I
got left in this hell, don't even
go there!"
Dayo smiles,
DAYO
"Awe, you do care....so much for
your inability to feel hey."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Yeah, right!"
Blake slams shut the cabinet door,
CUT TO:
EXT. ABANDONED STREET / DAY
The two are carefully walking down the vacant street,
carefully searching their surroundings...in quiet
conversation,
DAYO
"I remember when you couldn't walk
down this street without old Mrs.
Witherspoon shouting out from her
porch to use the sidewalk, "Get off
the road and use the walk, your
going to cause an accident!"
Blake looks uneasy,
DAYO
"Wish she around to see this."
Blake and Dayo stop, looking at what normally would be a very
busy intersection, various abandoned cars and a giant crater
left behind from a Federation missile attack.
BLAKE JOHNS
"I wish a lot of people were still
around to see this."
DAYO
"I'm sure there are others out
there somewhere just like us, maybe
not as colorful as us, but none the
less. We are eventually going to
have to leave town and see what's
out there, you know this don't
you?"
The two travelers approach a small compact car, the door is
open and a bloody hand hangs out, Blake stops and signals to
Dayo to keep watch,
Blake slowly approaches the car, nervously he peeks into the
car, revealing the body of a young female, bloodied and
lifeless,
Blake suddenly looks horrified,
BLAKE JOHNS
(Shouts)
"Oh crap...It's female!!!"
DAYO
"Not another one!"
Blake scrambles away from the car,
DAYO
"Where Blake, where is it!"
They are back to back searching about, they're panicky,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I don't know damn it, I don't
know!"
DAYO
"It's gotta be here somewhere!"
Blake suddenly looks down and spots an old drainage pipe
sticking out from the broken pavement.
BLAKE JOHNS
"There!...the pipe! It's got to be
in the pipe."
They both face the hole, suddenly a rumble sound...
Blake raises his gun,
DAYO
"Ten bucks it's not one of them
ninja turtle dudes!"
Suddenly a burst of water flies out of the pipe along with a
large parasite, a snake like critter with no eyes, just
teeth.
An eerie high pitch scream, a couple of gun shots,the
parasite explodes sending bloody debris everywhere.
BLAKE JOHNS
"Well, nothing like announcing our
whereabouts...we better get out of
here."
Dayo picking off pieces of the parasite from his chest,
DAYO
"This was fun, we ought to do this
more often!"
BLAKE JOHNS
"Come on, before they show up."
Dayo and Blake continue to jog up the street...cautiously,
CUT TO:
EXT. MIDDLETOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE / DAY
Blake and Dayo run up to the college and into the front
door...The now vacated school looks deserted and unkept,
broken glass and garbage everywhere.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALL / DAY
Blake leads the way through a cluttered hallway, carefully
stepping around personal items left behind in a mass panic.
Dayo bends over and picks up a small personal travel pack of
kleenex,
DAYO
"Treasure!"
Books are scattered, jackets and papers, book bags and such.
Dayo keeps an eye behind them...pockets his treasure.
A sudden crash in one of the classrooms ahead of them, it
stop them dead in their tracks.
Blake again raises his gun, they look at each other and Dayo
signals a retreat, Blake insists they check it out, they
slowly edge forward, Dayo muttering his disapproval.
CUT TO:
INT. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM / CONT.
Blake slowly moves his way around the classroom door to peeks
in.
Somebody in full motorcycle attire is rummaging through a
variety of papers.
Blake unsure of the stranger's motive, moves in gun pointed.
The stranger hears Blake step on a piece of glass, stops
motionless, then dives across the desk and turns with a gun
pointed at Blake.
They stare at each other for a moment, and the mysterious
stranger quickly lowers their gun,
Blake appears confused as the stranger begins to remove their
helmet,
KATIE MOORE
"Blake?"
Blake lowers his gun in disbelief,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Katie, your...your...but how?"
Katie smiles,
DAYO
"Spit it out boy, your going to
choke on it.!"
BLAKE JOHNS
"Your alive!"
KATIE MOORE
"Yes the last time I checked, and
your damn lucky your still
standing, I almost blew your head
off!"
Katie sets her helmet down and rushes over and hugs Blake.
BLAKE JOHNS
"After the party you raced Amanda
to the hospital and I never saw you
again!"
DAYO
"Never saw anyone again, you're the
first person we've seen in
weeks...well noninfected that is!"
Katie pulls back and notices Dayo standing there like a third
wheel, she hugs him too.
KATIE MOORE
"I'll explain some things to you
guys later, right now it's getting
late and I need to get these papers
back to the shelter."
Katie continues to gather the papers as Blake and Dayo move
in to help.
BLAKE JOHNS
"What shelter, where have you been
hiding for the last three weeks,
Dayo and I have scouted most of
Middletown for surplus and
survivors and your the first person
ironically we have met still alive
and without one of them...tail
things...how did you not get
infected?"
Katie looks at them,
KATIE MOORE
"There is a small group of us at
Jefferson's farm, it is well
equipped and secluded enough to
avoid any outside interest."
Katie grabs Blake's arm, gingerly,
KATIE MOORE
"Blake, your father is there...I'm
sure he's going to be so happy to
find out that you are still alive
and well!"
Blake is taken with the news of his father as he is at a loss
for words, Dayo takes this time to interrupt,
DAYO
"So...why are we here gathering up
old school papers in the first
place?"
Katie is still staring at a confounded Blake,
KATIE MOORE
"These are the professor's notes on
a recent biology study which may
help him find a way to eliminate
the infestation...or at least avoid
it...we'll get these back to him
and..."
Blake is blank with emotion, he interrupts,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I'm not going"
Dayo and Katie are taken in at Blake's response,
DAYO
"Blake, he is your father, he is
alive, he maybe able to come up
with something to end this all!"
Katie looks back and forth between Dayo and Blake sensing she
is slightly out of the loop.
DAYO
"I think you need to rethink your
thinking patterns my friend, cause
frankly, I don't get it."
