EPISODE THREE
“A Day at the Races”
By
Stephen J. Fennell
CHERNENKO
(V.O.)
Previously on Crossings.
A RECAP of THE STORY SO FAR. ENDING WITH THE LAST SHOT OF THE PREVIOUS EPISODE.
1. INT. MOBILE COMMAND CENTRE MESS HALL. NIGHT.
PLAYBOY, HOTSHOT, CASPAR, NIGHTINGALE, CHERNENKO and JACKSON sit AROUND one of the MESS HALL TABLES. They are PLAYING POKER. No-one ELSE is in the MESS HALL apart from THE BARTENDER. PLAYBOY and HOTSHOT both have HUGE PILES of CHIPS in FRONT of them. CHERNENKO’S isn’t much smaller. NIGHTINGALE and JACKSON are HOLDING their own. CASPAR is LOSING, BADLY!
PLAYBOY, HOTSHOT and JACKSON are SMOKING CIGARS.
A RADIO plays SOME SWING MUSIC in the BACKGROUND.
CHERNENKO is DEALING the CARDS.
CHERNENKO
Okay, boys and girl, the game is, straight down the line, good old fashioned capitalist, Texas Hold’em Poker.
I’m assuming we are all okay with this?
HOTSHOT
Just deal the cards, old man. That way I can take your money quicker.
CHERNENKO
Ah! The arrogance of the decadent Yankee mind, obviously two hundred years of sustained capitalism leads to complacency.
HOTSHOT
But you’re still losing!
CHERNENKO
It can all change in an instant.
HOTSHOT
Not for Caspar.
CHERNENKO
Alas I fear you’re right.
CASPAR looks ANNOYED.
CASPAR
Okay, so how are you doing it?
HOTSHOT
Doing what?
CASPAR
Winning!
HOTSHOT
Skill, Caspar, and experience of actually having a life rather than living my life through a computer screen in mommy and daddy’s basement.
CASPAR
They don’t have a basement.
HOTSHOT
Whatever, I’ve been places you can only dream about. The women, the winnings,
NIGHTINGALE
The drunken memory loss.
HOTSHOT
That’s what I’m talking about.
CASPAR
So me losing is no trick?
HOTSHOT
Trick?
CASPAR
Last night somebody accessed my quarters and put my hand in a bucket of warm water.
Janitorial services made me wash the bedclothes myself!
PLAYBOY starts LAUGHING. He DROPS his CIGAR. NIGHTINGALE picks it up.
CASPAR
So it was you?
PLAYBOY
Might have been.
CASPAR
You are so pathetic.
CHERNENKO
Shall we return to the matter at hand.
NIGHTINGALE looks at her CARDS.
NIGHTINGALE
I’ll raise,
PLAYBOY
Playing on the edge, sister?
Because I live on the edge.
NIGHTINGALE
Don’t even try it. I’m way out of your league.
HOTSHOT
You know, Caspar? That was called being hit on and getting dropped like a hot potato at Fourth of July barbecue.
PLAYBOY
I’ll check your bet.
NIGHTINGALE
And nothing else of mine, ever.
HOTSHOT
I‘ll check.
So Kate? If you’re not interested in our eternally frisky young pilot here, who are you interested in?
Because I heard a rumour that you and Cal were seen kissing in the infirmary the other night.
NIGHTINGALE
You shouldn’t listen to rumours.
HOTSHOT
Even if they’re right, come on Doc! Are you getting back together with Project Bifrosts answer to the absent minded professor?
NIGHTINGALE
None of your business.
HOTSHOT
So that would be a yes?
JACKSON
Check.
Well, she can’t get a look-in with Dave always around. A fine little bromance those two have got going on. In fact where are they tonight, they’re normally up for a good game of poker.
NIGHTINGALE
They’re tracking down that lead on the Resistance that Fletcher gave us.
Otherwise you’d have the same winnings as Caspar.
PLAYBOY
Should we trust this Fletcher?
JACKSON
We trust you with a multi million dollar machine, so why wouldn’t we trust him?
PLAYBOY
That’s good.
Very funny.
But you’re Australian, so a million Australian dollars is what? 50 American Cents?
What’s the multi million dollar machine, my alarm clock?
JACKSON
At least our national debt isn’t the size of gross domestic product of the world.
