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CaptCBoard	SCIENCE FICTION - the Script!	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 14:12:20) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None I've had a number of requests over the years for copies of the scripts I've written-- which, of course, have never been produced. Fortunately, everyone who has read them has been very enthusiastic, but (unfortunately...) too poor to actually turn them into screen gems. I've tried several ways to post the script as a whole, with no success, so I'll be posting it in chunks! I can post a link to a download of the whole thing, but then I'm asking for trouble copyright-wise. At least here, no one has to download the script to read it! This script is called SCIENCE FICTION. The one thing to keep in mind while reading this is that it takes place entirely in 1958. If this was made into a movie, it would be a new genre-- the Retro-Scifi Picture! Visually, all the designs of the alien culture would be as though the picture were made in the 50's. Helmets with swing-down faceplates, clunky guns and jet-fighter pressure suits made to look COOL! So, grab some virtual popcorn and turn up the Theramin--
CaptCBoard	SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 1	#1	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 14:17:47) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	FADE IN EXT. GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY - SEPTEMBER 1957 - NIGHT Several men exit the main door of the observatory, bidding each other Good-Night. SCIENTIST - I'll see you guys in the morning... He stops at the curb as the others continue on. ANOTHER SCIENTIST - G'Night, Bob. Hope you don't have to wait long... SCIENTIST - No, she'll be along any minute. Very reliable, my Vera! ANOTHER SCIENTIST - Okay, tell her I said hello. We ought to get together for Bridge.. SCIENTIST - I don't know, she hates the way I play... Headlights approach in the distance. ANOTHER SCIENTIST - Sounds familiar... Bye! Bob waves to his friend. He spots the headlights, which draw closer. Nearby, a phone rings in a phone booth. Bob looks at it, wondering. He sets his briefcase on the sidewalk and goes over to the phone. SCIENTIST (picks up the receiver) - Hello? VOICE ON PHONE - Doctor Myers? SCIENTIST - Yes? The car arrives at the curb and we can see a woman at the wheel. Bob waves to his wife. VOICE ON PHONE - Doctor Robert Myers? SCIENTIST - Yes-- who is this? VOICE ON PHONE - The spouse of your flowered life can be approaching in the motor? SCIENTIST (really puzzled) - Wh-- She's just arrived... VOICE ON PHONE - She is willowed with full pages? SCIENTIST - Look, I don't know-- what? Who-- VOICE ON PHONE - You are holding on the phone to listen. SCIENTIST - Listen to what? You don't make sense. INT. THE CAR - BOB'S WIFE - NIGHT She looks at him quizzically. He looks at her, shaking his head. She can tell the conversation is strange by his motions. He finally yells something into the receiver, then looks at it. He looks as her and shrugs. He hangs up the receiver-- FUUMPH!! THE PHONE BOOTH IS SUDDENLY FILLED WITH A FLASH OF LIGHT!! This happens so fast that if she'd blinked, she'd have missed it!! Bob is gone. The phone booth is still there, as if nothing happened. She doesn't quite know what to do-- except SCREAM!! CUT TO: AERIAL SHOT OF THE PENTAGON Stock footage from late 1950's. INT. ENTRANCE OF PENTAGON A squad of 4 armed SOLDIERS escorts a single COURIER, carrying a package, into the Pentagon. SUPER TITLE - "THE PENTAGON - 1957" They continue through the security checkpoints, where the armed squad stops. The courier continues alone, led by a GUIDE. CLOSE ON THE PACKAGE - AN ENVELOPE It is addressed to PRESTON GENERAL HARDGRAVE, THE PENTAGON, and is marked "EXTREMELY ROMANTIC SECRETS - TRUSTY EYES". The courier arrives at the General's office, where the GENERAL and a number of other men, in uniforms and suits, are waiting. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Ah, gentlemen... Now we'll see just what this mystery is all about. The General hands the courier his ID. The courier looks at it carefully and hands it back, then hands the package over. COURIER - Thank you, General. He salutes the General, who returns the salute, and leaves. There is a thick silence as General Hardgrave opens the envelope and reads the letter. He passes it to one of the uniforms. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - This letter is on the same metallic paper as the others... He addresses the men in suits. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - I've assembled you here to evaluate the contents of this package. You all have the highest clearances and I don't have to tell you not to discuss your findings with anyone outside my office. He opens the package. The men in suits draw close. The package contains some little metallic blocks and stacks of the metallic paper in folders of similar material. SUIT 1 - General-- where did this come from? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - We don't know, exactly. I am hoping the answer is contained in all this. Since the paper of the other letters defies analysis, we have concluded the origin of this material is extraterrestrial. From what I can make of this letter, it'll be another year before they actually arrive. Since this package and the others couldn't have appeared by themselves, we should assume they have an advance team working here already... The suits have been examining the contents of the package. Sheaves of the metallic paper covered with mathematical equations. Other sheaves unfold to reveal blueprints. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Does this make sense to any of you gentlemen? SUIT 2 - Very theoretical... SUIT 3 - Beyond theoretical. I've seen this before... Einstein was working on it. What did he call that?? SUIT 4 Ring Physics? Something like that. Its still classified. SUIT 2 (remembering) - Collapsing Ring-field Theory. Another one of his time and space things. The General seems to have heard of this before... SUIT 3 And he shut it down, in '47-- said to leave it alone. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Gentlemen, I'm going to stop your speculation right here. We re-opened that can of worms 3 years ago. Dr. Einstein was very adamant about continuing the research, but died before telling us exactly why, and considering he was equally adamant about shutting it down before, we are somewhat mystified. But- fortune may have been working in our favor here. UNIFORM 1 - How do you mean? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - This is a test, one we must pass. And I don't think they are aware we've been studying this very subject. Or even had a teacher... He turns to his aide. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Assemble the team... We're moving. I want coffee perking in the New York facility in 48 hours- He turns back to the men in uniform. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Two days, gentlemen. That leaves 363 days to figure this out! They salute. The door is unlocked and the General steps out, his aide calling to him. SAM - Sir? What do you want to call it? The General pauses. SAM (CONT'D) - What code name should I put on the Project file? Without hesitation, the General draws a breath-- GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Call it-- MAIN TITLE - A file folder is slammed down into frame with a deep, resonant 'BOOM!!' On it we can read "SCIENCE FICTION" and in smaller red letters, "Project 4 - Top Secret", has been stamped. FRONT OF PICTURE TITLES Under these titles we see stock footage of the inner workings of the Pentagon BETWEEN 1957 TO 1958. Interspersed with these shots are newspaper headlines about scientists being killed or dying. End montage on a shot of the Mall and the Washington Monument. MATCH DISSOLVE TO: EXT. NEW YORK SKYLINE - THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - NIGHT - The Empire State Building replaces the Washington Monument as- TITLES END DISSOLVE TO: EXT. NEW YORK STREET - NIGHT A cab pulls into frame and stops in front of a swank nightclub- "The Radium Club". A MAN in his late-thirties gets out as the doorman opens the door. He hurries into the club. INT. RADIUM CLUB He hurriedly checks his overcoat and hat and proceeds to the Matre'D, who recognizes him as a familiar patron. HENRI (french accent) - Professor Hardisty! GLENN - Is she here? HENRI (pointing discretely) - She has been here for about twenty minutes... THEIR POV OF DORIS SPENCER She sits alone in the crowded dining room, watching the live dance band, and the couples on the dance floor. There is a lively rhumba playing... GLENN AND HENRI Glenn hands Henri a slim gold flower box. GLENN - Get a bottle of champagne and take this to her. Tell her I'm here, but I have to make a phone call. Other patrons are now watching. Glenn feels uneasy. Henri raises an eyebrow... GLENN (CONT'D) - And its very important! He rushes off to the payphones, the eyes of the others following him. Henri snaps his fingers to a waiter. IN THE PHONE BOOTH Glenn drops a dime. GLENN - Yes, Operator. I need New Jersey. Klondike 5-7555. Reverse the charges. INT. RADIUM CLUB DINING ROOM Doris Spencer is surprised to find a bottle of champagne arriving. DORIS - Say... I didn't order this! The waiter looks up to make eye contact with Henri, who is arriving with the box, which he presents to her. HENRI - No, mademoiselle. It is with the compliments and apologies of the Monsieur Professor. She takes the box and smiles. DORIS - He's going to be really late... HENRI - Actually, he is already here, but had to make a very important telephone call. He will join you shortly... DORIS - One of these days he's going to have to marry that thing... Henri smiles, bows and leaves. Doris motions to the waiter. DORIS (CONT'D) - Pour, Jackson, pour! INT. PHONE BOOTH - GLENN ON THE PHONE GLENN - I see. You can tell the General I will be in my office tomorrow, at the University, from one-thirty P.M. on. I won't leave until he arrives. Yes. He wouldn't have called me if it wasn't important. Yes. Glenn, with two 'n's. Hardisty. Yes... thank you-- good-bye. He puts the receiver down and looks off into space for a moment, thinking. The booth door opens and a shadow falls over his face. DORIS (voice off screen) - What's the matter, big boy. Girlfriend not at home? GLENN - Doe... He stands up, moves out of frame. DISSOLVE TO: THE DANCE FLOOR - SOMETIME LATER Glenn and Doris are dancing to a slow Latin beat. Doris has been waiting to ask him something, hoping he would volunteer first. DORIS - So... You've been late before, she asked, using feminine subterfuge to trick him into revealing the truth. What's with... GLENN - The rose and the champagne... DORIS - Um-humm. GLENN - Oh... I don't know. I guess I wanted to do something... different. To make up for all the other times I've been late... DORIS - That'll take more than a rose and a bottle of champagne... GLENN - Well... I was hoping... Professor's salary and all... DORIS - Oh, I forgot how poor you are... GLENN - I'll let you in on a little secret. I take you to dinner at these swanky, expensive joints so you won't be so mad when I'm late. DORIS - Oh... So you'd feel the pressure to be more punctual if we had a date at some greasy spoon... GLENN - Pressure? Yes. But I'd still be late. They draw close together and sway into the crowd. The music fades as we... DISSOLVE TO: A SIDEWALK IN THE PARK - NIGHT Doris and Glenn walk arm in arm, she is wearing his hat. DORIS - You don't like to walk in the park. You don't like to walk anywhere! You are just full of surprises tonight... GLENN - A guy can change... Its a sign of maturity. DORIS - Or a sign of something else. Give. I know you better. You've given me food, fizz and foliage and a stroll in the park. Normally I'd be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but after all that I'm bracing for an entire store... Music comes to their ears from somewhere in the distance. Glenn takes her in his arms and begins to dance. DORIS (CONT'D) - Glenn! She sways with him, her eyes saying this behavior is not normal, but she likes it... DORIS (CONT'D) - What is with you? GLENN - That's our song... DORIS - What is? GLENN - Shhh... Can't you hear it? DORIS (listens for a second) - Yes, I hear it... But we don't have a song. GLENN (whispering) - Of course we do... He pulls her close. Her eyes are wide, trying to figure out what is going on... He hums along... DORIS - We do... GLENN - Uh huh... DORIS - I don't think I've ever heard it before... GLENN - Sure you have. Don't you remember-- He stops dancing and looks her in the eyes... GLENN (CONT'D) -It was playing somewhere the night I asked you to marry me... She looks at him in shock for just a moment, then looks down. She recovers and gives a short laugh. DORIS - Oh! That song! Ha! She sniffs and puts her arms around him, dancing once again. We pull back as they continue to dance in the pool of light from a streetlamp. DORIS (CONT'D) - I do remember... It was playing somewhere the night I said 'Yes'! They continue dancing and, in a close embrace, they kiss. FADE OUT
CaptCBoard	Re: SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 2	#2	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 15:01:55) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	FADE IN - CITY MONTAGE The next day, bright, sunny, but cool and crisp. New York of late 1958 is a hubbub of activity. EXT. GIMBLE'S DEPARTMENT STORE - DAY Three women are munching on sidewalk hotdogs, standing in front of a store window full of TV sets, all turned on. BETTY - Gee... LORI - And almost as many stations as radio! NANCY - May as well be five hundred... None of us can't afford one. BETTY - Ah... The voice of reality... I prefer to dream! LORI - I save! I started a TV fund last month. They move away from the window. NANCY - Is that replacing, or in addition to, your mink coat fund? LORI - Well, I decided I could only use the mink during the winter, and only if I was going out to dinner, or a show. But I can use the television all year round. And you girls could come over! We cOuld have 'Liberace' night or 'Perry Mason' night or... whatever! BETTY - So how much have you saved? LORI - Six-fifty... She gives Nancy a "Don't say it!" look. Nancy just smiles. INT. JENSEN, JOHANSEN AND JOHNSON, CPA - DAY They clock back in and scurry to their desks, which look out over the secretarial pool. Women clatter away on adding machines and typewriters. Betty snags her intercom as it begins to buzz. BETTY (taking off hat and gloves) - Yes, Mr. Johnson? JOHNSON (heard over intercom) I need the file on that Ressler mess... BETTY - I'll bring it right in, sir... She hurriedly takes off her coat, grabs a file from her desk and enters the office behind her. Nancy and Lori smile to each other, turn to their own desks. A young deliveryman enters and goes over to Lori's desk. DELIVERYMAN - Hiya, doll... He hands her a single red rose. LORI - Again? DELIVERYMAN(reading) - "Roses are red, Chrylsers have chrome. Its no fun being alone. Bob." He hands her the card. She digs in a drawer for some change. LORI - Boy, is that guy thick... DELIVERYMAN - Can I keep this one, too? LORI (tipping him) - Better than throwing it out... DELIVERYMAN - Thanks. See ya tomorrow! He leaves with the flower. LORI - I hope not! NANCY - How long do you think he'll keep this up? LORI - Until he's broke... NANCY - Don't you think something can be said for persistence? LORI - Yeah. (she drops the card in the wastebasket) Its annoying... CROSS FADE TO: EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY A lonely two-lane, and not too many cars are on it. We pan as a 1948 Chrysler Windsor lumbers by. INSIDE THE CAR We find CAPTAIN HANK ABBOTT, who is driving, and his lovely wife, JEAN. She wears a scarf over her hair and Harlequin sunglasses. They seem to be in the quiet part of an argument, the part where they are both steamed, but neither can leave. Capt. Abbott just looks at the speedometer, the rear-view mirror. His gaze then falls on the gas gauge. The needle is sitting on 'E'. He lets out a sigh. ABBOTT - Great... EXT. VICTORY GAS VICTORY GAS is in the middle of nowhere. There is only a house down the road about a hundred yards, and a small