Blake looking back sternly, and forgetting that Katie is
unaware of his troubled relationship with his father,
BLAKE JOHNS
"How can I face my father knowing
all this happened because the
Federation failed to protect us,
that Federation in which my father
was part of!...I can't, Not to
mention trying to get pass the way
he treated me, as though nothing I
did outside of science was ever
good enough! I have grieved my
father's death, and really I don't
feel like going through that all
over again should things fall apart
around here."
DAYO
" I remember the last time we
walked out of the professor's
classroom, you were feeling
belittled because your father
wanted you to succeed in something
you had no desire to succeed at,
yet you were desperate for him to
be proud of who you were and what
you were really good at, well,
...look at yourself now...you are a
one hell of a fighter,and a great
leader for those like me who need a
little leadership...I owe you my
life, and there is one thing you
have succeeded at, and it is
probably the one thing your father
wanted most of all... you succeeded
at staying alive...that's better
than um-teen billion others right
now!"
Blake looks down in defeat, Katie forces a smile.
BLAKE JOHNS
"You are a cabbage head."
Blake looks up,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Which is why I probably try
keeping you around. Let's go then,
I guess we can visit the farm team,
scout out a few of the players and
see if any of them are worth
bringing up to the big league."
Katie laughs,
KATIE MOORE
"What's this...the N. H. L. "
DAYO
"Go Leafs Go, they were my favorite
team you know!"
They all get ready to leave.
KATIE MOORE
"I never figured you for a Leaf fan
Dayo, I had heard that you were
quite intelligent."
DAYO
"Oh a low blow...low blow."
A violent crash is heard outside the classroom,
Blake turns to Katie,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Are you here alone?"
Katie looking nervous, nods yes,
DAYO
"Flesh puppets!"
Katie raises her gun and flips the big desk on its side,
All three quickly hide behind it, guns drawn.
The sound of several footsteps are heard approaching, they
are slow and steady and are just outside their door.
The sweat rolls down the face of Dayo, Blake grabs Katie's
hand as they hold their breathe.
The sound of several footsteps are heard leaving, they soon
become distant and the sound of a door opening and closing
leaves it quiet once again.
A look of relief falls upon their faces,
Dayo picks himself up and stands up,
DAYO
"That was just too damn..."
Dayo turns his head to see a large man standing in the
doorway, his skin is grey, bald and his flesh shows signs of
rot, his eyes are white with trace blood drops surrounding
them, he is expressionless,from the back view we see a long
tail hanging from a gaping hole in the back of his head as if
some snake has dug into his skin and buried itself in his
head.
DAYO
"Oh boy!"
Blake takes notice of Dayo's expression, he launches himself
up and open fires towards the doorway.
A shot enter the intruders face and blows a hole through his
head as blood splatters back on the wall and the snake like
tail falls to the floor,
The body drops.
Blake looks back up at Dayo,
BLAKE JOHNS
"We've got to run...NOW!"
They all dash over the dead carcass, and in the opposite
direction from which they came.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALL / DAY
The three of them are running up the hall as the sound of a
distant door opens, revealing a cluster of shadows in an
exposed light from the open door down the hall behind them.
CUT TO:
EXT. COLLEGE BACK DOOR / DAY
The three come crashing out the door in a panic, Katie drops
her bag of papers and then tries to stop to grab them.
BLAKE JOHNS
"Forget about it, they're coming!"
KATIE MOORE
"No, they could be our only
hope...I promised your father!"
Katie runs back as Blake shouts out her name, she gets to the
step and grabs the bag.
CUT TO:
EXT. COLLEGE BACK DOOR / DAY
Katie is running as the doors of the school burst open behind
her. A group of flesh puppets are raging in after her, at
least a half dozen of them.
CUT TO:
EXT. COLLEGE BACK DOOR / CONT.
BLAKE draws his gun and starts a succession of rapid fire on
the group, but they keep coming, as only one drops down.
DAYO
"She's not going to be able to out
run them all, they're right behind
her!"
Dayo turns to Blake,
DAYO
"I owe you everything Blake,
including a chance to win!"
Dayo runs towards the group and passes Katie, just as the
group were to catch her, Dayo jumps into the group with his
arms extended and his head down, tackling the entire squad.
Blake is horrified,
BLAKE JOHNS
(screams out)
"DAYO!"
Katie runs up to Blake and pulls him with her,
KATIE MOORE
"Run!"
They run. Blake looks back to see the crowd of flesh puppets
engulf Dayo as he screams out vile curses and at the same
time shouts off sounds of agony...then silence. They continue
to run unchallenged.
FADE TO BLACK.
INT. LARGE ESTATE / FARM / NIGHT
Blake and Katie walk mournfully up towards the farm building,
the front door opens as Sikh looks out...his gun in hand,
behind his back, Tay curiously appears looking over his right
shoulder, then quickly disappears.
Katie looks up to see Sikh standing at the door.
Tay reappears nudging her way around Sikh and out the door to
greet the two, she carries a blanket,
Tay jogs up to the two in the distance and carefully wraps a
blanket around Katie and then after an apparent introduction
she shakes Blake's hand.
Toric appears beside Sikh, in the doorway.
TORIC ROBERTS
"I told you there was hope, there
are survivors out there...I knew
it...there are real people
surviving this thing just like us."
Sikh watches them arrive at the farm's step.
FADE TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / KITCHEN / NIGHT
Tay is cutting up some fresh carrots on the cutting board,
she is staring at a photo on the counter, that of young Lucy.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CITY PARK / DAY
Tay and Lucy are face to face on either side of the table
playfully using carrots as swords, laughing as Tay bites the
end off Lucy's sword.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / KITCHEN / CONT.
Tay is still cutting up carrots, zoned out as a single tear
rolls down her cheek.
She suddenly winces in pain.
The Professor enters in the room, a look of concern,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Tay?"
BOZ, a young boy around eight is sitting at the kitchen table
drawing with crayons on a large sheet of paper, he points...
BOZ
"Professor!"
He is pointing at the chopping board. Tay's pinky finger
rests clear next to the chopped carrot pieces.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Oh my!"
The Professor quickly grabs a tea towel and wraps Tay's hand.
Sikh enters the kitchen,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Boz get as much ice as you can for
the finger! Hurry!"
Boz launches himself from his chair and opens the make shift
refrigerator, grabs a tray of ice-cubes from the top ice box,
he dumps them in a plastic dish.
