The bottom of the tunnel is dark.
The wavering light of a torch is absorbed by the rock. Two miners are working with hammer, pick and shovels. Clothes grimy with dust and soil. They pant softly with exertion.
The man, BRODY, is in his fifties. Longish grey hair, beard.
He shovels away debris.
The woman, WYA, is around 30. Lean muscles gleaming in the dull light. Long, dirt tangled hair. She swings the big hammer until rock finally shatters.
BRODY
That’s done it… give me the light.
Wya passes him the torch. Brody eagerly examines the rock closely. He smells it – tastes it. He sits, despondent.
BRODY
Nothin’. Nothin’ at all.
WYA
We’ll dig deeper.
BRODY
Won’t make no difference. The vein’s tapped.
Wya raises the hammer and begins to beat at the rock.
BRODY
Wya –
Wya hammers even harder; desperately.
BRODY
– there’s nothin’ there!
Wya throws down the hammer with an almost animal cry.
BRODY
It was a fool’s dream to begin with.
Wya stands a moment, accepting it. And now she turns and walks back up the tunnel.
BRODY
Where you going? Wya?
Wya turns; stares a moment.
WYA
Home.
She turns and disappears into the dark.
AT THE TUNNEL MOUTH –
Wya comes out of the mine. She stands a moment looking out at a vast, desolate vista. She walks down towards the campsite.
Brody now comes out. He bangs the dust from his battered hat.
He follows.
EXT. CAMPSITE – NIGHT
A campfire crackles. Wya and Brody sit staring into the flames, drinking coffee. Their pack animals stand just out of the light, in the shadows.
BRODY
I ain’t gonna miss this goddamn place, that’s for sure.
He spits a stream of coffee. Something small and leathery scurries into the brush to avoid it. Wya is silent.
BRODY
Ah, who am I foolin’. Give me a good drunk, a grubstake and I’ll be back in a month trying to strike it rich again.
(a moment)
I grew up near an ocean. I ever tell you that?
WYA
About a million times.
BRODY
I know, I talk too much. You don’t talk enough. Where you from? You never said.
Wya is staring up the vast star filled sky.
WYA
Earth.
SUDDEN REVERSE ON – An icy moon wreathed in a sparkling, frozen ring, so close you could seemingly reach out and touch it.
Beyond it, other planets are set against the glitter of alien stars.
A flock of enormous serpentine shapes streak across the night sky and then are gone. The pack animals shift nervously – are caught by the light – their bodies are like mules but their heads are alien – long tendril-like ears – trunk-like noses – eyes on moving stalks.
Wya throws the remains of her coffee into the fire. Sparks flurry and scatter, then rise towards the stars.
CROSSFADE TO:
To the increasingly frantic beat of metallic drums:
Something metallic floats in space.
SCYLLA
A mythological Greek monster. A devourer of ships.
It is at the epicenter of a small system of planets and moons.
The big planet, Ajax, and its ringed moon, Odin, are much closer than all the rest. Twin suns hover in the distance.
A SHUTTLE –
– breaks our POV, heading in.
CLOSER NOW:
It resembles nothing so much as the interlocking spindles from a children’s game of jacks. The spindles surround one huge, central core.
It is a rusting and pitted industrial plant of towers and plasti-domes, of docking ports and cargo cranes, of glowing reactors and oxygen plants. is esthetically pleasing as a foundry.
Barges bring an alpha class freighter to berth. Other space-frosted freighters are moored at the spindle tips. The freighters are all emblazoned with a capitol “A”. The center of the “A” outlines a planet within an open hand.
Antaeus.
The shuttle glides towards an interior docking bay on one of the spindles. It is a Charlie class, used to ferry passengers and goods to and from the planet and moon.
A.I. VOICE (V.O.)
Ajax shuttle arriving at passenger terminal, docking bay C. Ajax shuttle docking bay C.
IN THE DOCKING BAY –
The exterior pressure door is closing. The shuttle hovers as a dock locks into place. A passenger ship-way comes out from the docking bay wall to connect to the passenger cabin of the shuttle.
INT. PASSENGER TRANSPORT TERMINAL –
Wide metallic doors open – – and passengers disembark into the busy passenger terminal. Miners mostly. Hard looking all of them. Burnt at the edges. Armed.
Wya and Brody come out shouldering their packs. Brody carries what looks like a bulbous nose shotgun across his back.
The voices of the station’s A.I.’s, play throughout the terminal, both in English and in alien languages, adding to the sense of controlled chaos:
— welcome to Scylla. is an Antaeus financed outland exploration station. Welcome to — Antaeus – supplying all your energy needs for the future! —
— all Union laws and regulations are in effect upon station —
— questions? Contact a representative at the processing station.
Not all of the passengers in the terminal are human.
– Antaeus Hyatt is the perfect destination for the tired traveler. Silica based life-forms are also welcome.
— all sapiens please proceed to the red zone. Non-sapiens to blue. Sapiens to red zone. Non sapiens to blue —
And some are leading strange looking pack animals –
– animals must be taken to the red quarantine area –
And pets –
– all carnivores must be sedated —
The metallic voices chirp on –
— medical care. Retirement plans. All this and more are just a contract away! Antaeus! Sign up today! —
Antaeus security, their black body armor emblazoned with the
Antaeus logo, escort a large group of prisoners across the terminal. The prisoner’s hands are bound with energy-cuffs – in some cases, more than one. All have glowing incarceration bands around their necks.
BRODY
Antaeus indentureds. Poor bastards be better off doin’ prison time.
Wya stares.
BRODY
Hey, Smiley – get a load a that.
Wya turns. A group of dangerous looking, scantily dressed women – their heads half shaved, their skin tattooed and tinted and ritually scarred – are waiting in an i.d. line.
BRODY
Pleasure girls. Hot stuff.
You wonder what kind of pleasure they specialize in. Wya and
Brody proceed to a zone marked in red.
INT. THE RED ZONE –
Id chips are slipped into the slot in a computer by an Union
Agent.
Unlike Antaeus security, Union personnel are clad in navy blue.
There is an phoenix insignia on the uniform’s breast; a bird rising from a sun. The face and record of the individual come up on a screen.
UNION AGENT
Scan.
The miner proceeds on through a scanner. It shows internal organs by way of heat production.
UNION AGENT
Clear.
The miner moves on.
BACK TO –
Wya and Brody join the end of the line. Wya, turning to stare again.
In the adjacent blue zone, a large group of men, woman and children look around in nervous wonder. They have a sense of settler to them; loose, rough worn clothes; plain, honest faces.
Something odd about them. They look normal.
Wya stops a passing Union officer –
WYA
Who are they?
UNION OFFICER
Settlers. Just arrived from the inner ring. They’ll be in quarantine a few weeks and then they’ll be shuttling down to Ajax.
Wya and Brody share a look.
BRODY
Something grows there?
A girl, 20, stands with a teenage boy and a little girl. As the girl turns, her eyes meet Wya’s.
TO:
At the front of the line – red zone –
UNION AGENT
Scan.
The miner moves to the scanner. He steps in. And now we see it on the scanner – not just the pulsing of organs, the biochemistry breakdown and the genetics evaluation – something snake-like moves inside him. Red symbols flash on the scanner screen – a warning horn blares.
EMBASSSY AGENT
We’ve got a carrier!
Union security guards fumbles for weapons.
MINER
No – no, please, I – I need help!
The man suddenly convulses as if he’s losing control of his body – and then he bolts – runs for the exit gates that will take him into the space station.
AN ACOUSTIC –
– a small, lethal looking weapon that fires sonic bullets – comes out of a holster. Over by the indentureds, one of the black-clad Antaeus officers flips up a mirrored visor to reveal a cold, cosmetically scarred face and golden cat eyes. This is BANNON, Antaeus’s Director of Security. He fires, hardly aiming.
The sonic ripples as if the air is water – and takes off one of the miner’s legs. He falls, skidding on the hard floor.
Onlookers scream and cower. The miner’s body begins to shudder… to shake… he screams – as in a cascade of gore, something silver bursts out of his back. It resembles a huge, gleaming centipede. Its headless, tooth-filled mouth flares open. Its long, sharp-tipped tongue extends. It hisses; a guttural sound –
WYA
I hate parasites.
The parasite runs – incredibly fast – through and around the screaming people. It scurries up a clear plasti-carbon wall and then across, trying to reach freedom. Bannon fires again.
The air rips – and the creature is pulverized. It leaves a trail of slime as it slides off the glass.
The settlers stare, silent, horrified. Wya sees the young woman quickly turns the children away.
Bannon smoothly slips spins the acoustic back into the holster at his hip. Flipping down his vizor, he turns away.
UNION SECURITY GUARD
All right, show’s over! Keep moving!
(To another guard)
Get a clean up squad up here.
Brody steps up, hands over his i.d. chip. He’s processed.
UNION AGENT
Next.
And then it’s Wya’s turn. She hands the agent her chip. And something else. The agent stares at Wya. And then he casually slips one hand into his pocket and hands the chip back to Wya without processing it.
MOMENTS LATER –
Way comes out through the scanner and join Brody who’s waiting.
BRODY
Thought you was broke.
WYA
I am now.
They continue on.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
__
INT. STERILIZATION CHAMBER –
Showers filled with glowing chemical water, steam and naked miners; male and female alike. Sterilizes as well as cleans.
BRODY
I’m gonna get me a steak, nice mood enhancer. Gonna find one of them pleasure girls, teach her a few things!
Wya turns to find a hairy hulk of a thing staring at her. Wya glancing down – her expression seeming to say that the “man” has an enormous, erect penis.
WYA
You mind pointing that somewhere else?
Brody laughs.
INT. ANIMAL QUARANTINE – DAY
A large ampitheatre of corrals, filled with work and meat animals.
At one of the corrals, traders work the energy-fence perimeters, buying and selling and trading like used car salesmen. Most of their customers are settlers.
Wya and Brody are trying to sell their pack animals to a trader.
BRODY
Fifty credits!?
TRADER
Only cause they taste good.
BRODY
I ain’t sellin’ Big Bob so you can eat him!
TRADER
Everyone’s going mech. Antaeus brought in anti-gravs and energy cells.
WYA
You still have enough customers.
ALIEN TRADER
(disdainfully)
Settlers. Tech’s against their religion. Fifty credits. Take it or leave it.
He turns away. An older, bearded man – almost Amish in appearance – now steps forward.
SETTLER
We will give you 65, cash.
His family – wife, three teenage sons, four younger children, gather behind him.
SETTLER
Anti-gravity carriers and energy cells don’t keep you warm at night.
BRODY
(eyeing the kids; amused)
Don’t look like keeping warm at night’s your problem.
As Brody and the settler dicker, Wya turns to see –
In an adjacent corral, several cow-like animals are bawling as wild looking men in filthy, armored leathers drag them towards energy bars. Behind the energy rails, huge, scaled, upright creatures, GORGONS, throw themselves against the surge, eyes on the coming food.
The settler is now counting old paper money into Body’s hand.
BRODY
So much for a steak.
The Gorgons are now feeding.
WYA
So much for an appetite.
INT. SCYLLA – THE GRAND BAZAAR – NIGHT
Space and stars shine in the dome above. Much of is dark.
Light needs energy – energy costs money. Hence, the bubbles – clear domes above the stations outer concourses. The light of stars moons and the distant twin suns; all can be seen from a given part of the station on a regular basis. Like moonlight, it’s ethereal and dim but it’s free.
Wya and Brody move through the GRAND BAZAAR – a metallic concourse of bars, shops and stalls selling food items and goods from a hundred worlds.
Beauty parlors sell the latest in cheap, plastic surgery. The procedures is done behind glass partitions so passersby can watch.
Pleasure girls ride and wave on the gaudy carousel that tops a brothel – it’s “horses” are alien creatures.
Miners. Drunks. Beggars. Union police cruisers. And everywhere – Antaeus logo – and armed Antaeus men.
BRODY
Place has changed.
WYA
It’s worse.
They continue on.
INT. SASCO’S BAR –
Women feign lovemaking under rainbow lights. Miners, pleasure girls and hustlers lay siege to the bar and gaming tables. A bartender with facial gills pushes two mugs of beer across the bar to Brody and Wya.
BRODY
You kiss your mother with that mouth?
The man smiles, showing shark teeth. Wya is scanning the crowd.
Seeing what she’s looking for, she moves away.
BRODY
Where you goin’?
A BLIND HUNCHBACK
sits at a table doing business with a young miner. Two huge bouncers stand protectively behind him.
SASCO
You’ve read the contract. You understand my rate is 40%, that interest compounds on a daily basis.
Your collateral is you. You don’t pay, I own you. I can rent you, sell you, dispose of you as I wish.
The miner nervously nods.
SASCO
Very well then. Hand on the circle.
There is the outline of a circle on the table. The miner starts to places his hand on it.
WYA
What he’s not telling you is that if you don’t honor the contract, he sells it to Antaeus. They’ll be happy to have it. You won’t.
The miner hesitates, then jams his hand down. The circles flashes white. The miner pulls his hand away as if it’s been burned.
SASCO
Your molecular code is now recorded.
Get your credits at the bar.
The miner rises and moves away, clenching and unclenching his hand.
The hunchback snorts dust from a vial – and shivers as Wya sits down opposite him. The bodyguards stare. The hunchback’s brow wrinkles as if he’s pulling thoughts from the air. He smiles; his unseeing eyes silver.
SASCO
Well, well. The beautiful Wya.
WYA
Sasco.
Without looking, Sasco reaches out and touches the arm of a passing pleasure girl.
SASCO
Daga, another of whatever my friend is drinking and an enhancer for me.
She caresses his hand. Heavy rings on his fingers. Sasco comes from a world where his settler forbearers were forced to live underground. No light, no need for eyes. Over generations, they compensated.
SASCO
You smell of honest labor, Wya.
WYA
What would you know about it?
SASCO
I know it doesn’t pay well.
WYA
I’m looking for passage to the inner ring.
SASCO
Five thousand credits gets you steerage on a garbage scow. Several billion gets you your own speeder.
I’d be happy to lend either amount.
WYA
Pass.
SASCO
Smart girl.
WYA
What about the freighters.
SASCO
Antaeus owned, Antaeus staffed.
Last I heard, you weren’t Antaeus.
Anything else?
WYA
I’m going to be needing a job.
SASCO
It’s a Antaeus town. But I’ll keep
it in mind.
A man has approached the table – he looks nervous – eager.
SASCO
And now if you’ll excuse me, I have customers.
Wya rises.
SASCO
Wya. I can always use another pleasure girl.
WYA
(a small smile)
You couldn’t afford me.
Wya moves away. The man sits –
SASCO
You’ve read the contract. My rate is
40%, compounding on a daily basis –
AT THE BAR –
Brody has moved on to shots of violently purple liquid. He fires one down and shudders. He looks up as Wya returns.
BRODY
What was that about?
WYA
Nothing.
BRODY
That hunchback’ll sell you to the organ banks, soon as smile at you.
(Then:)
Hey. Check it out.
Wya turns to look. One of the settlers – a boy – has entered the bar and is looking around with wide, incredibly blue eyes.
