Predators and Prey: Part 3

Pg. 22

LANSING

And I'll retire to gloat in my great

triumph.  Gentlemen.

She leaves: Messina follows her departure with interest.

And, as if sensing such, Lansing turns to give him one more smile.  Messina feels two other pairs of eyes on him.  He glances at Omura and Luck.

OMURA

Uh, huh.

They move off towards the 'Bulldog'.

AT THE BULLDOG

We PAN along the side of the craft, from tail to nose cone. There are no windows.  As we pass each C.I.A. agent, it seems that THEY notice US, following the CAMERA until each one passes OUT OF FRAME.  We arrive at the open hatch.

INT. THE BULLDOG - SAME

Inside, the craft is surprisingly spacious, but apart from what must obviously be a large pilot's chair everything else is strikingly alien.  The deep colours, the control panels, the unfathomable tools/trinkets.  Several of the asymmetrical screens on the control panels are pulsing or changing soft, muted colours at a deathly slow rate. 

Amongst this strangeness there are several humans working, recording, cataloguing: very terrestrial computers are hooked up to their alien counterparts.

And seated imperiously in the pilot's chair itself, is C.I.A. Deputy Director VICTOR SCHOLLANDER.  Late fifties, but obviously still fit and trim.  Not a big man.  Totally bald, aquiline nose, high cheekbones: a cultured face, built to charm.  He is dressed impeccably in a SAVILLE ROW suit.  He is immersed in a seemingly intense, low voice tete-a-tete with another man.  This is DR. RENEE GOCKEL,  Swiss bio-chemist, Nobel Prize winner, head of the medical team.  Also late fifties, he is a quick, fidgeting individual.  Perpetually tired looking he frowns from behind tiny wire-rimmed spectacles.  His bald pate is sparsely camouflaged by wispy hair flipped over from one side.

LUCK

(O.S.)

Victor.

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It is Gockel who jumps in surprise.  He turns at the voice, looking for all the world like a schoolboy who has been caught doing something.  For his part, Schollander merely looks around the white-coated Gockel, and allows a huge grin to spread across his face.

SCHOLLANDER

Stan.  Please.  Come aboard.  Come aboard.

LUCK

(to Omura and Messina,

                   loudly)

He thinks he's Capt. Kirk, you know.

SCHOLLANDER

Actually I always preferred the bald chap,

myself.

He and Luck laugh easily, professionally: this is a working relationship being made to work.  Schollander then greets Omura, hand extended.  Grudgingly, Omura reciprocates.

SCHOLLANDER

Captain Omura.  How long has it been?

OMURA

Since you convinced Congress to ignore

          the Foundation's work on the Taiwan

          question, or since we had our last

          social drink together?

SCHOLLANDER

          Why, the latter, surely, Michael.

OMURA

Trick question, Victor.  I've never had

          that...pleasure.

Luck jumps in.

LUCK

Victor.  Lieutenant Robert Messina.         

Unfazed, Schollander turns his charm on Messina.  Another warm handshake.

SCHOLLANDER

Robert Messina.  Born in Wichita, Kansas,

St. Valentine's Day, 1970.  Class of '95,

Fort Jackson.  As yet unmarried.

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(raises a questioning eyebrow)

How are you, Lieutenant?

MESSINA

                   (dryly)

You tell me.

SCHOLLANDER

Ha!  Very good.

Omura has had enough.  He addresses Gockel before any introduction.

OMURA

          Dr. Renee Gockel?  I'm Michael Omura. 

You'll know from Albert Hindman that my

daughter, Madeleine, could benefit from

some of the compounds found here.  Have

you discovered anything yet?

Gockel throws a furtive glance in Schollander’s direction who declines to make eye contact.

GOCKEL

                   (haltingly)

Actually, well, yes.  As I was just

reporting to the Deputy Director, we have

made some progress in breaking the serum's

first, um, genetic code.  My team has

done some, ah, excellent work.  I'm sure,

with time...

