[…] July is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to get …read more […]

Scene 18 Today’s prompt: A scene with a cliffhanger. INT. BERLOGIN STORE - NIGHT Our guys follow the trail of bloody clothes to the Men’s Clothing section, stop in a heap. ARTHUR: Where’s Rudy? ALEX: Drunk. Clean suit. Still partying. EXT. KALININSKI PROSPECT - NIGHT The Mercedes screams away from the curb. INT. MERCEDES - NIGHT Arthur and Alex scan the street for any sign of Rudy. ALEX: I can’t turn my back on him. ARTHUR: Gotcha Club. Micah’s hang out. He’ll know. STREET A BLACK MAZDA closes fast behind our guys. MERCEDES Arthur speeds up. ARTHUR: I’m really tired of this. The Mazda rams the Mercedes. ALEX: Loose these asshole. Arthur speeds away, swerves, but can’t loose the Mazda. ALEX: Come on Arty. ARTHUR: I'm trying. These guys-- The rear window EXPLODES. STREET The Mercedes races along the Moscow River, Mazda close behind, Uzis blazing. MERCEDES Arthur jerks the wheel. ALEX: ARTHUR-- MOSCOW RIVER Quiet. Not a ripple. Beat… Our Mercedes EXPLODES through the BARRIER. SOARS. Engine SCREAMS. SPLASHES into the water. SINKS. An huge BUBBLE breaks the water surface. Beat… Alex surfaces, gasps for air, drags Arthur lifeless to the surface. RIVERBANK Alex pulls Arthur onto his lap. Shakes him. ALEX: Arthur… Arty wake up. I should’ve… Arthur stirs, smiles at someone in the shadows. ARTHUR: Someone shot me. ALEX: Your alive. Let me think… Alex follows his friends STARE... ALEX: No. No. Don’t. BANG BANG... BANG BANG

INT. DINER – 2 AM SADIE, 17, sits alone in a booth, sipping a cup of coffee, a large backpack beside her. A MAN, 50s, sits at the counter, a plate with only syrup left on it in front of him. Other than the two of them, it’s just the WAITRESS and the CASHIER in the diner. The radio is on softly, but audibly in the background, playing a late night talk show. RADIO HOST: …third girl this month to vanish with no trace. The police of course say they are investigating several leads, which basically means they’ve got nothing. The waitress approaches Sadie’s booth. WAITRESS: Sure I can’t get you anything else, darling? Sadie smiles politely, shaking her head. SADIE: Just the coffee is fine, thank you. The waitress refills her cup then returns behind the counter, looking at Sadie sadly. She exits into the kitchen. RADIO HOST: If you ask me, it’s some pervy dude who’s snatched all three of them up and has them hidden in some basement in an unsuspecting suburban town. The waitress reenters with a plate holding several pieces of bacon, a piece of toast, some slices of cantaloupe, and two bagels. She brings it to Sadie’s table and sets it in front of her. WAITRESS: None of this’ll be good when we open in the morning, so we’re gonna have to throw it away. On the house if you want it. RADIO HOST: And when you’re in this small of a town, no way in hell is it a coincidence, so you know the same guy got all three. Sadie smiles gratefully and the waitress smiles back. The cashier eyes her as she returns behind the counter, but the waitress just shrugs. Sadie quietly wraps the bagels in napkins and tucks them, along with the apple into her bag. She hungrily eats the bacon and the cantaloupe. The waitress approaches the man. WAITRESS: Anything else for you, sir? MAN: No, I’m all set. The waitress sets his receipt down. The man picks it up and stands, stretching before walking over to the cashier. MAN: Time to get back on the road, I guess. He hands the receipt to the cashier along with a $20 bill. MAN: This little lady’s coffee’s on me, too. The cashier nods, and Sadie turns to look at the man. RADIO HOST: Let’s just hope there isn’t going to be a fourth. Keep a close eye on your daughters and sisters. SADIE: Thank you. The man waves her off. MAN: My pleasure. World runs on kindness. SADIE: Where are you driving? MAN: Up north. Meeting my new baby niece for the first time in New York. Sadie perks up. SADIE: I’m trying to get to New York, too. MAN: Is that right? Looking for a lift? SADIE: If you wouldn’t mind… MAN: Not at all! I could use a little company. Y’all have a good night now. Sadie eagerly gets up, bringing her backpack. She smiles at the waitress and exits with the man. They get into his blue pick-up truck parked right outside. The waitress goes back to the kitchen, and the cashier begins counting his drawer. RADIO HOST: We’ve just gotten word from local police that they’ve narrowed in on a suspect. A blue pick-up truck was seen near the disappearance sites of all three women. License plate B26 CT54. Please call if you know anything- The cashier turns off the radio, seeming not to have heard anything, and closes his drawer. CASHIER: Ready to go? The waitress returns, wiping her hands on her apron, then hanging the apron on the door. She nods and exits with the cashier, flipping off the lights behind her.

#18-7/24 We're already at number 18? Jesus. INT. BAR - NIGHT Max sips his beer, to the left of him is STEVE, glasses, a little older, he drinks rum and Coke. They’re the only ones in the bar. Behind them the popcorn machine(the type you see at a carnival) is lit. It slowly pops. Steve turns to him, gently points STEVE-Hey,... Max turns, kinda recognizes him. MAX-Hey. STEVE-College right? Max pulls back a little, squares him up. Remembers. MAX-Oh yeah man. College. How you been? STEVE-Good. How bout you? MAX-Meh, not bad. How did we know each other? STEVE-You used to roll with Warren and Mick right? MAX-Yeah, yeah I did. The popcorn machine has a few kernels falling out of the circular tin. STEVE-That’s weird. You still talk to em? MAX-Nah, not really. Kinda lost touch. STEVE-Well, that’s what happens with college friends some times. You should stick around. Want a beer? MAX-Uh,...I kinda got some stuff to take care of tonight,... STEVE-The reason I was asking is because I’m actually supposed to meet Mick here, in like ten minutes. More kernels fall from the machine. MAX-Oh, well then I should definitely get going. STEVE-No man, you guys should see each other. He’s supposed to do some camera work for me, but I hear he’s down in the dumps cause his wife and him split or some shit. MAX-What?! STEVE-Yeah. Couple months ago or something? You should stay, cheer him up. Max slams his beer. MAX-No man. Gotta go. Now the popcorn is pouring out of the circular tin. STEVE-But, he’s your friend dude. MAX-Was my friend. When I say we lost touch, I mean we had a falling out. STEVE-Really? About what? MAX-His wife. Max leaves. The popcorn continues to climax.

