The MESS HALL is dimly lit. A FEW TABLES are filled. The HUM of QUIET CONVERSATION can be HEARD.
CALEB MURRAY and DAVE are sat AT a TABLE against a WALL. DAVE is DRINKING an ENERGY DRINK and SMOKING A CIGARETTE, he is sat with his LEGS on the TABLE. MURRAY has a FILE OPEN in FRONT OF HIM and is doing PAPERWORK.
DAVE shifts SUDDENLY.
MURRAY
Dave! Do you mind?!
DAVE
Sorry.
MURRAY
And would it be possible for you to take notice of the myriad of No Smoking signs that positively litter the walls of the MCC.
DAVE continues to SMOKE.
MURRAY
Of all the things you could have picked up from your time here, an addiction to roll ups was probably not the most beneficial.
DAVE continues to SMOKE.
MURRAY
Why do I bother?
DAVE continues to SMOKE but SMILES.
MURRAY
I will never get this finished.
The DOOR opens. JENSEN walks in. HE LOOKS AROUND and SEES DAVE and MURRAY. HE walks towards THEM.
JENSEN
Launchtime’s been moved back till noon.
MURRAY
Yeah, we heard.
Just going over my final officer evaluations. Make sure everything’s in order for your take over.
JENSEN
Dave? Can you give us a minute.
DAVE RELUCTANTLY pulls his MASSIVE FRAME up and WALKS out of the MESS HALL.
JENSEN
How long have you known about this?
MURRAY
Known about what.
JENSEN
Don’t feign ignorance. Its not a convincing look on that supercilious face of yours.
MURRAY smiles.
MURRAY
About 18 months ago.
I didn’t know it would be you who would takeover though.
He LOOKS UP from his PAPERWORK.
MURRAY
I knew the moment I started looking for the next crossover rift while I was still suspended that I was going to lose command.
Not that it was ever really mine to start with.
JENSEN
How can you say that? You’re respected throughout the Special Operations Command, you got nearly your entire team back safely, the whole Bifrost project relies on your research as far as I can tell and you’re just going to allow them to strip you of command.
MURRAY
Oh, don’t be so dramatic.
I only ever joined the Army because I knew my research would be funded. I’m as patriotic as the next man, sure, and the military is a noble profession but the overriding reason for joining the army was the chance for pure research without having to compete with every other half bit physicist for grant money.
Also…
Also I know that what we all just did was insubordination at best, gross misconduct at worst. We’re lucky we’re not all looking at variations on dishonourable discharges, reductions in rank, wholesale transfers across the board. We have a lot of fresh faces round here who might not understand what I did.
And if all it takes is me getting a slap on the wrist for this unit to stay together, I’ll take it.
You’ll still need to defer to me in certain areas governed by scientific concerns. But apart from that you can have the job.
JENSEN
What if I say no.
MURRAY
Then I have to take orders from some buffoon like Waysell.
And you won’t say no.
JENSEN
You sound awfully sure of that.
MURRAY
I’ve known you far too long not to be.
Command was never my dream. It was always yours.
And I remember far too much about one Friday night in university and a certain general’s daughter.
JENSEN
You wouldn’t.
MURRAY
Of course not. If only because you never did tell me all the details.
JENSEN
A gentleman doesn’t besmirch the reputation of a lady.
MURRAY
He also doesn’t ply her with blue wicked, but there was definitely some in evidence that night.
MURRAY finishes writing.
MURRAY
There you go. Final officer assessments for the new commander of the Bifrost Taskforce.
JENSEN takes them.
JENSEN
Go on then. You twisted my arm.
But you deal with Casper! He’s totally your responsibility
You wanted him, you can have him.
What is the world’s geekiest hacker doing now?
MURRAY
I put him to work checking COMSEC because he wouldn’t shut up during the briefing.
JENSEN gets up to leave.
JENSEN
Okay. Although I suggest he’s near no critical systems when Browning and the top brass come down for the launch.
MURRAY
When are they arriving?
JENSEN
Browning gets here in two hours.
Lower entrance.
MURRAY
I’ll come with you.
If the boss doesn’t mind.
JENSEN
Of course not. So long as we keep the matter of Lucinda Williams and I between us.
MURRAY
Was that her name?
MURRAY LAUGHS.
JENSEN
Sartre was right.
MURRAY
Hell is other people?
