Crossings: Part 6.

17. INT. STAR CHAMBER INTERROGATION CELL. DAY.
　
The STATIC DISSOLVES.
　
The ACTION is FROZEN.
　
The CAMERA ZOOMS out from MURRAY’S EYE.
　
The ACTION RESTARTS.
　
A FIST SMASHES INTO MURRAY’S EYE.
　

　

　

WAYSELL

Are you ready to confess yet?

　

　

　
MURRAY’S FACE is BLOODIED.
　
　
WAYSELL is STANDING in the CORNER of THE CELL. A LARGE SOLDIER in STAR CHAMBER UNIFORM is BEATING MURRAY.
　
　

MURRAY

Confess to what exactly?

　

WAYSELL

That you and your team were completely incompetent, irresponsible, incapable of executing the original BIFROST mission and that the mission should have been given to a unit better suited.

　

　

MURRAY

What? Its been two years and you’re still simmering over that.

　

　

WAYSELL

That command was rightfully mine.

　

　

MURRAY

Yeah if by rightfully you mean that you didn’t have a chance of ever commanding anything outside of guarding a latrine.

　
　
　
WAYSELL nods to the SOLDIER. The SOLDIER punches MURRAY again.
　

WAYSELL

That command was rightfully mine.

Instead they gave it to somebody completely unqualified.

　

　

　

MURRAY

A hero, you mean.

Look the word up Waysell, I can understand you might have difficulty with it.

　

　

WAYSELL NODS again. MURRAY gets PUNCHED AGAIN.
　

　

WAYSELL

A fool who died after completely botching the operation.

　

　

MURRAY

A man who laid down his life to get his unit home safely you mean.

　

　

WAYSELL

Exactly a fool. The unit is expendable, the commander isn’t.

　

　

MURRAY

And you wonder why you have no luck with women.

Honestly you’re such a humanitarian, really Waysell, why don’t more people see it?

　

　

　
WAYSELL nods at THE GUARD who lifts MURRAY out of his CHAIR and SLAMS him up against the wall. WAYSELL moves towards HIM. HIS FACE right in MURRAY’S.
　

　

WAYSELL

You piece of crap.

That command was mine.

You got me busted down to Lieutenant.

Mine was a glittering career.

I was going to be the greatest general, the world had ever known.

And now I’m here doing clean-up detail on your little mess, all because of you.

　

　

　

MURRAY

How in that messed up piece of slime you call a brain do you work that out.

　

WAYSELL

You got me busted down.

　

MURRAY

You stole my research, tried to pass it off as your own and got busted when it became obvious that you had no idea of the complex physics used.

You look like me at age 11 trying to make up homework off the top of my head after my teacher asked me whether I’d done it.

Which of course, I hadn’t, too much mega drive, the night before you understand.

Was that your reason, Waysell?

Too much mega drive?

Is that why you stole my research?

　

　

WAYSELL

It was my research!

　

MURRAY

How do you work that out?!

You were the adminstrator at the research unit.

　

You were a secretary, a p.a. to the unit commander.

You haven’t done science since you were 16.

　

WAYSELL

It was mine.

You should have said it was mine.

I was destined for great things!

　

MURRAY

You were and still are, destined for a nice padded room and a comfy straitjacket.

　

The SOLDIER punches him in the stomach again.
　

MURRAY

There’s no way you’re getting a confession.

And I’m getting quite used to the beating.

By the way, I’ve got a really bad itch, if you could scratch it for me?

No? Fair enough.

Bring on the punches!

Crossings: Part Five.

16. INT. ARCADIAN PRISON CELL. DAY.
　
　
　
The STATIC clears and the CAMERA ZOOMS out of DAVE’S EYE.
　
　
　
　
He is in A COLD STONE ROOM. He is HOLDING A YOUNG TEENAGE GIRL.
　
　
　
　
This is his SISTER, ATHENA. The room is FILLED with people who appear to be REFUGEES.
　
　
THE scene looks BLEACHED OUT. This is A FLASHBACK.
　
CRYING can be heard from somewhere.
　

　

ATHENA

What are they going to do with us?