SCENE 18 INT. CAR - NIGHT KYLE drives down the street. A light rain splatters the windshield. A young WOMAN standing on the sidewalk catches his eye. She wears a trench coat. A small suitcase is on the ground next to her. She looks distressed, seems to have been crying. Kyle slows the car as he approaches her. She looks up as his headlights splash across her, and catches his eye. She waves. Kyle rolls the window down. KYLE: You OK? The woman shakes her head no, and tears well up in her eyes. She takes a deep breath. WOMAN: I was supposed to get picked up - KYLE: Can I take you somewhere? WOMAN: Would you? KYLE: Sure. He pulls over to the curb, unlocks the doors. The woman throws her suitcase in the backseat, then climbs into the passenger seat. WOMAN: Thank you so much, really. KYLE: No problem. Where can I take you? WOMAN: I don’t want to take you out of your way. Where are you headed? KYLE: Erton. WOMAN: I can catch a train from there, can’t I? KYLE: Yeah. I can drop you off at the station. WOMAN: Great. The woman turns and stares out the window, still upset. Kyle turns to her, his mouth open to speak. When he sees her, he looks back at the road and says nothing. They drive in silence for a bit, and through the window, the city slides away as they go further. The woman reaches down, fumbling with her suitcase. Kyle keeps his eyes on the road. In a single motion, she sits up and presses a gun to his temple. Kyle grips the steering wheel, hardly daring to breathe. WOMAN: Keep driving. I’ll tell you where to go. Kyle nods.

Scene 18 (9th entry so far) INT. LECTURE HALL - DAY A PROFESSOR draws a large > on the board. PROFESSOR And this merging, this synthesis of various independent and interdependent technologies, from biotech to nanotech, and AI, converge into what is called the Singularity. Professor circles the point where the two lines meet. PROFESSOR (CONT’D) Now, the Singularity is also a metaphor for the unknown result thereof. It represents the idea that we as simple human being are unable to predict what will come next. It’s terribly exciting and terribly frightening. A STUDENT raises her hand. STUDENT Professor, how will we know when the Singularity arrives? PROFESSOR Good question. And the only appropriate answer is both we won’t know, and will be unable to not know. (laughs) That’ll keep you awake at night. The class chuckles. INT. RESEARCH LAB - DAY Computers and high tech equipment everywhere. RESEARCHERS scramble about. DR. ARCADIAN scrolls through data on a monitor. DR. ARCADIAN It’s still going, and it's off the charts. Are you sure the power has been disconnected? DR. ZIMMERMAN climbs from under a computer unit. DR. ZIMMERMAN I traced all the connections thrice. It’s feeding off of something, just not us. DR. ARCADIAN Or it’s generation its own energy. DR. ZIMMERMAN That’s not possible. It was never designed to do that. DR. ARCADIAN I’m starting to wonder... They both turn towards a huge CHAMBER behind a wall of glass. Flashes of lightening cut through smoke that obscures what’s inside. DR. ARCADIAN (CONT’D) ...if we designed it.. They step closer. DR. ARCADIAN (CONT’D) (puts hand on glass) ...or it designed itself. The smokes clears and we see what looks like a CYBERNETIC BRAIN as big as a car suspended by wires and cables. Suddenly, an INTENSE LIGHT blinds them and fills the room. EXT. RESEARCH LAB - CONTINUOUS The Light fills then entire wing of the building, then every window follows as the light expands out to the sky. MONTAGE: Cape Town, London, Beijing, New York - people all over the planet stare at the sky as the Light encompasses all. EXT. EARTH - FROM SPACE The entire planet is aglow with the Light. Then -- It’s gone! A tranquil earth spins as if nothing happened. Just as suddenly, the Light returns, engulfs the planet and beams out into every part of the universe. FADE TO WHITE

Nice! Here's my 2 cents: Change "College" to the name of an actual school. More realistic. If someone said "College, right" to me, I'd go "Yes, I went to college, did you?" Set up the end a little more: "...I hear he’s down in the dumps cause his wife **cheated** on him or some shit." This way we know Max had an affair with wife, thus leading to the falling out. The way it's written, the issue between Mick and his wife could be unrelated to the falling out of Max and Mick. (e.g. Max could have called the wife fat or something, but not slept with her) A bigger cliffhanger would be if the last line isn't MAX-His wife. but MICK-My (fucking) wife. This way we are stuck in the predicament you set up, and the last line escalates it. If Max just leaves, the predicament is over, thus no one is hanging on a cliff. Do something with that popcorn lol! The popcorn has its own mini story here but it doesn't go anywhere. For example, if Mick shows up fuming at seeing Max, then show us the popcorn now burning!

Good stuff!