OMURA

(to Luck)

Admiral.  With your permission, Sir, I'd

like myself and Lieutenant Messina to stay

on board...for a short time at least.  I'd

like to be on hand for any developments.

Luck is about to answer when

GOCKEL

          Captain.  Please don't read too much into

my words.  Without some unforseen miracle            breakthrough, this could be...it's an

other-worldly virus. An alien, um,

concoction.  There's no telling...

                   

SCHOLLANDER

Renee.  I'm sure the Captain appreciates

Pg. 25

the realities here.  But he is intimately

involved.  And his adopted daughter,

through no fault of her own, is now also

tragically involved.  A man will cling to

even thin threads of hope when the well-

being of kith and kin is at stake.

(to Omura)

Isn't that so, Captain?

OMURA

Very true.  And what's your involvement? 

The C.I.A. doesn't like to strike out

          twice?

LUCK

                   (warning tone)

Captain Omura.

Schollander, the only person on board with sufficient clout, holds up a hand to silence Luck.

SCHOLLANDER

Knowledge, Captain.

He spreads his arms wide and looks around innocently.

SCHOLLANDER

                   (con’t)

...to benefit the people of this great country

of ours.  I'm a servant of those people. 

I'm just doing my job.

OMURA

That's it?

SCHOLLANDER

What else is there, Michael?

OMURA

          There was a Lieutenant Mike Harrigan of

the L.A.P.D.  He had a good team...

LUCK

Captain!

This time Omura is silenced.

LUCK

Captain.  I'll instruct Captain Wickes to 

assign you and Lieutenant Messina quarters. 

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I expect you'll want to settle in.  Now.

OMURA

(a beat)

Yes, Sir.

Omura, Messina, and Luck turn to leave.

SCHOLLANDER

By the way, Michael.  To let you in on a

little secret, I'm a trifle disappointed

by the dearth of concrete information

gleaned thus far by our collection of

ballyhooed experts.  Tell me, with your

unique connection, can you add anything

new?

Omura pauses, Messina glances.  Omura lifts his head.  Then, without turning...

OMURA

I can smell him.

...and exits.

INT. OMURA'S QUARTERS – VERY EARLY NEXT MORNING

Dark.  Omura's shaded face just visible in ECU.  His eyes snap open.  We HEAR MUFFLED, EXCITED VOICES and the SOUNDS of RUNNING FEET from outside. 

WIDER ANGLE

Omura twists around in his bed and half sits up.  Just then we HEAR a SHARP RAPPING of knuckles on the door.

VOICE

(O.S., muffled, insistent)

Captain Omura. Captain Omura, Sir.

Omura flicks a small wall light on, throws his covers off and, grimacing, starts to maneuver his legs out of bed as quickly as possible.

OMURA

Yes.  Yes, coming.

Another MUFFLED VOICE O.S. and the door swings open.  LIGHT

floods in.  Messina is there dressed in fatigues supplied from ship's stores. In the BG we SEE several figures

Pg. 27

hurrying past.  Messina dismisses the CREWMAN who had knocked, and enters quickly.

OMURA

What is it?

He reaches for his cane and struggles upright as Messina gathers fatigues from a hanger.

MESSINA

The crewman was just sent to bring us to

the hold.  But I heard someone say some-

thing about a message.

OMURA

A message?  From where?

Messina tosses Omura his clothing which he catches against his chest.

MESSINA

          I don't even want to think about that. 

C'mon.  Let's get you dressed.

INT. THE MAIN HOLD - MINUTES LATER

Omura and Messina, entering on the same walkway we saw before, are met by a JUNIOR CREWMAN who salutes and directs them down the steps to the 'Bulldog'.

WIDER ANGLE

We SEE them make best speed down the steps and across the floor.  But this time there is no self-absorbed buzz from the various scientific camps, rather a communal murmur of

uncertainty and conjecture.  Bleary-eyed personnel are still arriving, some in housecoats and slippers.  All attention is directed at the 'Bulldog'...