A passing pleasure girl smiles at him. The boy just stares – something simple about him. Wya realizes it’s the boy she saw with the young woman. And suddenly the young woman Wya saw is there as well. Her name is SARA.
TO:
Sara looks around – sees the boy – moves to him.
SARA
Filo. You shouldn’t be in here.
Come along now – quickly.
And taking the boy’s hand, Sara turns. A dark blue man – a space welder – one who works construction on the outer surface of the station – all muscle – steps into his path.
WELDER
Who let you in, little cjango?
Sara starts to move around him. The welder steps into her way.
WELDER
Drink with me.
All around, men laugh. The welder raises a glass of something green off a table – offers it to Sara.
WELDER
You get on outside this, you’ll want stay all day.
SARA
Please.
She again tries to get around the welder again. Again the welder stops her.
WELDER
I’m offering a drink, cjango. You drink.
More laughter. Brody glances at Wya. Wya just sips for her beer as –
WELDER
I say drink.
Sara again tries to move past the welder. The welder suddenly grabs her and starts to force the glass towards hers mouth.
Sara struggles. Suddenly the glass – and the contents – fly.
Wya is spattered. And now she’s annoyed. Furious, the welder slaps Sara. Cat quick, Wya moves – and grabs the welder’s arm before he can strike again.
Wya
That’s enough.
WELDER
Mind your own business.
He tries to pull his arm free. Wya squeezes.
WYA
You got me wet.
The welder stares – then chuckles.
WELDER
Fine. You drink with me.
And he sucker punches her. Wya is knocked down the bar.
BRODY
Hoo, now we’re into it.
He reaches out to protect the drinks. The welder’s friends push
Wya out into the room. Screams and shouts fill the bar as the
Welder wades in. Wya is knocked over a table. Credits and drinks fly. Passion girls scream. Sasco’s bouncers start to move forward. He stops them with a gesture.
At the bar, Brody reaches for someone’s ignored glass and drinks, wincing as – The Welder pulls Wya up and head butts her. He grabs her in a bear hug and begins to squeeze. Wya struggles as the breath is crushed out of her.
Sara grabs a pitcher off the bar. Rushing forward, she breaks it over the welder’s head. The welder roars, releases Wya and turns. He’s about to backhand Sara when – CLOSE ON – again, his arm is grabbed in a vise-like grip.
WYA
Your breath stinks.
Wya hits the welder straight on – the welder is knocked back into the crowd. And suddenly Wya is grabbed and spun – by an identical welder only this one is violet colored.
BRODY
Whoops. Twins.
Welder 2 knocks Wya across the room. Towards Welder 1 who grabs her, then swings and hits Wya back.
Brody winces as –
Welder 2 grabs Wya and holds her. Welder 1 grins and pulls back a fist – Wya drives an elbow into Welder 2’s gut. As Welder 1 swings, she ducks – the punch just about takes Welder 2’s head off. Welder 1 growls in anger and then starts forward. And is stopped in his tracks by Wya’s fists. They come like pistons, snapping the welder’s head back. And now she kicks again – right into the welder’s groin. The air goes out of the man in a whimper. He falls to his knees. Wya draws back a fist to end it – then decides against it – the man is done. And then, changing her mind, Wya spins and kicks him, knocking him senseless. She turns to the bar.
WYA
Anybody else?
No.
TO:
Sasco “watching”, amused, as Wya moves back to the bar.
TO:
Wya wipes her bloody mouth. Picks up the her beer. Brody staring at her, amused.
WYA
Thanks for the help.
BRODY
Didn’t think you needed it.
Wya drains the glass. Spits on the floor.
Wya
Let’s get out of here.
She turns away. Brody downs the last of the drinks and follows.
The young man, Filo, and the young woman, Sara, watch them go.
And then they follow.
OUT ON THE GRAND BAZAAR –
Wya and Brody make their way out and down the crowded street.
Sara and young man hurry come out and after them.
SARA
Miss? Excuse me? Miss, wait!
Wya suddenly stopping; turning angrily.
WYA
Don’t call me that.
SARA
I… wanted to thank you. For helping us.
SARA
Don’t. What are you doing in a place like that anyway? You’re lucky they didn’t steal your teeth at the door.
(Turning away)
Stupid kids.
SARA
I’m not a kid. And Filo is not stupid, he’s a mind walker.
WYA
A what?
SARA
Give him your hand. He won’t hurt you.
Wya looks at the boy; at the serene expression and the wide, sky blue eyes. She offers her hand and Filo takes it –
EXT. A VILLAGE – NIGHT
Racing, armed Union soldiers in combat gear, firing, killing
–
TO:
– screaming women holding children –
TO:
– houses burning –
BACK TO:
Wya gasps and pulls her hand away.
BRODY
What?
WYA
He was in my head.
(Then:)
Just – be careful, all right?
They start to turn away again.
SARA
If we can’t thank you, let us offer you hospitality. Are you hungry?
This stops them. They are.
BRODY
We gotta eat.
Wya doesn’t like it.
INT. SETTLER’S HANGAR – NIGHT
A crowded settler’s town of tents has been created in a huge empty, freight bay. There are no lights except for the glow of small energy pods. Wya, Brody, Sara and Filo make their way through the people and possessions that are everywhere.
WYA
This is where they stuck you?
Sara nods.
SARA
We’re over here. Please don’t mention how we met.
They move on.
INT. SETTLER’S HANGAR – NIGHT
They approach some tents; people sitting close to a glowing fire pod. Something in a pot bubbling.
SARA
Karel! I’ve brought guests!
All look up. A large, bearded man rises.
KAREL
They’re welcome. What we have, we share.
SARA
(to Wya)
… my name is Sara.
She moves away.
LATER –
Something dark and glutinous is spooned out of the pot onto plates. Brody and Wya look dubious.
SARA
It tastes better than it looks.
She hands them plates. Brody hesitates – then tastes. He looks surprised.
BRODY
Ain’t bad.
He’s about to dig in when Wya elbows him. Brody sees now that the settlers have all bowed their heads in grace. The settlers all touch their hearts.
KAREL
Please – eat.
As the women serves the others:
SARA
They’re miners, Karel.
You can sense the sudden eagerness around the circle.
KAREL
On the moon? Odin?
WYA
No.
BRODY
Only ice worms and methane breathers there.
KAREL
Where then?
WYA
Ajax.
ELENA is Karel’s wife.
ELENA
(eagerly)
That’s where we’re going!
She realizes she’s interrupting.
ELENA
What’s it like?
WYA
Days’re hot. Nights you freeze.
Other than sand leeches, night dragons and parasites, there’s nothing.
BRODY
And there’s a lot of it.
The settlers all look at one another, disquieted.
KAREL
You’re wrong. There’s something there. A home.
LATER –
Brody is entertaining some of the children, telling stories.
BRODY
– so this big gazoo – you know what a gazoo is? – sorta a turnip with wings –
Across the fire pod, Wya sits watching. There is something about the children that touches her. Sara is suddenly there to hand Wya a cup of something hot.
SARA
It’s coffee.
Wya sips. Sara sits and sips from hers own cup.
SARA
You think we’re foolish, don’t you.
WYA
Not for me to say.
SARA
Do you know how we all got here? We indentured ourselves to Antaeus. Slave labor to buy passage and land.
Whatever’s down there is paradise compared to where we come from. Or we’ll make it one.
A child comes up to sit in Sara lap. She stares at Wya with wide eyes. It’s the little girl who was with Sara at processing.
SARA
This is Jenna. She’s eight. This is Wya.
JENNA
Hello, Wya.
WYA
Is she your daughter?
SARA
A ship’s plague hit us in transit.
We had no money for biotics. Many died including Jenna’s parents. I’m mother and father now.
They look up at the sound of a sudden commotion – black clad,
Antaeus security guards, approach; showing no regard for the people around them. Sara picks up the little girl.
KAREL
Children.
The children move away from Brody and towards the tents.
KAREL
You too, Sara.
A last look at Wya – and then Sara and the little girl follows.
Antaeus men come to a halt. The teamleader snaps up his visor.
Gold cat eyes gleam. Bannon.
BANNON
The cavalry has come to save you from the stink.
Wya turns to Sara, Karel and the others.
WYA
Thank you for the meal.
(To Brody)
Save me a bed.
BRODY
If I can find one.
Wya moves past Bannon. She doesn’t look back. Bannon and the guards move with her.
INT. SCYLLA – NIGHT
A sleek metal and glass module moves swiftly along, hovering just above a glowing blue, negative gravity track. The track is above a crowded concourse of up-scale shops, restaurants and Casinos.
Wya and the guards looking down at –
United Planets of Bennetton. Armani Universe. McSumoto –
Over a hundred trillion sold!
The metal tube continues on into –
A TUNNEL –
Of multi-level switching tracks. The car seems about to collide with another – a swift turn – the car rushes on.
INT. THE “HIVE” –
The transport comes out and to a halt at a station. The doors open. Waiting passengers move away as the security team escorts Wya off a car. Wya stares. She is at – – the Hive — the center of Scylla. A monstrous, hollow spindle – its top and its bottom narrowing in both directions. Floors circle each level. Anti-grav gondolas move passengers across, down and up.
Wya, Bannon and the security guards turn away and move on.
ON FLOOR CENTRAL
LOOKING DOWN ON – They cross a Antaeus logo emblazoned on a shining floor. Clear plexi-carbon doors sweep open.
IN A “LOBBY”
There are large letters on the wall beneath the Antaeus emblem – Antaeus – SUPPLYING ALL YOUR PLANATARY NEEDS! Beneath it is a phalanx of guarded transports. A receptionist – a hermaphrodite – sits at a pedestal console. One elevator is open and waiting.
BANNON
I’ll take her from here.
They enter the transport. Bannon inserts a key; twists. Glass doors close.
BANNON
Executive deck.
The transport retreats. Gone – like that.
IN THE TRANSPORT –
Bannon and Wya stare at one another.
WYA
Meow.
INT. SHAWNE’S OFFICE –
The elevator doors open. Guards on either side. Wya steps out, Bannon behind her. Wya stares. The view of the hive, through floor to ceiling carbobenzyloxy windows is breathtaking.
SHAWNE
Great view, huh? The throne of God.
VICTOR SHAWNE is a pudgy, balding man – almost jovial in appearance. He moves to a long, glistening flat topped desk.
Behind it are two identical, beautiful, bald-headed woman; as expressionless as statues.
SHAWNE
I hope you don’t mind if we record this.
WYA
Mentats?
SHAWNE
Legally licensed to recreate this meeting verbatim. I’m Victor
Shawne, Antaeus’s Director of Station. You’ve met Mr. Bannon, my director of security.
WYA
Since when do Antaeus personnel pull in citizens in for no reason.
Shawne touches the desk top – a crystal glass of liquor rises from the flat, black surface.
SHAWNE
Are you a citizen, Ms. Wya Doran?
Sipping his drink, Shawne presses the surface of his desk. A holograph appears – Wya in a military uniform.
SHAWNE
Or should I say, Major Doran.
Another touch – and now we see Wya with hair shorn, face bruised, wearing the uniform of an indentured prisoner. Below her, a number blinks –
SHAWNE
Three million credits reward, dead or alive. Now that’s impressive.
A touch – the holographs disappear.
WYA
If you plan on turning me in, do it now.
SHAWNE
Turn you in? Please. I want to hire you.
(a grin)
You been to the inner ring lately?
A hidden button on the desk – a holograph appears. The image is of shifting space – stars – planet systems – the holograph forming and reforming, faster and faster –
SHAWNE
Europa system. The Belt. Hydra.
All still operative but played out and fading fast.
– to solar system – to a planet. Its oceans are dark pools of
pollution and sludge. Its mantel of lightning streaked clouds
is the color of exhaust fumes. The outlines of the continents
are unmistakable.
SHAWNE
Earth. A scabbed over world with its
heart cut out. Nah. I don’t think
so.
A touch. The holograph blinks out.
SHAWNE
The future’s out here, Wya. May I
call you that? The outer rim. The
frontier. You can own a piece of it
– or not. You just have to be willing
take it. And to do so I need people
like you.
Silence. Bannon. Two Mentats. A view.
SHAWNE
Think about that. In fact –
Another hidden button – a credit chip slides out of a hidden
slot. Shawne pushes it across the desk.
Shawne
– get yourself a nice room and good
meal while you’re thinking.
Wya picks up the glass and drains it. She takes the chip.
SHAWNE
Don’t spend it all in one place.
Wya moves to the elevator. She steps in –
WYA
You wasted a credit chip.
– the doors close. Shawne’s smile disappears.
EXT. THE HIVE – NIGHT
Wya comes out of Antaeus HQ. She moves on. And now we see him.
A man in a hooded cloak, watching her go.
EXT. THE GRAND BAZAAR – NIGHT
Wya moves through the bazaar. The man in the cloak follows.
INT. SASCO’S BAR – NIGHT
No less crowded. Sasco sits at the same table, a bottle and
several glasses in front of him, the pleasure girl, DAGA, in
his lap. Wya now sits down opposite him.
SASCO
Back again, Wya?
WYA
Things have changed.
SASCO
That is the nature of things.
(To the girl; softly)
I’ll be along soon.
She rises – caresses Sasco – moves away.
SASCO
Love. It’s a worrisome pleasure.
But a pleasure none the less.
(Pouring drinks:)
You were saying?
WYA
Tell me about Shawne.
SASCO
Mmm. Antaeus director. Lovely
man.
WYA
He seems nervous.
SASCO
I would be. Failure is not an
Antaeus option.
WYA
He offered me a job?
SASCO
I know. Did you take it?
WYA
I want to know what I’m getting into
first.
Sasco sighs. And now, using glasses as chess pieces –
SASCO
There is a conflict in the universe,
Wya. Antaeus. The Union.
Military power versus economic
might. The inner ring is dying,
suffocating on its own shit. The
Union is desperate to relocate it’s
citizens to the outer rim.
Antaeus, who financed the
exploration of the rim, see this
influx of people as a threat to their
interests. As well they should.
WYA
Who’s going to win?
SASCO
The company’s presence is stronger
here. But only for the moment. In
the end arms win.
Wya rises.
SASCO
Wya. Next time I charge.
Wya turns away. She passes a table. The man in the hooded
cloak sits there, drink in front of him. And now as he raises
his glass, we see that his hand is an ugly, plastic and metal
prothesis – the exposed inner workings glow and whir like a fine
tuned watch.
INT. THE MINER’S HOSTEL – NIGHT
A large, barracks-like room filled with sleeping men in high
stacked, narrow, sleep modules. Snores and moans. The
glimpse of aggressive sex between two men – or is it two women?
Brody softly snores – all his belongings in his arms. A hand
covers his mouth and he comes awake, with a wide eyed start.
WYA
Come on.
BRODY
Where we going?
WYA
A hotel.
Brody quickly gets out of the narrow bunk.
EXT. HYATT UNIVERSAL – NIGHT
Establishing. A high polished bank of windows on the Hive.
The Hyatt sign blinking.
INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT
Wya is in the shower. Eyes closed, hot water beating down.
Various scars on the taut body. And on her shoulder a tatoo
– a lightening bolt piercing a sun.
THE ROOM – LATER
Wearing a hotel robe, Wya enters, drying her hair. A window
looks out onto the hive; the light of the Hyatt sign glows in.
