13. MONTAGE SCENE.
An ALARM sounds. Shots of CORRIDORS on the MCC switching to the
CLAUSTROPHOBIC RED LIGHT of A COLD WAR SUBMARINE at ALERT; SOLDIERS, SCIENTISTS
and CIVILIAN PERSONNEL run through the CORRIDORS.
The ARMOURY is SEEN, with SOLDIERS RECEIVING WEAPONS.
The FLIGHT DECK is SEEN with FIGHTER PILOTS SCRAMBLING to
FIGHTERS.
The INFIRMARY can BE SEEN not in RED LIGHT but MUTED SINGLE
LIGHTS here and there.
NIGHTINGALE is LAYING OUT MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS READY for EASY
ACCESS.
A VOICE COMES OVER the INTERCOM. The MONTAGE CARRIES on as the
VOICE of TINKERBELL speaks.
TINKERBELL
General
Quarters, General Quarters. This is not a drill, repeat, not a drill.
All
military personnel report to muster points. Prepare to repel boarders.
All
civilian and scientific personnel report to designated shelters and life rafts.
JENSEN
This is
Colonel Jensen speaking.
A little
less than three minutes ago, one of our shuttles returning from an earth-side
rendezvous was hit by an energy beam fired from some distance within the
Arcadian continent. The beam may even
have originated from the Capitol itself.
We believe
that the intention of the energy beam was hostile and we are preparing to
attempt a rescue of the shuttle which is now trapped within the incursion rift.
It is
reasonable to assume however that this was only a prelude to a further
offensive on this site and this mobile command centre.
There is a
clear and present danger and therefore we must be prepared for any eventuality.
Unfortunately
as we are only authorised to defend ourselves when fired upon all we can do is
sit and wait for them to attack. So stay sharp, all our lives could depend on
it.
14. INT. MOBILE CONTROL CENTRE CONTROL ROOM. DAY.
JENSEN REPLACES an INTERCOM HANDSET in its CRADLE. He WALKS to A
FLAT TABLE at THE BACK of the ROOM about the SHAPE and SIZE of a DINING ROOM
TABLE. MURRAY, DAVE and JACKSON CLUSTERED around it.
JENSEN
Well…?
MURRAY
Well what?
HE MANHANDLES JENSEN OUT of HIS WAY as he MOVES to the OTHER
SIDE of THE CONSOLE.
JENSEN
Oooh, I’m
not sure, Lieutenant Colonel, is there any way to get our people out of the
incursion rift before the entire armed forces of the Arcadian military descend
on us.
MURRAY
Well, not
to be rude, sir but at the present moment, the main priority is making contact
with our shuttle… Caspar, try channel 55, before we can start thinking about
what to do… okay channel 55 didn’t work let’s try 56, where was I, ah, yes!
Before we can start thinking about thinking about what to do to get them back.
JENSEN
But didn’t
you hear what I just said?
MURRAY
What about
the Arcadian hordes about to fall on us like Attila the Hun and his bezzie
mates attacking a peasant village after a couple of beers and a kebab?
JENSEN
Can’t you
be serious?
MURRAY
I’m often
serious. Have frequently been told that I have real inabilities in the whole
“laughing at yourself” department, I take things TOO seriously, apparently. So
I was being perfectly serious, only flippant at the same time.
JENSEN
Cal!
MURRAY
Yes, Phil!
I am aware that all of the not inconsiderable military might of the Arcadian
nation is heading here at the fastest possible speed; I am however, fully aware
that our only hope of escape if an assault went badly for us is through the
incursion rift. As a result of this I am going to concentrate on making contact
with the craft that we already have in said rift.
JENSEN
Do you know
where to start?
MURRAY
I don’t
know. Do I?
MURRAY ASKS this looking at DAVE
DAVE
I don’t
know, do I? I happen to know the beam exists, not how to use it.
It fires
into the rift and disrupts it, that’s all I know.
JACKSON
Hey I just
work here!
MURRAY
We do have
some limited experience in transmitting a communications signal through these
kinds of conditions, but that experience is over ten years old.
Over ten
years old….
JENSEN
What?
MURRAY
What do you
mean, what?
JENSEN
You just
had a thought.
