ParfaitA Screenplay by SarahFC
FADE IN:
EXT. DOWNTOWN - PARFAIT - DAY There is a hooded figure people watching from afar, thinking to herself what life in the city is like. Parfait is a metropolis with white and silver skyscrapers, smooth concrete roads, and silver colored cars. Despite the modern appearance of the city, it’s citizens all wear old fashioned, Victorian era clothing. The speaker is wearing a black hooded coat and black trousers, the uniform of the military. CALLISTA (V.O.) As the name suggests, this is a perfect city. From it’s perfectly clean buildings, to it’s citizens in fancy new...or should I say, vintage clothes. The noblewomen have hair that’s teased 3 feet high, and the men have it neatly cut and combed. Deviants wear the clothes of the chaotic new ways, and did so like a badge of honor. We had no intention of returning to the old ways, we have every intention of taking back what is rightfully ours. The speaker observes people walking past and taking no notice of her. CALLISTA (V.O.) The people returned to the old ways, believing that the new way were too chaotic. Such evidence of another time was wiped clean from everyone else’s memory. Those who still speak of it, are the old and the breeders of fear. Deviants and people who didn’t fit the mould the society had created, they were gaining power, and that terrified that they would be stripped of theirs. The hooded figure hides in the alleyway looking up at a tall skyscraper. CALLISTA (V.O.) Of course, it is naturally unnatural that such a flawless city, full of flawless people could exist. Some of us hide in the shadows watching, knowing that this cannot be. That is, not without someone seeing to it that everything in this city is just so. They have spent years trying to mould us in their image, and some of us could not be moulded. The people who couldn’t be moulded were ether imprisoned or killed. Anyone lucky enough to avoid this went to the under city, a place for them to seek refuge. I myself will no longer hide, I choose fight over flight. INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY The lead researcher at the Parfait Laboratories, DOMINIC STONE, is discussing his research with his assistant, DARIUS BROOKE. DOMINIC stands by the window overlooking the city of Parfait. DOMINIC STONE is shown to have a long face with blonde hair and blue eyes. He often wears a lab coat and a polo shirt with trousers underneath. DARIUS BROOKE is shown to be slightly shorter than DOMINIC with brown hair and green eyes. He also wears a lab coat, as well as a white button-down s**t with trousers underneath. DOMINIC The Gemini Project has been a success thus far, soon they will be held up on a pedestal. They will be a shining example for the people of Parfait. DARIUS Have the subjects been tested yet? DOMINIC Subject A, known as Jill: Her metabolism levels ensure that her body remains within the appropriate size. Her hair is modified to grow rapidly, back to the approved length, should she cut it too short. Shock therapy will ensure she gravitates towards the approved items, jobs and behaves correctly. Pigment altering technology will ensure she remains fair. As he speaks, he observes the girl who is laid out on the operating table. The girl is slender with long blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She lies on the operating table, staring without emotion up at the ceiling. DARIUS What will be the results of the shock therapy Dr. Stone? DOMINIC She will learn to behave, in the manner that the people of Parfait will expect of her. She will be seen, but never heard. Such is the old way, and the old ways were stable. DOMINIC walks over to the other operating table, on top of it lays a boy, who is the exact same age as the girl. He is also pale, with blonde hair and blue eyes. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Subject B, known as Jack: His metabolism levels are naturally higher, and needed little alteration. There's no specific legal sizing, therefore his metabolism levels will keep him healthy. His hair is modified to shed, should it grow too long and unkept. Much like subject A, he also has pigment altering technology. He too will undergo correctional therapy. DARIUS How will his behavior differ from subject A? DOMINIC He will be strong, courageous, decisive, he will never fall, falter or waver. DARIUS looks down at JACK with a slight frown on his face. DARIUS He will not flee the city like a coward, just as my brother did. DOMINIC Let’s discuss that matter another time, this is nether the time nor place to do so. DOMINIC walks over to the window, he opens the blinds and stares out into the world of Parfait. DARIUS I take it you had higher ambitions for the Gemini project? DOMINIC Darius, you of all people are aware that there are deviants out there in the world. They are rotting in prison cells, paying extortionate fines, and hiding in the shadows. This technology could be the key to saving them. Think of all the people in parfait who could be cured of the ailments with this technology. I genuinely believe that we are doing what is right, for the good of society, for the good of humanity. EXT. ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY CALLISTA is hiding in the alleyway, next to Parfait laboratories. Her face is kept hidden as she is wearing a black leather jacket with a hood and black trousers. She is talking on the phone with ANDREA. ANDREA (on the phone) As your partner in crime Callista, I think the plan is fool proof. CALLISTA You don't think I will be compromised in the process? ANDREA (on the phone) The jacket is bulky enough to give you the illusion of masculinity. Your measurements are still within the proper range for Parfait military soldiers. If they don't know you're female, you're fine. CALLISTA What’s the plan then? ANDREA (on the phone) I'll create a diversion, sending the military unit on a little goose chase. From there, you sneak in and do your thing. Bring his research to the under city, we'll see what he's found. Andrea hangs up the phone when she's done speaking. INT. RECEPTION - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY The reception in Parfait Laboratories has white marble floors and grey walls with silver elevators. There is a round circular desk in the centre of the room. The army bursts in and a confused RECEPTIONIST gestures to her screen. RECEPTIONIST I don't know how it happened, it all happened so fast. Two of the guards look at her screen and see the screen is completely blank, except for a pair of eyes. Along with the picture on the computer, they hear a robotic voice (Andrea using voice disguising tech). ANDREA My name is Blank, that's obviously an alias and I'm obviously disguising my voice. Blank is what your databases will be when I'm through with them. The leader of the security team, LIAM, gestures to three other GUARDS (one of which include CALLISTA in disguise). LIAM (To CALLISTA and two other GUARDS) Search the upstairs laboratories and try to recover any information and evacuate personnel. We have to be ready in case this 'Blank' person tries anything. (To JOHNSON and BAKER) Johnson, Baker, you're with me covering the entrance. They nod without question, and take the elevator upstairs. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - DAY ANDREA and CALLISTA share an apartment in Parfait's under city. ANDREA works from her work space in the living room, which is a desk surrounded by computers. ANDREA speaks into the microphone, disguising her voice. ANDREA is shown to have long, auburn hair with green eyes. Her fingernails are shown to be painted in various different colours, she also wears thick rimmed glasses. ANDREA Now that we've established I'm not as stupid as you and your men look, lets cut to the bargaining. Hand over the Gemini project, all the files, data, everything. I know you're planning to use it to strip us of our humanity and individuality. Do that, or my accomplice will take everything by force. ANDREA takes a sip of her drink before she continues speaking into the microphone. INT. ELEVATOR - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY CALLISTA is standing in the elevator with two GUARDS, she hears the rest of ANDREA’S message. GUARD 1 Alright kid, you heard what the boss said, check the computers and save as much data as possible. CALLISTA nods her head, not wanting to give herself away by talking. GUARD 2 Think it’s those b******s from the under city? GUARD 1 Gotta be, monsters have been terrorizing our way of life. GUARD 2 That’s why we have to kill every single one of them. CALLISTA is unresponsive during their conversation, even though she is infuriated by their words. GUARD 1 None of it makes any sense, just shut up, follow the rules and live a good life. Why would you make life hard for yourself by breaking them? GUARD 2 Maybe it's just a cult full of crazy people? GUARD 1 Probably, those b******s will burn won't they? INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY CALLISTA, GUARD 1 and GUARD 2 burst into the room, DOMINIC and DARIUS try to stop them from disrupting their work. DOMINIC You must understand, we have to finish this research in time. We have a deadline to reveal it to the public. GUARD 1 Hackers are threatening to take your research by force. We will try to protect and salvage what we can, but for now we need to go. CALLISTA plugs a hard drive into the computer and proceeds to transfer the information into the hard drive. JILL wakes up and approaches her, confused as to what is going on. JILL What is happening? JILL can only watch suspiciously as CALLISTA tries to transfer the information. CALLISTA waits quietly but impatiently as the information continues to be transferred to the hard drive. JACK also wakes up and appears behind them in confusion. JACK What is going on? GUARD 1 and GUARD 2 re-enter the room, having escorted DOMINIC and DARIUS out of the laboratory. GUARD 1 What are you doing? We have to go now! CALLISTA points a gun at GUARD 1's head. INT/EXT. FIRE ESCAPE AND ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY The emergency exit door slams open with a bang, and CALLISTA rushes through dragging Jack and Jill down the stairs. JACK is more quiet while JILL argues with her. JILL Obviously you aren't taking us to our father, so where are we going? The continue to run down the stairs, JACK is more compliant compared to his female counterpart. He turns to JILL, who doesn't seem to be paying attention to him. JACK (mumbling) He won’t do anything to hurt us that much I do believe. JILL How can you say that?! You haven't even got the slightest clue where we are going! The rush out of the door and into the alleyway behind the building. They rush out into the alleyway behind the building, CALLISTA is frantically looking around for one of the entrances to the under city. JILL (CONT’D) I'm telling you to stop! Where are you taking us?! JILL yanks CALLISTA’S hood down, she is astonished to discover the CALLISTA is a woman. CALLISTA stares JILL down before pulling up her hood. She is shown to have short ice blond hair, blue eyes and a heart shaped face. She grabs their hands and continues running. CALLISTA pads the wall of the alleyway looking for a secret door. Jack looks around and sees an YOUNG MAN