SIKH ROBERTS (O.S.)
"What's going on?"
Boz grimaces as he picks up and drops the little finger into
the bowl.
Tay still crying, as Sikh wraps his arms around her, he looks
down and sees the old photo of his daughter.
TAY DONNELLY
"I couldn't help her. There were
just too many."
SIKH ROBERTS
"It wasn't your fault, there was
nothing we could have done, I'm so
sorry."
Tay suddenly passes out.
(TAY'S P. O. V.)
- as the noise muffles and fades, the Professor is ordering
Sikh to lay her down on the sofa.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. TIGHT ON FINGER
Carefully with needle and thread and a bed of ice, the finger
is being sewn back on.
CUT TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / LOUNGE ROOM / CONT.
Tay is laying on the sofa as the Professor sits next to her
on a wooden chair, He wraps up his final stitch and leans
back looking up at Blake who is now standing next to Toric
and Boz, Sikh is patting down the forehead of wife with a
cloth.
Blake tries to smile,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I see you haven't lost your
touch."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I conceive it'll mend up nicely,
it has been many, many years since
I had to devote a little first
aid...probably the last time was
when you tripped in the driveway
and scuffed your knees when you
were about Boz's age."
The Professor pulls his attention back to Sikh, handing him
the bandages.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Finish up will you."
Sikh takes the bandages nodding,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Thanks again doc."
The Professor stands and wipes his hands on a towel, looking
over at Blake, who is now avoiding eye contact.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Blake, It's good to see you."
Blake a little unsure, looks about noticing all eyes on
him,including the eyes of Katie who stands beside him.
BLAKE JOHNS
"You too."
The professor exits, Blake smiles at his audience as he
begins to follow him, Katie grabs his arm and whispers,
KATIE MOORE
"He's a good man, he's not the man
you may think he is."
Blake looks reassured and winks at her as he exits.
CUT TO:
INT. SMALL OFFICE / CONT.
The Professor stands facing away from the open door, over
looking a large desk swarming with papers and books, a small
lantern domes the only light into the room. There are
diagrams and charts everywhere.
Blake enters into the room quietly,
The Professor knows he is in the room and begins to talk
without turning around.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"When we live our lives according
to what we perceive is the perfect
formula to success, We tend to
judge others, maybe in a pretension
that may come across as
narcissistic and unruly,"
The Professor turns around,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I'm afraid I have fallen victim to
this in my own life, I put my own
flesh and blood behind a curtain of
aspersion and indignity, I was no
more a father to you as I was a
husband to your mother, When she
left me, I could not challenge that
it was of my own doing, I pushed
her away much like I did with you."
The Professor leans up against the desk, reaching for a
family photo, and staring at it, he continues...
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I was only sixteen when you were
born, I was just a child myself,
but I loved your mother and
promised I would provide for the
three of us through hard work and
personal sacrifice, Little did I
know that my promise would
eventually lead to my downfall. I
yearn things different now, It's an
enigma why the human spirit takes
such a beating before it prescribes
the mind to focus on what really
matters, and although I could never
expect you to forgive me for how I
treated you, how I mistreated you
and your mother, I just wanted to
make sure you know how I feel now,
how much I love you and how much I
am proud of the person you have
become."
The Professor sniffles and looks up as Blake leaps forward
and embraces his father,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I missed you so much."
Blake stands back,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I didn't make things easy on you,
I blamed you for mom leaving, even
after I found out the truth, I
didn't want to believe it. I'm
sorry."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"You have nothing to be sorry
about."
BLAKE JOHNS
"They say everything happens for a
reason, maybe you being such a hard
ass, helped me become who I am
today, and the reason we have
survived this long."
The Professor smiles, sets the picture back on his desk and
stands up facing his son,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Hard ass huh?...I'll give you
that...It's a reputation I would
much rather keep, for the sake of
the others."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Like father like son."
The Professor wraps his arm around his son's shoulder as they
walk towards the door,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Let's get some dinner."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Good idea, I'm starving."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Oh...and some real father to son
advice...avoid the carrots."
Blake chuckles,
BLAKE JOHNS
"We still need to work on your
sense of humor I see."
FADE OUT.
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / DINING ROOM / CONT.
A large room dimly lit, several small candles on the
perimeter and one large one in the centre of the large
wooden table, It is set with everyone sitting in anticipation
of a real dinner, a glass of ice water is placed onto the
table, in front of Blake,
Blake looks into the glass nervously and looks confused.
Toric spots Blake's apprehensive glare,
TORIC ROBERTS
"It's OK kid, the spore is designed
to infect women, not men, we can
drink it, the girls can't...some
girls anyway."
Blake remains unsure, looks towards his father,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I was going to ask about that
earlier, how did Tay and Katie
manage not to be infected?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"This spore, extraneous in nature
is a genetically engineered weapon,
It was designed to infect the
female form which plays host to the
spore while it matures into a
parasite, it is then birthed out
when it senses the presence of
water, where it can lay in waiting,
for a male host to come by and thus
it will then enter the male
specimen through the base of the
neck and brainwash its host to
carry out its
accomplishment...whatever that may
be, we have yet to determine why
these things are even here."
SIKH ROBERTS
"Tay and Katie both seem to be
immune, for reasons we don't know
as of yet, however, they still
won't drink the water, we don't
chance it, We have a large supply
of bottled water which was bottled
well before my landing."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Your landing?"
Sikh now looks a little uncomfortable,
SIKH ROBERTS
"I was a Federation research pod
flier, I was on my way home from a
lengthy mission when just as I hit
our atmosphere I went through some
debris, this debris was believed to
be remnants of Nara 3, a research
base destroyed by the Federation
fearing it was subject to this same
infestation. The spore was brought
down on the nose of my pod, and
fell into the river contaminating
the water supply...eventually
spreading rapidly around the
globe."
Blake begins to look enraged, he pushes back his chair and
plunges at Sikh,
BLAKE JOHNS
"You did this to us!"
Blake tosses a heavy blow into the face of Sikh, sending Sikh
crashing across the room, The others begin to shout in chaos.
TAY DONNELLY
"Stop it!"
KATIE MOORE
"Blake no!