JENSEN
See you in two hours
MURRAY
Yes sir.
JENSEN walks out.
MURRAY turns to a NEWSPAPER and starts reading.
DAVE walks in, SITS DOWN and puts his FEET on MURRAY’S NEWSPAPER.
MURRAY REACTS.
26. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE CONTROL ROOM. NIGHT.
JACKSON, TINKERBELL, HOTSHOT, CASPAR are gathered around a COMPUTER SCREEN, with VASILY CHERNENKO, codename: CENTURION, the RUSSIAN commander of the BIFROST TASKFORCE COMMANDOS and DR KATE KELLEY, AMERICAN CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, codename: NIGHTINGALE.
As the CAMERA zooms IN it becomes apparent that CASPER and CENTURION are playing against each other in UNREAL TOURNAMENT.
JACKSON
Come on Caspar. Take him out.
I’ve got a fifty riding on this.
CASPAR
You’re making bets on this?
JACKSON
We run books on everything. You name it. Hotshot’s running one on the actual time we launch. Care to get in on the action?
CASPAR
I’m still repaying the lawyers fees after the duct tape debacle.
HOTSHOT
So that would be a no?
CASPAR
That’s an affirmative.
TINKERBELL is looking at another COMPUTER screen. There is a PICTURE of her on it.
TINKERBELL
What’s this Caspar?
And think carefully before you answer because I know thousands of ways to kill you and none of them pleasant.
CASPAR takes his eyes of the GAME for a moment.
CENTURION WINS.
CASPAR GROANS.
JACKSON
Caspar!
HOTSHOT
Hand it over.
JACKSON
You take an IOU?
HOTSHOT
When don’t I?
JACKSON
Caspar!
CASPAR
I was distracted.
TINKERBELL
And I still want an answer what is my picture doing on your computer, have you been stalking me?
CASPAR
Its not my picture.
TINKERBELL
Its your computer.
CASPAR
Its Waysell’s picture.
TINKERBELL
You’ve been trading pictures of me with that lowlife?!
CASPAR
You really do have a low opinion of me don’t you.
HOTSHOT
Completely.
He WALKS over to the computer.
CASPAR
I’ve been reading up on Waysell. Contrary to opinion I don’t just slack off and play video games. Well apart from today.
I don’t trust the guy as far as I can throw him and he seems one step above bacteria on the evolutionary scale and I’m talking bad bacteria not the probiotic stuff.
HOTSHOT
What are you talking about?
CASPAR
I’ve hacked his computer. Went straight through the encrypt and straight into his sordid little cyberspace.
Thought I’d keep an eye on him.
TINKERBELL
He has pictures of me?
CASPAR
Yeah just a few.
TINKERBELL
I’m going to kill him.
CENTURION
Hey, friendly ghost! I wish we play another game.
CASPAR
Why do you bother using that accent when we both know that you speak English better than half the kids I grew up with.
CENTURION
Ha! I like remember old country.
27. INT. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ROOMS. NIGHT.
CAPTION: NEW YORK.
A man in STAR CHAMBER uniform stands before a semi-circular TABLE in the CENTRE of the DIMLY LIT room. The MEMBERS of the COMMITTEE can only be partially seen. WAYSELL stands someway BEHIND the other STAR CHAMBER OFFICER.
The OFFICER is GENERAL AIRD. BROWNING’S PREDECESSOR and the OFFICER who MURRAY and DAVE attacked.
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Having reviewed the request you previously presented to this committee relating to the operational command of the BIFROST PROJECT and your accusation that the officers from the Special Operations Command should never have to been assigned to their positions. We find, in consultation with lawyers and judiciary from the International Criminal Court, a case to answer.
We hereby grant your request to take control of the Project’s compound at the incursion site and to take into custody the principal officers of the Unit, until a determination can be made by this committee on the behaviour of said unit.
AIRD
Thank you.
You have made the right decision.
COMMITTEE MEMBER.
General Aird. This is not a carte blanche for you to enact vengeance. Your own behaviour during the original incursion is questionable to say the least. And the accusation made by a Major Simonova, that your subordinate tried to violate her during the appearance of the latest incursion doesn’t help your case. So just to make totally clear. This is not an order giving you control of a mission into the incursion. There are many members of this committee that doubt your own ability in undertaking such a role. You are merely to secure the facility with minimum force.
Dismissed.