running away from a POLICEMAN. YOUNG MAN JACK sees the YOUNG MAN get shot, CALLISTA manages to open the secret doorway and pulls him in along with JILL.Please sir, I've done nothing wrong. POLICEMAN Stop immediately! You have violated the law! INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - NIGHT CALLISTA drags JACK and JILL into the apartment, while ANDREA sits at the desk. CALLISTA pulls off her hood as she enters the apartment. ANDREA What have you brought for me? CALLISTA A hard drive full to the brim with his research, and two Guinea pigs. CALLISTA places the hard drive on the desk, ANDREA turns around to look at JACK and JILL. ANDREA So this is what he has to show for his research? CALLISTA They haven’t undergone the shock therapy yet, so they aren't perfect law abiding citizens yet. ANDREA looks closely at them, making JACK and JILL feel awkward and uncomfortable. ANDREA So we still have no proof that his research is effective. JACK tries to speak to ANDREA, but he stammers as he tries to do so. JACK P-pardon me for asking, b-but who are you? W-where are we? ANDREA offers to let JACK and JILL sit on the sofa, while CALLISTA gets something to eat from the fridge. ANDREA You don't seem to know much by where you came from, all I can tell you is that you are hidden away from it. CALLISTA In short, we took you from the bright, clean city above, and dragged you down here. CALLISTA places her drink on the table and sits on the arm chair adjacent from them. ANDREA Welcome to the under city. JILL Again, where have you taken us? For no apparent reason you've dragged us from our homes and taken us to this city of filth. CALLISTA If that's the worse thing she can say about it than we are fine. We saved you and your brother from becoming puppets of the city above. So what you should be doing, is thanking us. JILL stands up, glaring furiously at CALLISTA as she points her finger at her. JILL I seriously hope this is your feeble attempt at humour. I don't know how long you attempt to keep us here, nor do I wish to find out! JACK Behind taking us away? Excuse me if I demand to know why! She seems content and sitting there while I tear my hair out. CALLISTA stands up from her chair, taking the last swig of her drink. CALLISTA I'm going to bed, I don't need this s**t after a long hard day. JILL sits back down on the sofa, scoffing at CALLISTA. JILL How can she be so calm about this? It's absolutely outrageous. ANDREA Because princess, she'd much rather you go on a b***h fit than have you're annoying little mouth sown shut by the city above. Your brother here didn't say all that much ether, so you're not the only one who'd be out of place. Nether of them say a word, ANDREA turns and plugs the hard drive into her computer. JACK So, where are we going to sleep tonight? ANDREA First door on the left, there's a spare bedroom, should be big enough for the pair of you. ANDREA doesn't look up from her computer, while JACK leaves the room, JILL doesn't move from the sofa. EXT. NEWSSTAND - THE MARKET - UNDER CITY - MOMENTS LATER CALLISTA is in the market place, when a smuggler named FRANK brandishes a newspaper in her face. CALLISTA How lovely, you can smuggle Parfait's daily dose of bullshit into the under city too. FRANK I know this was you and Andrea, CALLISTA. The article doesn't say it, but I know it's true. CALLISTA If the article doesn't say in than there is nothing to worry about. CALLISTA brushes the newspaper aside, but FRANK continues to follow her. FRANK is taller than CALLISTA, with short, dark hair and green eyes. He also wears glasses, but with thinner frames. FRANK Sooner or later, they will find us. They will be closing in on the people of the under city. CALLISTA We did the people a favour, do you have any idea what would have happened if the research continued? Have you even had a peek at it? We are in control of the Gemini project now, do you have the slightest clue what that means? FRANK We aren't interested in a war with Parfait, this is a place of refuge. FRANK grabs CALLISTA and drags her away from the crowd. CALLISTA Have you even seen what we found? They are closing in on us Frank, they were going to use that technology to 'fix' us. FRANK Callisto... CALLISTA glares at FRANK before he remembers his mistake. FRANK (CONT’D) Callista..., you are here in the under city now. Put Parfait behind you, don't go sniffing around up there looking for a fight. FRANK walks away, pushing his glasses up his nose, CALLISTA is left to contemplate what he said. INT. LORD JAMES' BALLROOM - THE JAMES MANOR- PARFAIT - NIGHT In the flashback, there is a party at LORD JAMES' manor. He is about to make an important announcement in front of all the guests. CALLISTA (who was named Callisto at the time) and Darius Brooke. LORD JAMES Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have all had a fine evening this evening. I am delighted to announce the engagement, of my only daughter Callisto, to the clever and young lord Darius Brooke. CALLISTA reluctantly stands by her father's side, Darius stands next to her. DARIUS looks cheerful whilst CALLISTA looks deadpan. The guests at the party cheer and applaud them. DARIUS Thank you Lord James, I am thankful that you have accepted the union between myself and the lovely Lady Callisto James. The crowd at the party applauds them, whilst CALLISTA maintains her deadpan expression. When everyone else sits down, nobody notices the tear that slips out of CALLISTA's eye. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - DAY CALLISTA walks into the apartment, JACK is sitting on the sofa and he leaves the room when CALLISTA arrives. CALLISTA Are Jack and Jill going up a hill? ANDREA Very funny, Jill has been sulking in the guest bedroom, while Jack was sitting there quiet as a mouse. Anyways, I'm going through Dr. Stone's research journal. Some of Brooke's notes are also included here. Good thing we got out grubby hands on this, this is some fucked up s**t he has planned. CALLISTA looks over ANDREA's shoulder at the computer screen. CALLISTA So what do we know about the Gemini project? ANDREA What we know scares the s**t out of us. CALLISTA How bad is it Andrea? ANDREA Thankfully, we've nipped his research in the bud by taking them away. The sad thing is that they've been grown in a lab, test tube babies, all that s**t. Very little information on the whereabouts of their surrogate mother. CALLISTA skims through the information on the computer screen. CALLISTA So what happened after they were born? ANDREA They were closely observed, this next part he describes as tricky. He fucked around with their genetics, so that's why they look oh-so-perfect. He observed their behaviors and personalities in an environment he created. CALLISTA What was this 'environment' like? Does he say in the research? The computer screen shows two normal looking bedrooms, these rooms have both masculine and feminine aspects to them. ANDREA He carefully crafted these rooms for them to grow up in. He observed which aspects of the room the gravitated to. ANDREA prints out one of the pictures, placing it on the table with a red pen. CALLISTA I still don't really get it, I thought they would be conditioned from the beginning to be perfect. ANDREA As you can see, the room has both masculine and feminine aspects. This is from when they were children, so there are feminine and masculine toys in equal numbers and equally prominent in the room. ANDREA circles in red pen the dolls on the shelf and the trucks on the floor. CALLISTA The results of this were? ANDREA Well, the results were mixed and they varied. This depended on their moods, interests, and other factors. Of course he saw things he deemed errors. For him this was good, this meant he could give his correctional technology a test drive. CALLISTA What kind of errors? ANDREA goes back to the computer screen and scrolls down. ANDREA Well, they sent in researchers masqueraded as tutors. Subject A, our little friend Jill, was shown to be assertive and quick to make up her mind in lessons. Not an easy target for people out to control her, so it was marked as an error. Subject B, Jack was the opposite. He was shown to be more passive and timid. He didn't say much to the researchers-I mean, tutors. CALLISTA So that explains why she is the way she is, and why he seems to go along with it? ANDREA No actions were taken against this behavior, only violent or harmful behaviors would be controlled or punished. CALLISTA looks at the picture on the desk, and then back at the computer screen. CALLISTA Seems like an easier life than most, after all they are meant to be annoyingly perfect. Now he wants to f**k them up even more so that they can be more perfect. ANDREA Here's the thing though, he plans to use these 'errors' against them. He purposefully made them 'imperfect', by taking away the outside pressures of life in Parfait. If we were to release them into Parfait now, they could be doing time by now. He has made it so that their behaviors are habitual. Why did he do it? To make them perfect by force. ANDREA turns in her chair and looks at CALLISTA with a serious look on her face. CALLISTA So what does this mean for the rest of us? Why are they suddenly so concerned with 'correcting' the 'imperfect'? ANDREA Because the population that is roaming free in Parfait is limited. There is a fear that the population will be too small, causing the people to inbreed. So what this technology will do is rehabilitate prisoners, stripping away their identity so that the government will allow them to re-enter society. CALLISTA So Jack and Jill are meant to be both idols and Guinea pigs. So what do we do about this info now? ANDREA turns back to her computer, looking at the screen. ANDREA For the time being, we hold on to it. There's nothing here about the under city and how close they are to finding us. I'm not sure if I should be worried or relieved about that. INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT DOMINIC walks into the lab to find that JACK and JILL, along with his research are all gone. DARIUS along with the guards are searching through the laboratories. DARIUS Someone snuck in here and took everything during the attack. The hard drive is wiped clean, everything is stolen. DOMINIC Twenty years of my work snatched from me, sixteen of which were spent raising and observing Jack and Jill. LIAM, JOHNSON, and BAKER follow him inside, and they are searching the laboratory as well. JOHNSON Whoever did this did a thorough job, no fingerprints left behind and no hairs we can trace. The guards are looking around whilst Dominic tries to calm himself by sitting in a chair. LIAM Any ID on the guard we sent up here? JOHNSON No sir, nothing. LIAM F**k. Any background info? Any profile pictures? Anything on this a*****e? BAKER looks through his tablet computer and brings up a profile. JOHNSON All we have is a name, Callisto James...sounds familiar. DARIUS You have him confused with Lady Callisto James, the daughter of Lord and Lady James...and she's dead. BAKER My apologies, it is common for people in our line of work to use aliases. We just thought it was a coincidence. DARIUS turns his head and glares angrily at the guards. DARIUS A farfetched coincidence, if you are implying what I think you are implying. BAKER Nobody found a body, she just went missing and was assumed dead. DARIUS She was a lady of good standing, and someone who was engaged to me. Why else would she just disappear? She was ether kidnapped or murdered, most likely both. DOMINIC is sitting in the chair rubbing his temples in frustration. DOMINIC Go home Darius, calm yourself after this ordeal. We will try to recover the research and the location of Jack and Jill, understand? DARIUS Yes sir. DARIUS leaves and the guards follow behind him. DOMINIC reaches under the desk and pulls out a thick binder. DOMINIC Could it be this is where you took my beloved research you little thief? The binder contains various maps and magazine clippings, indicating that the existence of the under city has been his obsession. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Liam, prepare yourself and your men. EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - NIGHT The smuggler tunnels are on the outskirts of the under city, this is where food and resources are transported from Parfait. One of the smugglers named HARRIET, finds a crate full of fruits, vegetables and grains. HARRIET Frank! Come take a look at this! FRANK walks over to the crate to inspect the contents. FRANK Who brought this here? Any idea where it came from? HARRIET Someone just found it out in the open, seems dodgy if you ask me. How could we get our hands on this much food all at once? FRANK searches the crate until he finds a small probe hidden amongst the food. FRANK Pass me a small rock Harriet. HARRIET hands him a small rock that was next to the crate. FRANK abruptly smashes the probe with a rock. HARRIET What was that for? FRANK It's a tracking device, someone knew we would take this crate and run with it. HARRIET So what? Have we finally been found? FRANK puts the broken tracking device in his pocket. FRANK They won't find their way into the city, but this was a close call. Keep an eye out for any 'unwanted visitors'. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - DAY FRANK bursts into ANDREA and CALLISTA’s apartment, slamming the broken probe down on the table. ANDREA Frank, there's this beautiful thing called knocking, perhaps you are familiar with it. FRANK Do you know what your little stunt is costing us? ANDREA picks up the broken probe and examines it. CALLISTA Maybe tell us why did you barged in here with a broken hunk of metal? ANDREA Because the broken hunk of metal is a tracking device. FRANK I know that genius, the question is why did I find it in one of the crates being shipped into the under city? FRANK starts looking around the apartment, the door to the guest bedroom opens. JILL What is the meaning of this?! FRANK Your creator is doing everything in his power to find you, and he’s going to kill us all in the process. CALLISTA Frank, you don't understand what they have planned, we are already in danger. We can't keep hiding from Parfait forever, we have to- FRANK furiously turns his head towards CALLISTA. FRANK What? Fight them? I told you that this was a place of refuge, and you are verge of turning it into a blood bath. ANDREA takes the external hard drive from her desk and hands to FRANK. ANDREA They were trying to find us all along, they wanted to cure us. They will find us and they will use this technology to enslave us. FRANK Who do you people think you are? Revolutionaries who think you can lead armies into battle? CALLISTA For starters, there's more of us down here than up there. That is why they are desperate to find us. JACK quietly observes the argument from afar, wanting them to stop arguing, but he fears his interference will not help the situation. FRANK I don't think we can beat them by throwing rocks and stones at them. JACK (stammering) I think Callista and Andrea are right, we can't hide forever. JILL You are taking their side now?! What good have they done for us? I’d like to know, since even their own people don’t agree with what they’ve done. Everyone turns to face JACK, JILL looks at him with a horrified expression. JACK (stammering) Aren't you afraid Jill? A-aren't you afraid of being forced to become somebody else? JILL She took us from our home Jack, she dragged us into this underground wasteland. JACK (mumbling) Where would we be if she hadn't? Everything our father told us is a lie, we mean nothing to him don't you see that? ANDREA sits down in her desk chair, trying to remain calm about the situation. ANDREA Well you mean something to him, to him, you only exist because of his goddamn research. JILL You're a liar! You are all liars! Now you're infecting my dear brother with your lies! ANDREA turns to look at CALLISTA, she is astonished at her calm and composed expression. CALLISTA For someone so quick to protect your brother, you're desperate to go back to those who won't let you do it. JILL What are you saying now? Is my anger and fear amusing to you? CALLISTA Not amusing, and not particularly pleasant ether. The only nice thing I have to say about it is that you don't take your fate lying down. You are nothing like the other women of Parfait, and your brother is nothing like their men ether. If you think Dr. Stone will let you stay that way, than might I suggest reading through what he's written about you. At the end of the day, you were just lab rats to him. Parfait is no place for ether of you. CALLISTA is about to walk out of the room when ANDREA stops her. ANDREA Where are you going now? CALLISTA I need some air, you coming? As ANDREA and CALLISTA are about to leave, ANDREA turns to FRANK. ANDREA Keep an eye on them while we're gone, we won't be long. FRANK nods quietly and closes the door behind them. EXT. THE MARKET - UNDER CITY - DAY ANDREA and CALLISTA are walking through the market. ANDREA So do you think it's wise to leave Jack and Jill alone with Frank? CALLISTA He won't betray us, I can guarantee that much. Not after what we've been through to get here. ANDREA I never really understood the friendship between you two. I mean sure, you didn't kill each other, but you don't seem like the best of friends ether. CALLISTA stops dead in her tracks, remembering her life before living in the under city. CALLISTA We had different reasons for coming here, but we came together. ANDREA What were those reasons? INT. LADY CARA'S BEDROOM - THE JAMES MANOR- PARFAIT - NIGHT CALLISTA is remembers the night she confessed that she had no desire to marry DARIUS. LORD JAMES is in the room while a maid is brushing CALLISTA/CALLISTO's hair. LADY JAMES stands quietly at her daughter's side. LORD JAMES This is splendid, the wedding will be the talk of Parfait. No one will be able to forget this wedding for years to come. LADY JAMES Now now, don't get too excited, it will be Callisto's special day as well. CALLISTA/CALLISTO tries to speak, her eyes are tearing up slightly as she tries to do so. CALLISTA But, mama, papa I- LADY JAMES -am simply ecstatic I'm sure, but try to save your excitement for the big day. CALLISTA (muttering) I don't want to marry him papa. LORD JAMES and LADY JAMES look at their daughter with horrified expressions. LORD JAMES Have you any idea the what it would mean to call off the wedding?! It would be a scandal! The papers will accuse our family of hosting a sham wedding! You will not make our family suffer just because of your selfish and shameful wishes. LADY JAMES It's been a long night dear, perhaps some sleep will clear her mind. CALLISTA I don't want to sleep! I don't want to marry Darius! I don't even want to live here anymore! Everyone turns and stares at CALLISTA/CALLISTO in shock, LORD JAMES clears his throat before speaking. LORD JAMES Perhaps you're right, a good night's sleep will make her rethink what would happen if she was not a part of this household. Maybe she'll have a nightmare about living on the streets and fending for herself. Or worse living in the filthy under city, with all the other vermin of Parfait, waiting to be exterminated. LORD JAMES and LADY JAMES leave the room, leaving CALLISTA/CALLISTO to sit on her bed alone. EXT. THE MAIN ROAD - UNDER CITY - DAY The flashback briefly ends, CALLISTA and ANDREA continue their conversation on the main road in the under city. ANDREA So what happened? How did you and Frank escape Parfait? CALLISTA I found one book in my father's library that mentioned the under city, I wanted to see if such a place existed. I thought, that any place had to be better than home. ANDREA Why did Frank come with you? CALLISTA Frank already knew how to get to the under city, he was the one who helped me. I knew that he came here for his own reasons. ANDREA stops and stares at CALLISTA in confusion. ANDREA What do you mean by ‘his own reasons’? Did something happen to him too? CALLISTA That’s not my story to tell. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - DAY JACK, JILL and FRANK are still waiting in the apartment, JACK and FRANK are in the living room whilst JILL is in the guest bedroom. JACK (stammering) There's going to be a battle isn't there? FRANK So it seems, you looking forward to it? JACK shakes his head in response. JACK (mumbling) I don't want a war to break out, I don't want to fight in it and I don't wish to be the cause of it ether. FRANK As long as you are here in the under city, war is inevitable. JACK (mumbles) We were always told that we would be a shining beacon of hope for Parfait, I-I never once asked what our father meant by that. FRANK walks over to the fridge to see if there is anything to drink. FRANK Well, he was right in a sense. You were suppose to be exactly how he envisioned Parfait. Which I'm afraid to tell you, is absolutely miserable for the rest of us. JACK I didn't ask for this, I don't want people to suffer just because I exist. I don't want people to fight me, nor do I want them to fight for me. FRANK So, what would you suggest we do than? Your creator-sorry father, isn't going to rest until he finds you, until he finds all of us. FRANK takes a sip of the drink he takes out of the fridge. JACK D-did you ever live in Parfait? FRANK Everyone who's lived here has lived in Parfait, that's exactly why we are here. JACK Out father use to say that 'Parfait' meant 'Perfect'...that soon there will come a day when we will join its ranks of perfection...So tell me, why did you leave it all behind? FRANK tightly clutches his drink at the memory. FRANK It suffocated me, more so than it did for other people. Things were expected of me, Frank Brooke, the second son of a well known businessman in Parfait. My brother was suppose to marry Callisto James. JACK Did you ever...care for Lady Callisto? FRANK takes the seat next to JACK on the sofa. FRANK Not in the way you are thinking. She didn't want to marry my brother, the whole arrangement was made by our parents. She saw me trying to find an entrance into the under city. I had only heard rumours, I had hoped that there was a whole other world outside of the confines of Parfait. I didn't think I would find it. EXT. ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT - DAY There is a flashback of FRANK walking through the alleyways and CALLISTA/CALLISTO following close behind him. CALLISTA Perhaps this is the explanation for your odd behaviour lately . FRANK Are you going to tell my brother all about it? CALLISTA If you must know I do not care for your brother, nor do I wish to marry him. FRANK continues trying to find the hidden doorway, without looking back at CALLISTA/CALLISTO. FRANK So if you do now wish to tell my brother or our families, why are you here? CALLISTA If you truly know a way out of this city, then please, take me with you. FRANK I'm not going on holiday Callisto, I'm leaving this city for good. There isn't anything you or anyone else in Parfait can do to change my mind. FRANK finds a crease in the wall, and he's about to open the secret door when CALLISTA/CALLISTO grabs his hand. CALLISTA/CALLISTO looks at him seriously. CALLISTA I want to escape this city just as much as you do. It smothers me as much as it does you, you need a place to grieve whilst I need a place to be free. FRANK How did you know about that? Have you told anyone about that? CALLISTA No, I haven't. It’s not my story to tell. EXT. THE MAIN ROAD - UNDER CITY - NIGHT The flashback has ended, ANDREA and CALLISTA are on their way home to the apartment. ANDREA So how did you get down here without anyone trying to find you? CALLISTA It's been a while, they must have given up the search by now. My family didn't care about me, losing me only meant losing a prize that they could dangle in front of other people. They see a disturbance occurring in the distance and rush to the scene. LIAM Take your hands off of me you filthy animals. HARRIET We've been called worse, we'll see what Frank has to say about this. One of the smugglers leads LIAM away, HARRIET trails behind them. LIAM glares at CALLISTA as he walks past her. ANDREA What happened? HARRIET Someone from the military trying to break into the under city. We'll keep him here so that he doesn't go running to his superiors with what he knows. CALLISTA Should we go get Frank? HARRIET No, I will. You two have done enough. EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - NIGHT FRANK and HARRIET arrive at the smuggler tunnels. JACK and JILL follow closely behind him. LIAM is tied to a chair and HARRIET is standing guard next to him. FRANK Looking for these two? LIAM Yes. What of it? They are property of Dr. Dominic Stone, and he demands their immediate return. FRANK So if we give them to you and Dr. Stone, you’ll leaves us alone? LIAM Precisely. FRANK points a gun at LIAM, everyone flinches in shock. FRANK Bluffing isn't your forte, you make a better general I'm sure. You see you may see us as animals or monsters, but you better believe we aren't stupid. You'll go running to the Parfait military with what you know, and we can't have an army charging in and wrecking everything. LIAM Dr. Stone's intentions were good, he wanted to rehabilitate you and all the other savages in the under city. Are you so selfish as to let the city above fall into chaos? FRANK When it does, we will welcome its refugees with open arms. LIAM looks around the area with a look of confusion and wrinkles his nose in disgust. LIAM So tell me, why did you all flee to this disgusting place? FRANK A fish goes underwater to breath correct? Otherwise it will suffocate and slowly die. LIAM What does that have to do with anything? FRANK aims the gun closer to LIAM's head. FRANK Much like the fish, if we were to return to the ground above, we too would suffocate, and we too would die. I don't care for Dr. Stone's methods. If it were up to me, I would kill you right here. Right now. You wouldn't live to tell anyone what you saw here. HARRIET The only reason we haven't, is because you would be more useful to us as a hostage. Killing you would do more harm to the refugees than good. FRANK lowers the gun and takes a step back from the chair. LIAM turns to JACK and JILL. LIAM Explain the Gemini project to him, explain how it was intended to help the people of Parfait. JILL turns her head away, while JACK looks at him with guilt. JILL There were many things that out father kept from us general. LIAM He did it to protect you, you ungrateful child! You and your brother were suppose to be Parfait's saviors, not puppets of the under city! JILL Maybe we will be, maybe someday we'll be able to protect those we care for, from liars and monsters. JILL turns and walks away, LIAM tries to reason with JACK instead, as he struggles against being tied to the interrogation chair. LIAM Jack, surely you can understand, surely you can try to reason with these barbarians. LIAM continues to struggle against the chair, FRANK is tempted to shoot him but HARRIET stops him. JACK (stammering) The under city doesn't want a war with you, but you are d-desperate to war with them. So who are the real barbarians? LIAM I'll kill you! You ungrateful little brat, where would scum like you be without- JILL Enough! I couldn't care less what you think of me, General. For your sake I hope you have the guts to go through with your threats against my brother and I. For all I know, the whole lot of you could be liars, thieves, animals, monsters and savages. However, if you harm a single hair on my brother's head, I won't hesitate to destroy you with my bare hands. Everyone stops and turns to JILL in surprise. JILL walks away and drags JACK along with her without looking back. INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - DAY DOMINIC and DARIUS wait to hear from LIAM (who has been sent to investigate the under city), but they haven’t heard from him since. DOMINIC So the General hasn’t returned yet? JOHNSON No sir, he insisted on going in alone, claiming that the three of us together would draw too much attention. DARIUS Those savages took him, you should have gone with him anyway. JOHNSON angrily turns to DARIUS JOHNSON It must be nice to not know what it’s like, to follow orders with out question, and being so use to giving them. DOMINIC The best we can hope for is that these animals have some self restraint. We can only hope that they will come to their senses, and see that we are doing this for the good of our people. DOMINIC stands up and stares out the window, overlooking the city outside. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Speak to Lord James about continuing to fund the research. We will do what whatever we can to rescue them from the under city. DARIUS I thought you had forgotten that the James family was funding this research. Mine too, if you can recall. Given the way you have been acting, you seem too calm about the endangerment of a high ranking general. Not to mention the fact that the test subjects still haven’t been returned. DOMINIC doesn’t even look back at DARIUS as he speaks. DOMINIC I am aware of the research agreement I’ve made. I made the agreement to your family that if they fund my research, I would take you on as my assistant. As for the James family, they were quiet generous. They funded my research when they saw it’s potential, and handed their daughter over to you...or at least tried to. DARIUS What would you have me do, sir? The test subjects are gone and everyone knows it. How do you plan to keep the Gemini project from falling into disrepute? DOMINIC takes a deep breath, everyone waits while he calculates his next move. DOMINIC I have kept my end of the bargain with the Brooke family. Now see to it that the James family continues to fund the research that will eventually continue. DARIUS What if I convince my family to pull the funds on the research project? DOMINIC Than you will return to being the drunken rich boy they wanted to deal with. Only worse, you’ll be a disinherited drunken rich boy. DARIUS clutches his fists, feeling powerless to disagree with him. Eventually he leaves the room, DOMINIC still doesn’t look at him as he leaves. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - NIGHT FRANK, CALLISTA and ANDREA are drinking in the apartment. While JACK and JILL look on nervously. ANDREA I still can’t believe you gave General Liam a piece of your mind. ANDREA pats JILL on the back trying to get her to calm down. JILL I suppose I did... ANDREA I thought your brother was suppose to be the quiet one. FRANK is slightly less drunk compared to CALLISTA and ANDREA. FRANK Well, there’s no escaping a war with Parfait. We are holding a high ranking General hostage, and they aren’t planning to leave him down here. They will fight with tooth and nail to get him back. ANDREA (slurring) Why do you have to make everything so morbid Frankie? JILL He’s right, when the time comes we must be ready for it. CALLISTA is in the corner of the room watching everyone else. She slowly takes a drink from the bottle in her hand ANDREA (slurring) Just watch, we’ll beat the living s**t out of those a******s. Make them cry for their mother and send them home with tails between their legs. JACK fidgets nervously as he speaks. JACK How can you be so sure? FRANK Ask her that when she isn’t drunk as piss. Not that it will make much of a difference. CALLISTA For now, we should celebrate what little victory we have. EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - DAY LIAM is inside a cage and he suddenly wakes up when he hears the rattling of the cage. CALLISTA is standing outside the cage looking at him. CALLISTA Did you have a nice sleep General? LIAM Did your really think that with a face like yours, a hair cut and a crappy name change would save you? CALLISTA Well they’ve given up looking for me, so it did what it said on the tin. LIAM sits up in the cage, staring CALLISTA down. LIAM Why did you even bother coming here? You had a good life laid out for you in Parfait, yet you threw it all away to live in this filth. CALLISTA Firstly, other people planned that life for me General, it was a good life in their eyes but not mine. Secondly, this is my home now, it’s better than the whitewashed s**t hole you call a city. I suggest you treat it with some respect, if you don’t want the smugglers to clean up your blood on the bars. LIAM Or Parfait will be cleaning the blood off the city streets, there’s no escaping a war with them. There is a war coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it. CALLISTA is about to walk away from the cage. CALLISTA Tell me something that I don’t know General. LIAM You have no military power, no weapons, no means to defend yourselves. Parfait will destroy you if you do not surrender. CALLISTA That is a chance that we are willing to take. You said you didn’t understand why we would come to this filthy place, I’ll tell you why: Because this is where we belong, even you believe that we belong in the dirt. CALLISTA continues to walk away from the cage, while LIAM continues to scowl at her. INT. LORD JAMES' DINING HALL - THE JAMES MANOR- PARFAIT - NIGHT DARIUS is having lunch with LORD JAMES, discussing what happened with the Gemini project and the fact that the General is being held hostage. LORD JAMES Barbarians, the whole lot of them. Worst of all, everyone assumed that place was a myth, now it’s swallowed up out beloved General. DARIUS There are also other rumors, which up until recently I haven’t been able to believe myself. There are rumors that your daughter is alive, and that she’s working with the people of the under city. LORD JAMES takes a sip of his wine, taking in what DARIUS told him. LORD JAMES That girl isn’t even worth mentioning at this moment. I knew she ran away so that she wouldn’t have to marry