The room is spare but with expensive decor.
WYA
Brody?
BRODY
Here.
Brody is camped out on the floor.
BRODY
Damn bed’s too soft.
Wya moves to the window and looks out. At “night”, the hive
seems quiet – just the occasional gondola flying past.
BRODY
So, Smiley. Gonna tell me why that
cat-face bastard wanted you?
A moment.
WYA
What do you know about the 016
massacre on Malfi Prime?
BRODY
Military dropped gravity killers,
then sent in kamikaze teams to finish
the job. Malfians were pacifists –
didn’t even put up a fight.
WYA
It was a set up. Antaeus wanted
mining rights so they paid off
someone to send us in.
BRODY
Us?
WYA
I was a kamikaze unit commander.
Brody is speechless. Then:
BRODY
Is it true you killed women and
children?
WYA
I killed anything that moved.
Wya stares out.
INT. FOOD VENDOR – “DAY”
Blue yoked eggs hit a hot griddle. Bacon already sizzling.
BRODY
Look at that. Real bacon.
The sound of metal rending overhead and then – BOOM! – something
lands on an adjacent table with a crash. It’s metal bordered
Plexiglas – a window – torn from a wall.
BRODY
What the hell?
Wya and Brody move out into the concourse and looks up. A heavy
object comes flying out a gaping hole in the module three stories
up. It just misses her – CRASH! It’s a large, harp-like
instrument. There is the sound of screaming.
BRODY
Domestic disturbance?
And now a flamboyantly dressed man in a curly wig, comes
staggering out of the building, screaming something.
WYA
You think?
LATER –
A crowd of men and women has gathered. Union hovercraft have
arrived and nervous looking, uniformed officers are
interviewing the be-wigged man, who is gesturing wildly.
Wya sits, leaning against a pillar, watching it all from a
distance. Glancing up at the sound of the occasional scream.
Brody, eating his breakfast, now approaches from out the crowd.
BRODY
It’s a pleasure palace. The, uh,
“madam” there, says a customer got
disappointed in his performance and
blamed it on the girls. Ate two of’m
and now he’s threatening to kill the
rest.
WYA
Ate?
BRODY
That’s what he said. Security don’t
seem too keen on going in.
The male madam turns to the crowd.
THE MADAM
I will pay for the safety of my girls!
Five thousand credits!
BRODY
That ain’t bad.
Wya rises and moves forward. Brody follows. Wya makes her way
through the crowd.
MADAM
Anyone! Six thousand credits!
WYA
Ten per girl, I’ll go in.
MADAM
(hesitating; then:)
Yes.
WYA
(to one of the officers)
Is he good for it?
SECURITY OFFICER
Are you? It’s a Greenie, high on
dust in there.
That changes things. A glance at Brody.
WYA
If I don’t come out, five thousand
goes to him regardless.
MADAM
Done.
Wya turns to the building. She starts forward.
MADAM
(to Brody)
Will you take the five thousand in
trade?
INT. BUILDING MODULE – CONTINUOUS
Wya enters. It’s featureless metal inside. Wya has the choice
of a bloodstained elevator – a dead pleasure girl, her head at
an odd angle, in the open door – or narrow circular stairs. She
chooses stairs.
ON THE STAIRWELL –
She comes up the second floor landing and continues on.
ON THE THIRD LANDING –
She hesitates – opens the door a crack.
HER POV –
She’s looking down a hallway. Another dead pleasure girl, this
one somewhat chewed, lies on the floor.
INT. PLEASURE PALACE – CONTINUOUS
Wya enters. Keeping her back against the wall, she moves
forward. She passes an open bathroom door. A beaten pleasure
girl in S & M garb, sits, trembling on the floor. Wya raises
a finger to her lips – quiet. The girl nods. Wya moves on.
Parting the beaded curtains, she enters –
THE MAIN SALON
The pleasure palace is tacky opulent. Hover couches. Drug
hookahs. Alien eroticism on the walls. Liquor and bar area
behind a crystal counter. Four bruised and bloody pleasure
girls, cringing in a corner.
WYA
Where is he?
The girls, too frightened to speak. Their eyes grow wide as
behind Wya, a figure comes up from behind the counter.
Wya spins. The Greenie rises – up and up – a huge, green, drunk
humanoid. The muscles on his bare arms are enormous. As are
the muscles on his second set of arms. And his third.
WYA
(trying to smile)
Hi, big fella… nice big fella
The Greenie roars. Bottles, glasses and utensils flying, he
bursts through the counter. His charge takes Wya head on and
the two of them hurtle back and through a wall into –
A SEX ROOM –
They land and roll. A small, naked customer screams and cowers
in the corner. The Greenie backhands him into the far wall.
Wya, rises to her knees – she spits a bloody tooth onto the floor.
Her head turns with an alarmed snap. And then she is pulled
to her feet and lifted into the air –
One set of green hands hold Wya’s ankles, another her wrists.
A free hand slaps Wya – blood flies. It’s cousin moves to Wya’s
throat. The Greenie begins to squeeze, cutting of the
windpipe. Wya chokes, helpless.
Wya grits her jaw shut. Crack. And she spits a shard of bloody
broken tooth right into the Greenie’s yellow eye.
The Greenie roars in pain – one hand releases Wya’s wrist to
go to the eye – and Wya jabs a spear like hand into the Greenie’s
throat. The Greenie grunts – then throws Wya bodily across the
room into the far wall. WHAM! Wya falls.
The Greenie moves forward, picks Wya up and throws her again.
Back through the broken wall –
IN THE MAIN ROOM –
The pleasure girls scream as Wya comes hurtling through and
skids across the floor. Scream again as the Greenie bursts
through behind them, making yet another hole in the wall.
Wya pulling herself to her feet as –
The Greenie picks a kitchen knife up off the floor – and then
another one – and then a cleaver. He turns towards Wya.
Wya reaches for a long, thin, standing metal lamp – a
quarterstaff.
They fight. Three blades against the metal shaft.
Wya knocks a knife loose. The cleaver just misses her head and
gets buried in a wall. Two green hands grab Wya’s arm – and
break it. A third green hand grabs the shaft of the lamp. A
forth arm swings the knife, severing the shaft of the lamp.
Pulling the knife back to strike, the Greenie roars – with her
free hand, Wya thrusts the sharp broken point of the shaft into
the Greenie’s throat. The Greenie swats Wya away like a fly.
It staggers, horribly wounded. Wya staggers to her feet. The
Greenie charges. Wya leaps to the side – the Greenie charges
past, unable to stop –
OUTSIDE –
As Brody and the police and crowd watch, the Greenie comes
hurtling through the hole in the building and falls three
stories – to smash through the roof of a police hovercraft.
Brody whistles.
BACK TO –
The pleasure girls stare at Wya as somehow she turns and walks
slowly towards the door. And suddenly her eyes roll and she
stumbles and pitches forward, unconscious – and is caught just
before she falls by the man in the dark cloak.
INT. MED-C0 MENDING ROOM – DAY
Wya, in a drug induced haze, blinking up at – doctors. White
coats. Grey Asian eyes. Medical tattoos on foreheads.
DOCTOR
Shhh. We’ll make you good as new.
A hiss. BLACK.
INT. MED-C0 RECOVERY ROOM – TWO DAYS LATER
Wya comes awake, floating vertically – and naked – in a blue
restoration field. Not sure where she is.
VON SCHRYKE (O.C.)
You’re awake.
Wya looking up to see the man in the cloak, JOHN VON SCHRYKE
(Shrike), 30’s, sitting in a chair, studying his mechanical arm.
The hood is pulled back. Von Schryke’s head is shaved smooth.
If not for the scars on his face, he is handsome. He wears an
Union uniform. He has a slight accent.
WYA
How long…
VON SCHRYKE
Have you been out? Two days. How’s
the arm?
Wya had forgotten about it. She moves it now. It’s fine.
VON SCHRYKE
Better than mine no doubt.
Von Schryke takes a cylinder from his pocket. He thumbs a stud
on this futuristic switchblade and a small laser flares.
VON SCHRYKE
New one’s due any day now – they say.
He uses the point of the laser to make an adjustment in the inner
workings of his hand prosthesis. Circuitry smokes.
WYA
Where am I?
VON SCHRYKE
Hmm? Oh – a Union med unit. Don’t
worry, on the house – Lieutenant.
The tattoo.
WYA
Who are you?
A bit of pressure and the laser disappears.
VON SCHRYKE
Jon Von Schryke. Head of Union
deployment on Scylla. Which is a
joke, yes? Shawne – he offered you
a job. Are you going to take it?
WYA
Not now.
VON SCHRYKE
That’s right, you’re flush, aren’t
you. Perhaps we should charge you.
WYA
Why are you here?
VON SHRYKE
I’m intrigued. I’ve never met a
butcher before.
(Then:)
No. I’m here to offer you a job as
well.
INT. AN OFFICE – DAY
Wya and Von Shryke sit on opposite sides of a messy desk. Von
Shryke pours something hot from a thermos.
VON SCHRYKE
Tea? It’s the real thing.
Wya hesitates – nods. They sip; then:
VON SCHRYKE
Scylla. I have almost five
thousand Union settlers here waiting
to go down to Ajax. More arrive
every day. For some reason, Antaeus
is doing everything they can to stop
them.
WYA
Why?
VON SCHRYKE
I think they’ve found something down
there. I want these settlers
protected and I want to know what the
company is hiding.
WYA
What does this have to do with me.
VON SCHRYKE
I told you, I’m offering you a job.
You’re running. And you have
nowhere left to run.
Wya shakes her head.
VON SCHRYKE
In that case, you have two days to get
off this station and then I come
looking for you.
Wya rises.
VON SCHRYKE
One last thing. Has anyone told you
where these settlers are originally
from? No? Malfi Prime.
EXT. MED-CO HOSPITAL ZONE – DAY
Sara and Filo are on the busy concourse in front of the hospital
when the glass doors slide open and Wya comes out. She is
wearing a hospital jumpsuit. She sees Sara and Filo waiting.
Sara sees her at the same time. Wya turns and moves away. Sara
and Filo hurry after her.
ON THE CONCOURSE – DAY
Wya tries to ignore Sara as she and Filo catch up to her.
SARA
Wya – we heard – we were worried –
WYA
Go away.
SARA
What?
WYA
I said, leave me alone. Don’t ever
come near me again!
SARA
(hurt)
You have your wish. They’ve started
transport.
She turns away. Filo follows.
INT. HOTEL ROOM – DAY
Wya, dressed in her own clothes, finishes packing a small
duffle. She looks up as Brody enters. Brody tosses credit
chips down on the table.
BRODY
Fifty thousand credits. Hope it was
worth it.
Wya pushes one of the credits towards Brody. Brody pushes it
back.
BRODY
Don’t need it. I’m going back down.
I’m a miner, it’s what I do.
Wya pushes it over again.
WYA
Half of whatever you find.
BRODY
Now that’s a deal.
INT. SASCO’S BAR – DAY
Establishing. Business as usual. An id chip is passed across
a table. Wya passes credit in return.
WYA
It’s clean?
SASCO
If it’s not, you’ll be in prison and
unable to do anything about it, won’t
you.
Wya takes the chip and rises.
SASCO
(softly)
Travel safe.
INT. PASSENGER TRANSPORT TERMINAL – DAY
Busy and crowded settlers preparing to go down to Ajax. Wya
makes her way to Antaeus Service Counter. The agent is yet
again a study in cosmetically enhanced perfection.
WYA
I want to book passage.
IN. PASSENGER TRANSPORT TERMINAL – DAY
Wya puts her duffle in a locker – locks it with her palm imprint
– turns away.
INT. THE STATION – THE HIVE – DAY
The hover-rail comes to a stop in the station. The passengers
disembark. Wya among them.
ON FLOOR CENTRAL
Wya crosses the Antaeus logo emblazoned on the shining floor.
The metal doors sweep open.
IN THE “LOBBY”
The guarded elevators. The hermaphrodite receptionist on
duty.
RECEPTIONIST
Good day, Ms. Doran. Mr. Shawne has
been expecting you.
INT. SHAWNE’S OFFICE –
The elevator doors open. Wya steps out. No guards this time.
The room dark. Blinds lowered. No view.
SHAWNE
Wya. Ah, what a pleasure.
Shawne is behind his desk. And now, behind the desk, one of
the Mentats rises from off her knees in front of Shawne. The
Mentat quickly rises and exits.
SHAWNE
(closing his pants)
I hear you had time to consider my
offer. In a restoration chamber.
Wya tosses credits onto Shawne’s desk.
SHAWNE
Aww. We would have paid death
benefits.
Wya turns away. Shawne coldly watches her go.
INT. PASSENGER TRANSPORT TERMINAL – “DAY”
More crowded than ever now as settlers that are going, say their
good-byes to one another and move towards the shuttle ramp with
animals and possessions.
INT. PASSENGER TRANSPORT TERMINAL – CONTINUOUS
Wya pulls the duffle out of the locker. Closes it –
TO – MOMENTS LATER –
Wya moves through the crowd looking for –
BRODY
Hey, Smiley!
Brody is all grins. He has his old pack animal with him. Plus
his weapon.
BRODY
Look. Big Bob. I got’m back.
WYA
Take care.
BRODY
You do the same.
Brody grins and turns away toward the shuttle docks. Wya
watches him go. And now across the terminal she sees Karel,
Sara and family saying goodbye to yet more friends.
TO:
KAREL
We’ll join you as soon as we can. A
new life begins.
They embrace. Sara looks up and sees Wya. She looks away.
KAREL
Come. We’ll watch them go down.
TO:
Wya watches as they move towards an observation area.
INT. DOCKING BAY – IN A SERIES OF CUTS –
Shuttle doors close. Docking lock pulls away. Exterior doors
open. The shuttle’s propulsion fields glow blue and the
shuttle lifts, turns and glides out into open space.
INT. A FIRST CLASS PASSENGER’S CLUB – ABOVE THE TERMINAL –
Wya comes off a lift and hands her gold trimmed first class
ticket credit to an female attendant.
ATTENDANT
Id, please.
Wya hands her the chip she bought from Sasco. The attendant
runs it through a scan. Wya’s face comes up in a holograph –
plus a name – DEVONE ABREAUX. The attendant hands chip and
ticket back to Wya.
ATTENDANT
We’ll be boarding shortly.
Wya makes her way across the carpeted room to floor to ceiling
windows. She looks down to see the shuttle pulling away from
the spindle.
EXT. SCYLLA – CONTINUOUS
The shuttle is tiny against the huge mass of Scylla. It moves
out past the spindles.
INSIDE THE SHUTTLE –
The passengers – some miners but mostly settlers – make
themselves comfortable. The passenger bay is like a large
ferry deck. Brody grins at some nervous looking children.
BRODY
Don’t worry, this is the fun part.
THE SHUTTLE
Banks away from the station and descends towards Ajax.
WYA –
Watching; the shuttle growing smaller against the glowing
planet beneath it.
IN THE TERMINAL
The settlers who are staying cluster around the windows, buzzing
with excitement. Sara, now looking back for Wya.
Wya.
The shuttle.
Sara – turning back to the window.
The shuttle.
Brody.