Sikh quickly defends himself as Blake was reaching in again,
They grapple, pushing him back into the table sending food
everywhere. Blake breaks free and lands another punch.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"BLAKE!"
Blake with his fist pulled back hears his father's stern
shout and stops and looks over at the Professor who is
standing up at the end of the table.
Tay is holding back Toric who settles back, after trying to
get in and help Sikh.
Boz slowly peeks up from under the table...gravy in his hair.
Katie is standing looking jolted with her hand over her
mouth, the glass of water has been knocked over and has
splashed Katie in the face.
Blake looks daunted,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Kat...I'm...!"
Katie turns and exits off into the kitchen.
Blake releases Sikh and quickly gets up and leaves for the
front door.
Tay follows Katie into the kitchen.
Sikh is wiping the blood from his lip, looks over at the
Professor who sighs and heads off after Blake.
BOZ
"You alright Sikh?"
Sikh looking brittle, looks over at Boz slightly amused at
all the chaos.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Oh yeah, I had him right where I
wanted him, another couple of
minutes and he'd of been toast!"
Toric smirks with a little titter of comic relief.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / FRONT STEP / NIGHT
Blake is sitting stewing on the front step, he pounds on the
railing, the door behind him swings open as the Professor
walks up to him. Blake peeks back and then looks forward
apathetically.
BLAKE JOHNS
"Just another disappointment hey
dad, another fuck up!"
Professor quietly sits down beside him.
BLAKE JOHNS
"I can't seem to control my anger
over all this, now, my anger has
jeopardized the life of a good
friend!"
The Professor chuckles,
Blake looks mulled at his father's reaction.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Katie will be fine, The water was
bottled water, we didn't think
you'd be ready to trust tap water
yet...Tay thought it would be
entertaining to see if you would
drink it or not."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Thank God."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"There is something we should
discuss, and that is what
transpired in there with Sikh."
BLAKE JOHNS
"I cracked, He is responsible for
all of this, how can you live with
the man who has utterly damned us
all!"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Is he really responsible for all
this?"
Blake is silent as he ponders this question.
BLAKE JOHNS
"But he admitted..."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Blake, he was on his way home to
his family, he was already entering
our atmosphere when he ran into it.
He had no recourse, It was all but
written in stone, Really if you
need to blame anyone, it was the
Federation, they were the ones that
decided to destroy that space
station, not considering the
possibility of a fall out effect,
Even if Sikh hadn't travelled
through that debris, it would have
eventually made its way here...on
its own accord."
Blake is silent in thought,as he cups his forehead in shame.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Sikh is a reputable man, He was
responsible for saving countless
lives during the infestation,
including my own, He does not
secede and will not quit until he
finds a way of quenching these
things from existence, like all of
us, not to be heroic, but to fill a
void left inside of his heart when
he lost his daughter to them."
Blake looks distraught,
BLAKE JOHNS
"His daughter was infected?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"No, she too insinuated signs of
immunity, but a group of them
parasite infested ..."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Flesh puppets."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Flesh puppets?"
BLAKE JOHNS
"That's what my buddy Dayo called
them, because of the way those
things used the flesh of man like a
puppet.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Interesting prerogative, fitting."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Well Dayo died this afternoon, he
saved us from a group of them
bastards while we were at the
college gathering those notes."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I'm so sorry."
BLAKE JOHNS
"yeah me too...anyway...you were
saying?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Oh yes, well, Lucy wandered away
from the house for a moment and
caught the attention of a large
group of them flesh puppets, By the
time Sikh and Tay realized she was
out of the house, they had her.
Blake looks up at his father who was obviously just as
distraught over the loss of little Lucy.
BLAKE JOHNS
"If these women are immune to
infection, why is it that these
flesh puppets seek them out, and
where do they go?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"We have no idea, I really don't
even want to surmise any
possibilities, I don't imagine I
could."
Blake seems intrigued,
BLAKE JOHNS
"So we really don't know if any of
those who have been taken are alive
or dead do we?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Well, I..."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Lucy Roberts could still be
alive...along with others!"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Well, Even if there is a chance of
such a remote possibility...we have
no means of finding them...where
would we look, in three weeks time
we have not seen any signs of life
anywhere...besides there are too
many of them and not enough of us,
we could never..."
Blake again interrupts his father,
BLAKE JOHNS
"We could if we had bait and a
means of tracking it."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Bait...as in human bait?"
BLAKE JOHNS
"The best kind."
The Professor is uneasy, however, ponders the notion.
CUT TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / LOUNGE ROOM
Everyone is gathered in the candle lit room, it is quiet.
Katie is looking up from the sofa with a serious look upon
her face,
KATIE MOORE
"I'll do it."
Everyone is quiet, for a moment,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Are we absolutely certain these
flesh puppets as we now call them
are purpose specific in nature,
haven't we learned that throughout
time species are adaptable to multi
tasking..."
BOZ
"Like walking and chewing gum!"
The Professor steps forward,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Most species do adapt over time to
be able to survive in their
surroundings, however we are not
dealing with a regular species
here, I hope and believe they are
not going to adapt to a point of
self preservation... not for some
time yet anyway."
Tay trying to look strong, her eyes dripping in tears,
TAY DONNELLY
"Lucy could be alive, I think I
should be the one who goes...she's
my daughter!"
KATIE MOORE
"Come on Kay, Your a great mother,
a great cook and a great new
friend, but you really suck when it
comes to kicking ass...that is
something I think I am more fitted
for...I've been doing it since I
was twelve!"
The group remains quiet,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Wait a second here!"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Blake, she is right, Katie is our
best chance."
TORIC ROBERTS
"So what you are suggesting here is
offering Kat...as bait, follow them
and see what they do with
her?...and see if they lead us to
other survivors?...and what if we
lose track of her?...what then?"
BLAKE JOHNS
"Well...we just can't let that
happen, we need to be ready for
anything."
Katie looks around at the solemn faces of her new family,
KATIE MOORE
"So, great, I guess I am the worm
on the hook, and you boys better be
able to reel me in before I get
bit!"
BLAKE JOHNS
"You understand that this is just
an idea, we can try something else,
I don't want you to do anything you
don't think you can do."