CHERNENKO
Can we get back to the game and end this farcical conversation?
NIGHTINGALE
Of course.
I’ll raise.
CASPAR
I had to wash the whole bed!
CUT TO.
2. EXT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE. NIGHT.
MURRAY and DAVE are CROUCHING in A DITCH. NEXT to WHAT APPEARS TO BE a HEDGEROW. A TRACK runs PAST THEM.
FURTHER down the TRACK THE LIGHTS of A VILLAGE can BE SEEN. They are BOTH WEARING DARK COMBAT GEAR.
MURRAY
I don’t remember it being this cold last time we were here.
DAVE
Last time you turned up in the height of summer. We already heading into autumn by now.
And we’re near the mountains. Some say this part of the country never properly heats up.
MURRAY
So you know this village?
DAVE
Never heard of it. Arcadia’s dotted with little villages like this, you never remember all their names. The whole area is called The Isle though, Its so named because everything round here used to be marsh till they drained it.
Its quite difficult to talk to people round here.
Until they drained the marsh these people were isolated.
They keep mostly to themselves.
They’ve got a lot of the same technology as the big cities but they’re still seen as backward by many people.
MURRAY
You know for a seemingly enlightened civilisation you guys have some nasty prejudices.
DAVE
You can talk. I remember that film you made me watch. Mississippi Burning mean anything to you?
MURRAY
Why do I ever show you films?
So how long did he say he was going to be?
DAVE
Could be a little while. Its pretty up in the air whether they talk to him or not. And we’re outsiders so getting us in to talk with his source, next to impossible.
MURRAY
I see.
You couldn’t have mentioned this before you dragged me out here?
MURRAY PRESSES a COMMUNICATION UNIT on his ARM.
MURRAY
How are you doing back there sergeant?
The CAMERA pulls BACK from the DITCH to a HILLSIDE above the VILLAGE.
A TROOP of MARINES is LAYING DOWN on A HILLSIDE MEADOW.
SERGEANT
Just peachy, sir.
There’s nothing I like better on a near subzero night than to be laying face down in a frosty meadow.
MURRAY
Okay, Okay. What can you see?
SERGEANT
Village looks quiet. Nothing moving.
It looks like every other village in this place sir, a few houses, a forge and smithy, you know, the usual.
MURRAY
(distorted over radio)
Thank you Sergeant.
SERGEANT
One more thing sir.
MURRAY
(distorted over radio)
Yes, Sergeant?
SERGEANT
Could you get our new Arcadian friend to hurry up?
We appear to be sharing this meadow with what look like sheep but I don’t trust the way they’re looking at me.
The CAMERA TRACKS to A COUPLE of SHEEP STARING AT THE SOLDIERS.
MURRAY
(distorted over radio)
I’m sure you’re fine Sergeant.
SERGEANT
I don’t know sir, there was this time on class field trip when…
MURRAY
(distorted over radio)
I’m sure it was very traumatic even if whatever happened did involve sheep. We’ll be really quick just don’t make any sudden moves.
The CAMERA ZOOMS BACK down the HILL to MURRAY and DAVE’S POSITION.
DAVE
Everything okay?
MURRAY
Yes, except it turns out our battle hardened soldier is scared of sheep.
DAVE
They’re not sheep.
MURRAY
Well he doesn’t need to worry though, does he?
DAVE
I would.
FLETCHER comes RUNNING DOWN the TRACK TOWARDS THEM.
MURRAY
Well, I told them not to make any sudden moves.
DAVE
Let’s hope they don’t.
FLETCHER
Scarlet!
DAVE
Black!
FLETCHER
Okay, I’ve persuaded the village council to meet with you.
But go slow okay, they’re not the most trusting of people.
DAVE
I have the scars from the last time we were in this area.
FLETCHER
I did warn you about the wildlife.
MURRAY
(into radio)
Sergeant, we’re going in.
SERGEANT
(distorted on radio)
Roger that, sir.
MURRAY
And Sergeant, be careful of the sheep.
CUT TO.
3. INT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE COUNCIL ROOM. NIGHT.
The INTERIOR of A VILLAGE HALL. A LONG THIN ROOM with a LOW ROOF. The WALLS are MADE OF ROUGH HEWN STONE BLOCKS.