BRODY
– you know what a gazoo is?
The children giggling.
TO:
WHAM!!! The shuttle explodes in a concussive ball of fire.
TO:
The concussion shakes the station. Wya falls back, aghast.
TO:
Flaming debris falls in pieces towards the rings Of Odin as –
TO:
Wya turns and runs, racing for the lift – she knocks people aside
– moves into the lift – madly presses buttons – the doors close
–
THE TERMINAL
The doors open. Wya races out into chaos and pandemonium.
Screaming men and women – crying children. Wya grabs an Union
official who is racing past.
WYA
What happened!?
OFFICIAL
I don’t know! They never do that!
Wya pushes the man roughly away. She turns. Moving forward,
she takes in the tears, the shock – Sara comforting a rocking
woman – and then, over by the observation window, still gazing
out – Bannon – who now turns to meet Wya’s eyes – and smiles.
In that moment, Wya knows.
She starts forward. Only to be blocked by the moving crowd of
hysterical people – trying to get around them, past them,
through them – – to find Bannon gone. Scanning the crowd. And
then, turning and racing towards the exit.
INT. – MONO-RAIL STATION – THE HIVE – DAY
The cars comes out of the tunnel and slide to a stop. Doors
open. Wya comes off the tram.
ON FLOOR CENTRAL
Wya crosses the Antaeus logo towards the doors. And hearing
the sound of marching feet, turns –
– to see Shawn and a phalanx of security approaching.
SHAWNE
I thought you’d left.
Wya has to stop herself from going for him.
WYA
The shuttle.
SHAWNE
Horrible. There’ll be an
investigation.
WYA
By you?
SHAWNE
It was ours.
WYA
My best friend was on it.
She turns away. Shawne, staring.
EXT. SCYLLA –
The station; the stars. The sound of voices singing in a lovely
language.
INT. THE SETTLER’S HANGER – DAY
The settlers are gathered in a deep circle. As they sing, they
pass candles, man to woman, woman to child, child to man. Each
settler holds it a moment, then passes it on.
Wya stands at the edge of the hangar, watching. She is joined
by Sasco.
SASCO
This is the light of our souls.
There is no dimming of the light.
There are only the many faces of the
one God.
(Then:)
The things people believe.
The singing continues.
INT. UNION SECURITY OFFICE – DAY
Van Schryke uses his prosthetic hand to take a bite of an alien
looking fruit. Then:
VON SCHRYKE
So now you’re interested.
Wya stands across from him.
VON SCHRYKE
Would you like to know what the job
pays?
WYA
Just show me who I’m working with.
INT. UNION MEETING AREA – DAY
Ten men – Union officers – none of them young or in great shape,
stand in a line. Wya, now in Union uniform, stares them down.
VON SCHRYKE
My division officers. Good men –
once. Now mostly waiting for their
pensions.
Wya undoes her collar. She rips it back and down revealing her
tattoo. Lightening bolt piercing sun – kamikaze.
WYA
Kamikaze.
They look nervous.
WYA
Disobey, I kill you. Turn and run,
I kill you. Give up, screw up, I kill
you. Tell your men.
As the men disperse –
VON SCHRYKE
That was impressive.
WYA
If I screw up, you can kill me.
IN A DEEP INNER CONCOURSE –
– of Scylla, between dripping pipes and air ducts, a nightly
ritual begins. Homeless men and aliens, all stripped to the
waste – begin to beat on metallic drums. They have lit the
refuse in battered bins to give light. The rhythms build and
echo as –
EXT. CONCOURSE – NIGHT
Armed Union officers led by Wya and Von Schryke make their way
down a concourse. Pedestrian get out of their way and stare
as they pass.
We INTERCUT between drummers –
– and the Union officers as Wya leads them on. Faces -both human
and alien – staring out of dark windows and doorways, watching,
as they pass.
INT. FREIGHT BAY – CONTINUOUS
The settlers – Sara among them, nervously look up from their
cooing fires – they can hear the drums echoing off the metallic
walls of –
TO:
The drummers drip sweat – IN SLO-MO – a man’s dreadlocks fly
with his exertions as –
EXT. SCYLLA – NIGHT
The upscale area. Wya and her men move towards a brightly lit
nightclub entrance. The drumming continues as –
INT NIGHTCLUB – NIGHT
Men and woman and humanoid aliens move under multi-colored
light, dancing. Half nude dancers, both men and women, writhe
in cages above the dance floor.
At a table, a three eyed alien, offers a human woman magic –
glittering gold powder – she snorts it up with pleasure.
White faced Goths, black hair in bird-like crests, sip blood
colored drinks. One of them eats a succulent leech –
At a table, two pleasure girls kiss – their long, snake-like
tongues are wrapped together –
Off to the side are row upon row of wire-heads. They sit,
twitching, electric current jacked right into the pleasure
center of their brains.
Wya and her men enter and move across the dance floor. The
dancers part, some backing away, some pushed; all startled.
The SOUND OF DRUMS abruptly stop as Wya stops.
Shawne sits at a table with the Mentats and several other exotic
looking couples. They are drinking what looks like champagne.
Bannon and two other Antaeus security guards flank the table.
Wya tosses down a square, black computer chip embossed with the
Union logo.
SHAWNE
What’s this?
WYA
It’s an order instructing all
citizens on to turn their
weapons in to Union authorities.
That includes Antaeus personnel not
directly involved with the
indentured population.
SHAWNE
You’re joking.
Another chip is tossed onto the table.
WYA
This order prohibits transport to and
from Ajax till further notice – your
mining personnel as well as settlers.
SHAWNE
You’re shutting us down?
WYA
That’s exactly what I’m doing.
SHAWNE
You don’t have the authority!
WYA
Tell him.
VON SCHRYKE
The Union’s been advised of the
situation. A military fleet will be
here from the inner ring in twelve
solar days.
SHAWNE
Of course, I’ll have to contact our
legal division to advise them of the
situation. Or maybe I should just
tell them there’s a wanted runner on
this station and let them contact an
Union Bounty Squad.
Wya
They can come with the fleet. I want
your weapons. Start with him.
Bannon. Acoustic at his side.
SHAWNE
Mr. Bannon.
Bannon just stares.
SHAWNE
Do it.
Never taking his eyes off of Wya, Bannon unholsters and holds
out his weapon – an Union officer quickly takes it.
WYA
(to Shawne)
It’s your shuttle. It’s my station.
Wya turns away. Von Schryke and the men follow. Shawne smiles
at his guests. He sips champagne.
INT. SHAWNE’S PERSONAL QUARTERS – NIGHT
Glasses and decanter are swept off a counter. Shawne bellows
in rage. More possessions hit the floor.
BANNON
Let me kill her.
SHAWNE
Are you stupid? And bring a Union
fleet down on our heads!
BANNON
Twelve days –
SHAWNE
We don’t want them here at all!
Surrender the weapons.
BANNON
No.
SHAWNE
Just some of them, you idiot. I’ll
figure out an explanation for the
shuttle.
BANNON
What about her?
SHAWNE
Find some competent locals who’d like
to collect on a three million credit
reward.
INT. SCYLLA – ANTAEUS HQ – DAY
The metallic drumbeat begins again as: Antaeus weapons are
collected. They’re pulled from lockers and off of racks.
IN ANTAEUS BARRACKS –
Antaeus personnel stand side by side in a long line. Union
police move down the line, removing sidearms. Shawne and
Bannon are grimly watching. As are the barrack’s servants –
indentured prisoners.
ON THE CONCOURSE – DAY
Miners and citizens reluctantly turn their weapons in at
collection stations.
IN A BAR –
Orbiters and Welders are frisked.
INT. MINER’S HOSTEL –
A miner is roughly arrested for resisting a search.
IN THE TRANSPORTATION BAYS –
Passengers coming off inbound freighters are made to register
and surrender weapons –
A.I. VOICES
All incoming passengers must turn in
their weapons before entering
Scylla. All incoming passengers
must —
One passenger is a brutal, tattooed man, JANUS. His entire
right arm and shoulder are dull metal.
LATER –
A long barreled sonic rifle, decorated with feather and teeth,
mounted with a heat seeking scope is turned in by an albino
humanoid, with long white braided hair, HALO. He is dressed
like the Gorgon hunters.
AND FINALLY –
This passenger is a huge, jovial, black man, DALGREN.
UNION OFFICER
Business?
DALGREN
Vacation!
He grins showing white teeth.
EXT. THE STATION – NIGHT
Establishing. The Antaeus freighters and mining transport are
moored to the Antaeus spindle. Silent, seemingly deserted, the
transport ban in effect.
INT. ANTAEUS TRANSPORT BAY – NIGHT
Huge metal shipping containers fill the bay. A figure races
down between two of them. He looks back – he runs on.
He runs down another row towards the huge metal wall at the end
of the bay.
He gets to the bay door – he is an Antaeus indentured; a miner.
He is holding something beneath his shirt. He slides the bay
door open –
OUTSIDE THE BAY
A deserted, industrial corridor of the station. Vents and
pipes above. The miner peeks out, then runs.
CLOSE ON –
Golden cat eyes.
ANOTHER THE CORRIDOR –
The miner races towards us – turns the corner, running –
AIR FAN CORRIDOR
– and stops. Dead end. Just a huge air vent ahead. He turns
back – and grunts as the glowing restrainment band around his
neck suddenly constricts. Choking, he tries to pull the band
free. He stares, bug-eyed, as Bannon casually approaches.
Bannon holds a small transmitter in his hand. He presses it
and the band releases. The indentured gasps for air.
Bannon’s gloved fist clenches – two curved, claw-like blades
release out from a gauntlet and over the hand – he strikes –
Twin blades burst through the indentured’s back.
He gurgles and falls as Bannon pulls the blades free. The
blades withdraw with a hiss and Bannon kneels. He reaches under
the miner’s bloody shirt and pulls out a small rough stone.
Matte-black, it seems to absorb the light. Bannon rises and
walks away. The body lies in a bloody pool.
INT. AIR FAN CORRIDOR – DAY
The miner’s face is turned – examined.
WYA
Antaeus indentured.
VON SCHRYKE
Shivved. These poor bastards are
always killing each other.
Wya kneeling to lift the incarceration necklace – bruises
underneath. And now she examines the two bloody holes.
WYA
There’s something in the wound.
VON SCHRYKE
Hold on. Use this.
He takes the cylinder out. He thumbs a switch and makes an
adjustment. The laser flares to a good six inches. Van
Schryke smiles at Wya’s look.
Wya takes it and probes. Flesh hisses. Wya picks out a bloody
something. She wipes it clean. It’s a small chip of stone,
matte black.
INT. UNION LABRATORY – DAY
The matte-black stone is under an analysis beam. The
microscopic image floats in a holograph. Tightly packed atoms
oscillate.
VON SCHRYKE
Incredibly dense. Large, stable
nuclei. Somewhere out at the far end
of the elemental table, I should
think.
WYA
Heavy matter?
VON SCHRYKE
As pure as I’ve ever seen. This chip
could power for a year. I
can’t imagine what it’s worth.
WYA
Now we know what they’re hiding down
there.
Union officer enters behind them.
VON SCHRYKE
What is it?
OFFICER
We have a problem outside.
OUTSIDE – ON THE CONCOURSE
A crowd has gathered. Settlers, all of them. Murmuring.
Angry. As Wya and Von Schryke come out, the screams begin –
SETTLERS
Murderer!/Butcher of children!/You
killed my mother!/ My son!/ My
sister!
Wya glancing at Von Schryke.
VON SCHRYKE
I didn’t tell them.
Wya looks up to see Karel coming through the crowd. Sara and
Filo are with him. Union officers move forward but at a
gesture from Wya, they stop. Karel stops in front of Wya.
KAREL
Is it true? You were Kamikaze?
WYA
I led them.
Karel suddenly pulls out and aims an ancient pistol at Wya’s
face. He is more in anguish than he is in a rage.
KAREL
Beg for your life! Beg! You
deserve to die!
WYA
I do. But not today.
Wya reaches out and takes the pistol.
WYA
This man is voluntarily turning in
his weapon. Someone help him walk
away.
Men move forward to gently take Karel by the arms. He moves
like a dead man. Sara stares at Wya. Wya hands her the pistol.
WYA
Hold it for him.
Sara takes it. And then she spits in Wya’s face. She and Filo
turn and follow Karel.
INT. SASCO’S BAR – NIGHT
Noisy and crowded. Wya sits at a rear table, a bottle in front
of her, lost in dark thoughts. She looks up. It’s Sasco.
Blind eyes staring.
SASCO
I wouldn’t drink too much of that.
WYA
Go away.
She drinks. She pours again.
SASCO
The man at the end of the bar, the one
with the metal arm.
Wya sees him now. Their eyes meet.
SASCO
His name is Janus. He’s a bounty
hunter. I’ve used him from time to
time to bring back clients. He does
so in pieces.
Janus finishes his drink, rises and moves towards the door.
WYA
Why are you telling me this?
SASCO
If Antaeus takes over, they take
everything. The bars,
loansharking, the whores. Sordid
shit – but my shit.
Wya rises. She moves around the table.
SASCO
Watch out for the arm.
It’s doubtful Wya hears him. She heads to the door.
EXT. GRAND BAZAR – NIGHT
Wya comes out onto the concourse. Except for the bars,
everything closed and deserted now. Towards the end of the
concourse, he sees a figure moving away. She follows.
ON A CONCOURSE – NIGHT
Wya moving – passing a drunken miner with two Pleasure girls
– the single figure up ahead, turns to look back and disappears
down a side corridor now.
SIDE CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Wya turns down the corridor – it opens onto a a series of small,
dowdy shops. The figure ahead breaks into a run. Wya gives
chase.
Wya races down the shadowed concourse, gaining on the dark
figure ahead who seems to be panicing now.
Wya finally grabs him – spins him to stare into at the frightened
face of – an alien man – his neck is six inches long, ornamented
with gold rings..
HUMANOID ALIEN
I have no credits – none!
Wya releases him.
WYA
My mistake.
She suddenly sees frozen panic in the alien’s eyes.
Wya ducks as a small metal ball and gleaming micro-wire sweeps
above her head. The thinner-then-thread wire slices through
the alien. The cut is so fine, head and body hardly know they’re
separated. And then gravity pulls the head away and gold rings
fall in smoothly cut pieces.
Janus. The ball and micro-wire sprout from his prosthetic arm
– the ball whirling –
Wya raises her acoustic – only to have a horizontal cut of the
wire slice the weapon in two – it could have been her hand.
Wya backs away as Janus advances, whirling the ball in a deadly
circle. Wya backs into a metal waste bin. Picking it up, she
throws it. The ball and wire whirl and the bin is cut in half
like butter, refuse flying.
Janus begins to spin the ball again. The arc of the circle
widens as Janus advances. Wya moves back and around a metal
bench. She ducks a horizontal cut – dodges, away from a
vertical cut that slices through the bench. Wya comes over the
bench and leaps, driving Janus back and down.
A blow into Janus’ face – and Wya rolls free.
Janus rises. He holds out his metal arm – a magnetic pulse
sweeps the micro-wire to him and home into its socket. He turns
towards Wya –
– and then his body arches as a two white, pointed bolts bursts
through his chest from behind. The “bolts” withdraw. Janus
falls.