MURRAY
I’m a
scientist, I have lots of them.
JENSEN
But this
one’s a specific thought. What is it?
MURRAY
Oh,
potentially nothing, potentially something.
I’ll need
the conference room at my disposal.
Give me an
hour.
JENSEN
You’ve got
it! Is it going to help at all?
MURRAY
Ask me in
one hour and five minutes.
MURRAY walks OUT of THE COMMAND CENTRE.
JENSEN
Wait, where
are you going?
MURRAY
(Out Of
Shot)
To find an
old warrior, a secret weapon, and just maybe, absolution.
Just keep
those Arcadian ships at bay!
JENSEN
Just that
then!
Why don’t I
turn back the tide of the sea, read War and Peace or resurrect Steve
Guttenberg’s career! Those things are at least accomplishable in an hour.
Although
I’m not sure about the Guttenberg thing, where did it go so wrong Steve? Was it
being acted of the screen by Tom Selleck’s moustache and Ted Danson’s bouffant
hair do in Three Men and a Baby? Or was it considering even being in a non Star
Trek film directed by Leonard Nimoy?
Where was
I?
Ah, yes,
launch fighters.
CASPAR and TINKERBELL are LOOKING at him.
JENSEN
Scientists
frustrate me. Murray frustrates me. I’ve got to put the frustration somewhere.
CASPAR
Steve
Guttenberg?
JENSEN
I always
liked Police Academy.
CASPAR
What about
Cocoon?
JENSEN
Now there’s
nothing wrong with Cocoon, it’s a perfectly good film unfairly… what am I
saying?
Launch
fighters.
TINKERBELL
Launching
Fighters, aye sir.
15. INT. PROJECT BIFROST SHUTTLE. DAY.
The PROJECT BIFROST SHUTTLE is PRIMARY LOGISTIC CRAFT of the
UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL OPERATION DIVISION. Its PASSENGER and CREW COMPARTMENTS
are BROKEN DOWN into TWO MAIN COMPARTMENTS. A COCKPIT up A LADDER like FIGHT of
STAIRS and A LARGE REAR COMPARTMENT with ROWS OF SEATS which CAN be TAKEN DOWN
and PACKED into the FLOOR if REQUIRED.
The CAMERA PANS through the SHUTTLE which is EERILY LIT by the
COMBINATION of EMERGENCY LIGHTING and the STRANGELY COLOURED LIGHT of the
INCURSION RIFT.
THE CAMERA moves FROM THE FRONT, PAST the CO-PILOT, his face
FROZEN in an EXPRESSION of SURPRISE, the TACTICAL TEAM in the REAR COMPARTMENT
appear to have BEEN THROWN through MID-AIR, THEIR BODIES also FROZEN. CHAIRS
are FROZEN in the AIR around them.
At THE BACK WALL of the REAR COMPARTMENT, RANALLO lies CRUMPLED
in A HEAP.
PLAYBOY, SEEMS CAUGHT in the ACT of RUNNING, HIS FRONT LEG and
ARM FROZEN, the REST of HIS BODY LOOKS UNCONSCIOUS.
A VOICE can BE HEARD over A RADIO. It is CASPAR.
CASPAR
(DISTORTED)
Shuttle
Nine Niner, this is MCC Control. Come back, over.
Shuttle
Nine Niner report your position.
RANALLO GROANS and MOVES SLIGHTLY. She ROLLS and PUSHES HERSELF
UP.
She STAGGERS ALONG the WALL of the SHUTTLE to a RADIO HANDSET.
RANALLO
MCC
CONTROL, this is Lieutenant Commander Rose Ranallo. What the hell just
happened?
CASPAR
(DISTORTED)
You were hit
by some kind of high energy beam. It’s some sort of disruption device. The rift
has gone crazy.
Is everyone
okay in there.
RANALLO
Not sure,
Control. Apart from me, everyone one else seems… frozen, for want of a better
word.
CASPAR
(DISTORTED)
Frozen?
RANALLO
That’s
correct, Control. There’s no ice, it’s not cold but they look like they’re
frozen, trapped in a moment.
PLAYBOY starts to GROAN.
RANALLO
Hang on,
Control.