you, she belongs with those scum. Just like everyone else in the under city, she bites the hand that feeds. DARIUS looks confused as LORD JAMES takes a bite of his food. DARIUS It was my understanding that Callisto disappeared, people said that she was kidnapped and possibly killed. LORD JAMES She never wanted to marry you, I told her she would be thrown out of the house if didn’t cooperate. As you are aware it was arranged of course, but she was resistant to the arrangements. DARIUS What would you have me do if we found her? LORD JAMES takes another sip of wine, contemplating his answer. LORD JAMES It’s quite simple, kill her. DARIUS Perhaps there is another way, perhaps she could be rehabilitated, if you continue to fund the Gemini project that is. LORD JAMES I will, but even with rehabilitation, I have no intention of allowing Callisto to set foot in this house. I will continue to fund the project, for the good of other people in Parfait. DARIUS takes a triumphant bite of food, chewing slowly as he thinks their discussion through. DARIUS I am pleased to hear that you will continue to fund the project. Therefore we will speak no more of this matter. LORD JAMES That would be wise, Lord Brooke. The military’s main priority would be to rescue their General and to recover the test subjects. Your intentions are wasted on my daughter, I’m not even sure if the rehabilitation technology would be effective on her. DARIUS I understand sir. LORD JAMES finishes the food on his plate, and the servants rush to clear his plate and bring him the next course. LORD JAMES One thing is for certain, Lord Brooke. No matter how loudly the under city cries, we will not return to the chaotic new ways. We have returned to the stable old ways, and they are here to stay. DARIUS Were they difficult times my Lord? LORD JAMES Of course, I mean you weren’t even born yet, but it was a dark time in our history. Those who wanted to keep the stable, old ways were forced into hiding. We didn’t cower like the people of the under city, we rose out of the ashes soon enough, and took back what was rightfully ours. DARIUS finishes his plate and another servant clears it for him. DARIUS I’m sorry to hear that my Lord, my family suffered just as your family suffered. LORD JAMES Those were dark times, which is why it is of vital importance to keep history from repeating itself. CUT TO: INT/EXT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - NIGHT CALLISTA wakes up in the middle of the night, she gathers her things and prepares to leave the apartment. JILL wakes up and sees CALLISTA gathering her things. JILL Where is she going? Outside the apartment, CALLISTA knows that JILL is trying to follow her. She doesn’t look at JILL as she walks out the door. CALLISTA Don’t try and stop me Jill, don’t even think about coming with me ether. JILL I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not Callista. You can’t do this alone. CALLISTA I have, many times. How do you think I brought you here Jill? Besides, I can take care of myself, go back inside. CALLISTA is about to walk away when JILL grabs her arm. JILL I’m still coming with you, I will stay out of sight, I will try to help. I want my brother and I to be free of this, I realize now that you are our hope for freedom. CALLISTA Keep quiet, and until we get there, you better stay out of sight. JILL nods in agreement as she lets go of CALLISTA and follows her out of the under city. FADE TO: EXT. ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT - NIGHT CALLISTA is walking through the alleyway trying to explain the plan to JILL. CALLISTA If you’re coming with me, you might as well be my ticket through the front door. It would save me the hassle of climbing into the laboratory. JILL What do you plan to do? CALLISTA Your job is to tell them that I’m a guard who found you, and that I intend to take you back to the lab. Once inside, I sabotage the correctional technology that has been build, take any information on military technology that he has, then we go. JILL nods in agreement, she takes a deep breath as she prepares for the task. JILL Well I suppose you would not be able to do it without me then. CALLISTA No, I suppose not. JILL What about the others? Why did you leave them behind? CALLISTA moves quickly through the alleyway, JILL tries to keep up with her as they move. CALLISTA Because too many of us could look suspicious, just stick to the plan and we’ll get through this. After this, we will at least have a fighting chance against Parfait when they attack. When they attack, we will certainly be ready. CUT TO: INT. RECEPTION - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT The RECEPTIONIST is surprised to see JILL and one of the guards walking through the door late at night. RECEPTIONIST How did you- JILL I wish to see Dr. Stone immediately please. RECEPTIONIST Jill could you be more- JILL I have been kidnapped for the past few days, and now that I have been able to return home, I wish to see my father. The RECEPTIONIST nods, and gives JILL the keys to the laboratory. RECEPTIONIST I apologize miss, with the heist and your disappearance, security has been tight. I’ll give you the keys and you can wait for your father there. JILL Thank you. JILL takes the keys, but the RECEPTIONIST looks at the guard suspiciously as they both walk towards the elevator. CUT TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT CALLISTA and JILL enter the laboratory, JILL finds a place to hide while CALLISTA finds the correctional technology. She looks behind a sliding door and sees what looks like a dentist’s chair. There are straps for the wrists and ankles to hold the patient in place. CALLISTA I can’t tell the difference between correctional technology and torture devices. JILL I honestly don’t know what to make of this place anymore, it use to be my home, and now- CALLISTA Now we find what we came for and get out. CALLISTA tries to sabotage the machine while JILL has a look around the lab. Suddenly DARIUS enters the door and JILL panics, she hides under an operating table while CALLISTA has her gun ready. Darius pulls back the sliding door and CALLISTA keeps her hood up and stands next to the machine. DARIUS I never knew the military took such a deep interest in our work, tinkering with our toys like this. Unless... DARIUS grabs CALLISTA, holding her arms behind her. DARIUS (CONT’D) Unless that is, you aren’t the military. You’re a petty thief who has returned to the scene of her crimes. Then again, stealing the Gemini project isn’t ‘petty’, but I wouldn't call it clever. DARIUS lowers the hood of CALLISTA’s jacket. DARIUS (CONT’D) Let’s see you try to slip through my fingers this time, Callisto. INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - DAY ANDREA wakes up and sees that CALLISTA isn’t in her bed. She looks around the flat to see if she’s awake, but she doesn’t find her. She wakes up FRANK, who is fast asleep on the sofa. ANDREA Frank, wake up! Wake up right now we have to go! FRANK (groggily) What is it? ANDREA Callista is gone, and Jill must have gone with her. FRANK sits upright FRANK What?! Where could they have-Did she say anything about going to- ANDREA No, but we’re both willing to bet money that’s where they went. ANDREA walks over to her computer desk, and knocks on the guest bedroom door as she passes it. ANDREA (CONT’D) Tell Jack to wake up and take him with you, I’ll be able to look out for you from here. JACK also wakes up and peers outside the guest bedroom door. JACK What’s going on? FRANK Your sister is missing, we have to go find her. JACK (stammering) I told her not to go, she told me that she would be back soon. FRANK places a comforting hand on JACK’s shoulder. FRANK We’ll find her Jack, They couldn’t have gotten far. JACK Who’s ‘they’? Did she leave with Callista? FRANK Yes. JACK looks frightened as he realizes where they went. JACK They’re going back to the lab, they’ll be killed, they might even kill Jill. ANDREA They aren’t stupid enough to do that, worst case scenario is that they get caught. Frank, take your headset so that I can communicate with you and Jack. CUT TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT DARIUS puts a gun to CALLISTA’s head as he talks. DARIUS Since your dear father will continue to fund the project, I don’t need you. I’d hate to be the one to clean your brains off the walls, and your father thinks rehabilitating you would be pointless. So what should I do with you my dear? CALLISTA You could start by not calling me ‘dear’, you b*****d. DARIUS Careful, I might just get the cleaning staff in here to clean up your bits and pieces. So tread carefully, it’s not your forte I know, but do try. JILL sneaks out from under the operating table and grabs a heavy book off the table. DARIUS (CONT’D) So tell me what I need to know dear, where are you keeping General Liam? More importantly, where are you keeping Jack and Jill? JILL stands behind DARIUS with the heavy book. JILL I’m right here. JILL hits DARIUS in the head with the book and CALLISTA grabs both her gun and his. JILL hoists him into the chair and CALLISTA straps him to the chair. EXT. ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT - NIGHT FRANK and JACK are walking through the alleyways, and JACK takes this moment to ask FRANK more questions about his past. JACK You never told anyone why you came to the under city, or what made you decide to become a smuggler. FRANK I told Andrea, I told Callista, just not you and your sister. I became a smuggler because I was a noble, and I knew the city inside and out. I know every nook and cranny, I worked with the others to keep the people fed and clothed. JACK That doesn’t answer my first question, why come to the under city when you were a noble? FRANK takes a deep breath, trying to remain composed as he remembered what happened. FRANK I lost someone, someone I cared for, someone that was murdered for a crime that wasn’t a crime. CUT TO: INT. ANTHONY’S PRISON CELL - PARFAIT - DEVIANT DETENTION CENTER- DAY ANTHONY and FRANK are looking at each other through their prison bars. ANTHONY You shouldn’t have come here Frankie. FRANK Why, why are you even here? You did nothing wrong Anthony, we did nothing wrong! ANTHONY We are deviants Frank, in their eyes we are deviants of the worst kind. A tear begins to roll down FRANK’s eye, ANTHONY tries to calm him. FRANK I’m sorry, I shouldn’t- ANTHONY Find somewhere to shed your tears and dry your eyes in peace Frankie. I’ll miss you whereever you go. FRANK Please don’t do this Anthony, we’ll get out of here together, there must be another way. ANTHONY shakes his head, smiling as he tries to be brave for FRANK. ANTHONY There is no other way Frank, you live on while someone like me takes the fall. Two guards are on their way to the prison cell, and ANTHONY gestures for him to leave. INT. DOMINIC STONE'S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT CALLISTA searches the office while JILL keeps an eye on DARIUS. DARIUS You won’t find anything, Dominic has increased the security on the computer systems. Good luck getting in after your little trick from last time. The computer is unlocked, allowing CALLISTA to grab the information. DARIUS (CONT’D) The military computers have all that data as well, taking it from here