Wya stares. Like elastic snakes, the “bolts” slide back – to
form two bone-white arms.
WYA
Shapechanger.
Halo can mold and stretch his body into different forms.
He points – a finger sharpens – stretches/strikes – slams
through Wya’s shoulder, driving her back and pinning her to the
wall. Halo approaches, his finger shortening the closer he
gets. His head stretches up off his shoulders, then bends so
that he is looking Wya in the eyes. Halo’s voice is a whisper
in a skull.
HALO
Shall the thing be taken dead? Or
alive.
SASCO (O.C.)
I prefer alive.
Halo’s head whips 180 degrees on it’s axis. Sasco is behind
him – blind eyes “staring” – no weapons. Halo’s finger pulls
free from Wya’s shoulder. Wya drops to the ground.
Halo’s arms fly forward; finger spreading. Sasco raises his
hand and his rings flare with a burst of energy. Halo’s hands
are is blasted away. Halo is blasted back; a hole blown through
him. He falls, twisting, flipping like a dying fish. His real
form is not human. And then he’s still. Wya drags herself to
her feet.
SASCO
Can you walk?
WYA
I think so.
SASCO
Good. I can’t.
He glances down at the white, severed arm that is impaled in
his belly. He falls to one knee.
SASCO
Get me back to the bar.
Wya pulls him up.
INT. BACK ROOM – BAR – LATER
Wya enters, Holding Sasco up. She moves to a small cot and help
him down.
WYA
You need a regeneration matrix.
SASCO
No. It’s healing already.
Wya parts the tear in Sasco’s tunic. The wound is closing,
seemingly healing of its own accord.
SASCO
They do it.
Sasco peels off his shirt. Beneath the mottled, swollen skin
of his hunchback, something horrible and serpentine writhes.
Wya stares, horrified.
WYA
Parasites.
SASCO
Lovely, aren’t they.
Sasco weakly turns to sit.
SASCO
Drugs slow their growth. But try and
remove them and you die. All you can
do is wait for them to rip their way
out, fully grown. And then you die.
And so one day soon, I’ll put a sonic
to my chest and blow them to hell.
And they know it.
The girl, Daga enters. She stares at Wya, then quickly moves
to Sasco. She tenderly puts her cheek against his knees.
SASCO
You can go. I’m well attended.
Wya leaves.
INT. UNION MODULE – NIGHT
Wya comes off a lift and moves down a hall of anonymous doors.
She comes to a door. She stops. She hesitates – she shrugs
off the sling and tosses it aside – she touches a stud. A voice
–
VON SCHRYKE
Yes, who is it?
WYA
Me.
The door opens. Von Schryke, out of uniform, stares in
surprise.
WYA
I could use a little help.
INT. THE APARTMENT – LATER
The apartment is small but neat and clean. Von Schryke gently
bandages the wound on Wya’s shoulder.
VON SCHRYKE
I don’t suppose you’re going to tell
me how this happened.
WYA
It doesn’t matter.
VON SCHRYKE
This should do for now.
(a moment; then:)
Would you like a drink?
WYA
Yes.
Von Schryke rises. Von Schryke moves to a counter – he pours
dark liquid into two glasses. Out of his uniform, Wya sees
why Von Schryke limps. It’s not just his hand that’s maimed
– much of his right leg is supported by metal prothesis.
VON SCHRYKE
Lovely, isn’t it.
(Off her look)
Courtesy of a suicide bomber on New
Istanbul.
He hands her the drink. They sip, quietly looking at one
another. He reaches out, pushes hair back from her face.
VON SCHRYKE
I keep trying to dislike you. It’s
not easy.
A long moment.
WYA
(softly)
When’s the last time you were kissed?
VON SCHRYKE
Far too long.
WYA
Me too.
VON SCHRYKE
May I?
WYA
I think… it’s why I’m here.
They kiss. The kiss grows needy.
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
Wya and Von Schryke lie together. His prosthetic fingers trace
the wound – and then the tattoo on her shoulder.
VON SCHRYKE
Tell me about Malfi Prime.
WYA
We did what we were trained to do.
He kisses her.
INT. ANTAEUS CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
Shawne, subordinates and the Mentats sit on one side of a large
conference table. Wya and Van Schryke sit on the other.
Holographic illustrations accompany Shawne’s speech.
SHAWNE
– while the safety rating of the C-9
transport is second to none, there
have been reports of cracks in the
fusion shields. I’m a moron when it
comes to sub-atomic physics but this,
they tell me, can lead to sudden
violent surge in the energy modus.
Hence our little accident.
The holographs blink out.
SHAWNE
Antaeus, by the way, has generously
offered to provide financial
restitution to all relatives of the
deceased.
VON SCHRYKE
What’s a dead settler worth these
days?
SHAWNE
That’s to be determined. And now,
if we’re all satisfied, I’d like to
get our mining operations up and
running again.
WYA
When can we begin getting the
settlers down to the planet’s
surface?
SHAWNE
Ah. That’s a problem. See,
management wants us to do a thorough
examination of all our shuttles to
make sure they’re safe. Which will
take a little time. We’ll let you
know when we’re done.
Shawne; all smiles. Wya and Von SCHRYKE glance at one another.
They rise.
SHAWNE
By the way, can we get our weapons
back?
WYA
Don’t push your luck.
They turns away. Shawne; looking at his subordinates – how do
you deal with people like this?
EXT. CONCOURSE – DAY
Wya and Von Schryke stride down the busy concourse together.
VON SCHRYKE
Energy modus, my ass.
WYA
It’s time to see what they’re hiding
down there.
VON SCHRYKE
Why not?
They move on. Dalgren – eating ice cream – is following.
EXT. THE STATION –
A medium size attack transport with the Union logo on the tail
is docked on a secondary spindle. The transport is a rusting
bundle of bolts.
INT. BLACKHAWK – CONTINUOUS
A door slides open. Wya and Van Schryke enter. Lights come
on – falter – come on again. G-thrones – used to protect
soldiers from the forces of rapid descent – line the walls.
VON SCHRYKE
Look familiar?
WYA
It’s a Blackhawk attack transport.
VON SCHRYKE
The Union’s finest. When new.
They move on into the ship.
INT. BLACKHAWK BRIDGE – CONTINUOUS
Wya and Von Schryke enter and seat themselves on the bridge.
Von Schryke hits switches on the control.
VON SCHRYKE
Coming on line… now
The sound of energy surging – the Blackhawk bucks and vibrates
– lights flicker… then die…
WYA
How old is this thing?
VON SCHRYKE
It too, is waiting for its pension.
Another try. Energy surges and catches – lights come on. Von
Schryke buckles his seat harness.
VON SCHRYKE
Buckle up.
Shaking her head, Wya reaches for her harness.
EXT. THE SPINDLE –
The Blackhawk slips its dockage. Engines flare and the vehicle
moves up and away – gaining speed – leaving the station behind
– moving towards Ajax –
ON THE BRIDGE –
Out the observation window, they can see a convoy of Antaeus
ships making their way slowly down.
VON SCHRYKE
Those are container ships.
EXT./INT. THE BLACKHAWK –
The ship hurtles down – the planet getting closer – closer –
WYA
Atmosphere in five… four…
The yellow planet fills the observation panel.
Wya
… three… two..
The ship bumps hard as it hits the atmosphere.
VON SCHRYKE
One.
The transport begins to tremble – then rock – it glows, red hot
– as the atmosphere ignites around it –
ON THE BRIDGE –
The transport seems as if it’s going to come part around them.
Wya looks nervous – she glances at Von Schryke who seems totally
unconcerned.
EXT. AJAX – DAY
The transport hurtles towards the planet surface –
INTERCUT: THE BRIDGE –
The planet surface is rushing up at them.
WYA
(alarmed)
It’s not responding.
Von Schryke seems unconcerned. He reaches out and with a
clenched fist hits the instrument console – hard.
EXT. THE BLACK HAWK –
At the last moment it pulls up and races along, just above the
ground, moving with the changing desert topography.
ON THE BRIDGE –
Wya breathes a sigh of relief. Von Schryke seems amused. As
if answering an unspoken question:
VON SCHRYKE
I used up my allotment of fear a long
time ago.
(Then:)
Antaeus’s primary mining operation
is beyond that mesa.
EXT. THE MESA – DAY
The transport hovers and lands on the mesa.
ON THE BRIDGE – CONTINUOUS
The transport settles with a hard jolt. Wya unbuckles her
harness and rises.
WYA
Coming?
VON SCHRYKE
Not with this leg. I’ll stay here.
In the air conditioning.
Wya exits. Taking out the cylinder and releasing the knife,
Von Schryke begins to tinker with the insides of the prosthetic
hand.
EXT. THE MESA – DAY
Wya comes out of the Blackhawk into the stifling heat. The
double suns are blinding. She moves forward.
EXT. THE MESA – DAY
Wya moves across the mesa. As she approaches the edge, she sees
a scorched plain, stretching towards a endless horizon. And
then it’s in front of her, down below – an excavation; strip
mine on a grand scale. Dust billows. Indentured men and huge
machines are at work; disaggregating dirt from usable ore,
collecting. Anti-grav transports move towards grounded
container ships. Suddenly –
The air rips and the ground erupts as the shots from a rip gun
– an acoustic capable of firing off sonic blasts in sustained,
short bursts – just misses her. Three Antaeus guards are
mounted on horses – seahorse shaped anti-grav cycles. They
hurtle overhead. A forth and fifth guard, bring up the rear
– they open fire. The sonic impact knocks Wya off her feet.
Drawing her acoustic, she rises and runs across the plateau.
ON THE PLATEAU
The air rips, sounds waves shatter rock as Wya runs, weaving
in and out and under cover. The guards swoop and turn in the
blue sky overhead, incredibly fast, almost impossible to hit
with a hand weapon. Almost. Stopping, aiming, leading a rider,
Wya squeezes off a series of rapid shots. The last one blasts
a hole through the chassis of the anti-grav and out of control,
the guard rides down into the rocks where his machine explodes
on impact. Wya runs on.
ON THE PLATEAU
Wya comes over the plateau. She stops. The Blackhawk is just
ahead, separated by a hundred yards of jagged rock. No cover.
Sonic blasts hit around her. She runs –
– across the open space, dodging, weaving –
– one of the guards pulling his mount into a hover – carefully
aiming –
His POV – Wya running, in his crosshairs –
– and a massive, air curdling sonic hits the guard and anti-grav
mount, pulverizing them.
Wya stopping, breathless and startled as –
The Blackhawk’s acoustic cannon fires again.
WHOOM – the air rips as another sound wave pulverizes a second
guard –
– Wya staring up as –
The remaining guards try to flee. The aircycles are fast but
the sonics are made to take out air craft. Again, the air rips
and another guard and his cycle disintegrate. Shrapnel rips
into the last guard who slumps in the seat of his cycle. The
cycle careens, out of control. And then it turns in a careening
arc and, as if with a mind of its own, starts down – towards
Wya.
Wya turns and runs as it hurtles down – and then it crashes and
rolls after her. She leaps to the side. The cycle explodes
into rock in a fiery wall of debris.
Wya breathlessly rises. And suddenly the ground quakes and
gives way all around her and Wya falls –
BELOW – CONTINUOUS
– to land hard but in something soft. She lies, stunned. And
just about pukes at the smell. She is lying in a steaming pile
of rotting guts. A large decaying head is not more than a foot
from her own. Wya struggles up. It’s the body of one of Ajax’s
winged creatures – a night dragon.
Wya starts as more rock crumbles from the roof above and the
mangled body of the guard now falls and dangles.
In the shafts of light, Wya sees now that there are the remains
of other living things here. She takes a step – and almost
stumbles over the remains of a man. It is a Antaeus indentured,
the restrainment ring still around the remains of his neck. Wya
sees now that the wasted, paralyzed hands clasp something,
holding it close. Wya kneels and with some effort, pulls the
object free. It’s wrapped in scraps of dirty old cloth. Wya
unwraps it. And stares, incredulous. The stone, as large as
a jagged fist, is matte black. Heavy matter.
She starts as the dry, decayed chest of the indentured prisoner
suddenly collapses in on itself. The ribs and ripped out back
of the man is revealed.
Now Wya knows what’s killed all these creatures.
The patter of centipede feet. A scaled, silver eel, rushes out
of the gloom and with a cold hiss, throw itself at Wya – who
manages to grab it below the mouth as it drives her down –
The parasite’s open maw gapes above Wya. It’s rasp-like tongue
whips. The tongue is coated with maggot-like eggs.
WYA
I hate parasites.
Holding the parasite with one hand, Wya reaches. Her free hand
closes on a length of jagged bone. She drives it into the
parasite’s mouth and through its head.
Throwing the thing aside, she rises. There are other hisses,
in the gloom of the nest. She moves to the dead guard, reaches
for the man’s holstered sonic.
Something silver rushes forward.
Wya turns and fires – and blows a rushing parasite to mush. She
spins and mows down another. And then another and another.
Panting with fear and exertion, Wya moves to the rock wall and
climbs.
ABOVE –
Wya pulls herself up and out of the nest. She realizes she’s
lost the nugget of heavy matter. The hell with it – she’s not
going back down there. She turns away.
INT. THE BLACKHAWK – ON THE BRIDGE –
Wya comes on to the bridge. Van Schryke is in the Captain’s
chair, his back to Wya.
WYA
(putting the sonic down)
Let’s get out of here.
No answer.
WYA
Jon…?
She reaches out to touch – Von Schryke sags in his chair – blood
on his bruise mottled face – Wya spins. To see – HER POV –
a huge fist is coming at her.
INT. SETTLER’S HANGAR – NIGHT
A glowing fire pod. Settlers gathered around it. And now they
look up, startled at the sound of marching feet.
Armed Antaeus personnel move at a fast trot through the
settler’s encampment. Settlers move to get out of their way.
FURTHER ON – CONTINUOUS
Karel, Sara and the others stare, alarmed, as the armed men
approach. Karel’s wife, Elena, comes out of their tent.
ELENA
I can’t find Filo.
She moves to his side as men surround the perimeter. Two guards
part and Shawne, steps forward.
SHAWNE
Whoo, it’s freezing in here.
(Then; smiling broadly)
Hel-lo!
INT. BLACKHAWK – LATER
Wya blinks, not sure where she is. Someone is whistling. It
takes a moment to realize that her hands are bound behind her,
her feet are bound together and her cheek is against the floor.
The whistling stops.
DALGREN
Ha. You one tough bitch, sister.
What I hit, usually stay out.
Wya painfully sits up. Von Schryke – eyes unfocused – badly
hurt – trying to smile at Wya. Dalgren has an electric pulled
back, a heavy metal toolbox out and is fiddling with
micro-circuitry.
DALGREN
Better days, this Hawk seen. Lame it
went, when gravity we clear.
Wya looking out the viewpanes. They’re in orbit above Ajax.
Her hands begin to twist at the plasticine bonds.
DALGREN
Good though, sonics work. Fish in
barrel those little horses were.
(Then:)
Twist all day, sister, you get free
not.
WYA
So kill me now.
DALGREN
Uh-uh. Cat face psycho do it. Big
bonus. For you, bad luck, Sister,
good for me.
