The CAMERA TRACKS DOWN from the JETS and FLYING MACHINES ENGAGED in DOG FIGHTING in the SKY towards the GROUND. The ARCADIAN ARMOURED GROUND VEHICLES drive TOWARDS THE INCURSION. They PULL UP NEAR the ARCADIAN AUXILLARY UNIT.
A CRIMSON GUARD TECHKNIGHT steps OUT of the FIRST GROUND VEHICLE. He is EXTREMELY TALL. His FACE is COVERED by A METAL GAS/PROTECTIVE MASK. He WEARS A LARGE RED CLOAK.
THE OTHER CRIMSON GUARD TECHKNIGHTS get OUT of their VEHICLES, there are about 50 of them. and TAKE POSITIONS alongside the AUXILLARY UNIT.
The LEADING TECHKNIGHT WALKS TOWARDS THE SERGEANT AT ARMS.
SERGEANT AT ARMS
Homage and Fealty.
TECHKNIGHT
Homage and Fealty.
Report. Sergeant.
SERGEANT AT ARMS
Earth flying vehicles and a figure using Techwings came through the veil approximately 5 minutes ago.
TECHKNIGHT
Do I look like an idiot to you?
Do I look like some dirt poor barbarian?
SERGEANT AT ARMS
No, my lord.
TECHKNIGHT
Then do not speak to me as such.
Of course I can see that Earth flying vehicles have come through the veil. Our forces are engaging as we speak. Everyone here can see them.
You speak words of respect but your bearing speaks of insolence.
You need a lesson in humility.
TECHKNIGHT
When I ask for a report, you will tell me things that I do not yet know. Not state the obvious like some mewling infant.
And when you speak to me you will kneel before me.
He FORCES THE SERGEANT AT ARMS to the GROUND. He RAISES HIS WEAPON above his HEAD. It is A FEARSOME LOOKING MACE.
A SHOT RINGS OUT.
The MACE falls from THE TECHKNIGHTS HAND. He SCREAMS and CLUTCHES his HAND. BLOOD STARTS to DRIP from A LARGE WOUND. One so BAD that his HAND will probably NEVER WORK AGAIN.
THE camera FLICKS UP to the INCURSION.
CHERNENKO and DAVE STAND ON A ROCKY OUTCROPPING. The OTHER COMMANDOES occupy SNIPER POSTURES BEHIND ROCKS.
MORE COMMANDOS keep COMING THROUGH THE INCURSION.
DAVE
Nice Shot!
CHERNENKO
Really?
DAVE
Absolutely. I would have gone for the head though.
CHERNENKO
But this way was more dramatic.
And that scream of his was worth it. You don’t get that with a head shot.
DAVE
That’s a good point.
Vasily. Look I know this particular vantage point is fantastic for shooting someone and then they wonder where the shot came from and they see us. And its all so epic.
CHERNENKO
Precisely, my friend.
DAVE
We’re also totally exposed.
A LASER HITS the ROCKS in front of them.
CHERNENKO
That’s a very good point.
THEY JUMP BACK BEHIND THE ROCKS.
The COMMANDOS START TO RETURN FIRE.
CHERNENKO is LAUGHING.
CHERNENKO
Its gets the blood pumping doesn’t it?
DAVE
You’re insane!
My first steps on the ground of Arcadia in 2 years and you nearly get me killed within the first five minutes.
CHERNENKO
You’d be bored otherwise.
DAVE
Probably
THEY turn round and LOOK BETWEEN GAPS in the ROCKS.
CHERNENKO
What do you reckon? 5 minutes?
DAVE
To take them all?
That sounds about right.
CHERNENKO
After you.
DAVE pulls HIMSELF up from BEHIND the ROCKS. CHERNENKO follows HIM.
Some of the COMMANDOS make their WAY down the HILL AFTER THEM. OTHERS remain behind to GIVE COVER. Their SHOTS START to FIND THEIR MARK. TECHKNIGHTS are PITCHED BACKWARDS by the POWER of the SHOTS.
CUT TO.