KATIE MOORE
"Give me a break, I can do
anything, I hooked up with one of
the most eligible bachelors in
Middletown didn't I...and I wasn't
even on the cheerleaders squad."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Well, As much as I am interested
in hearing all about the two of you
and such, I'm beat and I believe I
must retire...good evening all."
The Professor exits as the remaining group slowly does the
same.
Boz leans into a candle a blows it out.
CUT TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / BEDROOM
Katie is sitting next to Blake on the bed, she has just lit a
candle, both look shy and share a look of worry,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I remember the way you looked at
me when you sat there on the
kitchen counter at Dayo's party,
Every time I close my eyes, I see
it, For awhile it was something I
tried to forget, not knowing you
were still alive...but now...I love
it and hope it never goes away."
Blake grabs her hand,
BLAKE JOHNS
"You don't need to prove anything
you know, this isn't something you
have to do...we can come up with
another plan."
Katie looks back into Blake's eyes,
KATIE MOORE
"Can you come up with any other
plan that would not include some
potential risk to any of us?"
Katie gently takes Blake's face into her palm,
KATIE MOORE
"I am the best chance we have, We
can't just sit back and wait for
something to happen, You know it, I
know it...I am scared, this scares
the hell out of me, but knowing
you'll be right behind me makes me
feel a whole lot safer...and gives
me hope... for a better tomorrow."
Katie leans in gingerly and they embrace in a loving kiss
that continues as they slowly lean back into the bed.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / LOUNGE ROOM
Katie is being equipped with a strap on tracking device
around her waist, she is looking at a nervous Blake, Sikh
finishes up and sits back,
SIKH ROBERTS
"How's that?"
Katie twists and turns a bit and acknowledges with a nod of
her head...her lack of words obvious as she fights back tears
of fear, Tay leans in,
TAY DONNELLY
"Your golden girl, they got your
back!"
They hug and Katie looks a little more reassured.
TAY DONNELLY
"If my daughter is alive, please
bring her home!"
KATIE MOORE
"I will."
Katie groans out, and shakes her arms,
KATIE MOORE
"I feel like I'm going out on a
blind date...only I know the guy is
a train wreck."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"The ping is engaged, she's
online."
The Professor removes his headset that is affixed to an old
laptop.
Blake sighs,
BLAKE JOHNS
"It's now or never."
The contemplative faces of all show the significance of this
mission, Sikh is bent down at her feet, affixing something to
her ankle, two handguns.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Do not use these unless you
absolutely need to, the shots will
only attract more of them and you
have a total of twelve shots...not
nearly enough in this day and age!"
Katie stands up, wiping a tear from her eye, a nervous titter
complete with an attempt at sarcasm,
KATIE MOORE
"Time to meet the opposition."
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. FACTORY / DAY
All is quiet as the group sits behind a stack of boxes, Katie
stands before them out in the open, she is facing away from
her friends, her face shows uprising fear.
The sound of her heart races.
Katie struggles to step forward,
She manages the first step and continues to walk forward.
Sikh looks over at Toric and nods,
Toric nods back and grabbing his gun raises it into the air,
pointing it up and fires into the air.
Katie closes her eyes, slightly startled.
The sound of a door opening,
KATIE MOORE
"Help me God..."
She opens her eyes to see three flesh puppets quickly emerge
upon her, she screams out in horror as they quickly grab her.
Blake looks distraught,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I can't let this happen..."
Sikh and Toric quickly contain Blake's effort to go after her
by grabbing hold of him and covering his mouth.
Blake struggles a bit then gives up as the screaming suddenly
stops.
The professor watches the laptop,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Time to move, she's moving quick
towards the south east."
The group carefully emerge from behind their boxes and start
to jog after her.
FADE TO:
EXT. WOODED TERRAIN / OUTER EDGE / NIGHT
The trackers make their way to the edge of a scarcely wooded
field where their faces suddenly drop, before them the lights
of a spectacular and unbelievable sight.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Say it isn't so..."
CUT TO:
EXT. LARGE INDUSTRIAL ZONE / SPACECRAFT / NIGHT
A large industrial expanse is occupied by many flesh puppets
as an immense triangular alien space craft peacocks within
the busy compound.
A gathering of enfeebled humans line up and are escorted into
the craft...including Katie who is seemingly battered and not
unlike the rest of them.
A flesh puppet carries a large box onto a pad and stands back
as a sheet of energy dissolves the box.
Another flesh puppet approaches the pad with another box.
CUT TO:
EXT. WOODED TERRAIN / OUTER EDGE / NIGHT
Blake looking through a pair of binoculars, lowers them and
hands them quietly over to Toric.
BLAKE JOHNS
"I can't believe what I am seeing
here!"
Toric now viewing the scene with the binoculars,
TORIC ROBERTS
"We're going to need an army to get
in there!"
Sikh stares out watching the scene before him,
SIKH ROBERTS
"We have an army, an army of four,
four intelligent humans against a
number of pre programmed parasites,
not the odds they want to have."
Blake looks over at the Professor,
BLAKE JOHNS
"It's really an alien invasion!"
SIKH ROBERTS
"We'll need to get up closer, round
back over there, looks rather
desolate."
The Professor is looking through the binoculars,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
" I fear we may have underestimated
our enemy, they must have
something, or Katie wouldn't be
walking up that ramp on her own
concordance...but there is no
tail...none of them have tails!"
SIKH ROBERTS
"They are still people that's all
that matters, let's go!"
Blake advances, Sikh and Toric quickly follow, The Professor
gathers his equipment and mutters to himself.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"We are presuming they are still
people!"
The Professor follows them as they make their way towards the
compound.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL FENCE LINE / NIGHT
The trackers carefully traverse the field along the fence
line, their silhouettes shuffle across a brightly lit
background.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL FENCE LINE / CONT.
Toric grabs hold of the bottom of the fence and lifts it up,
while the others scurry under. All the time minding the area
for unwanted flesh puppets.
The Professor hands the laptop to Blake as it is his turn.
CUT TO:
EXT INDUSTRIAL AREA / NIGHT
The fog offers slight coverage as the group arrives within
the compound, a few barrels and a brick wall seclude them
from the populous. The Professor raises his headset to one
ear and listens,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"The ping is strong, she's still
right in there."