The LIGHTS go down on the COMMITTEE.
AIRD and WAYSELL walk out of the ROOM and into an ANTECHAMBER.
AIRD
Okay. Now we’re in business.
Assemble our best men. Get over there. Finally we’ll get a chance to run this operation as we see fit. To capitalise on the resources of the incursion as we should.
WAYSELL
But they said that we were only to secure the facility.
AIRD
But what if there was resistance to your attempt to secure the facility? And you unfortunately had to use force to take control.
WAYSELL
Sir?
AIRD
If the unit is… shall we say, indisposed? How can they make an expedition into the incursion.
WAYSELL
And we’ll get the job.
AIRD
Indeed. If you meet any resistance lethal force has been authorised.
WAYSELL
Who by?
AIRD
Me.
WAYSELL
But the committee?
AIRD
Will do exactly as I say while I am still in possession of explicit photos of the chairman’s daughter.
WAYSELL
Yes sir.
WAYSELL starts to walk away.
AIRD
And Waysell?
WAYSELL turns his head.
AIRD
Keep this quiet. Everything relating to this goes out over Star Chamber encrypted communications. Clear.
This time we’re coming for them and there’s nothing they can do about it.
28. INT. INCURSION FACILIY/MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE DRYDOCK. LOWER ENTRANCE. DAY.
A long CONCRETE TUNNEL stretches OFF into the distance. MURRAY and JENSEN stand NEXT to a plain looking METAL DOOR.
JENSEN
Are we ready?
MURRAY
As we’ll ever be. I mean everything still needs to be tidied up and made shipshape but we’re essentially ready.
All twenty five decks. Fighter hangers. Experimental science labs.
JENSEN
Armour?
MURRAY
The very best from Special Operations R and D. Triple thickness. Titanium reinforced with Dave’s arcadian alloy. Everything checks out A Okay.
Arcadian plasma pulsar weapons. Crew Quarters, Recreational facilities, astrometry suite , cartography suite. A cargo bay full of top of the range armoured land vehicles.
You name it we’ve got it.
JENSEN
Good. I don’t want to be caught with our pants down when we go through the incursion.
MURRAY
Well, the attacks have stopped.
JENSEN
Doesn’t mean we won’t be flying into a world of hurt on the other side of that spangly curtain does it?
MURRAY
No.
Is he late?
JENSEN
Yes by ten minutes.
MURRAY
Probably just keeping you on your toes.
JENSEN
And I thought waiting for your first firefight was bad.
MURRAY smiles.
29. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE CONTROL ROOM. DAY.
The UNREAL TOURNAMENT game is still in full swing. ONLY now its TINKERBELL VERSUS NIGHTINGALE.
TINKERBELL is shouting insults in RUSSIAN.
THEY ALL SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT to one player or the other.
HOTSHOT is taking BETS.
CENTURION is SAYING SOMETHING INAUDIBLE to CASPAR.
CASPAR SMILES and WALKS over to HIS COMPUTER.
HE looks at the SCREEN while he SEARCHES for something on his desk.
Suddenly he LOOKS CONCERNED.
HE hits a button next to the computer.
THE OTHERS SCREENS go dead.
CASPAR
Sorry.
HOTSHOT
What the hell.
CASPAR
We could be in trouble.
JACKSON
Is this because Vasily beat you?
CASPAR
I wish!
Waysell’s just sent a message over Star Chamber’s internal communication’s system. It says they’ve been authorised to use lethal force to gain control of this facility. Along with that communique went detailed biographies of all of us.
I haven’t been at this as long as you guys have but it looks to me like Star Chamber will be beating the door down in less than two hours. They’re not going to leave till we’re lovely crimson stains on the wall.
TINKERBELL
Hotshot. You better warm us up. We may to leave in a hurry.
HOTSHOT
You don’t have to tell me twice.
He runs OUT the ROOM and up a LADDER.
CENTURION
I’ll deploy my teams.
Caspar, Instruct the armoury to issue all available weaponry to all personell.
TINKERBELL
Even the repair crews.
NIGHTINGALE
I’ll get the infirmary stocked.
TINKERBELL
How are the engines?
JACKSON
I finished working on them this morning.
CENTURION
Where are the colonels?
TINKERBELL
Downstairs welcoming Mr Browning.
Caspar try to raise them. Tell them to get back up here now!