RANALLO walks towards PLAYBOY. PLAYBOY is TRYING to MOVE. The
FRONT of his BODY REMAINS frozen in PLACE, the rest of it STRUGGLES trying to
FREE HIMSELF.
RANALLO
You want to
stop wriggling about there, Lieutenant.
PLAYBOY tries to TURN to LOOK AT HER. He is UNSUCCESSFUL.
PLAYBOY
Just trying
to get the muscles going.
He STRAINS, again ONE SIDE of his BODY moves THE OTHER REMAINS
FROZEN.
RANALLO
You want
some help there?
PLAYBOY
No, just
need to try harder.
RANALLO
Oh!! This
is embarrassing. Look, part of your body is not moving because it’s caught in
some sort of distortion. You’re not going to get out by flexing really hard.
Look, I’ll help.
She GRABS HOLD of HIM and STARTS to PULL. In A FEW SECONDS, she
PROCEEDS to PULL HIM BACK and they BOTH STAGGER BACK into the WALL.
CASPAR
(DISTORTED)
Shuttle
Nine Niner, report, is everything okay over there?
RANALLO gets UP LAUGHING DESPITE THE SITUATION.
RANALLO
Well,
things could be a lot better, Control. The crew are still frozen but Playboy is
his usual amusing self.
PLAYBOY GROANS in PAIN.
RANALLO
Suck it up!
PLAYBOY
Ahhhh, this
is serious. The parts of my body I couldn’t move before, it feels like they’re
on fire!
RANALLO
For the
last time I’m not sleeping with you!
PLAYBOY tries to LAUGH, but the LAUGH TURNS into A GRIMACE.
PLAYBOY
Ha,ha,
you’ll fall for my charms one day! Although whether I’ll make it that far I
have no idea.
PLAYBOY PASSES OUT.
RANALLO
Playboy,
Playboy, damn it lieutenant! Wake up.
RANALLO checks HIS PULSE.
RANALLO
Control, I
think we may have a serious medical issue on our hands here. Is there any chance
of rescue? I don’t think Playboy was moaning for affect. For a change.
CASPAR
(DISTORTED)
Hold tight,
Shuttle Nine Niner, we doing our best to come up with something as we speak.
CUT TO.
16. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE CONTROL ROOM. DAY.
The CONTROL ROOM is STILL LIT by the same EERIE RED LIGHT as
BEFORE. JENSEN is SAT ON HIS COMMAND CHAIR, BROODING. In the BACKGROUND JACKSON
is STILL WORKING on VARIOUS CONTROL PANELS.
CASPAR
Jensen,
I’ve got the shuttle on channel 3.
JENSEN
We have a
chain of command in this unit, Caspar. I’m a colonel, please address me as
such.
CASPAR
Yeah,
whatevs, Shuttles on channel 3. That US Navy lawyer girl reported in. Sounds
like everyone’s frozen.
JENSEN
Frozen?
CASPAR
That’s what
she said.
Frozen in
mid-air.
Apart from
her and Playboy who is either being a drama queen or dying.
JENSEN
Knowing him
probably both! The guy can’t even die without trying to attention seek.
CASPAR
What should
I tell them now that we’ve made contact?
JENSEN
Patch them
through to Murray, wherever he is. And in case Playboy is in a bad way and not
milking his injuries for all they’re worth let’s get Dr Kelley in on the call
too.
CUT TO.
17. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE CORRIDOR. DAY.
MURRAY is WALKING down A CORRIDOR PAST a MILITARY STYLE
STENCILED DESIGN which SAYS “ARMOURY” He is USING his HANDHELD COMPUTER DEVICE.
A SQUAD of SOLDIERS come JOGGING PAST.
MURRAY’S COMMUNICATION DEVICE CHIMES into LIFE.
JENSEN
(Over
Communications device.)
Cal, Caspar
has made contact with the shuttle.
MURRAY
Exemplary,
tell him he can have a gold star!
Did he
manage to get an accurate report of their situation?
JENSEN
He did the
best he could. Although I thought it better if you talk to the shuttle, we’ve
got you patched into their signal. It sounds pretty strange out there.