They now see the alien craft tight and up close, The sheer
size of the space vessel is enormously over-whelming.
BLAKE JOHNS (O.S.)
"In that thing."
The flesh puppets seem to leave the area as the last of the
humans are loaded onto the ship.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Let's not get crazy here, we have
strength in numbers when it comes
to human intelligence, but, come
on, how do we go up against
something of this magnitude?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"For the first time since I've
known you, I have to agree."
SIKH ROBERTS
"Listen up, We have no alternatives
here!...Katie is on that thing, and
perhaps my daughter, I for one am
willing to give it a shot."
BLAKE JOHNS
"I came, I saw, I am going in!"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Well let's do it then, Time is a
wasting."
SIKH ROBERTS
"Hold on, you and Toric should stay
here...if things don't go well, you
two are all we have left."
TORIC ROBERTS
"I'm down with that...I'm a farmer
not a fighter, but I'll do what is
necessary."
BLAKE JOHNS
"This is it then."
Blake and the Professor look at each other for a moment,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I've got your back, son."
Blake raises his gun,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I know."
Sikh stares at the craft,
SIKH ROBERTS
"It's just like an enormous pod,
not scary at all...I've been in
hundreds."
BLAKE JOHNS
"Great, then you'll have some clue
as to where we starting looking for
Kat."
Blake and Sikh launch themselves forward and saunter up the
ramp and disappear into the alien craft, undetected. The
Professor and Toric watch them and make their way into
hiding.
FADE TO BLACK:
INT. SPACECRAFT / BLACK
All is in blackness, the sound of labored breathing, Katie
winces in a struggle to move about, the only source of light
shines through a small hole in the far wall.
(We take on her point of view) Katie tries to make her way
towards the light, just as we get to the hole, (we change
perspective) to see Katie's eye peeking through the hole. Her
eye gapes in horror.
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / MEDICAL ROOM
A human form lays on an examination table, her body is
strapped tightly in place, her flesh is peeled back from her
stomach, a device is pinned to her head as a tube extracts a
murky yellow liquid.
Her eyes are open but she looms lifeless...her blackened eyes
fixed directly towards the hole Katie is viewing from.
Suddenly something steps in front of the hole blocking the
light and forces a terrorized Katie to scramble away from the
hole and into the darkness once again.
KATIE MOORE
"No...no...no...no..."
We hear her breathe in panic, we hear her shuffle, a snap and
then the distinct sound of her cocking a gun.
KATIE MOORE
"This is not what I signed up for!"
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / HALLWAY
The walls are glistening wet like a flesh like surface,
dripping a greenish sludge or ooze which radiates the hall as
a single source of light.
Blake and Sikh slow-footed, edge their way up the hall...guns
ready.
The resonance of footsteps tumble behind them, Blake quickly
directs Sikh into a shallow groove in the wall, they wrench
themselves in quickly, Blake watches as two flesh puppets lug
two boxes past them.
Sikh has his attention to the wall, as the liquid slides down
in front of him he observes millions of tiny parasites within
the gel-like substance.
Blake peeks out and observes the flesh puppets as they turn
sharply up another hall. Waiting till it was still, they both
squeeze out from their hiding spot and proceed after the two
pawns.
SIKH ROBERTS
"This entire ship is infested from
it's occupants to it's walls!"
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / BLACK
Again we hear the frenetic breathing of Katie in the sheer
darkness.
Suddenly the lights turn on.
Katie shields her eyes from the blinding glare.
She tries to look around and discerns others in the same
empty room as her. Spread out, each of them spaced apart
evenly, She looks over at each horrified face, some reaching
out for help, while others show signs of being in
shock...some sleeping, some weeping, others are praying.
Katie looks across the room and sees a familiar face.
Lucy curled up in the fetal position whimpering with her eyes
shut tightly.
Katie tries to project towards her but is refrained from
doing so by an apparent invisible wall, she pats the wall
around her, the air amazingly ripples before her, She begins
to pound erratically and is shouting out to her.
All is quiescent as we hear the child's whimpering, we can
see Katie screaming and pounding in the distance but cannot
hear her.
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / PRISON CELL
A door opens as two large flesh puppets enter and head
straight for Lucy, still curled up in fear.
Katie becomes irate, fearing Lucy may be the next on the
table.
KATIE MOORE
"No...No...take me you son of a
bitches, me, leave her alone!"
At the last second they grab a young female next to Lucy who
begins to struggle and scream in effort of escape,
The tallest of the flesh puppets leans in and spews a mass of
jelly like liquid into the face of the girl who suddenly
becomes submissive.
They escort her out of the room.
The room suddenly becomes pitch-dark once again.
Katie scurries over to the hole once again.
This time the examination table is abandoned, however it is
not long before the girl is placed onto the table and they
quickly begin to bind her.
Katie straggles back away.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL AREA / NIGHT
The Professor and Toric watch as a few flesh puppets work
about the yard.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Kind of ironic the two of us out
here, although I am thankful
throughout all of this we have
found a way to tolerate one
another."
TORIC ROBERTS
"Doc, I never had anything against
you, I hated the Federation, and
you were part of it...thus the
attitude...sorry bout that."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"No need for apologies, It took far
too long for me to realize just how
dreadful that agency was...I should
be the one to apologize."
TORIC ROBERTS
"Let's just call it even shall we."
The Professor smirks and then a look of wonder falls upon his
face.
TORIC ROBERTS
"What's up doc?..(chuckles)..I've
waited a long time to use that
line."
The Professor slowly edges his way over to a large military
crate. Toric follows him prudently,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"This...This used to be a
Federation Training facility, was
it not?"
Toric looks confused as the Professor starts to try and open
the crate.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Yes, I took part in many protest
right over there in front of that
gate."
The crate breaks open revealing a large metallic cylinder
with a cluster of wires and gadgets attached.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Trident twos, D5...enough power to
level an entire compound...about
this size!...the FEDERATION
acquired these from the U.S. NAVY
before the FEDERATION went global."
TORIC ROBERTS
"Oh great an antique explosive
device...why couldn't they be E 88s
or something from this era."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Beggars can't be choosers...here
give me a hand pulling this bad boy
back over there."