Suddenly power hums and the ship comes to life.
DALGREN
There. Told you I fix.
Dalgren rises, wiping his hands. And now, beneath the
sleeveless tunic, Wya sees a tattoo on Dalgren’s massive
shoulder. Lightening bolts through sun.
WYA
What’s the price of honor?
DALGREN
Ey?
WYA
One blood, one flesh, brother.
Dalgren picks Wya up off the floor with one hand.
DALGREN
You jobbin’ me, Sister, you pay.
He rips the uniform down off Wya’s shoulder. Stares at her
tattoo.
DALGREN
Kamikaze.
(Then:)
Three million plus bonus. Sorry,
sister, for that no honor, I.
He throws Wya roughly to the floor and turns away
EXT. SCYLLA –
The Blackhawk swoops towards the station.
ON THE SPINDLE – CONTINUOUS
The Blackhawk docks. Passenger locks engage.
INT. BLACKHAWK – BRIDGE – CONTINUOUS
Dalgren shuts the Blackhawk down. Reaching to an almost
invisible sheath on his thigh, he takes out a knife that seems
to be nothing but the edge of a glittering blade. He cuts the
bonds that bind Wya’s feet. The blade parts her pant leg and
cuts the flesh beneath. Dalgren roughly pulls Wya to her feet
and holds the knife to Wya’s face.
DALGREN
Cut your bones like butter, Sister.
Wya looks toward Von Schryke – he has fallen into
unconsciousness – the small switchblade-cylinder is on the
console next to him.
WYA
There’s no reward for his death.
DALGREN
(hesitating; then)
Because kamikaze you.
With a stroke Dalgren cuts the bonds holding Wya’s wrists. He
gestures towards Von Schryke.
DALGREN
Carry you him.
Wya moves to Von Schryke’s body. As she hoists him up, she palms
the knife cylinder. She staggers under the weight…
DALGREN
Hah! You weak, sister
Wya springs, throwing Von Schryke into Dalgren who stumbles
back. Wya turns on the laser – she flares it to full length.
Dalgren angrily raises the micro-scapel.
DALGREN
Pretty face, cut I, sister.
Dalgren attacks – drives Wya back. Wya slams off the console.
Dalgren moves for the sonic Wya brought onto the Blackhawk. As
Dalgren grabs the weapon, Wya grabs a seat harness. As Dalgren
turns, Wya throws the laser knife at the observation panel –
With a sizzle, the point of the laser pierces the old
plexi-carbon –
Wya lunges for Von Schryke as –
– PHWOOMPH! – the knife is sucked out into the void, leaving
a small hole in the panel. Instantly the bridge is a vacuum
– anything not nailed down flies towards it –
Dalgren grabs for the open hatch way – loses the sonic as –
– the Blackhawk’s metal toolbox hits the panel. It shatters
the panel, leaving a larger hole.
Wya holds the harness – desperately tries to keep her hold on
von Schryke – no air – as –
Dalgren’s fingers begin to slip – and suddenly a G-Throne hits
him, knocking him from the hatch – he grabs for purchase but
there’s nothing. Dalgren flies towards the open panel –
spinning – his legs are sucked out – his bulk closes off and
plugs the hole –
Vacuum gone, Wya releases the harness and drags Von Schryke
towards the hatch –
Dalgren screams as the suction begins to pull him through the
too small space. Cracks skitter in the glass around him. As
Wya reaches the hatch, Dalgren is pulled out with a pop –
OUTSIDE –
And sent gaping mouthed and hurtling out into space –
INSIDE –
Wya is holding on to the hatch frame with one hand, Von Shryke
with the other as the vacuum resumes it’s pull. She slowly
pulls herself through the hatch – she almost loses her hold as
a loose G-throne flies past her – and then she’s through –
ON THE OTHER SIDE –
– she pulls von Schryke through and hits a pressure plate and
the hatch door slides shut. Wya sags against the bulkhead.
INT. SASCO’S BAR – NIGHT
It’s late; some drunken men and fawning pleasure girls at the
tables. Sasco sits at the bar. He is drunk. He lifts the
bottle only to find it empty. He pushes the bottle away.
SASCO
Another bottle! Another!
The shark toothed bartender goes for one. And then, Daga is
there. She stares at Saco.
SASCO
Don’t look at me! Go away, get your
sympathy out of here!
She reaches to touch his face. He slaps the hand away.
SASCO
Get out, whore! Leave!
Daga hurries towards the exit. A moment. Sasco rises – he
staggers after her towards the door.
OUTSIDE – NIGHT
Sasco comes out onto the concourse. His head turns – his blind
eyes seem to be seeking what direction to go.
SASCO
Daga!? I’m sorry! Daga!?
ACROSS THE CONCOURSE –
A figure rises from where he’s been waiting on top of the moving
carousel. Bannon. He lowers his visor and raises an acoustic
rifle. Visuals on his visor key in on Sasco. Sasco looks lost
– truly blind – and alone. But then, he’s not. Daga hurries
out of the shadows. She stops.
SASCO
…sorry… so sorry…
She starts towards him as – Bannon fires. The sound bullet hits
Daga and drives her brutally into the metal wall. Screaming,
Sasco raises his hands. Clenching his fists, he fires his rings
in a blind arc across the concourse Pedestrians scatter as
stands explode and windows are shattered. Bannon leaps as the
carousel and it’s horses are turned to rubble. He lands like
a cat, losing the rifle. He snarls – he runs. Sasco stops
firing. He hears the sound of retreating footsteps. A moment
and then:
SASCO
Daga…?
Daga is dead. Sasco’s cry echoes through the concourse.
SASCO
Daga!!!!?
INT. MEDCO UNIT – NIGHT
Wya stares. Von Schryke, unconscious and naked, stands
suspended in a blue, regeneration field. Hand and leg
prosthetic gone; maimed limbs visible. Wya turns away.
EXT. MEDCO – NIGHT
Wya comes out. A squad of Antaeus Security is approaching.
Armed. Sonic rifles rise and aim as one.
ANTAEUS COMMANDER
Major Doran, you’re under arrest.
EXT. CONCOURSE – UNION HQ – NIGHT
As Wya and her guards approach, she sees that Union HQ is
swarming with Antaeus security. They have Union forces lined
up – hands on their heads. Wya is led past. And suddenly Wya
turns, shocked, at a familiar sound. The Antaeus men have
opened fire. The air ripples as the sonic bullets mow the Union
forces down. Wya is pushed forward.
INT. UNION LABORATORY – NIGHT
Shawne is perusing Von Schryke’s notes on the holographic
monitor. The molecules of the heavy matter oscillate. He
looks up as Wya is escorted into the room; her hands in glowing
energy cuffs behind her.
SHAWNE
(The holograph)
The power of the universe. Ajax has
enough to make energy a footnote in
mankind’s future.
WYA
And since Antaeus is about energy,
you’ll become a footnote too.
SHAWNE
Exactly. So we’ve decided to take
over. Throw her in a cell.
INT. A CONCOURSE – NIGHT
A squadron of Antaeus security double time it down the
concourse. Once they pass, Filo comes out of the shadows. He
follows.
EXT. UNION SECURITY HQ – NIGHT
Armed Antaeus men are around the entrance. The group of Antaeus
security approaches – Filo is now with them. A woman in Antaeus
uniform, STOWE on her name tag, is gripping his hand.
STOWE
Look what we found.
INT. UNION HQ – NIGHT
Filo and Stowe move down a corridor to a transport. Two guards
on either side; one an officer.
TRANSPORT OFFICER
What’s this?
STOWE
Settler’s kid. The Director’s been
looking for this one.
Stowe is still holding Filo’s wrist.
TRANSPORT OFFICER
Ring 3.
Transport Guard 2 presses a button – the transport doors open.
Stowe pulls Filo roughly into the lift.
IN THE TRANSPORT –
The doors close. There is an odd look in the Stowe’s eyes.
Filo’s hand now clasps hers.
STOWE
Fifth ring.
The sound of the transport quickly moving.
INT. THE FIFTH RING – INCARCERATION CELLS –
The transport doors open. An energy field bisects the
passageway between lift and cells. On the other side of the
field, two guards look up as Stowe and Filo approach.
STOWE
(flirtatiously)
Got a spare cell?
PRISON GUARD 1
I think we accommodate you.
The press of buttons on a console and the field goes down. Filo
and Stowe move forward.
STOWE
Thanks.
She chops the man down. Before Guard 2 can draw his weapon.
Filo grabs his hand.
THE CELLS – MOMENTS LATER
Wya sits in a cell. Bars of energy in front of her. She looks
up and then rises as Filo – holding Stowe and Guard 2 by the
hands – approaches. Both guards seem dazed.
STOWE
Hello, Wya.
What?
STOWE
It’s me, Filo. I’m a mind walker,
remember?
Guard 2 raises a harmonic key. A series of tones and the energy
bars disappear.
STOWE
I think we should leave, don’t you?
WYA
… good idea.
Wya moves out of the cell. She takes Guard 2’s weapon.
STOWE
Wait.
Filo looks up at Guard 2. The man’s eyes roll and he falls.
WYA
Any more like you back on the farm?
Filo smiles.
STOWE
It’s our secret.
Wya, Filo and Stowe move away. They enter the lift. The doors
close.
IN THE LIFT –
STOWE
There are guards outside the
transport.
Wya nods.
INT. UNION HQ –
The doors open and Wya leaps out. She slams one guard in the
head with the butt of the sonic rifle – the other in the stomach
with the barrel – and then, as he folds, on the head. Both out.
STOWE
You’re good at this.
WYA
I’m too good.
They move down the corridor.
INT. UNION MOTOR POOL –
The lift opens and Wya, Filo and Stowe hurry out. They move
across the bay past police hover cruisers and vans. Wya pulls
open the door of a hover cruiser.
WYA
Get in.
Filo and Stowe get in the back. Wya gets in behind the wheel.
She starts the cruiser. It goes into hover mode, blue anti-grav
field beneath it.
Wya
Hold on.
She jams it into gear and it vaults forward. Wya hits a switch.
Ahead of them, the exit doors begin to open. Open slowly. Too
slowly.
OUTSIDE – NIGHT
Antaeus guards turn in surprise as – the cruiser explodes
through the partially open doors, raining metal debris –
careening into the Antaeus transports, scattering bodies –
– the cruiser spins 180 degrees – and then –
IN THE CRUISER –
Wya gets it under control and aims it down the concourse –
Antaeus men firing on it as it races towards them – the cruiser
jolting as the sonics hit it but still it’s coming –
And then it’s through the men – a guard flying off the front
of the cruiser – and it races away.
Antaeus men leap into two hover cruisers – while one jumps onto
a “horse” – the seahorse shaped cycle. They take off in
pursuit.
ON THE CONCOURSE(S) – NIGHT
The chase. The hover cruisers and cycle are fast and smooth
– built for the slick flooring of – but at high speed
they are difficult to control – the cruisers especially are slow
to respond and they slide dangerously on the turns –
The cruisers open fire – Wya’s cruiser bucks as the sonics hit
it –
The last of the Antaeus cruisers is the first to lose control.
As it comes into a turn, it skids – the driver and his passenger
screaming as it careens into a metal wall and disintegrates.
On they go, Wya weaving – Antaeus cruiser followed by cycle.
Bursts of sonic bullets from both vehicles.
Wya suddenly realizes there is drop ahead – it’s a wide stairway
that takes the concourse down a level – oh, shit – her foot hits
the floor as she accelerates
The cruiser goes airborne – and lands halfway down the stairway
with a teeth-rattling jolt – – at the bottom of the stairs, Wya’s
fights the wheel, gets the cruiser under control and speeds on
–
The second Antaeus cruiser goes airborne – hits the stairs –
sparks flaring, metal rending – it lands, makes it to the bottom
and continues on –
The cycle isn’t so fortunate – it goes airborne and tilts in
mid-air – lands, bounces and rolls – boom! – into the side wall
– it disintegrates into pieces –
THE CONCOURSE – NIGHT
Wya is now on a long unfinished section of concourse. Exposed
metal support pillars run down the middle of it. As the
Antaeus cruiser closes behind her, firing sonics, Wya begins
to weave around the pillars.
Wham! The rear plasti-carbon window of the cruiser explodes!
Wya turns the cruiser into a skid – turns it 180 degrees. She
hits it and goes speeding back at the Antaeus cruiser, now able
to sticks an arm out the side and fire her sonic.
One of her bursts takes out the armed passenger. Now it’s just
Wya and the other driver – collision course – game of chicken
– – closer and closer. It’s the Antaeus man who yields first
– screaming, he yanks the wheel. He loses control and his
cruiser turns and hits a metal pillar head on. The cruiser is
cut in half – two crumbling pieces rolling and exploding into
flame –
Wya’s cruiser comes to a halt. A breathless moment.
WYA
Kid?
(No answer)
Filo!?
She turns –
– and she sees that Filo is frightened but fine. Stowe – Filo’s
voice – is dead, hit by a shard of plasti-carbon.
Wya turns the cruiser and moves away.
INT. INCARCERATION CELLS – NIGHT
SHAWNE
Son of a bitch!!!!
Shawne, Bannon and the two dazed prison guards stare at the empty
cell.
SHAWNE
Find her!!
EXT. THE GRAND BAZAAR – NIGHT
The Union cruiser glides into the Grand Bazaar, on its last legs.
It comes to a halt and Wya and Filo get out. Wya stares at the
shattered stalls, the smoking carousel.
INT. SASCO’S BAR –
Wya enters, Filo behind her. The place is empty. Wya sits
at a table towards the rear, his back to the door. As Wya comes
closer, she sees that Daga’s body is on the table in front of
Sasco.
SASCO
The innocent die first. The guilty
know they’re deserving of death and
so they’re wary of it.
IN A BACK ROOM OF THE BAR –
A metallic trunk slides from a secret compartment in the wall.
Sasco keys in a code and pulls back the lid to reveal an
assortment of weapons. He pulls them out, one by one.
SASCO
Rapid fire acoustic. Thermals.
Razor net. A blood burner. And
this – Union issue mmilitary assault
rifle.
Wya reaches for it.
WYA
Hey, old friend.
She ratchets a combustion shell into the firing chamber.
EXT. CONCOURSE – NIGHT
Wya and Sasco walk side by side; both heavily armed.
SASCO
You do know there are several hundred
of them and only two of us.
WYA
Let’s even up the sides.
They continue on. Unbeknownst to them, Filo is following.
EXT. INDENTURED BARRACKS – NIGHT
Two armed Antaeus guards look up as Sasco and Wya approach.
GUARD
This is a restricted area.
Wya raises the assault rifle –
INT. INDENTURED BARRACKS – CONTINUOUS
A instrument lined control room overlooks a large three tiered
bay of cells. A guard sits at a desk watching a pornographic
hologram. And suddenly a combustion shell blows a hole through
the metal door – the guards did not get out of the way in time.
Wya and Sasco enter.
WYA
Open the cells.
The guard hesitates. Wya turns to the Plexi-carbon that looks
out on the cell bay. She fires – a combustion shell turns the
glass to dust. The guard quickly hits a switch on the wall.