TORCHES HANG in HOLDERS on the WALLS. A CHANDELIER of CANDLES HANGS from the ROOF.
The VILLAGE COUNCIL is made up of FIVE PEOPLE. They STAND NEXT TO A LONG TABLE at ONE END of the HALL.
A VILLAGER lets FLETCHER, MURRAY and DAVE into the HALL. THE LEADER of the COUNCIL is A MAN in MIDDLE AGE. He is CALLED ELDER SAMUEL.
ELDER SAMUEL
Thankyou, Thomas.
THE VILLAGER leaves the ROOM.
ELDER SAMUEL.
Lord Bloodhelm.
You have been allowed this audience with our council despite the standing orders of every single level of government within this kingdom.
Sergeant at Arms Fletcher has vouched for you. I trust you understand the risk he has taken and that we ourselves are taking by granting an audience to a alleged traitor and the soldier of a foreign power.
DAVE
I understand. You are taking a massive risk and I hope we do nothing to make you regret it.
ELDER SAMUEL
I hope so also.
However, despite the risk, we feel we must hear what you have to say and possibly give you the intelligence that you require.
Another ELDER, A WOMAN in MIDDLE AGE BEGINS to TALK.
FEMALE ELDER
Over the last two years we have becoming increasingly disturbed by the actions of our kingdoms highest officials. The Liberation Chambers, the dismissal of Parliament, the total transformation of our nation, all of these things lead us to mistrust many of the edicts handed down by the Kingdom.
And so we have had contact with individuals claiming to represent a resistance against the Kingdom.
ELDER SAMUEL
However if your aim is to ferment rebellion against the rightful government of our nation as a prelude to invasion then you will leave empty handed.
MURRAY
Excuse me, I don’t know the proper protocol in this situation, but may I speak.
ELDER SAMUEL
You may.
MURRAY
Thank you. Elders, I know that many things have been said about myself, my men and my dimension as a whole. But I must argue that we have been misrepresented.
FEMALE ELDER
In what way.
MURRAY
We are not the vanguard of an invasion and we aren’t here to sow the seeds of rebellion.
FEMALE ELDER
You have arrived here in machines of war, you come armed for combat, you have troops trained in all forms of combat, you don’t help your case.
MURRAY
I am first and foremost, a scientist. When I originally discovered the inter dimensional incursions, we merely entered them for exploration, to understand the universe, to see what was beyond that which we knew.
We arrived when your nation was in the midst of turmoil. The original Liberation Chamber had just come online. I came with an original team of just 15. Not a force to invade anywhere.
We walked straight into the Battle of Five Vales, I was arrested, interned and escaped along with Lord Bloodhelm, my intention was only ever to get home.
And when Lord Bloodhelm got trapped in my dimension as a result of problems in my dimension, my only aim was to get him back home.
However when we finally located another incursion, we were attacked by the Obsidian Guard, they slaughtered over 100 innocent people.
So we came here to protect ourselves. We are not invaders, our technology is inferior to your own, we never would prevail in an invasion.
FEMALE ELDER
Did not the incursion lead to a military installation in your world?
MURRAY
Is that what they’re saying?
ELDER SAMUEL
That’s the rumour.
MURRAY
It was a factory.
The only military personnel there was myself and Dave, I mean Lord Bloodhelm. Everyone else was a simple working man or woman. Many of them only young.
They slaughtered them, leaving a few women to use as servants and possessions, goods and chattels, to be bartered and sold like so much cattle. All the males were killed. And I watched as De Morte tried to fry information out of a 19 year old boy.
We are not the aggressors here, we’re the victims.
And I wish we weren’t here because if we weren’t, if would be because that second incursion had never opened and many of my friends would still be alive.
A YOUNGER MALE ELDER STARTS TO SPEAK. This is ELDER THOMAS.
ELDER THOMAS
But isn’t that exactly what we’d expect you to say?
Aren’t these exactly the lies we’d expect you to speak.
Your story sounds to me like complete fabrication, merely a pretext for invasion.
FEMALE ELDER
Thomas, you forget your place.
This council agreed to hear what these men have to say and we will do that with respect and honour as we always have.
ELDER THOMAS
Maybe the way we have always behaved is wrong.
Are we expected to believe these outsiders over our own monarchy, our own kingdom, are we to trust them over our own people.