MURRAY
We live in
a giant mobile military command centre in another dimension facing off against
sociopathic members of our own military and deeply disturbed extra dimensional
humans with weapons beyond our understanding. Strange is par for the course
right now, wouldn’t you say?
Patch me
through.
A CRACKLING of STATIC can BE HEARD.
RANALLO
(DISTORTED)
Cal?
MURRAY
Lieutenant
Commander Ranallo.
I hate to
dispense with pleasantries but I need the quickest and most concise report that
you can give.
RANALLO
Not a
problem.
Although
I’m not sure what good it will do you.
MURRAY
Any
information’s better than no information.
RANALLO
Okay, we’re
on emergency lighting, we seem to only be at half power, life support is
working, well, we’re breathing at least.
About two
metres in front of me there appears to be some kind of barrier everything on
the other side is frozen for want of a better word.
All
personnel in that area are not moving, they’re trapped; I don’t know whether
they’re dead or alive.
MURRAY
They’re
alive, trust me.
JENSEN
How can you
be sure?
MURRAY
I’ve seen
it before.
JENSEN
What?
MURRAY
23rd
of November 2003.
JENSEN
You think
this is the same situation as that?
MURRAY
Ranallo’s
report sounds similar to what we found that day.
JENSEN
But that
was so much smaller than this.
MURRAY
Doesn’t
mean that it’s not the same phenomenon at work.
JENSEN
But you
said that that was most likely a naturally occurring anomaly within the
incursion rifts.
MURRAY
It was. But
just because something is naturally occurring it doesn’t mean it can’t be
triggered by artificial intervention.
JENSEN
So what are
we going to do?
MURRAY
I have some
ideas.
JENSEN
Care to
share them?
MURRAY
Not right
now.
JENSEN
Well I hate
to remind you we don’t exactly have limitless time on offer here.
MURRAY
Time is an
illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
JENSEN
What?
MURRAY
Douglas
Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
JENSEN
Cal!
MURRAY
I have some
ideas, I’m not sure they’ll work and I haven’t got time to explain them to you
right now.
Ranallo?
You still there?
RANALLO
Yeah, Cal,
We’re here.
MURRAY
We’re
working as quickly as we can to get you out of there.
RANALLO
You’d
better hurry. Playboy’s in pretty bad shape.
MURRAY
I thought
you said all other personnel were frozen.
RANALLO
Well they
are. And he was, at least partially. I helped pull him out of the barrier. Then
he collapsed.
MURRAY SPEEDS UP his WALKING.
MURRAY
Okay, you’re
going to need to talk to Nightingale, right now!
JENSEN
Cal, what’s
wrong?
MURRAY
Time inside
the barrier on the shuttle is frozen. That’s why no one’s moving. The problem
is that means when Playboy was in the barrier partially his body essentially
had two different competing temporal existences. When Ranallo pulled him out,
he became unfrozen instantly and the frozen parts of his body tried to catch up
with the unfrozen parts, this caused a form of temporal shock. It could kill
him.
JENSEN
Temporal
shock?
MURRAY
It’s like
his body has a severe case of jet-lag but at a cellular level. One half of his
body never froze, never slowed down. The other did. That half is desperately
trying to catch up, as it were with the unfrozen parts. It’s a form of shock.
If we can’t stabilise him soon, he’ll die from it.
JENSEN
Okay, well
I hope your plans turn into something.
Otherwise,
I don’t need to remind you of the name of the creek we’re up or the boating
implement we’re up.
MURRAY
I’m aware
of this, Colonel.
Murray,
out.
MURRAY switches HIS COMMUNICATION DEVICE off. He REACHES a LARGE
DOORWAY, BIG enough for VEHICLES to DRIVE through.
HE WALKS into.
18. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE ARMOURY. DAY.
MURRAY walks into the LARGE ARMOURY of the MCC. A LARGE INDUSTRIAL
LOOKING SPACE, LIT by BRIGHT, FLORESCENT LIGHT, despite the ALERT STATUS of the
MCC.
It is filled with WORKBENCHES with WEAPONS in VARIOUS STAGES of
being REPAIRED or CLEANED. At the BACK of the ROOM, A COUPLE of HUMMER like
JEEPS are PARKED.