IN THE INDENTURED BAY –
The prisoners have moved to the front of their cells at the sound
of the shells exploding. The energy bars now disappear and
they move out onto the floors.
Wya appears overhead.
WYA
Who wants their freedom? Who?
They all do.
WYA
Are you willing to fight for it?
The prisoners look at one other.
AN INDENTURED
Fight who?
WYA
Antaeus.
They roar their approval.
ANOTHER INDENTURED
What about these?
He raises the glowing necklace around his neck. Wya turns –
the zip drive of the rifle sounds like a high pitched zipper.
70 calibre flechettes turn the wall of instruments into swiss
cheese. The charged bands go out.
WYA
Now they’re decorations.
The indentureds cheer.
INT. A STORAGE BAY – NIGHT
The doors are pulled open and indentureds rush in. This is
where Wya’s men stored the weapons they confiscated. The
indentureds fall on them, grabbing them up.
ON A CONCOURSE – NIGHT
A battalion of Antaeus security move down the concourse. The
leader stops – puzzled. And now he sees them –
A wave of armed indentureds race towards them; howling with hate
and rage – opening fire –
The security forces begin to fall back, returning fire –
– but the indentureds keep coming – like soldier ants; falling
and coming –
The Antaeus leader shoots down a rushing indentured, then
another. The third, an alien with a unicorn-like horn growing
from his head, leaps at him and impaling him, takes him down
–
EXT. ANTAEUS BARRACKS – NIGHT
Armed indentureds race towards a guarded barricade.
TO:
A man raises a bulbous nosed weapon and puts in a small grenade
– a thermal. He fires and the metal doors to the barracks
dissolve with a crack of incendiary heat.
IN THE BARRACKS COMPOUND – CONTINUOUS
The Indentureds pour in, firing at and receiving fire from the
Antaeus men.
IN THE BARRACKS – CONTINUOUS
The indentured servants turn on their masters.
EXT. THE HIVE – CONTINUOUS
Armed Indentureds race across Floor Central.
IN THE ANTAEUS “LOBBY” – CONTINUOUS
The Indentureds pour in, firing at and receiving fire from the
Antaeus men who guard the transports. The receptionist hits
some controls at his deck and locks down the transports – and
then arches as he is battered with sonics.
INT. SETTLER’S HANGAR – CONTINUOUS
The adult settlers are sitting gathered, surrounded by a
perimeter of Antaeus security. Suddenly the hangar doors slam
open and Wya enters, followed by armed indentureds. Guards
raise their weapons – not fast enough – Wya let’s lose with
the zip drive – the flechettes – small explosive darts – mow
several guards down.
WYA
Take their weapons.
A SHORT TIME LATER –
The settlers herd the guards that are still alive towards the
periphery of the hangar.
TO:
Wya makes her way to where Sasco sits, his back against a wall.
WYA
Shawne took the Sara and the
children.
SASCO
Where?
WYA
Quarantine. With the animals.
Wya turns. Karel and some of the younger settler men are
approaching. Karel holds his old pistol.
KAREL
We’re going with you.
WYA
I thought you were pacifists?
KAREL
They took our children.
INT. ANIMAL QUARANTINE – CONTINUOUS
The dragons pace in their cages, eyeing the clustered group of
frightened children. Shawne, flanked by his guards and the
Mentats, snorts a mood enhancer. He offers the small nasal
cannister to Sara.
SHAWNE
I bet you clean up pretty good.
She coldly stares at him. Bannon sits on the metal fence of
the corral, watching. Shawne turns to him.
SHAWNE
Feed one of these brats to those
things over there.
A dragon throws itself at the bars. The children cower.
SARA
No!
SHAWNE
Than be nice.
Shawne’s communicator chirps and he answers it.
SHAWNE
Talk.
The face on the communicator answers.
ANTAEUS GUARD
Sir, Union personnel have freed and
armed the indentured prisoners.
SHAWNE
How many?
ANTAEUS GUARD
All of them.
SHAWNE
Kill — them!
Shawne is barely controlling his temper as he disconnects and
turns to Bannon.
SHAWNE
Call transport to get my speeder
ready. Snuff that bitch when she
comes for the kids. And kill them on
your way out.
BANNON
Love to.
Shawne and his guards move away. Sara struggles to no avail.
INT. CONCOURSE – CONTINUOUS
Above, through the dome, Ajax glows in all its glory.
TO:
A figure rises before us, approaching, silhouetted by its light.
And then, two more. As the three figures – Wya, Sasco and Karel
– move forward, others follow.
Like gunfighters, going to meet their fate, Wya, Sasco and Karel
make their way towards us, side by side. Behind them are the
other settler volunteers.
DIFFERENT ANGLES ON – Wya represents the law, badge-like Union
emblem on her chest. Sasco is the gambler, possessed of a
momentary nobility; hunchback hidden by a long cloak. Karel
and his men are the posse; nervous but resolute.
Sasco and Wya are heavily armed; their weapons sleek and lethal
looking. The settlers have the weapons taken from Antaeus
guards. Karel has the old pistol stuck in his belt.
SASCO
You sure that thing works?
KAREL
It works.
They stride on.
INT. NEGATIVE GRAVITY CAR STATION –
Shawne, Sara and the Mentats, surrounded by bodyguards, hurry
into the station. Shawne flinches at the sound of near-by
acoustic fire. They move onto a waiting car.
SHAWNE
Get this thing moving!
The car leaves the station.
EXT. ANIMAL QUARANTINE BAY –
Wya, Sasco, Karel and the settlers approach the metal walls that
cordon off the quarantine bay.
INT. QUARANTINE – CONTINUOUS
Bannon. His men. Ready and waiting – some in a corral among
the nervous pack animals. Others with the children. Still
others are by the cages. In their cages, the Gorgons pace.
OUTSIDE –
Wya, Sasco and Karel come to a stop. The settlers look
frightened and nervous.
WYA
You don’t have to do this.
Karel too, looks nervous – but –
KAREL
God will forgive us.
(Pointedly; to Wya)
All of us.
WYA
Sasco?
Sasco’s ruined eyes “stare” at the blank wall.
SASCO
Acoustics there, there and there.
More by the cages, here. The
children are there in the east
corral.
WYA
Bannon?
SASCO
Back and center. All of them well
protected. But not from this.
Sasco raises the blood burner. The blood burner fires a near
invisible micro-wave beam that passes through walls – hard to
aim blind without a hypo-sensitive scope, even for Sasco – he
fires.
IN THE QUARANTINE BAY –
The beam hits a guard between the eyes. A burner takes a moment
to do it’s job. The guard’s blood starts to boil – it drips,
hot from his nose – a wisp of steam comes from his ears as his
brain cooks – and then his head explodes –
BACK TO –
SASCO
You can also micro-wave popcorn.
He fires again.
INSIDE –
Another guard screams, clutches his head – his head explodes.
ANTAEUS MAN
Blood burner!
Panic. The only way to deal with a burner – a banned weapon
– is to move and keep moving. Some guards are slow – the beam
hits another one –
OUTSIDE –
Wya raises rises the razor net launcher.
WYA
Get ready.
She lets loose the shell – which hits the metal wall and
immediately spreads like a glowing web.
WYA
One.
Its junctions glow hotter – and hotter –
WYA
Two.
And then – –
WYA
Three.
INSIDE –
The wall blow inward in small pieces – the pieces turning to
razor edged, flying shrapnel. Several guards go down.
Others, who have been expecting the assault through the bay
entrance, turn in surprise –
TO:
Wya leads the men through the entrance. Fire, smoke and debris
filling the air as –
INSIDE –
– they scatter, firing at will. Guards go down. Other guards
return fire – and one of the settlers go down –
Wya fires – a guard goes down.
Sasco throws aside his blood burner and raises his hands –
precise bursts of energy from his rings – –
– in a corral the terrified pack animals surge and bellow as
a guard hurtles off the fence and into the midst.
Bannon moves, fast as a cat. His claws come out and rake a
terrified settler – the man screams and falls.
Sasco is hit by a sonic burst and he falls.
Wya moves, firing – another guard is knocked from a corral fence
into the herd of frightened animals – the man is trampled –
– bloodlust screams as the Gorgons throw themselves against the
bars of their cages –
Karel aims his ancient pistol at a guard – but is unable to pull
the trigger. He now sees the children in the east corral and
starts towards them –
Bannon – through his visor – sees the heat image of a running
figure – click – the figure comes into focus – Karel –
Karel makes his way towards the children
KAREL
Children, get down!
Bannon steps up and sinks the claws deep. Karel, mortally
wounded, falls. Bannon moves on.
Wya stops, breathless. She sees that the settlers are dying
– fighting valiantly but there are too many well trained Antaeus
men – especially by the cages where another Gorgon screams and
throws itself against the bars.
Wya races forward, sonics bursting behind her. She dives and
rolls and comes up finds a clear shot. She fires –
– and blows the console that controls the cage bars off the wall
–
The energy bars that form the Gorgon’s cages disappear. The
Gorgons bolt for freedom – and for food.
The guards turn as the Gorgons come hurtling down on them – they
fire, bringing the first one down – another snap one up in
slavering jaws. Others scream and close –
Bannon watches his men go down – he turns to run –
On the ground, Sasco’s dead, sightless eyes suddenly jerk wide
open. He gasps as the parasites “heal” him.
As one Gorgon snaps up a guard, another turns to see the
children. Screaming, the Gorgon starts towards them –
Wya sees the animal – she races forward –
The Gorgon runs towards the terrified children. It screams and
leaps – and is blown to the ground – by Wya, who empties the
last of the zip drive into it.
Other settlers hurry towards the corral –
Wya
Get the children out of here.
Wya now turns looking for Bannon – only to see Sasco exit on
the far side of the Quarantine Bay. Wya throws away her now
useless weapon – she starts forward – and abruptly stops. She
looks down at Karel. He’s still alive. He offers his ancient
pistol to her.
KAREL
Take it. Hurry.
Wya grabs the ancient pistol from his hands and runs on.
INT. ANIMAL CHUTE – –
Bannon moves down the descending passageway used to herd animals
from transport to Quarantine. It exits into –
A NARROW CORRIDOR –
Lined with pipes, dripping with moisture and dimly lit – one
direction leads outwards towards transport bays. Bannon goes
the other way – inward; towards the Hive –
IN THE CHUTE –
Sasco moves down the passage and steps out into –
THE NARROW CORRIDOR
Sasco stops – “looking”. He moves – and suddenly gasps in pain
– his back arches. After a moment, the pain subsides. Sasco
rips the cloak off his back and continues on after Bannon. The
parasites in his back are moving.
FURTHER UP THE CORRIDOR –
Bannon makes his towards closed doors.
IN THE CHUTE
Wya makes her down to –
THE CORRIDOR
Wya hesitates. She turns outward towards Transport.
BACK AT THE CORRIDOR
The corridor ends at a closed metal sliding door. Sasco hits
a plate and it opens. Cold air puffs out – this bay is
refrigerated.
INT. MEAT PACKING BAY –
Sasco steps in. He is in a bay used to butcher, package and
store meat animals sent from the inner ring. Sasco makes his
way forward. The carcasses of skinned animals – most of them
oddly alien – hang from ceiling hooks. Sasco bumps into one,
it’s bizarre head still on it.
Sasco’s suddenly turns – it’s as if he’s smelling something.
And then he dodges away as Bannon leaps out from between two
carcasses, firing his sonic. Meat splatters, pulverized.
Flesh and blood hit Bannon’s visor momentarily blinding him.
He rips the helmet off his head.
BACK TO –
Wya stops, hearing the sonic echo. She turns back.
BACK TO –
Bannon creeps forward, acoustic in hand – ready, listening…
BANNON
I killed your whore, Sasco.
ON SASCO –
BANNON
Now it’s your turn.
Sasco pushes at a carcass – it bumps into the next one and that
one into the next – carcasses moving like dominoes towards –
Bannon – he turns firing his acoustic – – more flesh and bone
splatter. He stops – listening – panting –
Sasco is about to move – to pounce – he suddenly he stops,
groaning, back arching.
CLOSE ON – Blood from the parasites begins to stain his back.
Sasco staggers – into Bannon, who has stepped out from between
two hanging carcasses. Bannon’s claws flash as he drives them
into Sasco. Sasco falls.
BACK TO –
Wya enters the meat packing bay. She moves cautiously forward,
passing massacred carcasses. Moving on –
– to see him curled on the ground – Sasco. Still alive, eyes
dull with pain.
SASCO
(hoarsely)
Get away from me, quickly. Get away!
He groans as his back arches. Wya moves on.
INT. MEAT PACKING BAY –
Wya comes to the end of bay. She sees blood drops on the metal
floor. She follows it to a sealed maintenance hatchway. Wya
opens it and steps through.
IN A MAINTENANCE CORRIDOR –
Wya steps through into another narrow, pipe lined corridor.
She hears something ahead – the dull sound of metal against metal
– she continues on –
AT THE END OF THE CORRIDOR
The corridor abruptly ends in a closed, 12 foot lens-like
aperture. Bannon is using his claws to pound and tear open a
metal control panel. He succeeds. He keys in a code on the
harmonic pad. The metal lens in the wall revolves open.
Bannon pokes his head into –
THE MAINTENANCE SHAFT –
– a circuit lined shaft. It disappears in both directions level
after level. There are metal rungs on the side of the shaft.
BACK TO – THE CORRIDOR
Bannon is about to step into the shaft –
WYA
Careful.
Bannon turns.
WYA
Wouldn’t want to fall.
Wya makes her way forward, the old pistol in hand. Bannon
relaxes – he grins.
BANNON
At least make it a fair fight.
Wya eyes Bannon – acoustic holstered at his side.
WYA
All right.
Wya sticks the pistol into the belt at her hips.
They stare at one another – old weapon against new – two masters
facing one another to see who’s better.
Bannon moves first. His hand goes for his acoustic, has it half
way out of the holster, when –
In a smooth, fast motion, Wya draws the pistol and fires.
The bullet hits Bannon high on the chest. He grunts in
surprise. He looks at Wya – fear now in his eyes.
WYA
That was for Brody.
(a beat)
This is for Karel.
She fires. Bannon jerks as a bullet his other shoulder.
WYA
This for me.
She fans the hammer of the old pistol. Bannon jerks as the
bullets hit him. He has just enough life left in him to realize
he’s at the edge of the shaft. He fights for balance, and then
– with a last look back – he falls –
IN THE SHAFT
Bannon tumbles down the shaft – bouncing off the sides – and
is lost from sight.
TO:
Wya tosses the empty pistol down the shaft and turns away.
BACK IN THE QUARANTINE BAY –
The bay is strewn with bodies and blood. A wounded Gorgon –
the last one – is put down by a settler. The man looks up to
see Wya approaching. He turns to look towards a group of
settlers, gathered around something. Wya moves to them.
Wya makes her way through and looks down. Filo is on the ground
next to Karel. Karel looks up at Wya.
KAREL
There are only the faces of God.
He dies. Filo rises into Wya’s arms in grief.
WYA
Let’s find Sara.
ON FLOOR CENTRAL – CONTINUOUS
FROM ABOVE – Shawne and his men cross the Antaeus logo emblazoned
on a shining floor.