SCENE 18 Int. kitchen - night Pre dinner in full swing. Family members moving about. MARTHA tries to put the finishing touches on Thanksgiving dinner. MARTHA: where's the gravy? SAM: here mom. MARTHA: Delores, are the vegetables done? DELORES: yeah, just about but I think-- MARTHA: they'll be fine, now , Sam, where's your father? SAM: getting ice from the store. MARTHA: call him and tell him to hurry up. The phone rings. MARTHA: someone answer that. Not you, Delores. I need you to put the mashed potatoes on the table. DELORES: already-- MARTHA: good get everyone drinks. SAM: mom. MARTHA: and put the nice forks out. I hate the ones your brother did. SAM: mom. It's dad. MARTHA: tell him to hurry up! Delores, not those, the others. SAM: mom! MARTHA: what? Everyone stops and looks to Sam. SAM: there's been an accident. MARTHA: what accident? SAM: with dad. dads been in an accident. Off MARTHA.....

SCENE 18_____________________________________ INT.PARTY.DAY Glasses cling, people are laughing, focus on RICHARD, 40S as he laughs taking a sip from his glass at an anecdote of the man sitting in front of him, JONES, 40s. As Jones is in focus now, in obscured view behind him at the door a man in white wobbles inside with his left hand at his back, the hand is brought in front revealing an assault rifle. He starts free hand shooting, swifting his gun like he were painting the room. Jones hops over the sofa to take cover, so does Richard. The man in white is now in focus. Anger drips from his eyes, nerves embossed, skin is red. He growls like an animal. Richard is at cover, breathing hard. He looks around the room. RICHARD'S POV Ladies and men lie dead while some of them whisper prayers, a man sobbs calling Christ. Some are under a table or at cover. WHITE MAxxxxxxx!…(wicked laugh) I told you, I warned you.…huaha… Come out you b.. MAX(O.S, overlapping) HERE I AM, White. All yours(smiles)I am ready A lady in 40s stands up from behind in the room. White points the gun towards Max and just as the trigger is pulled but, White is pushed away by Richard. He falls over White, and DRRRR… Shots are fired, as White pushes his bloody body beside and about to shoot Max again, JONES takes hold of the gun and is pulling it art from WHITE. He looks at the lying body of Richard. JONE'S POV Rihard's pale face, with deep regret on his face. JONES eyes glisten while having a hard time fighting with White, at the door just beside them, a little girl enters. LITTLE GIRL MOMMY? Max, who is at cover, MAX GETT OUTA HERE, SWEETY! MOMMY IS NOT HERE! Focus on Max as she is frightened to what might be happening. She stands up to surrender herself as she sees, WHITE lets out a wicked laugh forcing the gun towards the little girl unless it points right to her face while JONES is trying to pull it away. She isnt good enough, she sits back down at her cover, hesitating a little. Jones is still at the effort of pulling the gun away JONES(yells) NO, WHITE! FADE TO BLACK The sound is heard over black DRRRRRRRR… ____________________________________________ Thank you for reading. Please comment and let me know how it could've been better. Thanks again =)

My Scene 10 INT./EXT. SHERIFF'S CAR – DAY At the wheel, DEPUTY ANNE MORGAN (20s) speeds on the road, lights turning and flashing on the roof. She fiddles with the dashboard radio. DEPUTY MORGAN Can you hear me, Ross? Ross. Can you hear me? A fine tail of dust follows in the car's wake. DEPUTY ROSS (O.S.) (over radio) Morgan? Is that you? DEPUTY MORGAN You betcha. You're following the blue van? Before Two-Mile Intersection? DEPUTY ROSS (O.S.) (over radio) Yeah... Why? DEPUTY MORGAN 'Cause I'll block it there. She puts her foot to the floor. DEPUTY ROSS (O.S.) (over radio) You'll block it there? DEPUTY MORGAN Don't be an echo. Yeah, I will. You keep on its tail, you hear me? DEPUTY ROSS (O.S.) (over radio) Don't boss me around. I've years on you. Morgan smiles thinly. She comes to an intersection, steps on the brakes, twists the wheel left, the car comes to rest across the road, blocking it. The roads meet in a "T". The arm to the left is bordered on the left by a hill which rises abruptly, on the right, it's a cliff drop. DEPUTY MORGAN I'm in place, Ross. She jumps out of the car, jogs to the back, opens the trunk. Takes out a bullet-proof vest and a shotgun. Puts the vest on. Checks the shotgun. Grabs a bullhorn and closes the trunk. Puts the bullhorn on it. Stands behind the car, shotgun at the ready. Ahead, the road weaves for 50 yards, before a hard left turn. She moistens her lips with the tip of the tongue. A CAR ENGINE in the distance. Grows louder. Closer. She tightens the grip on the shotgun. A car comes out of the curve.