hamburger stand called 'Little Brown Jug Chow House'. The gas station is built under a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, which is raised up on blocks; and the hamburger stand is shaded by the wings of a drab brown P-47 Thunderbolt, which sits atop the building. They almost seem to be flying in formation... The Abbott's Chrysler pulls into the gas station, DING DING!! A man, ED JONES, comes out of the office. ED - Hello, folks... ABBOTT (checking his wallet) - Hi. Fill it up with Ethyl. ED - Oil? ABBOTT - Please. Jean gets out of the car. Shifting his eyes, he watches her as she goes over to the hamburger stand. EXT. LITTLE BROWN JUG She tries to see through the screen to the inside. ENID JONES (45) greets her. ENID - Hi honey, what'll ya have? JEAN - Coffee... She is distant and digs in her pocketbook for change. ENID - Cream and sugar? JEAN - No. Just black. ENID - I got some fresh sinkers, ya want one? JEAN (snaps) - NO! Enid backs up at this, turns to pour the coffee. Jean sees her reaction, realizes the wrong. JEAN (CONT'D) - I mean, yes. That sounds good. Sorry... EXT. GAS STATION Ed lifts the hood to check the oil. Abbott gets out. ABBOT - Say... Uh. We-- I got turned around. I'm trying to get to the Army base. Its supposed to be somewhere around here. Ed doesn't look up, checks the oil and water. ED - Lost? Abbott shoots a look toward his wife. ABBOTT - Yeah. I usually come in from the other side... I don't know this area at all... Ed gently lowers the hood, doesn't slam it, and wipes his fingerprints off the finish. ED - Well... You keep going down this road. It'll take you right to the back gate. (he smiles) You were heading in the right direction anyway! ABBOTT - Thanks... ED - Your right rear is low... He passes by Abbott to get the air hose. Abbott looks over at his wife, who is now sitting at a table under the wing of the fighter. ABBOTT - I'll be right back... EXT. LITTLE BROWN JUG Jean watches through her sunglasses as he approaches. He stands across the table from her, looks off across the empty land. JEAN (matter-of-fact) - Coffee's not too bad. Doughnut's great... ABBOTT - Honey- I'm really late! JEAN - How do you suppose they do it? ABBOTT - Huh? JEAN - The fly-boy and his missus here... He can only look at her. JEAN (CONT'D) - In the middle of nowhere, can't be doing much business. They must regret the day they built this place. ABBOTT - Jean... JEAN - But look at it. Its as neat as a pin. The paint is fresh, the tables are clean. The windows are washed. No weeds. Look at the creases in his shirt... Abbott looks over at Ed, who is washing the windshield. His shirt is crisply ironed... ABBOTT - He's ex-military... Takes pride in his work. He sits across from her. JEAN (takes off her sunglasses) - He takes pride in his work, but he is also working to make his dream come true. To keep it from failing. They both are. Look-- She nods to a spot of concrete where someone put their handprints- a man, woman and child. 'MARCH 1947' is scrawled underneath. JEAN (CONT'D) - This place has been here eleven years and it looks brand new. I'll bet they work at staying married just like they work on this place. He stares at his hands. ABBOTT - Yeah... So... what would it take? JEAN - Just talk. Truth. And faith. I'm not in the Army. When I married you, it wasn't an enlistment. This relationship moves in both directions, you know? ABBOTT - Yeah... JEAN - I know you have responsibilities to the United States Army, but I don't think you even want to acknowledge what your responsibilities are to me. The only faith you have in me seems to be that I'll stick around! I need you to put some of whatever it is that got you to be 'Captain' into our marriage, because you sure didn't get that by being cautious! "Jean will have to understand, its the Army..." I'm tired of understanding, and I'm sick and tired of the Army!! Its not a reason anymore, Hank. Its become an excuse! She puts her sunglasses back on and heads back to the car. He watches her for a moment, starts to follow, but pauses to pick up her coffee cup and napkin, putting them into an open trashcan. We look past his contribution to a newspaper with an article that reads "Scientist Killed". CROSS FADE TO: THE SAME ARTICLE - IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT A couple of pages are turned and we focus on a photograph of an elderly man. The caption says the scientific community will miss his brilliant mind. INT. UNIVERSITY LABORATORY - GLENN'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Glenn Hardisty sits, reading the article. Outside, the lab is busy with students at work. Doris, looking very assistant like, enters, escorting General Hardgrave. DORIS - Excuse me, Dr. Hardisty... But-- GLENN - General Hardgrave! Its very good to see you! They shake hands. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Dr. Hardisty... I haven't much time. He has spotted the article on the desk. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - I'm afraid this visit is not going to be to your liking, Glenn. That was no accident. You and other scientists are in grave danger. GLENN - Excuse me, sir? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - I'll have to explain later. Right now you must leave the university and come with me. Circumstances have placed the future of one of our most important projects in jeopardy. GLENN - Circumstances? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Charles Houser was killed last night. This hits Glenn hard. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - He was run down by his own car. You are the only other authority we can call on. GLENN - Authority? On what? GENERAL HARDGRAVE (wishing he didn't have to say) - The Collapsing Ring-field Theory... Glenn struggles out from under this ton of bricks... GLENN - How long. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Four years. GLENN - Four years! And you're just coming to me now! Hardgrave gives him a look. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Glenn. When we 'parted company' our relationship was not exactly - sound. I respect your work, but what this job didn't need was a steamroller! We had to take our time, go through proper channels, jump through the right Congressional hoops. GLENN (understanding) - And that is not the way I operate... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Exactly. Glenn, you were my first choice. Houser was too academic. You have a natural understanding. Dr. Einstein often commented on that. GLENN - He was a good friend... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Yes, he was... We could sure use him now... Especially considering the mess I'm about to create... GLENN - Mess? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Later. My aide is delivering a letter to your administrators written on my Pentagon letterhead explaining our need for your immediate cooperation. Glenn- I have to brief Senator Farrell about this and it is vital that you come with me-- NOW! Glenn realizes his old friend is serious. GLENN - I'm at your service, General... He grabs his coat and hat. They leave, Doris following them with her eyes, puzzled. Music up... DISSOLVE TO:
CaptCBoard	Re: SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 3	#3	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 15:30:34) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	EXT. STREET - THE UPPER WEST SIDE The General's car is nosing its way through traffic. INT. THE GENERAL'S CAR Glenn and General Hardgrave are in the back. Glenn is just closing a dossier marked "SCIENCE FICTION - PROJECT 4" GLENN - My god. This is a lot to absorb at one time. And there has been no further communication since the package arrived? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - None. And the year will be up a few days from now, if they really meant a year... GLENN - And does everyone go through all that crap whenever they meet with the Senator? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - He treated Dr. Einstein the same way. He wasn't doing that to you because he thinks you're a nobody. The reason Dr. Einstein shut down the project in 1947 is he felt men like that couldn't be trusted. Look what's happening with atomic power... GLENN - But the ring is different, it can't be used offensively, or defensively for that matter... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - But you also know if he decided to shut down the project, it would be for only one of two good reasons. If he discovered something he didn't understand, or if he thought someone would take it and utilize it against mankind in some way, no matter what beneficial reason they might quote. He discovered both reasons applied here. GLENN - I remember he was pretty disgusted. But, why did he start it up again? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Its a long story, but it boils down to this. He realized there was going to be a power crisis about 20 years from now. The main by-product of the ring is power, which we dissipate into a resistor grid. His idea was to develop a 'disguised' version, shall we say, of the ring device and use it solely for generating power. Very cheap power... The cab pulls toward the curb. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Ah, here's the hotel now... We use this for sensitive projects, such as this one. We have a full staff, room service, maid service, the works. GLENN - Sounds ideal... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Its easier to protect those who work here and their families-- much easier to secure than a military base... EXT. THE SEYMOUR HOTEL A valet opens the car door. General Hardgrave and Dr. Hardisty get out. GLENN - General... They stop on the steps. GLENN (CONT'D) - If he saw a reason to shut it down because he was afraid of some way it could be used that would be detrimental, then-- GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Then why go through an Army General? GLENN - Well-- yes. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Because Albert Einstein knew he could trust me, Preston Hardgrave. He knew if he decided the thing had to be buried, all I'd ask him was, "How deep, Al?" They go into the hotel. INT. THE SEYMOUR HOTEL General Hardgrave waves to the deskclerk, who simply nods back. They head for the elevator. CLOSE ON DESKCLERK'S HAND He pushes a button concealed behind the desk. INT. ELEVATOR A light flashes on the floor selector panel. The ELEVATOR OPERATOR watches as the General and Glenn enter. He closes the door. ELEVATOR OPERATOR - General... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Jerry... The elevator operator holds down two buttons and the back of the elevator slides open, revealing another, larger elevator! They step through and begin their descent. GLENN - Did he ever tell you his concerns? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - I asked him, quite directly, what the potentials were. His answer was a question: What if we could take the distance between two destinations, wad it up and just throw it away... GLENN - In a sense, the images from the ring are a result of just that. The distance to the image target is of no consequence. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - And that, Dr. Hardisty, is about the only thing I do comprehend about this project... But Dr. Einstein saw something he thought, in the wrong hands, could bring on catastrophe. And that observation, I'm afraid, died with him. The elevator operator opens the door. Glenn and the General step out into a hallway. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - We should have Miss Spencer move in here as well. Whoever is eliminating scientists might try to get to you through her! GLENN - Yeah... Good point. I'll talk to her tonight... GENERAL HARDGRAVE - We can make arrangements to have your personal items moved over here. GLENN - I live in a furnished apartment. There's not much to move. Just my research library. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Just let me know when you're ready... They enter an office, where two other men are working. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - I'd like you to meet Bob Randall, our project manager of sorts, and Everett Fulton, our resident quantum mechanic. GLENN (shaking their hands) - Hello... Good to meet you. FULTON - Good enough to join us? GLENN - Working on the Ring Theory again is a dream come true... RANDALL - We need you. Not many people know about Collapsing Ring-field Physics, much less understand it. GLENN - Well... working with Dr. Einstein helped. Dr. Houser and I were... very lucky. RANDALL - We could use some of that luck right now. We've been trying to figure out the phase parameters. Once we have those, we should see our first images in a week or so! FULTON - But, they won't be three dimensional. We realized we could save a lot of alignment time by generating the first images in two-d. GLENN Sure... I can see that. It should keep the Resonance Factors low, too. Fulton and Randall look at each other like they have missed something obvious. RANDALL - Resonance factors... FULTON - Uh... Heh! Would you excuse us? He and Randall leave. Glenn follows them with his eyes and spots something through the closing door. The Ring! General Hardgrave sees the excitement in his eyes. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Come on... You've waited a long time... They go into the next room. INT. TEST ROOM The room is a massive nest of consoles and cables, all leading to a simple wooden library table. A device looking a lot like a Waring blender on its side is bolted down near one end of the table. A distorted geometric pattern swims inside the Ring, a complicated circular construct sitting twelve inches in front of the open mouth of the 'blender'. Glenn stoops down to take a good look at the Ring, his face beaming with the delight of seeing a dream coming true... SLOW FADE OUT FADE IN EXT. CONEY ISLAND - DAYS LATER -NOON CLOSE ON the WONDER WHEEL as it rotates lazily around. EXT. CONEY ISLAND - 'CYCLONE' ROLLERCOASTER People standing in line as a train of screaming passengers careens past. EXT. CONEY ISLAND - PARACHUTE DROP A couple is seated on a lift. The girl is apprehensive. GUY - Don't worry. I've done this a hundred times. You'll love it! She just gives him a look that says 'can't we just leave...?' EXT. CONEY ISLAND - ASTRO-BURGER ASTRO-BURGER is a hamburger stand with a large, fake missile on top as a signboard. A woman and her son sit at a table across from the burger stand. She is facing the stand and watches as her husband approaches, carrying their food. The LITTLE BOY ( is wearing a Davy Crockett Coonskin Cap and a pair of six-guns. He is facing the ocean and seems to be looking at something as his father arrives, occupied with setting the food down without spilling anything. We notice a couple of other people in the background shading their eyes and looking off at the same thing. LITTLE BOY - Dad... Is that a real spaceship? DAD (keeping magic alive) - Oh, I don't know... It might be... LITTLE BOY - Do they give rides? MOM (steering food his way) - Honey, eat your hamburger... INT. WONDER WHEEL CAGE A couple are necking in one of the cages. The girl opens her eyes, but her attention is drawn away from her partner. He turns to look... EXT. CONEY ISLAND - BY THE 'CYCLONE' People stop and look up at something in the distance. EXT. CONEY ISLAND - ON A 'CYCLONE' TRAIN It climbs to the first summit. As their faces appear over the crest, the people in the car ignore their impending doom and are riveted by something they see. ON THE TRAIN - as they careen around the track, no one is screaming. They are all trying to keep the thing in sight. EXT. CONEY ISLAND - A COP He is about to bite into a Nathan's Red Hot, when he notices something... The crowd has fallen quiet. He looks around and sees everyone is just standing and staring at something. EXT. CONEY ISLAND BOARDWALK - ASTRO-BURGER No one is moving. They are all staring, murmuring to one another in quiet tones, transfixed by something we can't see. The LITTLE BOY tries to look up, past his mother and the other adults he is buried in, but the crowd is too thick. He climbs on top of the table. In the distance, through the haze of midday, he can see-- a huge disk, about 5 