TORIC ROBERTS
"If your thinking what I think your
thinking, I'm thinking we think a
lot alike!"
The two pull the box back to a well hidden spot out of the
way.
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / HALLWAY
Sikh and Blake turn around into the hall, carefully and
readied.
BLAKE JOHNS
"I feel like we are travelling in
circles Sikh, Every hallway looks
like the one we just came from."
SIKH ROBERTS
"We're OK, We haven't been in this
one."
BLAKE JOHNS
"How you know that?"
SIKH ROBERTS
"Gut feeling."
Blake suddenly stops as a buffered scream ripples in the
distance,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Did you hear that?"
Sikh quietly shakes his no in reply, They both listen. A cry
for help buffered through the walls, echoes slightly in the
air again.
SIKH ROBERTS
"I heard that."
They rush forward.
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / MEDICAL ROOM
The door opens as Blake and Sikh enter with their guns drawn
and pointed.
Two flesh puppets in the middle of examination of their
subject without hesitation begin to move towards them.
Blake fires and takes down the first one.
The second, the tallest one spews the jelly like substance
towards them, Sikh at the last second avoids it and fires
twice before the flesh puppet drops.
SIKH ROBERTS
"That thing tried to puke on
me!...What kind of person says
hello with a gag and spew!"
Sikh kicks the corpse.
Blake rushes up to the table, The woman is discomposed, She
is KELLY HOLMAN, a middle aged woman and according to her
dress, she appears to have been in the medical field.
Kelly looks up powerless, and fading fast,
KELLY HOLMAN
"Get them out of here, out that way
one room over...they're all in
there."
Kelly coughs up a large amount of blood and dies.
Blake looks about the medical room,
BLAKE JOHNS
"They gather them to experiment on
them. These things are looking for
the same thing we are...they want
to know why these people are immune
to the spore."
Blake faces a shelf of containers, containing water.
Violently swiping them off as they crash to the floor. Turns
in anger towards Sikh,
BLAKE JOHNS
"We can't let them find that
answer!"
SIKH ROBERTS
"Let's find Kat and get the hell
out of here...These things are a
heck of a lot smarter than we give
them credit for."
Blake looks back at Kelly,
BLAKE JOHNS
"One room over...!"
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / PRISON CELL
Katie is pressing against the impalpable wall, trying to find
a way out just as the lights flare bright again. The door
opens and Katie falls forward as the invisible wall seems to
have just suddenly dissipate.
Katie quickly looks up to behold her two rescuers.
KATIE MOORE
"BLAKE!"
Sikh and Blake are astonished in amazement at the sight of
all the captives...Katie's cry captures Blake's attention.
BLAKE JOHNS
"KATIE!"
The crowd all seem overwhelmed to see them as they start to
rumble in excitement.
Sikh, bellows out to an increasingly louder group,
SIKH ROBERTS
"Settle down, we'll get you out of
here, but you must remain calm and
most significantly we need to be
absolutely quiet!"
Just as the noise fizzles out a child's weakened voice breaks
through capturing the attention of Sikh,
YOUNG LUCY
"Daddy?"
Sikh swiftly looks around, and then he spots Lucy looking up
at him from her spot on the alien floor.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Sweet Jesus!"
His voice cracks in a thrill as he darts towards her.
He whisks her up into his chest and sobs, he clutches her in
his arms, delivering many gentle kisses on the top of her
head.
SIKH ROBERTS
"My God Lucy it's really you. Daddy
is here now, daddy is here
now...never going to let you go."
YOUNG LUCY
" I knew you'd come for me daddy, I
prayed every day."
SIKH ROBERTS
(looking upwards)
"Thank you Lord."
Katie and Blake are enfolded in each other's arms, they eye
over at Sikh and Lucy, Katie is all choked up with a cramped
smile of alleviation.
KATIE MOORE
"There is the happiest father on
this planet right now."
BLAKE JOHNS
"I'm guessing we found young Lucy
Roberts."
Katie's eyes are moist and yet she turns to Blake and wipes
her eyes, titters and smiles,
KATIE MOORE
"Took your sweet ass time didn't
you!"
BLAKE JOHNS
"It's a big ship!"
KATIE MOORE
"I saw what they do to us, in the
next room, they..."
Blake cuts in abruptly,
BLAKE JOHNS
"We know, we were there, but we
were too late to save the woman who
told us where to find you."
Sikh and Lucy ingress into the conversation,
SIKH ROBERTS
" Let's get these people out of
here."
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL AREA / NIGHT
The Professor is wiring and fumbling with numerous buttons
and aforementioned wires on an unfastened panel on the crated
missile.
Toric stands guard watching the spacecraft, He lights a
cigarette and peeks back at the Professor, who looks up back
at Toric,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Like resolving the Rubic's cube."
Toric turns back and resumes his watch, The Professor
resuming his work.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Only you and I would remember such
a puzzle toy."
Toric takes another drag from his cigarette and is alerted to
something,
Looking over at the main gate, hundreds of flesh puppets are
emerging through the gate.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Good God, we got tons of them
bitches entering the compound!"
Again we are watching many of Middletown's dead converge into
the complex silently and quickly.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Something must of alerted them..."
TORIC ROBERTS
"They are heading towards the
ship."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"So are we, come on, give me a hand
with this!"
Toric quickly assists the Professor in carting the large
crate towards the ship ahead of the mob.
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / PRISON CELL
Blake is addressing the crowd,
BLAKE JOHNS
"I need you all to follow us, we
don't have time to dawdle, so let's
go people!"
Blake exits the room being followed by dozens of the
captives, Sikh helps direct the end of the bunch with Katie
now carrying his daughter Lucy.
SIKH ROBERTS
"Just keep moving, follow her!"
CUT TO:
INT. SPACECRAFT / HALLWAY
Blake leads a restless group up the hall and is met face to
face with Toric rounding the corner with the Professor. They
are all startled,
TORIC ROBERTS
"Bro, we got more company than we
can avoid coming up to the ship
right now."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"You have a few minutes, get the
people outside and round back of
the ship!"