SCENE 17 - INT. SPACESHIP - DAY RYAN, a handsome, rugged-looking soldier, lies on the ground, barely breathing. Blood trickles from his forehead, and he looks on the verge of death. Around Ryan, we see the aftermath of the battle: dead bodies lay everywhere, machinery is destroyed with wires sticking out, zapping electricity, parts of the ship are on fire, etc. Everyone is seemingly dead. Ryan closes his eyes, as if ready to accept his death. Just then, he hears a loud BEEPING NOISE. He looks up, seeing that the noise is coming from the control center of the PLANETARY DESTRUCTION MACHINE, which is aimed at Earth. Realizing he needs to finish his task, he gathers the will to live, then with all of his effort, he gets up onto his feet. Ryan limps over to the control center, which is a giant computer at the end of the room. He winces in pain, limping as blood trickles onto the floor. But he fights on, moving with urgency as the clock on the countdown-meter gets closer and closer to destruction. Ryan reaches the computer, the screen currently reading "64 SECONDS UNTIL DESTRUCTION". He types some keys into the keyboard, attempting to hack into the system. However, after each attempt, he hits an "ACCESS DENIED" screen. Ryan grows frustrated, the time now reading "34 SECONDS UNTIL DESTRUCTION". Ryan, typing quickly with a sense of urgency, enters a new code once again, only this time he is prompted with an "ACCESS ACCEPTED" message. He is overcome with relief, but the feeling is only temporary as the clock is now at 25 seconds. ZERG (O.C.) That'll be far enough. Ryan stops, as he feels the end of Zerg's gun pointed against his head. ZERG You almost thought you had stopped me, didn't you? RYAN Zerg, Planet Earth will be destroyed. You don't have to do this- ZERG But I do! Because human beings are but the most despicable of creatures, and it has been my lifelong journey to destroy them. And now, in a most fitting manner, you will have fallen just short of saving the planet which you love. Seargant Ryan Smith of the 14th Batallion of the People's Republic of Planet Earth, your time ends here- BLAST! Zerg is shot in the head and drops dead to the floor. Ryan turns around, seeing KATANA, his gorgous female love interest, with her gun pointed at Zerg's dead body. KATANA No, Zerg. YOUR time has ended here. RYAN Katana, you're still alive! KATANA Oh, don't get all sappy on me, Seargant. We still have a mission to complete. Ryan turns back to the screen, which miraculously only reads 20 SECONDS. On the screen is a large string of code written in alien language. RYAN This is written in some sort of ancient dialect, I have no idea what this means! KATANA All I can make out is that you need to choose between hitting the number one or two. It appears that one button is to deactivate the machine, while the other is to activate. Ryan stares at the keyboard, eyeing the 1 and 2 keys. RYAN So it all comes down to this... Katana, to Ryan's surprise, grabs Ryan's right hand. She nods at him, giving him the final choice. RYAN Katana, if we don't make this out alive, I want to let you know, I love you. KATANA I love you too, Ryan. Ryan reaches for the final buttons... The countdown timer reads 3.56 seconds... Ryan's finger gets closer, Katana and Ryan both looking terrified... The timer is now at 1.55 seconds... Ryan is about to press a button... END CREDITS. SCREEN GOES TO BLACK. NARRATOR (O.S.) On the next episode of Space Wars... Ryan presses the number 2. The planet Earth explodes, to Ryan and Katana's horror. RYAN Oh god, what do we do now? KATANA Ryan, I don't know. They hug one another, crying. RYAN Well I've lost a great amount of blood, so I should probably go to a hospital- Ryan drops to the ground, dead. KATANA Ryan! Katana looks at her stomach, which is also covered in blood. Her eyes roll back, and she dies as well. NARRATOR (O.S.) Tune in next week, to find out what happens!

SCENE 18 EXT. EVENING-CONDO PATIO It's a balmy Florida evening. Retirees, Monica and Reuben are playing cards with their close friends Frank and Phyllis. REUBEN: I’m tired. I think I’m gonna turn in for the evening. MONICA Is it because I’m winning? REUBEN: No dear. I’m just tired. And by the way you just got lucky tonight. MONICA You do look flushed. Are you coming down with something? REUBEN: I don’t think so. FRANK Get your rest. Remember we tee off tomorrow at 9. REUBEN: Good night all. PHYLLIS So Monica how is Reuben handling retirement? I know for a lot of men it can be an adjustment. MONICA He’s doing great. Reuben told me the other day he doesn’t miss the rigors of the office at all. FRANK I know I don’t. The office politics, the ass kissing, the young ones can have it! MONICA I’m just glad Reuben didn’t need much convincing to retire. That job was wearing him out. PHYLLIS Well I’m just glad he’s doing well. FRANK Okay ladies, let’s get back to the game. PHYLLIS What was that? FRANK What? PHYLLIS I heard a thud. MONICA Reuben’s a klutz. He probably knocked over something. PHYLLIS Are you sure you don’t want to check on him? MONICA Phyllis stop being such a worry wart. Let’s finish our game. CUT TO: REUBEN LYING UNCONSCIOUS IN THE UPSTAIRS BEDROOM

-SCENE 18- INT. CAR (MOVING) - DAY JEFF (45) is eating fast food, trying not to spill anything on his suit. MUSIC PLAYS from the radio. Jeff changes the channel. GARY (V.O.): Stacy, can you speak to that? STACY (V.O.): Sure, Gary. We are simply looking to improve law enforcement's ability to track the sale of firearms. We have to do something to help prevent devastating shootings like this. Our regulations are meant to take a small step in that direction. They are not meant to take away the Second Amendment. JEFF: (Overlapping) Bull. They're the first step. GARY (V.O.): If you're just joining us now, this is Radio Talk. We are here with Stacy Vahn from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Benjamin Lee from Gun Owners of America. Jeff pulls up to a stoplight. GARY (V.O.): We are discussing what, if any, gun control regulations should be put into place in the wake of Sandy Hook, and this morning’s shooting at Salon B in Costa Mesa, California. The shooting occurred at 10:45am. We are told there have been casualties. The light turns green. Jeff remains stopped. GARY (V.O.): However, at this time, we are unable to report on the number of casualties. We are expecting a statement form Costa Mesa Police Chief, Tom Mendez at 2:30pm. Until then, we would love to hear your thoughts. Call in your comments to 323-800-9998 or leave them on the Radio Talk Facebook page. Several cars behind Jeff start to HONK. GARY (V.O.): Benjamin, if we could jump back to you- Jeff turns the radio off. Cars continue to HONK and pass him. He reaches for his cell phone, and dials. He holds the phone to his ear. No one picks up. He dials again. JEFF: (Into his phone): Becca? Did Harper go into the salon today? I just heard. I tried too. I couldn’t- Okay. Okay. How close are you? I'm in Los Angeles. I'm going to come down now. A SIREN is heard. Jeff looks in his rear view mirror. JEFF (CONT'D): Fuck. I'm just- I think I'm getting at ticket. Don't worry about it. Drive safe, and... uh, call me as soon as you find her.