miles out, floating in the sky over the ocean. He thinks for a moment, and shifts his attention to the hamburger stand behind him-- On its roof, the phoney missile is perched for launch... EXT. PARACHUTE DROP The couple, being hoisted to the top of the structure. She is very scared, gripping the cables for dear life. GUY - Come on... relax... And don't look-- Then he sees it-- and becomes terror stricken! GUY (CONT'D) - Down!! GUH!! She hears the change in his voice, looks up... She draws a breath when she sees it and-- EXT. CONEY ISLAND WIDE SHOT, looking down, as her single scream drifts over the amusement park. As if wakened from a stupor, people begin gathering their belongings and hurry out of the park, toward the subway... EXT. CONEY ISLAND - STREET Out of the panicked, but quiet, crowd, THE COP runs to his squad car. He grabs the radio mic. THE COP - Car 15 to Central! Car 15 to Central!! CUT TO: EXT. WALL STREET - 15 MINUTES LATER The normally shady street is getting darker... Foot traffic comes to a stop as people look up. They just stand and stare, with their mouths agape. Drivers at signals see everyone on the sidewalks looking up. They get out of their cars and do the same... No one speaks. INT. JENSEN, JOHANSEN AND JOHNSON Nancy is standing at her desk, looking out the window. Her expression says it all. The door behind her opens and MR. JENSEN pokes his head out. MR. JENSEN - Nancy, would you mind coming in here for a minute? She doesn't seem to hear him, he follows her gaze out the window. He steps out and stands beside her. THEIR P.O.V. Outside, the rim of the ship is visible in the sky above. The ship is directly over their building... They move to the window and cautiously look up. MR. JENSEN - Oh... my...God... NANCY - I gotta get a better look! He follows and they hurry into the main room. Women line the windows. Betty and Lori spot Nancy. BETTY - Nancy-- NANCY - Let's get up to the roof-- Come on!! Betty, Lori and some others follow. ON THE ROOF - DAY Hovering high above the city, moving very slowly, is a giant spaceship. A flying saucer, nearly featureless. No lights, no windows, no noise, just smooth dull metal, two miles in diameter! A narrow band of darker metal at the perimeter rotates ever so slowly, the ship floats above the city without fanfare. At first, no one speaks. BETTY (quietly) - Its like having another sky above you... LORI - I have to sit down... She plops down on a parapet, holding her head in her hands, not looking up. NANCY (almost to herself) - Its so big... Betty and Nancy look at each other, the question going unspoken between them. A tear rolls down Betty's cheek. Lori suddenly looks up, then around. She sees that everyone is standing rock still, silent. LORI - You could hear a pin drop in Brooklyn right now... The silence lasts for another ten seconds... MR. JENSEN - I've got to get home... Gina will be in hysterics... You girls take the rest of the day off- BETTY - Day? How about the rest of the year!! Blinking back tears, he smiles at her. MR. JENSEN - Huh! Yeah... He leaves. Someone passes out. Another goes into hysterics. SECRETARY -Annie!! Wake up!! What have they done to you??? AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! Betty and Lori help carry the unconscious one and Nancy tries to calm the other one down. NANCY - Come on, Gladys... Get a grip! She just fainted... SECRETARY - Is it the Russians? Have they come to invade us? NANCY - Its not the Russians... They can't be that far ahead of us... BETTY - Garroway will be all over this! And Murrow, too! We could sure use a TV now! CUT TO:
CaptCBoard	Re: SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 4	#4	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 16:13:45) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	INT. THE HOTEL SEYMOUR Glenn and the General exit the elevator and enter the control room. The General grabs a telephone. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Put me through to the Pentagon! Randall and Fulton come over. RANDALL - Glenn-- We're going up to the roof to take a look! GLENN - Have you seen Doris? FULTON - I saw her about twenty minutes ago with my wife... talking with the movers. GLENN - General, I've got to find Doris! GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Go, man, go! But get back down here as soon as you can. Hardisty leaves. The General turns to one of the men on the switchboard. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Get the Atlantic Air Wing on the horn! We need reconnaissance! CUT TO: EXT. FORT HAMILTON - A PHONE BOOTH Captain Abbott is trying to reach his wife on the phone. Military traffic is pouring past. His driver waits in a jeep. ABBOTT - Come on, Jean... Answer! DRIVER - Captain! We have to go! Abbott looks at the phone in dismay. He turns and dashes off, slamming the receiver down at the same time, but does not notice that he missed-- the receiver falls off and dangles at the end of its cord. CUT TO: INT. APARTMENT - CLOSE ON PHONE It rings in the foreground. Mirrored in the glass of a framed photo of Abbott and his wife, we see a door open and someone enter. A hand enters frame and picks up the receiver. We push in on the smiling faces of Hank and Jean Abbott... JEAN'S VOICE - Hello-- Hello? CUT TO: EXT. ROOF OF THE HOTEL - DAY Dr. Hardisty steps out onto the roof and searches among the people up there. He spots Doris, standing with a couple of the other's wives. They are all frightened. GLENN - Doris! She runs to him. DORIS - Oh, Glenn... What does it mean? They embrace. GLENN - I don't know, honey. It could mean a lot of things. None of us know what to think of it. Except... we must think of this as the day man joined the community of the universe... DORIS (through tears, she smiles) - Now there's a load of corn... GLENN - Yeah... But there it is. No more speculation. No more mystery. They are real, and they arrived in a ship big enough to block out the sun over New York City. DORIS - If they are advanced enough to travel from another star, what could they possibly want with us? They certainly can't learn from us. We'd be like infants to them... The General steps out onto the roof, stopping to gaze at the ship floating above them. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - My God... (he spots Glenn and Doris) Hardisty... Hello, Miss Spencer... DORIS - Hello, General... GENERAL HARDGRAVE (gazing at the ship) -Good God, that thing is big... GLENN - Any news? GENERAL HARDGRAVE -The Pentagon has had no contact with any of the ships. GLENN - There's more than one? GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Yes... I don't know how many, but they're hovering over Chicago, Los Angeles (pronounces it 'La sang-less') San Francisco, Tokyo, London... All the major cities of the world! He hears the sound of jets approaching. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - That must be the reconnaissance flight... come on! A GROUP OF JETS A flight of 4 Panthers makes a pass over the ship. IN THE CONTROL ROOM Loudspeakers crackle with static as they listen to the radio traffic from the jets. The General, Glenn and Doris enter. PILOT'S VOICE (on loudspeaker) - Still nothing on radar. The ship is so smooth I could land on it! I don't see any markings or lights or anything. Still nothing on radar. No interference at all. Maybe they don't care if we fly over it. TECHNICIAN - We probably couldn't scratch it, why would they worry... The General shoots him a look, he falls silent. ANOTHER PILOT (on loudspeaker) - Same thing here, sir... The bottom is just like the top. The only thing to report is there is nothing to report, other than the fact its here... ANOTHER TECHNICIAN - Telephone, General. The Pentagon! He grabs the phone. GENERAL HARDGRAVE - Hardgrave... Yes... It was my understanding I had the authority-- Yes... I see... Of course... Thank you. The General hangs up, turns to the radioman. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Tell those men to return to base. He turns to the group. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - May I have everyone's attention, please... He waits a moment for their attention to shift. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - Ladies and Gentlemen, this has become a very... unusual day, to say the least. He knows this next bit is going to be hard... GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - These ships are hovering over all the major cities of the world. This agitates some of them a little. GENERAL HARDGRAVE (CONT'D) - We have not had any contact with them, they have not responded to any of our broadcasts. I've been informed that the official response to their presence-- is to be non-confrontational. SCIENTIST #1 - What are we going to do, scare them with our slide-rules? A nervous laugh goes around the room. Dr. Hardisty sees something on the monitor. GLENN - General! Look! It shows the same shot as before, but now the sky beneath the ship is GLITTERING! Thousands of points of light sparkle and streak downward-- IN THE CITY - DAY Faces look upward, mouths agape, watching the little, flitting points of light. They just streak briefly before going out-- THOUSANDS OF THEM! As we watch, we can see the streaks forming groups in the air. The closer they come to the ground, the more distinct their formations become, until finally we can see what these things are... AN INTERSECTION - DAY Pedestrians and motorists alike, all looking skyward. There is a rectangular grouping of streaks steadily descending. Now we can see-- these are SOLDIERS descending by ROCKET BACKPACKS, into the city below their feet! They head for the center of the intersection-- THE INTERSECTION - ANOTHER ANGLE The soldiers land as a well-practiced group, in precision formation 4 men across, 8 men deep. As soon as they land, the rocket nozzles retract into their backpacks and the group does a RIGHT FACE and marches down the waiting street. As they march we can see they are quite humanoid in appearance, though we can not see their faces, which are hidden by dark visors. Their spacesuits are silver, nearly mirror finish, but fitted out like any other soldier, with a belt and harness, and accessories hanging from them. Slung over their shoulder is a weapon, connected to the backpack by a power cable. ANGLE ON THE CROWD Anxious faces, not knowing what to do or think-- frozen in their tracks. All we can hear is labored breathing and FOOTSTEPS! MARCHING FOOTSTEPS!! Faces turn to watch the soldiers pass. Eyes in panicked concentration, hoping-- praying that the alien soldiers will continue to pass and not kill anyone! Not a soul is moving... ANGLE ON MARCHING FEET The sound of their soles on the pavement comes to us in perfect unison. ANGLE ON MOTORIST A MIDDLE-AGED MAN sits in his car, holding the steering wheel in an unconscious DEATH-GRIP!!. He remains motionless, sweat pouring down his forehead, eyes blinking but looking straight ahead. As they pass, we see shadows fall on the man, hear their footsteps. ANGLE ON HELMETS The group of 32 soldiers passes before us, looking straight ahead, acknowledging no one-- ANGLE ON THE CROWD The soldiers are now receding down the boulevard, marching in rows between the lines of stalled cars. People look to each other, then into the sky at the still-falling sparkles, the breaking-blasts of distant rocket packs... ANGLE ON A MAN Standing at the corner of a building, a man watches as the soldiers march away. From behind him, we hear a whisper-- WIFE - Honey... He turns to his wife, who is behind him. She doesn't look too good... MAN - Come, on... They're gone... Before he can do anything, she passes out. He lowers her to the sidewalk. MAN (CONT'D) (trying to revive her, quietly) - Angie... Angie... He looks up for help. His eyes meet those of another man. But that man's eyes only hold terror! TERRIFIED MAN (stammering) - L-L-L-Look what they've done!! She's dead!!! MAN - No!! She's just fainted! Help me... The Terrified Man looks around, deciding which way to run-- TERRIFIED MAN - SHE'S DEAD!! THEY'VE KILLED HER!! He runs off, screaming, his voice echoing off the buildings. Others turn to see what the commotion is about. The Man looks up to them for help. As he looks from person to person, he sees their attention shift to a common point, behind him. And about now, we can HEAR what they see. He stands-- HIS POV A HUGE CROWD of people in panic is SURGING down the street TOWARD THEM!! THE MAN-- bends to pick up his wife-- MAN - Angie!! Come on!! He struggles to pick up her limp form. The crowd around him vanishes, running off to avoid the coming torrent of humanity!! He looks to the stampede bearing down on him in time to see a woman in the front of the crowd stumble and disappear under the feet of those behind her. Others go down in likewise fashion, but the crowd does not slow-- The man drags his wife around the corner of the building, out of the path of the oncoming hoard-- AND INTO THE PATH OF ANOTHER!! THE MAN AND HIS WIFE DISAPPEAR as ANOTHER MASS surges into the intersection!! EXT. STREET - DAY Chaos on the street. Nancy, Betty and Lori emerge and stand close to the building to keep from being trampled. A young woman deep in the crowd falls out of sight, screaming. The crowd does not stop. BETTY - Jesus Christ! LORI (panicking) - The subway! Come on!! She dashes into the crowd. NANCY - Lori! NO! She and Betty go after her. Its like being carried downstream in a rushing river. They catch up with Lori, the three women clinging to each other and a lamp post, using it like a tree in a flood. Screams reach their ears from below, coming up through the grating in the sidewalk. NANCY (CONT'D) - We can't use the subway! If we go down there, we'll be killed! LORI - What'll we do? We can't stay here! A man in the crowd yells out, seeing the silver soldiers approaching. MAN IN MOB - They're coming! THEY'RE COMING!! The soldiers march, between the rows of stopped cars; people have abandoned their vehicles. The last four of the soldiers in the column stay behind, taking up posts on each corner of the intersection, while the crowd surges to get out of their way. BETTY - What are they doing-- clearing the city? NANCY - Come on! Nancy leads them into an alley, which is relatively clear. They pause to get their breath as the rest of the city rushes past in panic. NANCY (CONT'D) (to Betty) Let's head for your place, its the closest. BETTY - That's twenty-six blocks! LORI - Twenty-six blocks... Betty loses it. She is on the verge of hysterics. BETTY - I've never been so scared in all my life... What are we going to do? NANCY - We're not going to do that! Don't start crying! If we give in to panic, we're done for! LORI - Nancy... NANCY - What! I'm scared, too. You're scared. We may be dead in ten minutes. But we're not, right now, and that is all that matters. People getting trampled to death - That's the danger to us right now. Those guys in the silver suits are scary, but they haven't done anything... BETTY (angry, yelling) - WELL, THEY HAVEN'T COME TO EXCHANGE ART WORK! Nancy takes her friend by the shoulders. Their eyes meet-- NANCY - I know, that's pretty obvious... but we can't let our fear get the better of us. Look... Betty sees the chaos, and senses the difference between that and Nancy's calmness. NANCY (CONT'D) - We have got to rely on each other, to stay safe. Nancy fixes them both with her eyes. NANCY (CONT'D) - We have to be as hard as steel. If someone pushes, push back harder! We're fighting for OUR lives. We may be women, but we have to be as tough and hard as steel! BETTY (unsure still) Steel... (then, it clicks!) With an edge! LORI (with her) Right. NANCY - No more fear, only caution. LORI - No fear... They look at each other, searching out their new grit. NANCY - So-- BETTY - Women of steel... She looks at Lori. LORI - Women of steel. With an edge. NANCY - Women of steel, with an edge. We know no fear, only caution... BETTY - Only caution... I'm okay... NANCY - Alright. (takes a deep breath) Lets go... They disappear into the mob on the street... We pan over to a deserted car. The radio is on and as we push in, we hear-- RADIO -- after the arrival of the ship from another world. We repeat, this is not a communist invasion! Word has just come in, I have just been handed this message, that the Army is now mobilizing and will