will make no difference. CALLISTA Right, I can’t hear myself think if you’re running your mouth. DARIUS Thanks to your father’s generous donations, the military with crush the under city further into the dirt. CALLISTA waits while the documents are copied to her hard drive. DARIUS (CONT’D) He was going to keep his end of the bargain anyway, to him you were just a pretty little plaything he could dangle in front of me. Once you ran off he forgot all about you, he- By this time, CALLISTA has walked over to the machine and punched DARIUS in the face. CALLISTA Save your breath and tell me something I don’t know. Daddy wanted me married off to a powerful little s**t, so that he himself could continue to be a powerful little s**t. No need for the bullshit pleasantries, that was all there was to it. INT. RECEPTION - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - NIGHT The RECEPTIONIST is deeply suspicious of FRANK and what JACK is doing with him. RECEPTIONIST I’m calling the military about this, they are perfectly capable of delivering the boy themselves. JACK (Stammering) There is no need, I- The RECEPTIONIST is about the contact DARIUS when ANDREA intervenes as ‘Blank’. ANDREA Put the phone down, your call isn’t going anywhere. JACK (Whispers) Who is this? FRANK (Mouthing) Andrea The RECEPTIONIST looks frightened as she puts the phone down on the desk, her hand is shaking as she does this. ANDREA As I was saying, we have- CALLISTA and JILL run past the reception desk. CALLISTA We have what we came for, let’s get out of here! RECEPTIONIST I will be contacting Lord Brooke about this immediately! CALLISTA Go ahead, he’s a little tied up at the moment. The group flee the building and the RECEPTIONIST is too stunned to speak or do anything at that moment. She takes a breath before picking up the phone once more. RECEPTIONIST Could you put me through to him please...yes, it’s urgent...they have the information...yes I’m certain, they’ve done it before, I was doubtless they would do it again. INT/EXT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - NIGHT ANDREA looks flustered at her computer desk as she tries to fix her computer. ANDREA I only wanted to have a little peep at the cameras too see what was going on, but then I saw you guys were in deep s**t and I had to- FRANK What’s done is done, you saved us back there. ANDREA I saved you from a big, scary receptionist and I acted too quickly, I should have been more cautious. They weren’t lying about the security, I’m now terrified that they’ve found me. FRANK places a comforting hand on ANDREA’s shoulder. FRANK There is a battle coming for us, not even a battle, more like a siege given the information you’ve found. There’s nothing we can do now, except try to keep the people of the under city safe. CALLISTA Whatever happens to us, we won’t go down without a fight. Frank and the other smugglers should gather as much food and supplies as they can. This can be done before the guards seal off the entrances to the under city, just because they expect us to surrender, it sure as hell doesn’t mean we should. CALLISTA notices that FRANK is sitting alone on the sofa, while JILL is nowhere to be seen. CALLISTA (CONT’D) What do we do about Liam? And Jack and Jill? FRANK The smugglers will keep General Liam alive and fed, its no more than he deserves if you ask me. ANDREA Because killing him would piss off the military even more. CALLISTA steps outside of the apartment and JILL is looking over the balcony, she is so deep in thought she barely notices CALLISTA. CALLISTA So I hear there’s this war coming, are you ready for it? JILL Do you think I’m ready for it? Do you think any of us are? CALLISTA As terrifying as it might sound to hear this now, I’m honestly not sure. All I can do is hope that we fight to the finish. JILL sighs and CALLISTA leans against the railing next to her. JILL Is it a bad time to be afraid? I know it’s not going to go away, but I’m afraid of what will happen. I hate being afraid, I want to be brave for my brother, I want to be brave for the people I care for, in exchange for them caring for me. CALLISTA One thing that your father most likely never taught you, is that there is no bravery without fear. The two things have a funny way of going hand in hand, but ultimately it’s true. JILL How did you feel when you left Parfait? Were you afraid or brave? CALLISTA thinks back to when she left, thinking for a long moment. CALLISTA Both, I was afraid of what my world had become, and I felt brave leaving it behind. JILL Callista, if I may ask...why did you leave? CALLISTA I realized I was a prize, one that my father could present to whoever he felt could have it. Here, it may look like a shithole in comparison, but it’s my home now. Anyone who marches in uninvited, has to answer to me. EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - MORNING FRANK tries to gather the other smugglers together to announce explain the plan to them. FRANK There is a war coming, we have all known this for quite some time. Now we must prepare for what lies ahead, we must gather food and medicine to keep our people alive and well. HARRIET Everyone distribute yourselves throughout the city by using the different entrances. We need to utilize this opportunity if we are to have a fighting chance against Parfait. The other smugglers nod in agreement and disperse to prepare themselves. LIAM Nice speech kid, but you have no clue what you are up against. They have all the tech and all the power, what do you have? FRANK Their General as our hostage, I’m sure you are becoming too comfortable being fed in that nice big cage of yours. HARRIET If you want to eat it, don’t complain about how we got our hands on it. You may be quick to insult the people of the under city, but we will fight to keep them alive and well, and away from scum like you. INT. LOCAL PUB - UNDER CITY - AFTERNOON CALLISTA, JACK and JILL are waiting in the pub. CALLISTA is having a drink while they sit in silence. JILL Callista, exactly how long are we suppose to wait before Frank returns? CALLISTA He said he would be awhile, there are many smugglers keeping the under city fed and well looked after. A drunken OLD MAN stumbles into their table, CALLISTA tries to steady her drink while JACK looks apologetic. JACK Sorry sir... OLD MAN (slurring) Sorry? That’s all you can say to me? People are coming for us and all you have to say is sorry?! JILL Leave my brother alone you old drunkard. The OLD MAN glares at JILL, slamming his drink down on the table. OLD MAN (slurring) You and your brother should go back to whatever hell you two crawled out of. CALLISTA Why don’t you go back to your table, the smugglers are working hard to make sure you can drink your war through the war. The OLD MAN turns to CALLISTA, slamming his hands down on the table as he faces her. The drink falls to the floor and breaks. OLD MAN CALLISTA isn’t phased by his words as she talks to him.(slurring) This is all your fault you high and mighty little b***h. You think you’re fooling us all but we know the truth, we know exactly who you are. This wouldn’t have happened if you and your little friend hadn’t fucked with the city of Parfait. You have no business being here, go back to your charmed life, see if daddy will take you back. CALLISTA Some of us had an easier life than others, but we all came here for our own reasons. We came here, risking everything because a life in Parfait would never be a life for us. CALLISTA stands up from her table and leaves, JACK and JILL follow behind her. FADE TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE’S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - MORNING DOMINIC walks into the room and sees DARIUS strapped to the chair with his head bleeding. DOMINIC Morning Darius, you look like you had an interesting evening. DARIUS (stammering) The Gemini project, Jill she- DOMINIC Yes I am well aware of last nights events and the reason you are in this predicament. DARIUS struggles to free himself from the seat, but DOMINIC continues to look out the window, without paying any attention to him. DOMINIC (CONT’D) The under city has shaped these people into formidable foes, it is both impressive and alarming. DARIUS They took the information about the under city from the computer, that includes the documents from the military. They will know what we are planning. DOMINIC There will be little that they can do about it now, the best they can do is prepare themselves for the inevitable. DOMINIC makes a call to the front desk, while DARIUS continues to struggle in his seat. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Hello? Yes, my assistant is in need of medical attention immediately. RECEPTIONIST (Over the phone) Yes sir, I’m sending medical staff to handle the situation. DOMINIC Also would you be so kind as to put me through to ‘Blank’ please. RECEPTIONIST I’m not entirely sure if that’s within my capabilities sir, should I contact the military about this. DOMINIC See if they have any engineers or technicians that are up for the task. I have a message for the people of the under city, and I want this little thief to be the one to broadcast it. CUT TO: INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - EVENING CALLISTA, JACK, and JILL walk into the apartment. FRANK and ANDREA are seated at ANDREA’s desk, they turn and look at them as they enter. ANDREA You’re going to have to sit down, you’ll be too stunned to stand all of this. CALLISTA leans against the wall, whilst JACK and JILL take a seat on the sofa. Andrea plays the video on the computer while everyone else watches. DOMINIC Hello “Blank”, can I just say that finding you was more difficult than I expected it to be, Nonetheless, if you are watching this, then we have succeeded. You and you’re little friends from the under city have broken into my laboratory numerous times. I can see why you left, it’s clear we would not have been able to utilize your talents if you had stayed. ANDREA narrows her eyes at the screen as she watches the video. DOMINIC (CONT’D) I have deduced that you left Parfait because there are rules and regualations that wouldn’t permit a character like yourself. I didn’t send you this to argue with you, Blank.c I am sending this to you in hopes of trying to reason with you and your comrades in the under city. CALLISTA So he knows that we know what he’s planning? FRANK briefly snaps his head towards CALLISTA, before looking back at the screen. FRANK Shush! DOMINIC I suggest that you inform your people of what you know, because what you have found is the truth and the whole truth. We do not want a war, quite the contrary, we cannot afford to allow the population of Parfait to dwindle. No matter how long you will try to run away from us, you are still a part of us. We are extending this olive branch to you in hopes that you will understand. CALLISTA What is he on about? JILL The correctional technology, he plans to use it on you and us as well. In the video, DOMINIC pauses for a moment before finishing his speech. DOMINIC This is what I am offering you, surrender yourselves, the Gemini project, and General Liam. The under city will be renovated as an extension of the under city, and we can help you. We can fix you, so that you will no longer have to