IN THE ANTAEUS LOBBY –
Shawne and entourage enter. The Indentureds are gone. Shawne
stares at the scattered bodies of his men.
SHAWNE
Do I have to do everything myself!?
He moves to the console – pushes the body of the hermaphrodite
aside – punches in commands. An energy field appears across
the entrance to the lobby. The doors to his personal transport
open. He moves towards it.
SHAWNE
Shoot anything that moves!
The Mentats push Sara into the transport. The doors close.
INT. SHAWNE’S OFFICE –
They come off the transport. Shawne moves across the room –
SHAWNE
Take a load off.
– to the black slab that’s his desk.
SHAWNE
Have you been recording all this?
The Mentats glance at one another.
MENTAT 1
Of course.
SHAWNE
Too bad.
Taking a small acoustic from a hidden compartment, he turns and
kills them both.
SHAWNE
What a mess, what a mess, what a mess!
He hits some hidden controls on the desk’s surface – and now
a pedestal and console rises from, the desk. He presses the
keyboard – columns of data form on the wall.
SHAWNE
Make yourself comfortable while I
blow this place to pieces.
EXT. FLOOR CENTRAL – CONTINUOUS
The entrance to the Antaeus lobby is still protected by a sheen
of energy. Shawne’s bodyguards are armed behind it.
OUTSIDE –
Armed indentures stare back. Wya, Filo and armed settlers make
their way through.
WYA
Can you shut it down?
INDENTURED PRISONER
(shaking her head)
It’s secured.
BACK TO – SHAWNE’S OFFICE –
The columns of data continue to form and then blink out as Shawne
reprograms the system; whistles to himself.
SARA
How can you do this? These are
people.
SHAWNE
It’s business, kiddo. From the time
we all crawled out of a bog and began
killing each other over seashells –
just business.
(Then:)
There… we.. go.
The columns of light on the wall now disappear.
A.I. VOICE
Fusion reactor safeguards disarmed.
To continue reactor disintegration,
enter Antaeus security codes.
SHAWNE
Now where’d I put those codes?
(Looking up)
Why don’t you make us a drink?
He begins to access his computer files.
INT. THE HIVE – GONDOLA TERMINAL – CONTINUOUS
Wya moves out onto the docks. She steps into one of the open,
sharp nosed gondolas. Filo is nervously looking on. There is
nothing beneath the docks but space.
Wya moves to the control panel and disengages the gondola from
the docking unit.
WYA
Let’s go.
Filo clamors on board. Wya turns the gondola and glides out
into the abyss.
ON THE GONDOLA –
Filo moves close to Wya. Wya looks down at him, aware that he’s
frightened. She puts an arm around him.
IN THE HIVE –
The gondola moves out, leaving the wall behind – – and then,
perpendicular to gravity, it begins to angle up.
ON THE GONDOLA
The sheer size – the lights and levels – the spindle narrowing
above and below them – all of it revolving.
IN THE OFFICE –
Sara watching as:
SHAWNE
Ah, here we are. Under B for boom.
His fingers fly across the keyboard.
INT. THE HIVE – CONTINUOUS
The Gondola is angling up and across the center of the Hive.
Wya
Where?
Filo turns, looking in difference directions. And then he
points up and across towards a glass enclosed level.
IN THE OFFICE –
SHAWNE
And – !
A last key touch.
A.I. VOICE
Code accepted. Disintegration
sequence will commence in twenty
minutes.
SHAWNE
That should be enough time. And if
not –
He raises a small transmitter. And now taking up the acoustic,
Shawne smashes the console. He presses his communicator.
SHAWNE
What’s the status of my speeder?
INTERCUT – INT. ANTAEUS LOBBY – CONTINUOUS
A security captain answers his communicator.
SECURITY CAPTAIN
Ready, Director.
SHAWNE
I’ll be right down.
He breaks the connection.
SARA
You’ll never get to it.
SHAWNE
You better hope I do because you’re
coming with me.
He opens another hidden compartment in the desk.
IN THE HIVE –
The Gondola closes on the windows. The figures of Shawne and
Sara can just be made out now.
IN THE OFFICE –
Shawne takes a metal case from the compartment. He opens it.
It’s lined with nuggets of heavy matter, as if on display.
Behind him, Sara sees it now – through the windows – something
approaching like a shark on the hunt –
Shawne closes the case. He picks up the acoustic.
SHAWNE
After you.
Behind him, the gondola is closing.
ON THE GONDOLA –
WYA
Hold tight.
IN THE OFFICE –
SHAWNE
That was not an invitation.
ON THE GONDOLA
– closing –
IN THE OFFICE –
SHAWNE
(raising his weapon)
Move.
He sees the alarm in her eyes. He turns. And his eyes grow
wide as –
The gondola crashes through the windows in an explosion of metal
and plexi-carbon.
Shawne leaps aside as it plows on and into the office.
Sara’S POV – the gondola is coming at her, metal shrieking
against metal. She begins to scramble back – but the gondola
is still coming
Wya rises up, weapon in hand, to aim down at the metal floor
– firing – the floor cratering with the impact of the sonic
bursts – the prow of the gondola drops down into the metal floor
– Sara with no place left to run and –
– the gondola shrieks to a halt.
Filo leaps down and moves to Sara just as – wham! A sonic hits
the gondola’s control panel next to Wya and sends her hurtling
out and through the air.
From across the room, Shawne fires again –
SHAWNE
Why won’t you die!?
Wya, rolls to get away – and comes face to face with one of the
dead Mentats, her eyes open and staring – Wya rolls away –
Shawne, move to a panel on the office wall and press a stud –
the panel slides up revealing a secondary transport. Shawne
enters –
– as Wya rises, aiming and firing as –
– the panel slides back down into place. Wya’s sonics dent the
hard metal but do no damage –
SARA
He’s programed the station to blow
up.
Wya moves to the console – sees that it is smashed beyond repair.
WYA
How much time?
SARA
I’m not sure. But he has a remote.
WYA
Come on.
They move towards the main transport.
SARA
He kept talking about a speeder.
WYA
It’s a ship. He’s leaving the
station.
They enter the transport and door closes.
INT. LOBBY –
Shawne’s bodyguards are waiting. As the elevator stops, they
snap to attention.
The doors open and Wya comes out shooting. She mercilessly mows
the men down. She moves to the console and shuts down the energy
field. As Sara and Filo come out and see the carnage, they stop,
horrified. Wya takes an acoustic rifle from a dead man’s hands.
WYA
Stay here.
SARA
No.
WYA
… then keep up
She races out of the lobby, Filo and Sara on her heels.
INT. CONCOURSE –
Shawne moving rapidly along. Passing worried looking
citizens. Shawne looking neither right nor left.
INT. TUNNELS – CONTINUOUS
CLOSE ON – Wya’s face.
PULLING BACK – to see that she, Sara and Filo are in a speeding
mono-car. The car flies on through shifting tunnels.
INT. CONCOURSE –
Shawne hurrying towards the Antaeus Transport Bay. No guards
– deserted. Shawne muttering to himself.
SHAWNE
– plum position, they said – career
advancement, they said – perfectly
safe, they said!
The door slides open in front of him.
A CONCOURSE –
FROM ABOVE – Wya, Filo and Sara racing beneath us. FOLLOWING
– as they race up the wide, now deserted concourse.
INT. ANTAEUS TRANSPORT BAY – NIGHT
The metal shipping containers still fill the bay. Shawne races
down the corridor formed by the containers.
INT. PASSENGER TERMINAL –
Wya, Filo and Sara race through the deserted passenger terminal.
Wya, stopping.
WYA
This is as far as you go.
SARA
No!
WYA
You can’t help me!
(Then:)
This is what I do.
SARA
What if you can’t stop him?
WYA
I’ll stop him.
Wya turns away.
INT. DOCKING BAY ZEBRA –
Shawne enters the bay. The speeder sits at a U shaped dock,
guarded by Antaeus security guards. Shawne hurries down the
retractable metal wharf.
SHAWNE
Let’s go!
He and his men enter the speeder.
INT. THE SPEEDER –
The main cabin of the speeder is all first class luxury. As
he enters, Shawne is met by the pilot.
SPEEDER PILOT
Welcome aboard, Mr. Shawne.
SHAWNE
Shut up and get us out of here.
He turns away.
OUTSIDE THE DOCKING BAY –
A transport opens and Wya rushes out – she sprints towards the
bay.
IN THE SPEEDER’S COCKPIT –
The pilot and copilot are in their harnesses. The pilot flips
switches. The ship hums with power.
IN THE MAIN CABIN –
SHAWNE
Will someone make me a goddamn drink!
Putting down his weapon, Shawne opens his case.
OUTSIDE –
The speeder disengages from the dock – it rises, hovering – it
slowly turns and –
INSIDE THE MAIN CABIN –
Shawne turns as the ship’s power stands down.
SHAWNE
What’s going on, what happened?
The copilot steps out of the cockpit.
CO-PILOT
Mr. Shawne?
Shawne moves –
IN THE COCKPIT
Shawne enters.
SHAWNE
What is it?
The pilot nods forward. Shawne looks out –
OUTSIDE –
Wya is on the forward wharf of the dock, acoustic rifle raised
and aimed at the cockpit, blocking the way.
PILOT
Shall I open the outer bay doors?
SHAWNE
Why, do you want her to blow a hole
in us?
(a sigh)
I’ll be right back.
Shawne turns away.
OUTSIDE –
Wya watches as the speeder hatch opens and Shawne comes out.
Shawne shows he’s unarmed. He moves across the speeder’s wing
towards Wya.
SHAWNE
What we have here is a failure to
communicate.
WYA
The remote.
SHAWNE
(taking it out)
You could kill me for it. But then
I wouldn’t be able to stop the
destruct sequence.
WYA
Then you go with us.
SHAWNE
Unless…
He gestures towards the outer hatch.
WYA
You can leave. You have my word.
SHAWNE
Yours might actually be worth
something.
He thumbs the remote.
SHAWNE
Computer?
A.I. VOICE
On line.
SHAWNE
Stop disintegration sequence.
A.I. VOICE
Disintegration aborted.
Wya lowers her weapon.
SHAWNE
Be seeing you.
WYA
I doubt it.
Shawne grins – and turns – and finds himself staring at –
– Sasco – bleeding, weak… but still very much alive. Shawne
takes out his hidden acoustic and aims it.
SHAWNE
Get out of the way.
Two writhing shapes are growing larger and larger on Sasco’s
back.
SHAWNE
Last chance.
Sasco bolts forward and grabs a surprised Shawne by the collar
with both hands. Shawne fires into his stomach – fires again.
Sasco arches as something explodes out of his back behind him.
Dying, he sags against Shawne – Shawne tries to push him away
as –
A silver horror rises over Sasco’s shoulder – another appears
over his head. Shawne screams – tries to get away. The
parasites arch up – fanged mouths gape, tongues like sharpened
rasps – they strike – Shawne falls back with a cry –
Wya watching as –
Shawne flails; one silver horror at his neck – the other wrapped
around his arm – its headless mouth flares up – it’s maw opens
– the tongue distends – it strikes.
Shawne gurgles in agony –
Wya approaches. She looks down at Sasco – dead – but peace now
in his face. She looks at Shawne.
SHAWNE
Help me.
Wya picks up Shawne’s dropped remote.
WYA
All I said is you could leave.
She moves past him and on to the exit.
WYA
(into the remote)
Computer.
A.I. VOICE
On line.
The exit doors slide open. Wya enters, turns and looks back.
WYA
(into the remote)
Open outer lock doors.
The exit doors slide shut.
WYA
Director Shawne is leaving.
CLOSE ON – Shawne. Standing on the wing, frozen, unable to
move. Behind him, the lock doors open. The sudden vacuum is
like a torrential wind. Shawne screams – and is pulled like
a bullet out towards open space –
OUTSIDE –
Shawne’s body slows – then drifts away from the station – the
parasites dangling like silver ribbons from his neck.
INT. OBSERVATION AREA – CONTINUOUS
In the deserted lounge, Sara and Filo stands at the plexi-carbon
windows, looking out. They can see Ajax and Odin below.
Sara turns as the lift opens and Wya enters. A silent question
in Sara’s face. Wya shows her the remote. Sara relaxes – and
now, finally, the tears start to come.
Wya moves to her, gently takes her in her arms. She pulls Filo
into her embrace as well.
WYA
You’re safe. You’re both safe.
EXT. SCYLLA – THREE WEEKS LATER.
More ships and freighters are at the docking spindles than ever.
Others circle, waiting for berths.
A Union Battle cruiser, bristling with weapons, is moored at
a spindle tip. Union fighters move to and fro.
INT. TRANSPORT BAY –
Busy with people.
A.I. VOICE
Ajax shuttle departing terminal 5,
docking bay D. Ajax shuttle bay D.
All vouchered passengers please
proceed to the processing gate.
Settler families and freed indentured prisoners, move towards
the security station that leads to the docking bay and the
shuttle gates beyond. Newly arrived Union personnel are
checking identity chips and transport vouchers, processing the
boarding passengers with gentle courtesy.
Wya, no longer in Union uniform, is watching. She turns at
the sound of a ruckus. A group of men and women – would-be
fortune hunters, recently arrived from the inner ring – are at
a transport desk, clamoring for shuttle vouchers.
UNION OFFICER
Union approved settlers have first
priority. It’ll be at least several
weeks!
FORTUNE HUNTER
All the claims will be gone by then!
The tumult continues. Wya turns away. To see Filo and Sara
in the crowd, obviously looking for someone Wya approaches.
They see her.
SARA
I thought you weren’t coming.
WYA
I had some time.
SARA
Come with us, Wya. You’d have a home
with us. Family.
Wya sees a passing settler – handsome – look back at with
interest.
WYA
You don’t need the competition.
I’ll see you sometime. So go. Both
of you – go.
Sara and Filo turns away. They look back – continue on. Wya
watches; finally turns. To find Von Schryke watching. He
raises his hand – the ugly prosthetic is gone – in its place
is what looks like a real hand.
VON SCHRYKE
It finally came in.
WYA
I liked the old one better.
(a moment)
Well, let’s not make a big thing out
of this.
VON SCHRYKE
Of course not.
A moment.
WYA
Yeah, well…
She starts to turn away.
VON SCHRYKE
Wya. I’ll miss you.
She nods. She turns and makes her way through the crowd towards
the adjacent passenger terminal
A.I. VOICE
Freighter transport to space station
Charon, now boarding in terminal D,
docking Bay A. Warning. The rim
worlds are considered extremely
dangerous territories and passengers
travel at their own risk. The Union
is not responsible for safety or
security.
We lose Wya in the crush of people. And suddenly, in a rush,
we pull up and away over the crowd – higher and higher – through
the Plexiglas bubble overhead and –
A.I. Voice
Please have your hazard waivers
ready…
– out of the spindle — filling the screen – and then
dwindling – leaving behind – leaving Ajax and Odin –
A.I. Voice
Please have your hazard waivers
ready.
– turning to see the small, coin size planets of the outer rim
– the frontier – the badlands….
A.I. Voice
Have your hazard waivers ready.
Hazard… hazard… hazard!
Charon.
CUT TO BLACK.
CREDITS to the frenzied sound of metallic drums