The ARMOURY is FULL of PERSONNEL, both MILITARY and CIVILIAN.
MURRAY STANDS for A COUPLE of MINUTES as if LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY.
He FINALLY SEES the MAN he’s LOOKING for. SERGEANT MAJOR O’LEARY.
O’ LEARY is an IRISH SOLDIER in his LATE TWENTIES with DARK HAIR. He is HOLDING
A CLIPBOARD and DIRECTING MOVEMENT of VARIOUS WEAPONRY and EQUIPMENT.
O’LEARY
No, not
there, over there.
He LOOKS in a CASE of GUNS.
O’LEARY
Okay, these
go to Red Team, Level 14.
HE STARTS TALKING to MURRAY although he DOESN’T LOOK at him to
START WITH.
O’LEARY
Something I
can help you with Lieutenant Colonel?
MURRAY
Hello, O’Leary.
It’s good to see you too.
O’LEARY
I’m very
busy, Murray. So what do you want?
MURRAY
Have you done
the duty roster for today?
O’LEARY STILL DOESN’T TURN to MURRAY as he RESPONDS.
O’LEARY
Of course I
have.
MURRAY
Can I see
it?
O’LEARY
Maybe, what’s
in it for me?
MURRAY
A date with
Caspar! I promise he won’t try to cop a feel on the first date.
O’LEARY LAUGHS.
O’LEARY
With a
proposition like that on offer how can I refuse.
MURRAY
I know. I
drive a hard bargain.
O’LEARY LAUGHS and LOOKS DOWN at his CLIPBOARD. HE FLIPS A
COUPLE OF PAGES.
O’LEARY
Are you
looking for anything in particular?
He PASSES the CLIPBOARD to MURRAY.
MURRAY
Just wanted
to check on the deployments of a couple of officers we made need to move some
around to get us out of this mess.
So I’m just
checking for…
Wait a
second, I can’t find Chernenko.
O’LEARY
What do you
mean you can’t find him? He’s on the roster.
MURRAY
Where?
O’LEARY takes the CLIPBOARD BACK.
O’LEARY
Yeah, he’s
not signed off for today.
MURRAY
What?
O’LEARY
He’s not
been medically cleared for duty.
MURRAY
Well I need
him transferred to the fighter bay.
O’LEARY
Not
happening, mate.
MURRAY
Excuse me?
It’s not exactly like you haven’t been known to allow the occasional man back
on duty a week or so early.
O’LEARY
Yes and I
got caught after the last guy gave everyone glandular fever, I nearly got
busted back down to private.
No, I’m
sorry Colonel but I’m not letting any man onto active duty unless they are
signed off.
MURRAY
Have you
noticed the situation we’re in, we’re on high alert and there’s every chance
that the Obsidian guard will be coming over the horizon in squadron after
squadron of those flying machines of theirs and you’re concerned that you could
potentially find yourself in a procedural mess.
O’LEARY
Look, if it’s
as bad out there as you seem to think it is then I’m sure he’ll get his fair
share of action. But I’m telling you it’ll come only if the walls of the MCC
get breached.
MURRAY
Who declared
him unfit?
O’LEARY
See for
yourself, it was your beloved.
MURRAY
Dr. Kelley
is not my beloved.
O’LEARY
Oh, that’s
right, I forgot.
MURRAY
You do
realise I can bust you down to private right?
O’LEARY
Only with
the agreement of a disciplinary board.
MURRAY
Okay, I’m
going to get her to sign Chernenko off for duty and then I want you to transfer
him to the fighter bay.
MURRAY STARTS to WALK out of the ARMOURY.
O’LEARY
Say it with
flowers, Murray
MURRAY
As the
American’s say, screw you, O’Leary.
O’LEARY LAUGHS and TURNS BACK to the ARMOURY.
O’LEARY
Okay,
people let’s keep it moving.
CUT TO.
19. INT. OBSIDIAN GUARD HEADQUARTERS. DAY.
DE MORTE WALKS into the DARKENED ROOM. LADY ERIS is SPOTLIT. DE
MORTE KNEELS in ANOTHER SPOTLIT AREA.
DE MORTE
Lady Eris,
it is done.
ERIS
The veil is
disrupted?