　

　

DAVE

I don’t know.

　

ATHENA

I thought we’d outrun them.

You said we’d outrun them.

　

　

DAVE

We did. These people aren’t Crimson Guard.

They’re just the local militia garrison.

Probably confused as hell by what’s happening.

　

　

ATHENA

Why?

　

　

DAVE

Because the moment Erebus launched his coup, all communications with the capitol will have gone down.

These guys aren’t trained for this.

　

That’s why we’ve been thrown in here.

They’re probably taking everyone

Who crosses their jurisdiction into custody.

　

　

They’re scared out of their wits. They know something’s happened, just not what.

　

　
　
　
　
ATHENA starts CRYING. DAVE turns to his SISTER and looks her in the EYES.
　

DAVE

Hang in there, okay. Its going to be okay.

We just have to reach the border. Once we get there we’re going to be fine.

　

I just need you to stay in control, okay?

　

　
　

ATHENA

Why did you call him that.

Why did you call him Erebus?

　

　

DAVE

Because that’s what he’s become.

　

　

ATHENA

He was our friend!

He was like a brother to you!

You have pledged allegiance to him since you were a boy.

What could he have ever done to make you call him that.

　

　

　

　

DAVE

You didn’t see his face, Athena. You didn’t see what I saw in his eyes.

He’s lost and I didn’t know how to pull him back.

The man I knew seemed gone, or at least buried under so much anger and lust and wickedness.

He tried to kill me, Athena.

　

　

ATHENA

What’s happened, Sven?

　

　

DAVE

I don’t know, Athena.

It must have something to do with the Liberation Chamber.

　

　

ATHENA

How? I thought it was supposed to make everything better.

　

　

DAVE

I don’t know.

It didn’t work, obviously.

　

ATHENA

So what do we do now?

　

　

　

　

DAVE

Make it to the border.

That’s all I got.

After that, maybe we can work out what happened.

　

　

ATHENA

I still can’t believe it.

I could have lived my whole life without seeing that sight.

Every time I’ve slept since then.

　

Even when we slept in the forest, before we lost the others, even then, in my dreams I was home.

Except I wake up and I remember.

　

The palace burning. The marble towers blackened by fire.

The gardens filled with the dead and the dying.

The streets I ran in, just the day before, turned into battle lines.

　

And the same friends I ran with, chasing us, dragging people off to who knows where. Or cutting them down.

Sven? What happened!!!

　

　
　
ATHENA is NOW on her FEET. Her VOICE has been getting louder as she’s been SPEAKING. She’s now HYSTERICAL.
　
OTHER REFUGEES are STANDING TOO.
　

REFUGEE MAN.

You need to shut that girl up!

If you can’t I will.

　

　

　

　

DAVE

I’ll bear that in mind.

She’s just had a hard time of it.

　

REFUGEE MAN

Which of us ain’t

Now shut her up!

　

REFUGEE WOMAN

Ignore my husband. Its just she’s going to wake our baby.

And its been hard enough to get her to sleep with what we’ve all been through.

　

DAVE

Sure.

　
ATHENA is FREAKING OUT in the middle of the CELL. DAVE TRIES to calm her.
　
　

　

DAVE

I don’t know what happened. I wish I did.

You really need to calm down!

　

　

ATHENA

It’s all gone. It’s all gone!

The Beauty has fallen. Arcadia is fallen.

　

　

The CELL DOOR crashes open. Two JAILERS throw a MAN in. The man is dressed in CAMOFLAGE FATIGUES. IT is CALEB MURRAY.
　

JAILER 1

And stay in there!

I don’t want to here another word!

MURRAY

Look, can’t you talk to your head man? I really don’t deserve this. I’m a very important messenger on a diplomatic mission from the Eastern Sea. I wish to speak to your chief.

　

I have items of much magic.

　

　

JAILER 2

I’m from the Eastern Sea.

And we’ve had weapons like your own for about a thousand years.

And your computation devices appear totally primitive. I’ll wager you can’t do a simple molecular scan on that.

　

　

MURRAY

You’re from the Eastern Sea?

I didn’t anticipate that.