be in place within hours. DISSOLVE TO: MONTAGE OF THE ARMY Full Fifties mobilization, trucks, jeeps, tanks, everything. The best stock footage money can buy... EXT. VICTORY GAS - DAY Ed and Enid watch as the trucks and equipment roll past on the highway. In the distance, they can see a dark shape motionless in the sky over New York. EXT. STREET - THE WOMEN They pause to get their breath, pressing into the recess of a store doorway. LORI (tugging at her shoes) - These pumps!! I can't go another step... NANCY - We've got to keep going! LORI - I don't care if they kill me and fry me up for dinner. My feet are bloody stumps! BETTY (looking in store window) - Maybe we can find you some better shoes... NANCY - This is no time to go shopping. Come on! They take off, Lori in the middle, hopping along with their stride. A rumbling sound comes from around the next corner, gets louder fast. Suddenly, a column of vehicles roars into sight from the right. The lead vehicle has a plow on the front, pushing cars out of the way. The girls have to stop while they pass. The vehicles have front wheels that steer, but the rest of the vehicle rolls on treads, like a tank. A cross between a catering truck and a cement mixer, each having two tapered barrels spinning slowly on the back. The noise is deafening. BETTY - Let's keep moving. (she points to the right) We need to go that way a few blocks anyway... They move off in the new direction. They come to an alley and are stopped by an ugly sight. A woman, about their own age, and her small child lay on the pavement, crushed against the wall. It is obvious many people were pressing against them by the way they are just pressed into the meeting of the wall and the pavement, like sandbags. BETTY (CONT'D) - Oh, no... Down the alley, two men lay in separate places, flattened to an eerie thinness that one never imagines a body can attain. Two blocks down the street, one of the trucks is putting out a car fire. The last one in the group moving past the girls has stopped in the intersection ahead of them. Two aliens get out and drag a body over to the back of the truck. We can't see what happens, but the aliens return to the front and walk ahead of the truck, looking for more bodies. LORI - I don't believe this... Nancy notices there is no crowd here! NANCY - We gotta get out of here... They cross the street, into the alley, to avoid the truck. Lori loses a pump, collapses between them. LORI - Damn! My shoe! Betty sees how bad Lori's feet are. BETTY - Oh! Lori! Nancy-- Nancy thinks for a second, then-- NANCY - Stay here... She dashes back to the body of the woman. On her feet are Penny Loafers. Nancy grabs them, nearly leaves, but then takes the socks, too. LORI - Nancy! What are you doing!! NO!! They hear the truck coming. BETTY - Nancy! Come on... The truck! Nancy finishes and runs back. There are tears in her eyes. NANCY - Come on... Hurry! The truck is getting closer... LORI - No! I can't!! NANCY (yelling through tears) - YES YOU CAN!! YOU HAVE TO PUT THEM ON, OR I'M LEAVING YOU-- TO THEM!! Lori grabs them, angry and scared at the same time. She struggles through the socks and finally gets the first shoe on, screaming through the pain. The truck stops outside their alley! She gets the other one on and jumps up. She runs off, Betty and Nancy following. DISSOLVE TO:
CaptCBoard	Re: SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 5	#5	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 16:15:27) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	MONTAGE: THE ARMY MOVES INTO THE CITY The Army takes up positions in playgrounds, parks and schools. A convoy roars down 42nd Street. AT A SCHOOLYARD Two trucks are unloading, but everyone keeps sneaking looks upward. The sun is now setting, peeking between the alien craft and the horizon. Among the GIs unloading the trucks are BILL OAKLEY, who is a small-town kind of guy, and JOE DIMARCO, a native of Brooklyn. BILL Man, oh, man... We never had anything like this back home. JOE Huh. No one's ever had anything like this, anywhere. The Lieutenant spots him. LIEUT. Lets keep those eyes on the job! BILL AND JOE Yes, Sir! The Lieutenant moves on. BILL He acts like this is normal-- all these things whizzing over our heads. Do you suppose we'll ever know where they come from? JOE Are you kidding? I'll bet their Generals are meeting with our Generals right now, talking things over. This is just a show. No one sends troops to do battle wearing anything that shiny... EXT. BETTY'S STREET - DUSK The three women have just reached Betty's building, a brownstone. There are few people in sight. BETTY At last... Home, sweet home... NANCY (looking up) Only three stories to go... Lori- Lori is staring at the alien on the nearest corner. LORI They aren't doing anything... She starts slowly up the steps, in shock. LORI (CONT'D) ... all those poor people... BETTY (unlocking door) Come on... INT. BETTY'S APARTMENT - LATER Nancy is drying her hair with a towel. Lori is in a robe, talking on the phone. Betty is running bath water. LORI (on phone) Okay. That might be a good idea. I'll try to get home before you leave. (Pause) Bye Aunt Velma. I love you, too. She hangs up. Nancy looks at her inquiringly. LORI (CONT'D) I don't think she wants to let on how scared she is... I wish I could be with her. She peers out the window, to the alien on the corner. BETTY (to Nancy) Did you have any luck? NANCY No. Long distance is impossible... BETTY (closing bathroom door) Why don't you all turn in, I won't be long... NANCY That sounds good to me... Nancy turns out the light and lays down on the couch. There is a cot nearby for Lori, but she remains at the window. As she watches, one of the soldiers detaches the rocket pods from his backpack and lays them on the curb. He rotates his shoulders, like its good to be rid of the weight... LORI I couldn't have done it... The other aliens do the same thing... NANCY Don't think about it... Get some sleep. Lori takes her eyes off the alien, sits on the cot. LORI I didn't know you were that cold... NANCY When I was an Army nurse in Korea, I saw all kinds of hell. Doing what has to be done is second nature to me. If that makes me cold, then I'm sorry. All I know is, you weren't going to make it... Lori lays down, realizing she was wrong. LORI I'm sorry... I didn't mean that. Of course you're not cold. I'm just... I mean-- That could have been me there. Laying there, dead. It could have been me! And she had a little girl... Lori is crying again, feeling the guilt of survival, after seeing the death of so many... Nancy tries to comfort her. The foe may be otherworldly this time, but she knows the horror all too well. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BETTY'S APARTMENT - THE NEXT DAY CLOSE on the RADIO, as the girls are having breakfast. Nancy is waiting on the phone. RADIO This is the start of another day. But not just another day, no, today is the first to begin with the knowledge that we are not alone in this universe. NANCY (someone answers) Mom? Its Nancy! RACK FOCUS to Nancy. NANCY (CONT'D) I'm fine! Really! (pause) ANGLE ON LORI Lori's attention is turned to a scene outside. An alien 'Jeep' is picking up the spent rocket pods! NANCY I know! The phones have been jammed! (pause) LORI (to Betty) Look at that... Returnables... Betty looks to see. BETTY Must be some deposit... ANGLE ON NANCY NANCY I'm having breakfast at my friend Betty's apartment. In the background, Betty makes a waving motion. NANCY (CONT'D) She says 'Hi'... Lori waves, too. NANCY (CONT'D) And Lori, too. Her eyes are wet and she wipes a tear away. NANCY (CONT'D) Yeah! (laughs, then to Betty and Lori) She says we're like the Three Musketeers! (to mom) What? Why should I care how much it costs! Betty shoots her a look. NANCY (CONT'D) It's Betty's phone! We look past Nancy as she continues talking, go past the radio, to the window-- as the soldiers finish loading the spent rocket pods and take their corners again. RADIO ...if they weren't standing on every corner in plain sight, we wouldn't know they were here! So what are we to expect from these beings from another world? No one knows... CUT TO: THE