12. EXT. ARCADIAN SKIES. DAY
EFFECTS SHOT. THE DOGFIGHTS are VICIOUS as WE FOCUS on the MAIN CHARACTERS JETS, WE see DOGFIGHTS going on behind them.
TINKERBELL DIVES towards the GROUND. A FLYING MACHINE follows HER.
TINKERBELL
Time to lead you a pretty dance.
SHE LEVELS out when she REACHES the GROUND and FLIES JUST ABOVE the GROUND.
The CAMERA FLICKS to PLAYBOY’S JET.
He is PURSUED by TWO FLYING MACHINES. He TRIES to LOSE THEM through ACROBACTICS INDULGING in BARREL ROLLS and EVASIVE MANOUVERES.
PLAYBOY
Guys, Guys. Why are you fighting over me?
You know you’re not going to win.
I’m just too good.
I can take on two of you at a time.
Three if I need too.
He CUTS POWER and THEY FLY PAST HIM.
HE BLASTS THEM OUT of the SKY.
ANOTHER FLYING MACHINE gets on his TAIL.
PLAYBOY
Aww! Crap.
VALKYRIE’S JET SUDDENLY gets on THE FLYING MACHINES TAIL.
VALKYRIE
How many times have got to tell you?
Pride comes before a fall.
PLAYBOY
So why don’t you just leave me to my fate.
VALKYRIE
Paperwork’s a pain in the neck.
PLAYBOY
Whatever, I know you want me, my Viking goddess.
VALKYRIE
Keep dreaming, playboy, keep dreaming.
PLAYBOY
I’ll take that under advisement.
The FLYING MACHINES AROUND THEM have all BEEN DESTROYED.
PLAYBOY
Is that it?
That fight barely got going.
VALKYRIE
I’ve still got one on my radar.
TINKERBELL
I’ve got him.
TINKERBELL is STILL FLYING LOW just above the GROUND. The FLYING MACHINE is RIGHT ON HER TAIL. THEY ENTER a FOREST.
THE CAMERA follows TINKERBELL’S POINT OF VIEW. We SEE TREES flick PAST INCREDIBLY QUICKLY.
VALKYRIE
Nadia, what the hell are you doing?
You should have put him away before now.
TINKERBELL
I’ve got other ideas.
PLAYBOY
Tink, if just one of those trees hits you…
TINKERBELL
I’m perfectly aware of that, thanks Jack.
PLAYBOY
Then why are you…?
TINKERBELL
I’m securing the area.
Got the lay of the land when I was up there earlier.
Have a look at what’s just beyond these trees.
The CAMERA CUTS to VALKYRIE AND PLAYBOY’S POINT OF VIEW.
THE FORTRESS is JUST BEYOND THE TREES.
THE CAMERA CUTS back to TINKERBELL.
TINKERBELL
They can’t pull up as quickly as I can.
They’ll fly straight into the fortress.
PLAYBOY
You pull up at that speed you’ll break your neck.
TINKERBELL
You’re forgetting about the energy shield that my wings generate.
VALKYRIE
Even taking that into account, if the power core on those flying machines goes up you’ll never clear the blast radius in time.
TINKERBELL
I’ll clear it.
I have to.
SHE LEAVES the FOREST and HEADS STRAIGHT for the FORTRESS WALL. THE FLYING MACHINE follows HER. She PULLS UP and HEADS STRAIGHT UPWARDS.
The FLYING MACHINE FLIES straight into the WALL.
It EXPLODES. The EXPLOSION is MASSIVE. It DESTROYS the FORTRESS. We DON’T SEE whether TINKERBELL SURVIVED.
CUT TO.
13. EXT. ARCADIAN INCURSION SITE. DAY.
The COMMANDOES and THE CRIMSON GUARD are NOW ENGAGED at CLOSE QUARTERS with EACH OTHER.
DAVE is USING HIS AXE LIBERALLY. He CUTS DOWN CRIMSON GUARD LEFT, RIGHT and CENTRE.
CHERNENKO is ALTERNATING BETWEEN A SOVIET ERA RUSSIAN PISTOL and HIS “DAVEMADE” CROSSBOW. THEY both DISPOSE of the CRIMSON GUARD PROFESSIONALLY and METHODICALLY.