　

Okay, obviously I’ve said the wrong thing here.

JAILER 1.

Obviously! Look, normally if we find a lunatic like your good self, we’d normally release him immediately to go prance about under the moon and practise eating grass and whatever else takes his fancy. But the last few weeks haven’t been normal. So you’re going to stay in here until I get some answers.

　

MURRAY

I want to see your big chief, your tribal headman, your head honcho, whatever he is.

　

JAILER 2.

Why do you talk like an idiot?

　

MURRAY

People have been asking me that all my life.

Can’t we trade for something?

The JAILERS walk out.
　

JAILER 1

What exactly?

Insanity?

　
　
　
They CLOSE the DOOR. Their LAUGHTER can be heard as they walk away.
　
　

MURRAY

Oh well, it always worked on SG1

He SITS down NEXT to DAVE. He PULLS out a PLASTIC BAG of SANDWICHES out from SOMEWHERE. He OFFERS one to DAVE.

　

　

MURRAY

Cheese and Pickle?

　

　

　

The CAMERA zooms in on MURRAY’S EYE.

　

STATIC.

Crossings. Part 4

15. INT. U.N. CONTAINMENT CELL. DAY.
　
A DARK ROOM, A SINGLE LIGHT BULB, COLD WAR SPY THRILLER PRISON CELL.
The DOOR opens.
CASPAR and JACKSON are thrown ROUGHLY in.
　
THREE GUARDS drag a TIED UP DAVE in. He STRAINS AGAINST HIS BONDS. They thrown him to the ground.
　

GUARD

That’s it Jackson, you guys have blown it this time.

So you and your pet Arcadian and your skinny friend here

Can get used to this four walls because they’re the last you’ll ever see.

　

　

　

CASPAR

What! I don’t deserve to be here.

I wasn’t part of whatever these guys were into.

I demand to speak to my lawyer.

　

　
The GUARD reaches for his BATON. JACKSON jumps up.
　
　

JACKSON

Look, he’s just scared. He’s not used to all this, he just got caught up in everything.

Now look why don’t you see about getting him some kind of release, okay?

　

　

GUARD

Okay, if you keep him quiet.

I don’t want to hear one more whine out of him.

　

DAVE

That makes two of us.

　

The GUARD walks out.
　
The DOOR SLAMS SHUT.
　
JACKSON sits back down next to CASPAR.
　

CASPAR

Did you have to say I was scared?

Was that really necessary?

Could you have made me look more weak if you tried?

　

　

JACKSON

Probably not, as I was trying to make you look weak.

　

　

CASPAR

Thanks a lot!

　

　

　

　

　

JACKSON

He agreed to help you out didn’t he.

　

　

　

CASPAR

Yeah but only because you made me look like a pale faced geek who probably got beaten up in school because of his smart mouth.

　
　
JACKSON looks at him.
　
　

CASPAR

What?!

JACKSON

Oh? Nothing.

You have a lawyer?

　

　

CASPAR

Yeah.

　

　

JACKSON

You’re a 20 year old guy in a dead end job in a town in the middle of nowhere, I bet you live with your parents.

　

CASPAR

Your point?

　

JACKSON

What do you need a lawyer for.

　

CASPAR

I tried to develop a series of new products. Wallets, backpacks, etcetera. And I tried to sell them on the internet.

　

JACKSON

What happened?

　

CASPAR

I got sued.

　

JACKSON

By who?

　

CASPAR

Oh, pretty much every company that manufactures duct tape.

　

JACKSON

Why?

　

CASPAR

They didn’t like my usage of their product.

JACKSON

You were making wallets and backpacks out of duct tape?

　

CASPAR

It’s a growth industry.

　

JACKSON

Now I see why you have a lawyer.

　

　
DAVE is staring into space.
　

CASPAR

What’s up with him?

　

JACKSON

He’s meditating or something,

Realigning his chi.

Who knows.

He’s just goes like this sometimes.

Murray says it some sort of warrior ritual.

　

　

　

　
The camera zooms in on DAVE’S EYE.
　
　
The IMAGE DISSOLVES into STATIC.