Blake orders everyone to run and go around the back of the
ship,
BLAKE JOHNS
"What about you?"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Don't worry about us, we'll be
right behind you, I have a gift for
the bunch of them I want to hand
deliver it."
Blake continues with the group down a ramp and around the
back.
Sikh and Katie pass the two carrying the crate at the end of
the group,
KATIE MOORE
"Let's get out of here!"
The Professor sets his end of the crate down.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Thank the Lord you're alright, and
Katie too!...look There's no time,
I got it from here, go with them
and get them to the back."
TORIC ROBERTS
"You sure, I can stay and help."
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Nope, I'll see you on the
outside."
The Professor squats beside the open crate,
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Loads of good looking woman
heading out there, be a shame for
you to get stuck in here with me
now wouldn't it?"
The Professor quickly begins to play with various wires.
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"Go, help them out of here!"
TORIC ROBERTS
"Don't be a hero Doc, get out there
with us as soon as you can!"
PROFESSOR JOHNS
"I'm no hero, that's something I
was never cut out to be, I believe
you guys are the true heroes, I am
just doing what I know best, Go
quickly, I'll be right behind you."
Toric hesitant, looks towards the exit and then back to the
Professor, he nods, and heads off the ship.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL AREA / NIGHT
The last of the group rounds the corner of various bins, The
group stand looking back at the ship, as Toric comes running
out awkwardly towards them, looking back over his shoulder.
Blake turns to Katie,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Take them all to the farm, hurry,
use the fence line back there and
stay hidden."
Toric arrives out of breathe,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Where's my dad?"
Toric turns around and looks back at the ship
TORIC ROBERTS
"He's coming...He said he would be
right behind me!"
They both stare,
The Professor finally emerges from the ship, just as the band
of flesh puppets come confounded through some industrial
doors, The Professor promptly ducks beneath the ramp.
Blake and Toric watch in dismay as they all enter the ship.
The Professor looking at his watch, looks up at them...He
smiles a gesture of satisfaction.
The last of the flesh puppets is heading up the ramp when a
sudden explosion rips through the ship. The sound of a
familiar high pitched squealing.
Blake and Toric shield their eyes from the explosion.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL FENCE LINE / NIGHT
The group of people walk through the field with the fence
behind them, the explosion rises up into the air.
Katie looks back still pushing forward as the yellow light of
the explosion illuminates the night sky, Sikh carries his
daughter, who is sleeping in his arms.
They trudge forward.
CUT TO:
EXT. INDUSTRIAL AREA / CONT.
Toric removes a piece of debris that has landed on his legs,
searches for Blake.
TORIC ROBERTS
"Blake?"
The ship is disincorporated into sheered metal and scrap,
fire and scattered corpses. A dazed Blake picks himself out
of a pile of debris, Toric rushes to help him out.
Blake cups his hands and shouts,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dad!"
Silence echoes throughout the compound,
BLAKE JOHNS
"Dad!"
With no answer, Blake looks torn as Toric gingerly directs
him away.
FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / FRONT YARD / DAY
Boz is on the porch, playing with a toy helicopter and some
plastic army men when he is suddenly aware of the large group
of people approaching the estate.
Boz drops his toy and shouts out,
BOZ
"TAY!....!"
CUT TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / KITCHEN
Tay hears Boz shout out her name and grabs a rifle from the
corner and heads out towards him.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / FRONT YARD / DAY
Tay exits the house rifle armed and pointed, she squints to
see the large group approaching.
She notices one of the group waving, She spots Sikh, she
drops her rifle and begins to run up to them.
CUT TO:
EXT. FARM LAND / FIELD / DAY
Tay running up to group with a giant smile, suddenly stops
and gasps in shock, her eyes well, as she covers her mouth
with her hands. She has spotted Lucy who is smiling back at
her as she is holding Sikh's hand.
Tay is overwhelmed and cries out as she again runs towards
them, this time her daughter is running towards her.
The two lock in an embrace as Tay weeps.
Sikh interrupts the embrace as he is quickly included in the
reunion.
Toric and Blake join the group.
CUT TO:
EXT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / FRONT STEP / DAY
Boz still standing on the front porch points in fear at the
horizon, He shouts out to the approaching band of friends,
BOZ
"Look!"
The group turns to see another group of people approach them,
many of them appear to be in military uniform.
They watch as they near, they are human.
A young uniformed cadet walks up to them and salutes as the
armed group behind them stand still, Major Jack Little is
trying to appear strong,
MAJOR JACK LITTLE
"Major Jack Little, New England
Federation guard, we saw that
explosion last night, we were on
our way to Hazel seeking other
survivors.
SIKH ROBERTS
"We just blew the snot out of at
least 50 of them critters, that
started all this, Captain Sikh
Roberts... Middletown Federation
Pod exploration.
The two shake hands.
MAJOR JACK LITTLE
"Sir, we are gathering in small
groups everywhere, we are fighting
back, for what it is worth, we can
adapt."
TORIC ROBERTS
"This alliance we are forming with
survivors, let's just not include
the word Federation."
MAJOR JACK LITTLE
"Our hope is to form a global
community against the Borq, we will
simply be known as the resistance."
They all begin to head to the house.
BLAKE JOHNS
"My father would have liked that."
Katie rests her head on Blake's shoulder.
In the group of woman we watch a young woman cough in
discomfort.
Tay,Sikh and Lucy are happy together again.
Toric is conversing with a young woman who was rescued from
the ship.
Blake and Katie walk together slowly as Katie rubs Blake's
back and still has her head on his shoulder,
The new group lead by Jack follows.
CUT TO:
INT. JEFFERSON'S FARM HOUSE / BATHROOM
Katie, still rough along the edges slowly opens the door to
the bathroom, she spots the body of the young woman who was
coughing earlier, she is bent over the toilet.
Katie draws her gun, She walks up to the toilet, She lifts
the lid, Looking down into the bowl, the tail spins around in
the water,
KATIE MOORE
"We're going to beat you!"
Katie draws up her gun and aims it into the bowl.
KATIE MOORE
"Oh, and while you're down
there...a message from the
Resistance...Eat shit!"
She pulls the trigger,
CUT TO BLACK
FINAL CREDITS
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