Scene 13 (Day 18) Scene with a cliffhanger EXT. SKYSCRAPER ROOFTOP-NIGHT The clear night sky is dotted with stars. The lights of the city below flicker like fireflies. The roof access door bangs open. Out steps ECHO, 28, edgy but playful. She smiles as she takes in the view. She runs her hands through her spiky hair and shrugs her backpack onto her shoulder. Her clothing is dark save for a few reflective strips running down her arms and legs. ECHO: God I love this. She holds up her smartphone and takes a picture. Behind her, MAX, 25, jeans and t-shirt, sports a beanie. He's that nerd you know will end up running the coolest company 4 years from now. He slings a long case up on his shoulder. He wears a similar backpack MAX: Whoa. This is righteous. When was the last time you were up here? ECHO: Last year when I was creating the “from the top” series. Come on, this way. She snaps another picture and walks further out onto the roof. She snakes her way around air ducts and huge electrical units. She climbs an access ladder up to a high platform. Max follows looking around in awe. MAX: This is so friggin' cool. Echo stops at the edge of the building. A waist high wall encircles the edge. She peers over and looks down at the city. It's beautiful. She slips off her back pack and lays it on the wall. She begins tugging on the straps and checking the connections. It's not a backpack...it's a parachute. Max pulls a tripod out of the case he's carrying. He begins setting up a camera facing Echo. Echo pulls a helmet out of her backpack and straps it on her head. She hops up onto the wall and props the backpack against her leg. She turns to Max. ECHO: Are we rolling? Max gives her a thumbs up. ECHO: Hello, followers. We are on top of the Chase building, one of the tallest structures in the city. Tonight I'm going to fly the friendly skies and... VOICE (O.S.) HEY! What are you doing up here? A security guard rushes out of the shadows. He shines his flashlight at the duo. ECHO: Holy shit, guys. We've been found. Looks like I'll catch you on the ground.(to Max) Lets go. MAX: How did he..? ECHO: Door alarm. Max gives her a look. MAX: You knew..? She clips on her back pack as Max quickly packs up the tripod and runs up to the wall. ECHO: Max, darling. (she turns her back to the city and faces the roof) Don't you get it....I know everything. She winks at the security guard as she falls backward. She begins her freefall toward the city lights. Max reaches for his backpack straps as he prepares to jump. Just as he tries to connect the harness straps, the security reaches out and grabs his backpack. He yanks and the backpack comes off as Max goes forward. Echo watches as Max falls from the roof without his parachute.... ECHO: MAX!!!!

SCENE #7 EXT. FOREST – NIGHT Daniel and Taylor beats back bushes and loose branches. Revealing: a newly installed TRAP DOOR. Daniel pushes Taylor aside, yanks at it. It opens into a dark tunnel. He closes it again, examining the hinges and latch. DANIEL So this is where their money goes. (into radio) C.J., I need a locksmith. They didn't do their job the first time. COP #1 (o.s.) There they are! Alarmed, they look up to see Cop #1 leading TWO MORE COPS their way. A COP CAR is parked by the bridge, its lights whirling. Daniel yanks the door open, pushing Taylor through. DANIEL Shit. Go, go! Time to do this the old-fashioned way. He SHOOTS the latch clean off the door, then jumps into the tunnel and SLAMS the door shut from the inside. Leaving the cops no option to open it from the outside. INT. TUNNELS – NIGHT Pitch dark. The sound of POUNDING from outside. Inside, there's FOOTSTEPS, a SCUFFLE, "Ow!" - before a LIGHT flicks on from Daniel's phone. Taylor is holding his jaw indignantly, glaring at Daniel - who shrugs and walks on. They come to a fork in the tunnels. It splits off three ways. Both boys look at each other with alarm. DANIEL You've got to be kidding me.

Scene 18 EXT. SPACE The U.E.S. Santiago is in orbit around planet SJ-110, taking a beating from a Druloan Juggernaut as transport ships escape the planet's atmosphere. Round after round of fusion missiles break through the Santiago's shields and EXPLODE, sending pieces of the interstellar destroyer's fuselage floating into space. INT. SANTIAGO LIEUTENANT WILHELM JUNKER (30) stumbles down an interior corridor. Smoke and SPARKING wires line the walls as he fights his way forward amid the shaking EXPLOSIONS. He reaches the- INT. BRIDGE -to find a skeleton crew hectically manning the essential stations among the wreckage of the battered room. JUNKER: What the hell is going on?! Why was I called from communications? A CREWMAN (20) runs over to a station near Junker. CREWMAN: Captain's dead. JUNKER: Where's the Ex O? CREWMAN: At medical, unconscious. JUNKER: So who's in command? A YOUNG OFFICER (22) makes her way across the bridge and hands out the command pad. YOUNG OFFICER: You are, Sir. Junker hesitantly takes the pad and swipes at the screen. JUNKER: Focus all firepower on their weapons. We need to protect the escaping colonists at all costs. The Crewman and the Young Officer share a glance. An EXPLOSION rocks the bridge. YOUNG OFFICER: Weapon systems are offline. CREWMAN: Not all of them. Junker pauses. Raises a brow. JUNKER: You mean the core? CREWMAN: We could launch it at them-- YOUNG OFFICER: We'd be dead in the water. CREWMAN: But they'd be blown to hell. Junker thinks. Another missile makes impact, a BLAST of SPARKS and white flames ERUPTS from a wall nearby. YOUNG OFFICER: Radiation would rain down on the surface, killing everyone. I say we retreat, follow the transports and come back with reinforcements. CREWMAN: We leave and they're as good as dead anyway. YOUNG OFFICER: We need a decision, Sir. Junker stares at the view-screen, watching as the behemoth alien warship continues to launch a stream of missiles towards him. SMASH CUT TO CREDITS