DE MORTE
Completely,
my lady, they are powerless to prevent our attack.
ERIS
Powerless?
I find that an unlikely scenario.
Bloodhelm
and his irritating friend Caleb Murray are nothing if not resourceful.
On numerous
occasions you yourself have lost the chance to deal with them both finally
through your endless under estimation of their abilities.
DE MORTE
My lady,
they were merely fortunate to get away.
ERIS
Stop
whining like an old woman De Morte.
ERIS WALKS towards him slowly.
DE MORTE RISES QUICKLY and RUSHES TOWARDS HER. As he REACHES
HER, ERIS QUICKLY SIDESTEPS out of the way. DE MORTE falls onto the FLOOR. ERIS
CROUCHES BESIDE HIM.
ERIS
Do you
think you can harm one of the twice born? The children of the chambers?
DE MORTE
I am no
weak minded fool, Eris.
ERIS
It bothers
you doesn’t it? That I was once a weak willed slip of a girl raised on sunshine
and rainbows and now I command you. A veteran of so many campaigns, that the
chambers gave me a birth right while you were kept away.
You are an
animal, De Morte, a pet kept for my amusement and because you have your uses. Do
not forget your place, ever!
I fight
because it now sings in my very being. The rebirth of my very soul in the
chamber, you fight because you are a lowborn gutter scum who never knew any
different.
You are a
bully and as a bully you can never see the possibility of your own defeat.
Which means I have to.
Now the
veil is disrupted and they have their backs to the wall. But a dog is often at
his most dangerous when he is cornered. Do not underestimate them De Morte.
Launch our
troops and prepare my shuttle and get out of my sight.
DE MORTE STAGGERS to his FEET and RUNS OUT.
ERIS SMILES.
CUT TO.
20. EXT. ARCADIAN CAPITOL. DAY. EFFECTS SHOT.
OBSIDIAN GUARD CRAFT FLY out from A LARGE BUILDING in the CENTRE
of the CAPITOL.
ERIS’ SHUTTLE LIFTS OFF from A LAUNCHPAD on TOP of the BUILDING.
CUT TO.
21. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE CONTROL ROOM. DAY.
The ALERT LIGHTS are STILL ON ALTHOUGH ACTIVITY in THE ROOM has
DULLED TO A GENTLE MURMUR of NOISE.
JENSEN
Okay, get
Valkyrie to rotate pilots and carry on running patrols.
TINKERBELL
Should we
step down the alert status. After that initial beam, nothing’s happened, maybe
it was just a warning shot.
JENSEN
Do you
really think that’s possible, Major?
TINKERBELL
No sir,
just trying to have one of those glass half full kind of mentalities.
JENSEN
We’re the military,
Tink. The glass only ever has anything in it when the job’s finished and the
mission’s over.
TINKERBELL
I thought
you said the mission was never truly over.
JENSEN
And you
wonder why I drink so little.
TINKERBELL
In Russia,
a true man always drinks.
JENSEN
In Russia,
true men end up looking like Boris Yeltsin by their fiftieth birthday.
TINKERBELL
This is
true. It’s why I always date foreign men.
CASPAR JUMPS up from HIS SEAT. He HOLDS his RADIO HEADSET. He
TAPS his COMPUTER.
JENSEN
What’s
wrong Caspar?
CASPAR
Well, it
looks like Tinkerbell’s instincts are wrong, except about the dating of foreign
men, I’m available by the way.
JENSEN
Caspar!
CASPAR
Automated
Listening Drones, set up by yours truly.
TINKERBELL
Using Cal’s
design.
CASPAR
They picked
up movement in the Arcadian Capitol.
JENSEN
What kind
of movement?
CASPAR
Ohhhh, lots
and lots of airborne craft armed to the teeth with any weapon known to man.
JENSEN
How many?
CASPAR
Enough to
make D Day look like the war games of the local army cadets, this is some
serious firepower ladies and gentlemen.
JENSEN
When do
they get here?
CASPAR
With
present flying speed… ETA Hour and 30.
JENSEN
Okay, let’s
get ready.
Contact
Murray, tell him whatever he’s going to do, he’s going to have to do it now.
Because time is running out!