run and hide like rats. So I ask you Blank, and you comrades, to help us help you. We will guard the many entrances into the under city, anyone willing to surrender and undergo correctional therapy may pass through. The video stops and there is an awkward silence in the room. FRANK I don’t know what’s more twisted, the fact that he plans to do this or the fact that he believes that what he is doing is right. ANDREA is too furious to speak, and CALLISTA tries to comfort her. CALLISTA CALLISTA tries to place a comforting hand on ANDREA’s shoulder.At least he didn’t- ANDREA I made a mistake when I tried to help you guys last time, and now the b*****d has found me. My parents were locked away for ‘harbouring a deviant’. They themselves were deviants, because they cared for me. CALLISTA You made a mistake, it happens to the best of us. We would still be trapped in the laboratory if it wasn’t for you. ANDREA Now they can easily send a message saying that they are coming for us! Me making mistakes spits on the sacrifice that my parents made! Making mistakes makes them think I am incapable! ANDREA clenches her fists, trying to hold back her tears and her anger. FRANK I’ll alert the other smugglers, we still have time to gather supplies before the military get here. FRANK is about to leave, CALLISTA stops him when they are out of earshot from the others. CALLISTA Frank, I’m going with them, there’s something I need to take care of. FRANK Are you sure about this Callista? I’m not even sure what you plan to do. CALLISTA I have some unfinished business to take care of in Parfait. FRANK tries to think about it, he is unsure about letting her remain in Parfait while the entrances are sealed off. FRANK Are you sure that now is the time to settle this? CALLISTA It’s the best time to settle it, the smugglers can go back without me, and I can handle myself. I got us into this mess, and I’m finishing it, with or without Andrea. CALLISTA is about to leave with FRANK, when FRANK puts his hand on her shoulder. FRANK I hope you know what you’re doing, and I hope you do it well. CALLISTA I know, I will ends this once and for all. I’m not about to die now, maybe once all this is over, but not now. FRANK If you do, say hello to Andrew for me will you? CALLISTA chuckles, and smiles at the memory of him. She pats FRANK on the shoulder as she speaks. CALLISTA Sure thing, Frankie. CUT TO: EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - MORNING All the smugglers gather around HARRIET, who is standing on a platform looking down at them. FRANK and CALLISTA are in the crowd, CALLISTA is wearing a smuggler’s coat instead of a military one. HARRIET Ladies and gentlemen, for years we have worked hard to keep the under city and it’s people thriving. Why? Because they deserve to live away from Parfait’s clutches. Their hold on our beloved under city becomes tighter, and we will not allow it. As long as there are men, women and children willing to risk everything to come here, we will see to it that their efforts aren’t in vain. We will gather what we need to put food on their tables, put clothes on their backs, and to tend to the sick and wounded. For a long time we thrived under Parfait’s noses, and we don’t intend to stop anytime soon. The other smugglers clap, and as HARRIET steps down from the platform, she pulls FRANK aside. HARRIET (CONT’D) Are you sure Callista can handle this? I mean I know that she can handle herself up there, but I don’t want her to make things worse. FRANK Things can’t get any worse, and they are in no position to start shooting at us. They think that we will give in to them, they know that there’s more of us then there are of them. They think it’s better to change us than to kill us. HARRIET If you could be changed, would you allow them? FRANK ponders this question for a moment, he thinks back to the happy moment he had with Andrew. He shakes his head at HARRIET’s question. FRANK We have the Gemini project, so who knows if the technology would even work. Even if it did, no sense returning to Parfait now. I’ve grown too use to the under city, Parfait always looked so plain in comparison. HARRIET Except you have status in Parfait, surely there is something that you miss? All of us miss one minute thing about it. FRANK Perhaps deep inside me, I do, but I also know that they took away someone I cared for. That, is something I will never forgive. The smugglers move through the tunnels and CALLISTA leaves with HARRIET and her team of smugglers. CALLISTA Great speech Harriet. HARRIET I never did ask, why didn’t you join the smugglers like Frank did? Why go off on your own and take from the laboratories? We could have used someone like you. CALLISTA There’s a difference between living and surviving, I knew that doing both in the under city couldn’t last. So with Andrea’s help, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Now, I’m finishing what I started. HARRIET tries to take this in as they reach the exit of the tunnel. HARRIET Whatever you have planned, don’t even think about dying before you finish. CUT TO: EXT. THE MARKET - UNDER CITY - AFTERNOON JACK, JILL, and ANDREA are in the market with the remaining smugglers. JACK and the other smugglers are passing rations of food around, while JILL tries to distance herself from them. JACK What’s wrong Jill? JILL Why are we even here? It’s like that old man said, we belong in Parfait, we have no reason to be here. JACK You know as well as I do that we don’t belong there Jill, we never have. JILL turns her back towards JACK, thinking about what he said. JILL Perhaps these people are better off without us Jack, or better off without me. JACK What makes you say that? JILL Here in the under city, you care for them and look after them. I am only capable of being angry and stubborn, a hard hearted person like me is of no help to these people. Whenever I try, I feel like I’m sitting on my hands. JACK tries to comfort his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. JACK (mumbling) You do care for these people, maybe there are other ways you wish to show it, but you do care for them. I know that no matter what happens, you wouldn’t put them in harm’s way. JILL touches the hand on her shoulder, nodding quietly. JACK smiles warmly at her as she looks back at him. JACK (CONT’D) Come on, these food rations won’t pass themselves around. As JILL is passing out rations, a LITTLE GIRL takes the ration from JILL’s hands. She gives JILL a toothy grin and JILL doesn’t know how to react. LITTLE GIRL Thank you kind lady! JILL (mumbles) No problem, now run along...or something. JACK sees this and chuckles, smiling warmly as he watches them. FADE TO: EXT. ALLEYWAY - PARFAIT - EVENING CALLISTA watches the smugglers return through the tunnels, whilst keeping in contact with ANDREA. ANDREA (on the phone) The guards will be arriving soon, they’ve stood by while the smugglers take the food. Things will get ugly down here I just know it. They won’t kill anybody, but that doesn’t mean they won’t inflict harm on the people of the under city. They’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and the higher-ups will turn a blind eye if they get a result. CALLISTA We started this, I’ll be the one to finish it Andrea. ANDREA (on the phone) I know people have been saying this to you until they’re blue in the face, but be careful. CALLISTA nods her head, wordlessly heeding her warnings. ANDREA (CONT’D) (on the phone) Call me if you need anything. I might not be good for hacking into computers right now, but I can keep you posted on what’s going on. CALLISTA Thanks Andrea, for everything. ANDREA Just don’t die, that’s all I ask in return. CALLISTA hangs up the phone, and stealthily makes her way to her old family home. CUT TO: INT. LORD JAMES’ BEDCHAMBER - THE JAMES MANOR- PARFAIT - EVENING There is a MAID cleaning the room, when she suddenly notices CALLISTA’s presence. MAID Please don’t hurt me, I- CALLISTA I wish to have a word with someone, the pig who lies in this stye every night. MAID Lady Callisto, is that you? CALLISTA I am alive and well, thank you very much. Now, go fetch my father and bring us some wine. The MAID scurries away, leaving CALLISTA alone in the room for a moment. LORD JAMES barges into the room, the MAID cowering behind him. LORD JAMES What is the meaning of this?! CALLISTA Careful Daddy, you’ll wake up the whole manor with that temper. LORD JAMES snatches the bottle of wine out of the MAID’s hands. LORD JAMES Leave. MAID But my Lord, I- LORD JAMES I said leave! The MAID leaves the room, LORD JAMES and CALLISTA are alone in the room. LORD JAMES (CONT’D) Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call the guards? CALLISTA The military has their hands full trying to take control of the under city. Besides, you wouldn’t do that to your own daughter, would you? LORD JAMES You are not my daughter, my daughter was dead to me the minute she set foot into the under city. She deserved to die in the under city just like all the other rats that live there. CALLISTA puts her hand to her heart. CALLISTA Aw, you wound me, is that why you gave up looking for me? Were you more worried about who you would be able to dangle in front of other people like a prize? LORD JAMES You cost me my reputation, you almost ruined me. CALLISTA I’m sure you did fine, seeing as you had no choice but to continue to fund the Gemini project. Were you trying to find me and fix me Daddy? LORD JAMES slams the bottle of wine down on the table. LORD JAMES I didn’t need you, I told Lord Brooke I would continue to fund the Gemini project. I saw it’s potential, to spare someone else the pain of a daughter who bites the hand that feeds. CALLISTA Keeping me well fed until you could marry me off to someone else. You have no interest in fixing me, now that you’ve found me. You’re more worried about fixing everyone else. With or without me marrying Lord Brooke, you continue would fund the Gemini project. LORD JAMES So what do you want? CALLISTA walks over to the table and pours two glasses of wine. CALLISTA There are many things that I want, none of which you would give to me. I was just thinking about how ironic it was, back when you told me I would be nothing without you or your name. I left home, and I became so much more without you. CALLISTA slips a cloudy white liquid into one of the drinks. She hands the drink to her father, and her father simply holds the glass, staring down at her. CALLISTA (CONT’D) The under city is such a fascinating place father, it’s a crying shame that you want to destroy it so badly. LORD JAMES I will rid the world of the filth that dwells in the under city. It is for the good of Parfait, for the good of society, for the good of the people of Parfait. CALLISTA Is that so? So you believe all this is for everyone’s own good? I suppose that’s what makes it worse. CALLISTA watches closely as LORD JAMES takes a sip of his wine. LORD JAMES A stubborn, impulsive child like you wouldn’t understand. Doctor Dominic Stone intends to turn the scum of the under city into upstanding citizens again. He can fix them, he can cure these deviants and thus rid the world of them. CALLISTA climbs out the window, she doesn’t look at her father as she leaves. CALLISTA I’m glad we had this little chat, sorry that I