Scene 4 [I decided to use this opportunity to brainstorm an idea I've had bouncing around my head about a boy who discovers he's a fairy in the form of a changeling. How he finds out is that he dies in the crash mentioned below and meets his not-very-good fairy godfather/guardian.] EXT./EST. ROAD – NIGHT A car zooms past on an empty two lane road winding through hills. INT. CAR – SAME TIME DUNCAN, African-American, late forties is driving with his hands clenched tight on the wheel and his eyes straight ahead. There's TWO GOLD BANDS on his wedding finger. ADAM, his nineteen-year-old son, is in the backseat sulking. His twenty-three-year-old daughter, KENNEDY, is in the passenger seat looking tense. She's wearing a SIMPLE GOLD CHAIN. Adam gets no special jewelery but we'll learn later why it's so important. A long silence passes by them until Adam sighs and opens his mouth to say something. DUNCAN (without taking his eyes off the road): Really? You think that's the best thing for you to do right now? Is to talk? Adam sits back in his seat. Another pause. ADAM (low): Can I--? DUNCAN: No. Adam makes an exasperated noise. ADAM: Look, I just think-- DUNCAN: Keep talking and see what happens. ADAM: She flew herself backwards, dad! She wants to set me up so bad, she'll put on a performance-- Duncan turns around and motions his hand. DUNCAN: Go to sleep. Adam falls back against the seat already snoring. Duncan turns back around to the road. Kennedy looks judgmental. KENNEDY: Was that really necessary? DUNCAN: You don't have to deal with his mouth as much as I do. KENNEDY (shrugs): I just don't think it's a good time to use magic on him right now. DUNCAN: Why? Because of what happened back at the house? KENNEDY: Exactly because of that. He's turning fragile, Duncan. Most importantly, he actually hurt someone. DUNCAN (tense): Your mother is fine. She'll be fine. Savannah is—she's fine. KENNEDY: That's not the point. What if someone else pisses him off? How is he-- DUNCAN: Kennedy, relax. I know what's causing it. KENNEDY: You do? DUNCAN: Yes. I'll be able to explain everything when we get—hey! A car comes too fast around the corner and hits them full speed. CUT TO BLACK.

SCENE 9 BLACK. WHISPERED VOICES, fragments and various commands in multiple languages, mostly English. Nothing’s quite clear. INT. HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ BATHROOM - DAY The space is worn, but mostly clean. Writing on the walls and stalls, a few strewn paper towels. A lone GIRL, 15, sits on a toilet, bent over, rocking, whimpering. Black, Gothic style from head to toe. She lifts her head, revealing a makeup-clad but pretty face. The SOUNDS - all within her mind - CRESCENDO. A BRACELET with ALLURING PINK STONES clashes with her style. An oddly elegant wrist tattoo reveals her name: Cherish. A NEW WHISPER above the noise. VOICE: Do it. Cherish jerks, eyes upward. She stands, legs wobbling like a new colt. She exits the stall, heads to the sinks. GIRLS’ LAUGHTER in the hall outside. Cherish turns toward it as if in pain; she wants to leave, to laugh like them. She drifts back to the mirror, guided by an unseen hand. VOICE: Do it. The girls’ laughter loops with the other voices. Cherish GRABS THE SINK to steady herself despite planted feet. Her right hand pries away, reaches into her BLACK BACKPACK. POV - WALL MIRROR Heavy tears mix with sweat. VOICES LOUDER, an angry cacophony of sound. Cherish tries to speak; a few LOUD SOBS escape. Suddenly, her CHIN JUTS OUT, as if pulled forward. She whimpers, body rigid as though in a vice. A sliver of a BLACK GUN is visible in the mirror. Cherish moans, guttural. She’s clearly driven by something. The now screaming voices come to an abrupt halt, leaving - VOICE(stronger, still whispered): Do it. Do it. The GUN COCKS, a drawn out death knell. BLACK.

@heathenistic - scene 18 EXT. PUBLIC PARK & PLAYGROUND - NIGHT a kids playground in the park, in the middle of the night. Three STREET-TOUGH'S surround one teen boy, MARK. TOUGH 1: Come on man. TOUGH 2: You only got two choices here. Mark stares down at TOUGH 3's hands. One has a gun in it, one a bottle of Jack, but there's no way it's JD inside - looks more like blood. TOUGH 3: What's it gonna be Mark? MARK: Do I get a minute to think it over? TOUGH 2: Sure Mark. Think it through. Tough 2 smiles, baring big vampire fangs, points at the bottle. TOUGH 2: Kill... (then at the gun) - Or BE killed. Seems like a simple decision, but I'll give you five seconds. Either way, life as you know it is over. TOUGH 2: Five. Mark looks for a way out. TOUGH 2: Four. Toughs 1 and 3 close the gap behind him. Grab his shoulders to hold him in place. TOUGH 2: Three. MARK: Oh god. Why me? TOUGH 2: Two. Tough 3 thrusts the gun against Mark's head, and presses the bottle against Mark's chest. TOUGH 2: One. MARK: Okay okay... but let me do it. Tough 3 lowers the gun, hands it over to Mark, along with the bottle, one for each of his hands. Mark stares at both of them. TOUGH 2: Decision time Mark. Mark closes his eyes as we cut to: INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY The class is full, except for one empty desk. TEACHER: Anyone seen Mark today class? All shake their heads.