ELDER SAMUEL
And what if our own people no longer behave like we expect them to.
At some point, we have to stand up for what we believe, when our kingdom gives up the very things that we were brought up to revere. When they act against helpless people, slaughtering people who never even knew that we existed.
ELDER THOMAS
You believe this outsider?
ELDER SAMUEL
I believe the evidence of my own eyes, we have seen the changes that have occurred over the last two years. We know what this new order is capable of. So, yes, I believe him.
FEMALE ELDER
As do I.
ELDER SAMUEL
But the question is, why don’t you?
Have you fallen in love too much with the new order?
ELDER THOMAS
They are the way forward.
Why can’t you see that?
ELDER SAMUEL
The way forward?
Giving up common human decency? Falling on the poor and broken down like vultures? Giving up everything that makes us Arcadian?
If that is considered a way forward, I rather spend all the days of life being seen as backward.
Lord Bloodhelm, we will give you and your allies the intelligence you require.
I can’t accept what is happened to my beautiful nation anymore. Especially when it corrupts even amongst our own council.
FEMALE ELDER
I concur. How does the rest of the Council stand?
The TWO NON SPEAKING ELDERS NOD at ELDER SAMUEL.
ELDER THOMAS
I can’t understand you.
Can’t you see. They are coming for us.
He STARTS to REACH INSIDE HIS ROBES.
MURRAY
What’s he going for?
ELDER THOMAS
As the Council has obviously taken leave of its senses, I have to restore order.
HE brings out A COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE.
DAVE and FLETCHER rush at ELDER THOMAS and TRY to GRAB THE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE. They KNOCK him to the GROUND.
MURRAY
Did you stop him?
DAVE
I don’t think so.
DAVE holds ELDER THOMAS down. FLETCHER is HOLDING the COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE.
FLETCHER
He definitely got a message away.
MURRAY
Any idea what it said.
FLETCHER
I don’t think it said anything.
It was just a signal.
MURRAY
Prearranged?
FLETCHER
Possibly.
MURRAY radio crackles INTO LIFE.
SERGEANT
(distorted over radio)
Colonel, you’ve got incoming.
MURRAY
What?
Sergeant, report!
CUT TO.
4. EXT. ARCADIAN HILLSIDE MEADOW. NIGHT.
A SERIES of JET BLACK FLYING CRAFT are FLYING OVER the CREST of the HILLS and DOWN TOWARDS the VILLAGE.
The SOLDIERS are ON THEIR FEET. The “SHEEP” are DISTURBED by the DOWNDRAFT of the CRAFT.
SERGEANT
We’ve got at least four unknown craft on the way in.
Totally black, no markings. Definitely high military Arcadian.
You need to get out of there now.
CUT TO.
5. INT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE COUNCIL ROOM. NIGHT.
EVERYONE is STILL STANDING in the SAME POSITIONS as BEFORE. DAVE is STILL HOLDING ELDER THOMAS DOWN.
MURRAY
Black, no markings?
DAVE
Obsidian Guard.
MURRAY
We need to get out of here now.
DAVE
No argument there.
MURRAY
Elder Samuel, the Obsidian Guard are coming for us. We need that intelligence now.
ELDER SAMUEL
All we ever received was a meeting place and another contact.
MURRAY
That’s fine, we’ll take from there.
ELDER SAMUEL
Okay.
He walks to the BACK of the HALL, Behind the COUNCIL TABLE, and PUTS his HAND on ONE of the BLOCKS of STONE in the WALL. The STONE slides UP REVEALING a HI-TECH SAFE. He REMOVES a CRYSTAL.
ELDER SAMUEL
You have a way of reading this information?
MURRAY
We’ve manage.
I am sorry that we’ve brought this upon you.
ELDER SAMUEL
This has nothing to do with you.
None of this is your fault, it seems that you and your people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I have no doubt about that.
In my mind we should be apologising to you.
In our traditions, there is nothing worse than taking from the poor and helpless, especially taking life from them.
MURRAY
We have brought all this upon you.
How will you survive.
FEMALE ELDER
This is not the first time we’ve had to hide from officials.
The ground beneath this village is full of tunnels.
We will survive.
MURRAY
What about him?