I’m sounding general quarters.
They ALL RUN out APART from TINKERBELL and CASPAR who stay at COMPUTER STATIONS.
As they leave TINKERBELL hits a BUTTON. A SIREN starts to wail.
30. INT. INCURSION FACILITY/MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE DRYDOCK. DAY.
A CAR has pulled up. MURRAY and JENSEN are walking BROWNING TOWARDS THE DOOR.
BROWNING
And all of this facility was built without the knowledge of the general populace.
MURRAY
Indeed.
We were able to explain away the original incident as an industrial accident which was pretty simple seeing as most of the staff were killed during the incursion.
We approached the company and explained the situation. We rebuilt their factory. Were able to alter the size and position of the incursion rift and therefore place it beneath the factory.
MURRAY opens the DOOR
They walk through it and into a CORRIDOR.
BROWNING
Entrances.
JENSEN
Two. The one you’ve just come down which opens up on a deserted country lane outside of town and one that comes up into a disused office in the factories office block.
The walls of the facility are treated to prevent all known types of scanning.
We are completely contained.
No security leaks whatsoever.
BROWNING
Good. Are we ready to go.
JENSEN
The moment you give the word we engage the engines and the drives and we go straight through the incursion.
BROWNING
Excellent work. Especially since you’ve had to work under such time constraints. Mind you those constraints were caused by your own behaviour so I suppose it all works out in the end.
MURRAY
Are Aird and Waysell still causing trouble.
BROWNING
They’re still making noise and they’ve been told to back off but that’s never stopped either of them in the past and they’re not above using underhand means to get what they want.
But enough of that. Let me see the incursion.
JENSEN
Okay, it’s just along here.
HE POINTS down a CORRIDOR.
SUDDENLY THE SIREN we heard EARLIER in the CONTROL ROOM GOES OFF. LIGHTS flash. SOLDIERS and CIVILIANS in BIFROST OVERALLS start running past.
BROWNING
General Quarters.
What have you two done now.
JENSEN
Nothing as far as we know.
Could be a malfunction, or Tink is running drills to keep everyone on their toes.
I left my radio upstairs.
Do you have yours?
MURRAY
Of course.
Control room, come in.
They’re not responding.
This is Callsign Heimdall.
Authentication code. Alpha Epsilon fifty five Gamma.
Requesting intel on the present situation.
In other words what on earth is going on.
Somebody respond and if this is you Caspar mucking about so help me I’ll…
CASPAR
(over radio distorted)
Sorry Cal. They’ve already started to try to jam our internal communications.
MURRAY
Who has?
CASPAR
(distorted)
Star Chamber. I had a tab on Waysell’s computer and it turned out my mild amount of paranoia led to a result.
He’s sending every soldier Star Chamber has in the northern hemisphere after us.
BROWNING
He hasn’t got authorisation for that.
CASPAR
(distorted)
Well nobody’s told Star Chamber that obviously.
BROWNING
Who is this?
MURRAY
It’s the new computer tech sir.
BROWNING
I should have guessed.
CASPAR
(distorted)
As far as I can tell the head honcho at Star Chamber, some creep called Aird, has some hold over members of a committee that oversees our project.
It looks like he managed to get a session called in the middle of the night in New York and they authorised him to take control of the facility.
The communications say he’s taking it one step further, he’s going to kill us and say it was resistance. It looks like he wants your head, Cal.
BROWNING
I knew they were up to something.
MURRAY
Well hindsight’s a wonderful thing chief, question is what do we do now.
BROWNING
Has there been an official request for us to halt the launch countdown.
CASPAR
(distorted)
Not through any computer or communications network I have access too.
BROWNING
I won’t be in danger of getting killed. If I did there would be no way Aird could twist it to look kosher.
So I say, launch. Now.
Scrap the countdown and launch now.
They definitely won’t have authorisation to follow you in.
Well! Get going!
They run OFF.
BROWNING WALKS BACK OUT TO HIS CAR. He gets in and a SCREEN APPEARS in front of him. He taps a button.
The OPERATORS face appears on the screen.
OPERATOR
Sir.
BROWNING
I need you to confuse all sensor readings coming from my location now.
I need satellites retasked, systems hacked, anything, I mean anything you can do.
OPERATOR
Yes sir.
May I ask why?
BROWNING
Aird’s proving once more he can’t play nicely with the rest of class.
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