REPORTER He is walking down the street with his remote unit, talking into a hand-held microphone. REPORTER As I walk down this familiar street, there is definitely an odd feeling. There is no traffic where normally cars would be bumper to bumper. No honking. No yelling. Underfoot, there is no subway traffic. The city waits. The world waits for some word of just what is going on... Music fades up-- DISSOLVE TO: MONTAGE: A WEEK PASSES Music fades in and out as we hear and see pieces of the reporter's stories during the week. REPORTER (fading in) ...just as peaceful. Day three finds the world still waiting, but people are starting to venture out, looking for food mostly. One man I spoke with said he hadn't eaten since the morning before the aliens came. He was sitting down to a late lunch when the ship arrived. He forgot all about his sandwich. No doubt the same thing happened to a lot of you. (fades out) The scene changes to Wall Street, where we see men in business suits walking nervously to work. REPORTER (CONT'D) (fading in) ... Bell Telephone says they should be fully staffed tomorrow. Making phone calls will be easier. And, right now, I am looking at the first taxi-cab I've seen in days, and... yes! He has a fare! Some things are returning to normal... (fades out) The scene changes to one showing a fair number of people on the street. And the ever-present aliens... REPORTER (CONT'D) (fading in) ...Its amazing how something so fantastic can be accepted as routine after only six days. Excuse me-- Can I ask you a few questions? He stops two women on the street. One of them is Betty! REPORTER (CONT'D) I just want to ask, what's on your minds as you walk around New York today... may I have your name? He tips the mic toward the first woman. AGGIE Agnes Darling... REPORTER Well, Miss Darling, what are you thinking as you walk down the sidewalk on the sixth day? AGGIE Gee, six days? Oh, my, it seems like a month... Gee, I don't know. I mean, they just stand there, don't they. They were frightening when they arrived, but now... I don't know what to think. I just think about work, I guess... He turns to Betty. REPORTER And what about you, Miss... BETTY Cooper. Betty Cooper... I'm still scared of them. You can't see their faces, so you can't tell what they're thinking... I don't know. REPORTER Do you have a job that has been interrupted? BETTY Yes. I just came from the office where I work, for a CPA... There was a note saying they would call to tell us when to come in... I hope its soon. REPORTER If for no other reason than to get things back to normal? BETTY Oh, Yes! Please! We're on pins and needles! REPORTER Yes, everyone is... Thank you. He turns away from them and continues talking. REPORTER (CONT'D) Tomorrow marks the end of the most remarkable week in the history of mankind. Hopefully we will know something soon. This is Dan Rather reporting from the streets of New York. WITH BETTY She smiles to herself over how happy everyone is to see a bus drive by. A subway train rumbles below her feet. She has to hold her skirt down as it passes under her, ala Marilyn Monroe. She walks to the next corner, where the alien sentry stands amidst the regular people. An old man is behind him. OLD MAN Say, bub. If you're just going to stand there, stand where you're not in the way... The sentry steps aside so the man can pass. A little girl looks up at the sentry and shyly waves. The sentry makes just the tiniest wave back. Her mother jerks her around. MOTHER Don't do that! He's a stranger! LITTLE GIRL I'm sorry... The light changes, every one enters the cross-walk. Betty smiles... DISSOLVE TO: INT. NANCY'S APARTMENT - DAY The telephone rings. Nancy's hand enters and picks up the receiver. Lori sits up, looking at Nancy from over the back of the couch. NANCY Hello? INT. BETTY'S APARTMENT BETTY Hi. Its Betty. The office just called... NANCY NANCY Yeah... Great! (to Lori) We can go to work on Monday... (to Betty) What? BETTY BETTY Lori still there? NANCY (voice on phone) Oh, yeah... BETTY Well, maybe getting back to work will help. NANCY NANCY I sure hope so... A scratchy, electronic sound is heard. NANCY (CONT'D) What is that? BETTY (voice on phone) I don't know... Its on my radio, too! NANCY (to Lori) Turn on the radio... Lori turns it on and the same scratchy sound can be heard. NANCY (CONT'D) Its on mine, too. Betty? Hello? Betty can you hear me? BETTY BETTY Not very clearly... She reaches to turn off the radio. As she does, the sound changes in pitch, like some one trying to tune in a distant station. It begins to get clearer, and a single note separates from the background noise, and then another. She looks out the window to see what the aliens are doing. They are doing nothing. BACK AT NANCY'S Lori goes to the window and looks skyward. NANCY Betty? EXT. POV OF THE ALIEN SHIP. We tilt down from the ship, to Times Square. The sound is emanating from all speaker sources: parked cars, appliance stores, record shops. A third and fourth note join the first two and are sustained while the source is further refined. The chord they form is quite dissonant. INT. CONTROL ROOM The General, Hardisty and staff listen, waiting. The chord ends with a high-pitched ZZZIPPP! Dead air for a brief moment, and then-- a voice! (Unlike any ever heard before...) THE VOICE "Lovely people on here of our landed. It is important to reappear the powerful one! NANCY She and Lori listen. THE VOICE Such beautiful mixes touch appropriate shortnesses. Record yet from inside distribution and fill the romantic tributing commands. BETTY As she listens, still holding the phone. THE VOICE Daily or nightly, our multitudes are to be quilted, only in sadnesses or sleeplessness. BILL AND JOE Soldiers are gathered around a radio. THE VOICE Loading, stammer, sew the wording. Flattest of flowers with pages. We have awareness that Locomotion of summits is not simpling. EXT. TIMES SQUARE The message is on the electric sign on the Times building! THE VOICE Therefore, form quickly to discover reappearance. Question back before one day missing the answer. Not more times. Only subsequent dancing and how to go cleanly the plate with rummaging. Us wait in the time we talk with hearing you speak for them. It is with danger and utmost how. BETTY Continues to listen. THE VOICE Remember. It is important to reappear the powerful one!" Then the four note chord for five seconds, after which, silence. She can hear the connection to Nancy is still good. BETTY Nancy? NANCY She jumps as Betty speaks. NANCY Yeah... yeah... BETTY (voice on phone) Was that them? That was them, right? NANCY I'd say so... BETTY She is between excitement and fright. BETTY What do we do? What did it mean? NANCY (voice on phone) How should I know? I have no idea what that said. NANCY She looks at Lori, who is rocking back and forth on the couch, hugging herself. NANCY Just keep your radio on. I have to go... BETTY (voice on phone) Nancy!! NANCY I'll call you back in an hour... She hangs up. She goes to Lori and sits with her. Lori just looks toward the window. DISSOLVE TO:
CaptCBoard	Re: SCIENCE FICTION - SECTION 6	#6	[-]
Posts: 1250 (08/30/03 16:17:17) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	TV BROADCAST TV REPORTER Washington has been inundated with telephone calls and telegrams from people saying they know the meaning of the message. There is still no official word on its interpretation, but most agree there is a time limit mentioned. But no one can say with certainty what the limit is for. INT. HOTEL - NIGHT Doris is watching the television in her apartment in the hotel. There is a knock at the door, she answers it. Its Glenn. DORIS Its about time... GLENN It was a long meeting. They embrace. DORIS Have the linguists in Washington made any more progress? GLENN Yes, and no. DORIS 'Yes' what and 'no' what? GLENN Yes, they have come to a significant conclusion-- Their native language is idiom-based. He can see she has no idea what that is. GLENN (CONT'D) In English, we have expressions that if translated word for word, mean nothing in other languages. "Kick the bucket" for example. We use it to refer to someone dying. We identify that expression with<