FINALLY all the CRIMSON GUARD LIE DEAD or INJURED except the LEADING TECHKNIGHT.
He is HIDING BEHIND A ROCK trying to USE A COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE.
TECHKNIGHT
Militia Control.
Do you hear me? Do you hear me?
DAVE
Hey, how’s it going?
DAVE and CHERNENKO are STOOD ON the ROCK ABOVE THE TECHKNIGHT.
THE TECHKNIGHT staggers BACK TOWARDS a ROCKY CRAG EDGE. He DRAWS his SWORD with HIS GOOD HAND. His HAND SHAKES.
TECHKNIGHT
Keep away from me!
Militia Control, do you hear me.
SUDDENLY we SEE THE EXPLOSION from the PREVIOUS SCENE HAPPEN on the HORIZON BEHIND THE TECHKNIGHTS HEAD.
CHERNENKO
If you’re thinking about reinforcements, my friend, I don’t think they are going to come for you.
DAVE
I’d agree. That’s a decent assumption.
So surrendering would be an extremely good idea right now.
The TECHKNIGHT STARTS to BACK TOWARDS THE CRAG EDGE.
CHERNENKO
What are you doing?
Come away from the edge.
DAVE
Surrendering is definitely the best course of action here. There is nothing dishonourable about being a prisoner of war.
CHERNENKO
He’s going.
TECHKNIGHT
Long Live the Order!
HE STEPS of the CRAG EDGE.
The CAMERA FOLLOWS HIM to the CRAG BOTTOM.
IT FLICKS BACK to DAVE and CHERNENKO LOOKING OVER THE CRAG EDGE.
DAVE
Well that gets us exactly nowhere.
CHERNENKO
I know. Its like he committed ritual suicide.
Like a Japanese Samurai.
DAVE
Well its not what the Crimson Guard did when I was a member, or for a thousand years before that.
We were always taught in our apprenticeship that there is no dishonour in being captured if you have fought to your greatest potential.
And you live to fight another day.
CHERNENKO
Maybe he wasn’t in possession of that particular memo.
TWO of the JETS come SCREAMING over and START to LAND VERTICALLY LIKE A HARRIER JUMPJET. Their PILOTS GET OUT, REMOVE THEIR HELMETS and start to WALK TOWARDS DAVE and CHERNENKO.
CHERNENKO
Nice Job, comrades.
You could see the explosion for miles.
VALKYRIE
It wasn’t us. It was Nadia.
DAVE
How did she do that she didn’t have any weapons that could do that kind of damage.
PLAYBOY
She flew straight at the fortress wall, pulled out and sent a flying machine straight into it. The power core blew.
DAVE
I’m amazed she managed to clear the blast in time.
VALKYRIE
We thought she hadn’t
TINKERBELL
They thought wrong.
TINKERBELL is HOVERING JUST ABOVE THEM.
She LANDS.
PLAYBOY
You’re insane.
TINKERBELL
Too crazy for you, Playboy?
PLAYBOY
Well I didn’t say that.
DAVE
You could have been killed.
It was a stupid risk to take.
TINKERBELL
Says the man with the berserker rages.
We needed that fortress destroyed right?
We needed to buy time to dig in before they bring the big guns.
I made a tactical decision.
DAVE
A stupid one.
Because now, we won’t have much time, the moment the fortress was destroyed it will have sent up red banners in Orion.
So the big guns will be here that much sooner.
Where’s the MCC.
VALKYRIE
They radioed through while you were still fighting.
They’re holding just inside the incursion until Murray and Caspar can get basic signals and power generation up and running.
CHERNENKO
I think we should signal them to send the dynamic duo through.
DAVE
Good Idea.
He ACTIVATES his RADIO.
DAVE
Colonel Jensen, this is Dave.
The area is secure can you please send through Lieutenant Colonel Murray and his irritating companion as quickly as possible.
JENSEN
(radio, distorted)
Received and understood.
There is SILENCE. VALKYRIE and PLAYBOY WALK OFF back towards their JETS.
DAVE, CHERNENKO and TINKERBELL walk towards the CRAGGY EDGE of the HILL and LOOK OUT into the DISTANCE PAST THE SMOKING REMAINS of the FORTRESS.