DAVE has DRAGGED ELDER THOMAS to his FEET. He HANDS him to TWO VILLAGERS.
ELDER SAMUEL
We will lead him where his masters can find him
He can explain to them why we are nowhere to be found.
Now you need to go!
He MOVES a CANDLE HOLDER. A SECTION of the WALL SLIDES OPEN. A TUNNEL LIES behind it.
MURRAY
You have no idea how important this is.
ELDER SAMUEL
I have an inkling.
MURRAY NODS and then RUNS into the TUNNEL.
DAVE
Thankyou, Elder Samuel.
ELDER SAMUEL
Lord Bloodhelm.
DAVE RUNS into the TUNNEL.
ELDER SAMUEL
Sergeant at Arms Fletcher.
You were right to bring them here. But next time could you find someone else to bother.
FLETCHER
Will do.
HE RUNS into the TUNNEL.
CUT TO.
6. EXT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE. NIGHT.
EFFECTS SHOT.
The OBSIDIAN GUARD CRAFT land in the MARKETPLACE of the VILLAGE. Doors OPEN and OBSIDIAN GUARD TROOPS run OUT.
CUT TO.
7. EXT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE DITCH. DAY.
The TUNNEL brings MURRAY, DAVE and FLETCHER out into the DITCH that they WERE in SCENE 2.
They CLIMB out and START TO RUN DOWN the TRACK.
MURRAY uses HIS RADIO.
MURRAY
Sergeant, time to go, link up at the RV point for evac.
SERGEANT
(distorted over radio)
Will do.
MURRAY
Do you think the villagers will survive?
FLETCHER
I think they were all gone from that village before we even exited the tunnel.
Trust me, the Obsidian Guard will find noone other than Elder Thomas.
MURRAY
Well luckily we got we came for.
We’re getting somewhere old friend.
DAVE
I hope so.
Now how far is it to the RV?
MURRAY
15 klicks.
DAVE
Wonderful.
I am going to need a whole vat of Chernenko’s Rocket Fuel after this.
MURRAY
I thought it was Chernenko’s Engine Oil.
DAVE
Whatever, its strong that’s all that matters.
CUT TO.
8. EXT. ARCADIAN VILLAGE. NIGHT.
THE CAMERA pans ACROSS THE VILLAGE. We SEE OBSIDIAN GUARD breaking INTO BUILDINGS and SETTING UP TECHKNIGHT TECHNOLOGY. The CAMERA COMES to REST on the ENTRY RAMP of a CRAFT. LADY ERIS is walking down it. LADY ERIS has LONG HAIR, RAVEN BLACK, her EYES are COVERED by what APPEAR to be SUNGLASSES. She is DRESSED COMPLETELY in BLACK and has INCREDIBLY PALE SKIN.
She REACHES the BOTTOM of the ENTRY RAMP and LOOKS AROUND.
DE MORTE MEETS HER THERE.
ERIS
Report!
DE MORTE
The village is empty, my lady.
ERIS
Empty?
DE MORTE
With the exception of Elder Thomas.
We found him bound in one of the outbuildings.
ERIS
He must have showed his hand too early.
We should not have trusted him. We will not make that mistake again.
Bring him to me.
A QUICK WHITE FLASH.
ELDER THOMAS is THROWN to the GROUND in FRONT of LADY ERIS. She approaches him.
ERIS
You have failed us.
ELDER THOMAS
No, No, I did exactly as you said.
ERIS
If you hadn’t failed us then Bloodhelm and the humans would be in custody by now.
You have failed us. And as such your life is forfeit.
ELDER THOMAS
But you said that I could join the new order.
ERIS
We would not sully ourselves by allowed such a snivelling wretch to join us.
Your life is truly no more.
Yet even in death you can still be of use.
Hold Him.
TWO GUARDSMEN hold ELDER THOMAS DOWN.
LADY ERIS REMOVES HER SUNGLASSES.
WE DON’T SEE what HER EYES LOOK LIKE.
SHE STARES at ELDER THOMAS who tries to LOOK AWAY.
He STRUGGLES, but APPEARS MESMERISED.
The CAMERA PULLS OUT to SHOW THE VILLAGE from A DISTANCE.
ELDER THOMAS SCREAMS!
The SCREAM SEEMS TO ECHO around the VILLAGE.
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