SCENE 18: EXT. TOWNHOUSE – NIGHT: TOM walks up to the door. His heart beats like a drum. He is clearly anxious. He knocks. The door opens quietly and slowly. It is dark inside. A GIRL appears from behind the door. She smiles at him and invites him in. INT. TOWNHOUSE – NIGHT: He shakes her hand. She is a bit surprised. She motions to a pair of shoes on the floor near the door. He takes his shoes off. She takes him by the hand, up the stairs. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT: She shows him into a bedroom. He hugs her. She indicates in Korean to take off his clothes. He does so. Just then the door busts open. It’s the cops. COP 1: OK dirtbag. Pull out your ID. TOM: I don’thave any on me. COP1: What the fuck? I said pull out some ID shit head. TOM: OK, officer. I understand. But I did not bring any ID with me here. Just then two Korean men appear at the door. KOREAM MAN 1: What is going on here? What is the problem? The officers pull guns on the men. COP2: OK you two. Hands up where I can see them. They raise their hands. KOREAN MAN 2: What do we do officer? COP1: You know damned well shit head. You’re under arrest for operating a brothel without a license. KOREAN MAN 2: This state does not issue license. COP2: No shit. Does this girl have an ID? The Korean men pull guns on the cops. Now they are in a standoff. The cops and Korean guys shout back and forth at each other. Tom sees his opportunity. He is naked. But he slowly backs out of the room without being noticed, except by the Girl. INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT: Tom comes down the stairs. The men upstairs are still yelling. Then he hears a barrage of gunshots. The girl runs down the stairs. She is beside herself frightened. He takes her out the door with him.

EXT. WALESER SHIP DECK - DAY The crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge have beaten the Waleser scum. JENNY TEACH (12) has gotten revenge on her father's nemesis, CAPTAIN MORGAN (41). JENNY: Well, looks like the Teachs have beaten you twice now. Boys, lash the captain's boat up and we'll tow her back to port! THE ARRS, scurvy sea-dogs to a man, celebrate... THE ARRS: Arrgh! CAPTAIN MORGAN: Not so fast, Jenny. Under article four, subsection 16 slash B of the pirate code, I can rightfully request a rematch of a duel to satisfy my honor. With any member of the opposing family. Jenny, all bravado gone again, consults with CLAW, her father's, and now her, first mate. JENNY: Is this so, Claw? CLAW: 'Fraid so, ma'am. Famed in all the lands for his knowledge of the pirate code is Captain Morgan. Don't have to be the same game though and as the challenged you get to decide. JENNY: That's good. My backhand is terrible. Don't take after my dad in that respect. CLAW: Have heard, ma'am. CAPTAIN MORGAN: Choose your weapon then. What'll it be? A saber duel? Pistols and ten paces? Cannons at five? A jig-off? Dolphin Jenga? How am I going to get my revenge on the family Teach! CLAW: Cut him down with your swordsmanship ma'am. Slice him like the German sausage he pretended to be. Or put a bullet in his fish-fingery body. JENNY: No, Claw. We'll play this one my way. Sir, I challenge you to (BEAT) Who Wants To Be A Doubloonaire? ARRS: Arggh, oohh. CAPTAIN MORGAN: You vicious bastard!

SCENE 10: INT. REUNION - NIGHT MANJU, 37, is having an animated but adversarial conversation with ALISSA, 37. MANJU Eric wasn’t that bad. ALISSA He poured ink all over Tommy’s art project and slept with Marissa just to get your attention. MANJU I’ll admit, he had issues. But I’m sure he’s ironed them out. ALISSA You sound like you’re still carrying a torch for him. MANJU Don’t be stupid. I’m married! ALISSA All the women are. More or less. More’s the pity. MANJU Why? ALISSA Some tasty divorced men here tonight. MANJU Oh yeah? Who? ALISSA Jasper from art class. MANJU Cute but not a fan of his artwork. ALISSA Yeah he is a bit full of himself now. Tony from home ec... MANJU No way! ALISSA His second wife. MANJU Already? Not bad. ALISSA And Eric. Not-that-bad Eric. MANJU Oh. ALISSA It’s a good thing you’re happily married. MANJU Yeah. It’s great that I’m...married. ALISSA I’m going to get more punch. You want some? MANJU I’m good. Alissa leaves. Manju looks down, contemplating the dregs at the bottom of her glass.

EXT. SEA STACK, ATLANTIC SEA - DAY GUILLEMOT and CORMORANT stand side by side on a ledge. CORMORANT: I don't know how to explain it, I can't put my finger on it, you're just not my type. Guillemot silently walks to the edge of the ledge. CORMORANT: Don't take it so personally. Guillemot drops off the ledge, plunges to the sea below, where he bobs. Several other guillemots bob around him. SEAGULLS, GUILLEMOTS and PUFFINS on nearby ledges squawk and cry. On closer inspection the sea stack houses hundreds, thousands of birds, but only one lone Cormorant. SEAGULLS/PUFFINS/GUILLEMOTS call to each other. Cormorant tries to understand but doesn't get their calls. Cormorant, despondent, swoops away across the sea. She skims low to the water. WHOOSH. A jumbo jet of a bird sweeps past her, sending her rolling, out of control. CORMORANT: What the? HUGE BIRD: Gosh, I'm sorry, M'aam. CORMORANT: Where do you think you're going, think this is your own private flight space? Have consideration for other sky users. As Cormorant stops spinning, she clocks the HUGE BIRD that's nearly knocked her out. CORMORANT: You're HUGE. HUGE BIRD: Now, that's just rude. I was tagging along with a cruise ship. I may have put up a few ounces. CORMORANT: No, I mean you're huge, I've never seen a bird as big. HUGE BIRD: Yeah, ever tried looking in the pond? CORMORANT: Oh, um, no (scared) I don't look in the pond, there's monsters in there. HUGE BIRD: What? Even in this neck of the woods? CORMORANT: Especially in this neck of the woods. HUGE BIRD: Well, this I've got to see. Huge Bird flies east. CORMORANT: No, don't... Cormorant flies east, too.