CHERNENKO
So how’s it feel to be back?
DAVE
Like the mountain we have to climb is one hundred times as worse as I thought it was going to be.
TINKERBELL
We’ve made a beginning though.
DAVE
If that. It might be the smallest first step in the beginning of the beginning, but I’m not sure its truly a beginning and as for the end, I don’t know whether we’ll ever see that.
THE INCURSION RIPPLES behind THEM.
They TURN TOWARDS IT.
The TIMBERWOLF comes CRASHING THROUGH IT. The TIMBERWOLF is AN ARMOURED JEEP-LIKE 4X4 VEHICLE which FUNCTIONS AS A MOBILE SCIENCE and SIGNALS HEADQUARTERS. It is ALSO A PHENOMENAL BATTLE UNIT. It HAS a GENERAL CREW OF 4 or 5. It is DRIVEN by MURRAY.
It COMES FLYING down the HILL from the INCURSION and THROWS ITSELF into a HANDBRAKE TURN RIGHT in FRONT OF THEM.
CASPAR JUMPS out.
CASPAR
I’m ready for them.
MURRAY STEPS out
MURRAY
Ready for who exactly?
CASPAR
The Crimson Guard.
MURRAY
Who are either dead or injured and in our custody.
CASPAR
Well I’m ready to interrogate them.
MURRAY POINTS at a CARGO COMPARTMENT on the BACK of the TIMBERWOLF.
MURRAY
You, signals, set-up, now.
CASPAR
But Cal.
MURRAY
Look at my face.
CASPAR
Okay.
He STARTS to GET COMPUTERS and GEAR out of the TIMBER WOLF, HE MUTTERS to HIMSELF. HE drops SOMETHING.
MURRAY
Eurgghh! Vasily can you please help him before he breaks something or himself.
CHERNENKO
Okay.
MURRAY
If you can possibly scare him into not whinging for a while with some old war stories that would be exceptional.
Dave, I need to talk to any of the enemy units who survived.
DAVE
Why?
MURRAY
I need to know what they’ve been using for power generation around here.
TINKERBELL
Why?
MURRAY
Because it’ll affect how we power anything we put up here as we dig in.
DAVE
Why?
MURRAY
Oh! Enough with the questions. Has the ability to say any other word but why been robbed from you.
Look, we know from our last time here and from my research that the Arcadian’s use a variety of different power sources, each one utilising a slightly different fuel and each one giving off a slightly different form of radiation.
DAVE
So why does that mean you need to talk to a prisoner?
MURRAY
I was getting to that. Keep control of yourself.
DAVE
Cal?
MURRAY
Sorry. We just don’t have much time.
The Power Units that myself and Jackson designed will operate under most circumstances but there are certain Arcadian power units that emit radiation that muck up the behaviour of the Power Units if we don’t know that they’re there.
TINKERBELL
What do you mean muck up?
MURRAY
An uncontrollable energy build up would occur within the power units until the fuel reaches a critical mass and explode.
So can I see one of the men we’ve captured.
Thankyou.
DAVE
They’re over here.
MURRAY takes A HANDHELD SCANNER out of his POCKET and starts SCANNING. THEY START WALKING towards where the PRISONERS are.
TINKERBELL
You seem annoyed.
MURRAY
I’m perfectly fine.
TINKERBELL
No you’re not.
Did you go anywhere after you left the control room and before you got to the hangar bay?
MURRAY
Might have.
DAVE
Where?
MURRAY
Caspar had incursion sickness so I took him to the infirmary.
TINKERBELL
And you had a nice conversation with the good doctor?
MURRAY
We exchanged words.
TINKERBELL
You have terrible timing, do you know that?
MURRAY
So I’ve been told.
TINKERBELL
You had two months before we launched to talk to her.
And you’ve been avoiding the infirmary like the plague. Now when we finally get into action you decide now would be a good time to discuss your messy relationship.
DAVE
I got to agree Cal, that was a stupid idea.
MURRAY
I don’t remember asking for your input.
DAVE
Whatever.
MURRAY
Lets just interrogate the prisoner.
And if I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.
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