AT THE 'BULLDOG'

where Schollander, Luck, Lansing, MacTavish, and Wickes are gathered along with several agents and Enigma SECURITY

PERSONNEL.  As Omura and Messina approach both they and we HEAR a DEEP, WARBLED BEEPING from inside the 'Bulldog'.

A heated, MULTI-VOICED exchange temporarily subsides with Omura's arrival.  Heads turn in his direction.

Pg. 28

OMURA

What is that?

Schollander, relaxed, leaning on the 'Bulldog', is almost gleeful in his reply.

SCHOLLANDER

We think it might be some sort of homing

beacon.

MESSINA

A what?

LANSING

We don't know that.

MacTAVISH

(pleading to Omura,

                   indicates Lansing)

She told me to activate it.

OMURA

                   (to Lansing)

Did you?

LANSING

I was helping our little Scottish genius

gain further access to the craft's

          computers...if that's what you can call

          them.

LUCK

I wasn't aware that you two were trying

          anything together.  Neither of you

          mentioned it in any of my reports. 

          Victor?

Schollander hams.

SCHOLLANDER

Oh, isn't it so exciting?

Wickes is not amused.  He ignores Schollander, addresses Luck.  Goes by the book.

WICKES

Sir, I respectfully suggest that we

          alert the Joint Chiefs.                        

Omura has moved closer to the 'Bulldog's' hatch: peers in.

Pg. 29

Two agents move with him.

OMURA'S POV

We SEE a small RED LIGHT on a seemingly inconsequential wall panel pulsing in time with the BEEPING.

RESUME SCENE

OMURA

When did this start?

LANSING

Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.

OMURA

MacTavish.  How far could this signal

          get in fifteen minutes?

MacTAVISH

(finds a weak smile)

          Call me Lachlan.

Omura glares.  MacTavish loses the smile, then hesitates for just a BEAT.

MacTAVISH

Well, if it's radio as we know it...round

figures?  170 million miles.

(pause)

In normal space, that is.

MESSINA

No further than the asteroid belt.

WICKES

What do you mean 'normal space'?

Schollander is positively enjoying himself.

SCHOLLANDER

Come now, Captain.  Did you never watch

'STAR TREK'?

(to MacTavish)

Tell him, Professor.                                                                              

OMURA

(to MacTavish)

          Forget that...Lachlan.  Just turn it

          off.

Pg. 30

MacTavish takes a step to comply, hesitates.  Schollander's mood swings 180 degrees. He straightens and takes two menacing steps towards Omura.  His tone is venomous.        

SCHOLLANDER

          You don't make those calls, Captain. 

          I do.

Omura moves.  Despite his handicap he is halfway through the hatch before the nearest agent reacts.  The agent grabs for Omura, but Messina is faster.  The C.I.A. man finds himself flung back into his advancing companion.  Messina assumes a defensive karate stance, guarding Omura's back.  Omura swings his cane, sending it crashing into the red light.

In a CLOSE SHOT of the panel we SEE the light fade.  We HEAR the BEEPING stop.

CUT TO:

INT.  A PREDATOR SHIP - THE BRIDGE

CLOSE SHOT of an almost identical panel: the RED LIGHT suddenly flashes, the DEEP BEEPING sounds.

CU on back of a PREDATOR head, sans helmet.  It whips around to face CAMERA.

PREDATOR

(all Predator dialogue

                   subtitled)

A beacon?

QUICK INTERCUTS

of three or four other PREDATORS, all helmetless, in CU reacting to the sound.

WIDER ANGLE

The Bridge is a very large, circular room, two levels high. Deep in shade, illuminated by varying colours from many and varied 'work stations'.  A DOZEN PREDATORS, some sitting, others standing, are engaged in various tasks, but almost all are also observing small or large monitors.  We SEE that these Predators are ATTIRED DIFFERENTLY than the creatures we have seen in the past. There is an almost military uniformity to their dress.  No trophy ornamentation.