INT. MILITARY BASE – NIGHT Three military technicians are gathered around a large console. A red light is pulsing in the background. Every five minutes or so, a warning comes over the loudspeaker. JON EDWARDS, 38, lead researcher, dressed in military garb and glasses, is typing something on the computer. The two men, RYANS, and WILLERT are behind him, looking concerned. WILLERT: We can’t wait any longer, Jon. You’ve done what you can. EDWARDS: We still have about a minute. I’m trying to flood the reactor by re-routing the water from the rotor system. It was the last emergency protocol Fisher had installed. WILLERT: I know what you’re trying to do. It should have been done twenty minutes ago. It’s over, Jon. And you know it. Let’s go. RYANS: There’s just the three of us. The guards have been evacuated. The containment crew has been notified. It’s okay. These things happen. EDWARDS: These things happen? RYANS: You can survive this. We can survive this. If we leave NOW. WILLERT: Now, Jon! The research is safe. It’s stored on hard drives in Virginia and they’ll put you back on it as soon-- EDWARDS: Wait! He furiously taps a few more keys and then skids his chair over to the monitor. The monitor contains a visual representation of the core’s temperature. It is irradiated bright red-orange. It begins to indicate that the emergency cooling procedure has been activated. The temperature is fading to a cooler color. EDWARDS: It worked! Look. Willert and Ryans run over, see the reactor is cooling to a green, then to a blue. EDWARDS: The reactor hyper-cools, and then over the next three minutes or so should return to about normal temperature. WILLERT: I’m done, Jon. I’m not taking any chances. Let’s go. Willert and Ryans make a full sprint out of the lab and up some stairs. EDWARDS: It’s fine! It’s done! He watches the monitor. The reactor stays blue for a full thirty seconds. He breathes a sigh of relief, and smiles at his own technical genius. The reactor slowly takes on a green hue as it heats back up. Then it jumps to green-yellow instantly. EDWARDS: Wait. It rapidly jumps to yellow, then orange. Then orange red. EDWARDS: Wait. FADE TO BLACK

Scene Eighteen.

DAY EIGHTEEN: A scene with a cliffhanger. EXT. SIDEWALK - AFTERNOON "One minute prior to the incident..." flashes across the bottom of the screen. Alexis is talking on the phone with Dylan, walking down the street. She adeptly moves through the crowd as she talks to an obviously irritated Dylan. Somewhere, mid-conversation with Dylan, a canvasser walks up to her and tries to get her attention, to whom she tries to quickly rebuff, but he is insistent. ALEXIS: Yes, yes. I know it was rash...of course it was impulsive. That's why you love...oh. Well, that's why you normally love me...I'll figure it out...yes, I know rent is next month, like it is every month... CANVASSER (fifteen feet in front of Alexis): Do you have a minute to help starving children and abused animals?! ALEXIS (trying to walk faster past slow-walking people): No. No, Dylan, I'm walking down the street and— CANVASSER: Are you sure? You look like you care about those who are disadvantaged. It will only take a second! ALEXIS: I said no. Dylan, I have some ideas about— CANVASSER: Please, just take a mom— Alexis abruptly hangs up the phone and starts to verbally unleash hell on the canvasser. ALEXIS: What did I say?! I said fucking no, you fucker! Take that as your answer! Fuck the animals, fuck the children, and fuck you! CANVASSER: Whoa. I'm sorry. I just— Alexis takes the clipboard from the canvasser and starts whacking him in the face. A small crowd armed with phones starts to gather, some taking pictures/videos and others clearly calling the police. ALEXIS: I will feed your fucking children to you! Do you hear me?! I will destroy you! CANVASSER (panicked): Dude, I'm just a recent college graduate, trying to make a living! I don't care about cats being abused! I don't even have children! The shot goes into slow-motion, complete with dramatic music. Freeze frame on Alexis's crazed face. ALEXIS (V.O): Yes. That's where we started off. So, I mean, I think I had reason. I have this, like, uber-feminist problem with people who can't take no for an answer. Plus, I'd already been thoroughly chewed out by Dylan and I was a little bit stressed about finding another job. But not too much. Obvs. Because enlightenment and epiphanies. EXT. SIDEWALK - AFTERNOON The sound is slightly muted, with the general suggestion of traffic and the crowd muttering. Police come and arrest Alexis. They are two policeman, one male and one female. Both look like they've had a long day and are considering a new line of work. Alexis puts up a struggle, but is eventually handcuffed. There is a certain point where she becomes acutely aware of her situation and just stares blankly into the camera with a very real, "Oh crap" look on her face. You can barely hear the police woman reading Alexis her Miranda rights. INT. SQUAD CAR AND COURTHOUSE - AFTERNOON Alexis is booked and processed, in a surreal montage that has Barenaked Ladies's "Take It Back" playing in the background. We see her sitting in the back seat of the car, standing in the precinct, getting fingerprinted, having her picture taken, then being led to the cell where other surly looking women are sitting. When she sits down, she looks around, then tries to curl into herself. The music fades out and we start to hear the noises that are often heard in jails: Police, other people in the cell, and the faint noises from outside.

Scene eighteen continues from yesterday's seventeen: MONTAGE - FOLLOWING MAJO - DAY --Majo walks out of George's apartment building with George. Someone takes a picture. (The sound of a photo being taken, the image freezes) --Another day. Majo walks out of the same building alone, she gets into a cab, someone takes a picture. --Mall. Majo enters a gym, someone takes a picture. --Coffee shop. Majo enters a coffee shop, someone takes a picture. EXT. GYM - DAY Majo exits the gym, walks to the sidewalk and looks for a taxi. A white van approaches and stops right in front of her, two guys wearing ski masks grab her and push her into the van. MAJO Help! Help me! One of the guys enters the van, covers her mouth. The van speeds away. To be continued...