couldn’t stay longer. Courtesy of that old woman in the under city’s market, your time will be up soon enough. She leaves and LORD JAMES doesn’t understand her for a moment, until he starts to choke on his wine. CUT TO: EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - EVENING The smugglers are returning with supplies, LIAM is watching them from his cage. HARRIET stands guard at the cage, glaring down at him. LIAM I could probably do without you trying to burn holes in my flesh. HARRIET The rest of us could do without having to deal with you as a hostage. We should have just killed you when we had the chance, or better yet you should have avoided this place. LIAM Yet you didn’t, because Frank is little more than a coward. I’m certain that he was the same coward who ran away from Parfait, because we put his little boy toy to sleep. FRANK passes the cage at that moment, glaring at LIAM through the cage. HARRIET I highly doubt you are in a position to be insulting your captors. The ones who took the time and energy to feed you and keep you alive. LIAM I’m not sure if keeping me hostage and feeding me stone cold soup would be considered “keeping me alive”. FRANK Or we could just kill you. HARRIET and LIAM look over at FRANK, who is talking to LIAM from the other side of the cage. FRANK (CONT’D) The military might be a little bit angry if we kill you. However, I’m getting rather fed up with you. So swallow down that ‘stone cold soup’ if you don’t want to swallow your teeth instead. FRANK walks away, HARRIET slips a bowl of stew into the cage. HARRIET Parfait’s soldiers will be arriving soon, they need to see that our prisoner is alive and well. We’ll just be here to make sure that our prisoner stays here. LIAM What makes you so sure you will succeed? What makes you certain that people won’t accept a cure that will spare them of a life like this? HARRIET squats down on the floor, so that her face is level with LIAM’s. HARRIET You drove us to this life, you never offered us a cure or help, only death and imprisonment. Also, what makes you so certain that Dr. Stone’s cure is effective, what if it only exists to make us suffer even more? LIAM Isn’t that what people like you deserve? HARRIET No, it’s what people like you deserve. We have done nothing wrong, you have killed and tortured people who didn’t choose their fate, nor would they choose to suffer at your hands. HARRIET stands up and LIAM remains sitting at the bottom of the cage. LIAM So you insist returning to the chaotic new ways of the past? HARRIET They were chaotic times, but we were close to reaching the hope at the bottom of Pandora’s box. CUT TO: INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - EVENING ANDREA is at her computer desk, typing at her computer. JILL is pacing across the living room feeling anxious. JILL Parfait’s troops are arriving, and we are still here sitting on our hands. ANDREA You appear to be pacing across the room and it’s giving me a headache. I need to think, I hope Callista is having better luck than we are. JILL sits down on the sofa, trying to calm herself. JILL I just hate sitting here while the conflict is approaching, I’m sick of it. I hate feeling so useless right now. JILL opens the door to the guest room, and JACK is sitting by himself staring at the floor. JILL (CONT’D) Jack? JACK Yes? JILL Are you all right? JACK shakes his head, still gazing at the floor. JILL (CONT’D) We’ve done what we could Jack, there’s nothing more we can do at this point. JACK (mumbling) I can still hear them, I can hear them screaming at each other, I can hear the guards not listening to them. I don’t want anyone to suffer anymore, I don’t want anyone to suffer because of me. JILL puts a comforting hand on JACK’s shoulder. JILL You comforted me, so now it’s my turn to comfort you. I’m just as frustrated as you are, if not more. We would be doing more harm than good if we recklessly go out there now. JACK (stammering) I still hate how powerless and useless I feel. JILL puts her arms around JACK, holding him close. JILL I’m here with you Jack, and you’re hear with me. Everyone is going to be fine and nobody’s going to lay a hand on you. Nobody, not while I’m here with you. JACK nods his head, but his feelings about the situation don’t change. JILL leaves him alone in the room and he stares out of the window. CUT TO: EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY The smuggler tunnels are in chaos as the guards are in position blocking them. HARRIET and FRANK are trying to defend the crowd against the guards. HARRIET Frank, if we’re not careful, there’s nothing stopping them from shooting a few of us. You know, ‘to encourage the others’? FRANK They’ll have to go through us before they lay a hand on anyone. One person charges towards the two guards at the entrance, the two guards beat the that person to the ground. HARRIET Let him go! He did nothing wrong! FRANK I don’t think this is what they had in mind when they said they’d let people pass through the tunnels. FRANK rushes to defend the person getting beaten, one of the guards pulls out a small handgun and shoots FRANK twice. HARRIET watches in horror as he falls to his knees. FRANK (CONT’D) (wincing) Go. Now! The person who was getting beaten up runs away, while HARRIET rushes to FRANK’s side. HARRIET tries to lead him to safety, placing his arm over her shoulder and trying to help him stand. HARRIET We need to get you to safety, maybe one of the other smugglers can help us control the crowd in our absence. As they walk past, JACK sees HARRIET leading FRANK away and he tries to weave his way through the violent crowd. He tries to speak to one of the guards at the entrance to the tunnel. JACK The guards look at each other in confusion, clearly not recognizing him.(stammering) If you promise not to hurt anyone else here, I will return to my father. JACK (CONT’D) I am one half of the Gemini project, I’m certain that my father will be expecting me. He tries to speak with more confidence than he feels, and one of the guards escorts him back to the laboratory. CUT TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE’S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - EVENING DOMINIC is trying to repair the machine when he receive's a call from the RECEPTIONIST. RECEPTIONIST (on the phone) It’s that girl who is the accomplice of ‘Blank’, she’s here right now and she demands to confront you. I’ve tried to call the guards but everyone haws their hands full trying to seal off the under city. DOMINIC So be it, send her up then. RECEPTIONIST (on the phone) Are you certain about this? DOMINIC I’m interested to hear what she has to say, besides I can hold my own against a child. Send her in immediately! Moments later, CALLISTA enters the lab, she is accompanied by a guard prodding her with a gun. DOMINIC is looking out the window as he talks. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Do they teach you how to have a lot of nerve in the under city? You seem to be the best pupil. CALLISTA I like the people who are talking to me to face me, surely that’s not a lot to ask. DOMINIC So be it then. DOMINIC turns to face CALLISTA, smiling at her. DOMINIC (CONT’D) A shame you ran away Lady Callisto, you would have made a fine wife for my assistant. However I doubt you came here to argue the past, you came after me and you weren’t afraid to show it. CALLISTA There’s nothing for me to hide now is there? DOMINIC Now that your little accomplice has been found out, she is redundant at this point. CALLISTA clenches her fists in anger at his remark, but her expression remains composed. DOMINIC (CONT’D) So I find it difficult to believe that you walked into my laboratory just to kill me. CALLISTA I wanted to have a little chat first Doctor, seeing as I now know everything you wrote down about your little project. I have to ask you something, and I feel silly for not asking it myself. DOMINIC What might that be? CALLISTA How are you so certain that your little toys will work? CUT TO: INT. RECEPTION - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - MOMENTS LATER The RECEPTIONIST sees someone approaching the desk and tries to send him away. RECEPTIONIST I’m sorry sir, Dr. Stone is busy... The RECEPTIONIST trails off when she looks up from her desk and sees who is standing in front of it. CUT TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE’S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - MOMENTS LATER JACK arrives in the laboratory with a guard by his side, DOMINIC smiles warmly at him while CALLISTA stares in disbelief. JACK (stammering) I only came here, because I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me. DOMINIC Isn’t your sister here with you? JACK shakes his head, staring at the floor. JACK (mumbling) She doesn’t know that I came here. DOMINIC Well, your captor here is questioning whether or not my machine works. So let’s prove her wrong shall we, let’s remedy you of your deviations. JACK is lead over to the machine and the guard that accompanies him inside grabs CALLISTA to stop her from interfering. CALLISTA Jack don’t do this! You don’t have to- DOMINIC Would you deny him of a choice that he himself has made? Just as you chose to flee, he has chosen to return. JACK looks at CALLISTA apologetically, before looking at the floor once more. JACK sits in the chair and DOMINIC toggles with the settings. DOMINIC (CONT’D) I was able to repair the damage that was done to my machine, I should expect more from someone who stole my research with ease. JACK I’ll be fine Callista, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. JACK closes his eyes and tries to relax while Dominic straps him to the chair. CALLISTA struggles against the guard’s grip. CALLISTA Jack, you don’t even know if this will work. Why are you doing this?! Who do you think you are protecting by going through with this?! DOMINIC starts the machine and CALLISTA looks away, not wanting to look at what’s about to happen. DOMINIC Now you will see, that it wasn’t all for nothing. By the time CALLISTA has broken free of the guard’s grip, the machine has already started and JACK starts to scream in pain from the machine shocking him. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Learn to bear with the pain Jack, fight the pain, don’t let it affect you Jack. Despite this, JACK continues scream due to how much pain he’s in. CALLISTA You’re not curing him, you’re hurting him! What’s worse is that you intend to do the same thing to the rest of us. DOMINIC grabs CALLISTA by the wrist, glaring into her eyes as he speaks. DOMINIC This is what will save us all, it will save us from returning to the chaotic new ways, and the people of the under city can return to their homes in Parfait. This is for the good of the people, you are a child and therefore too ignorant to understand. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL WARD - HOSPITAL - UNDER CITY - EVENING A DOCTOR is trying to do something about FRANK’s injuries, she is asking a nurse to fetch her a scalpel as she plans to fish the bullet out of his wounds. HARRIET Can you work any faster doctor? I’m not sure if he will make it? DOCTOR He’s knocked out at the moment, but he’s not going to die. I understand that you must be shaken by the incident, but we are doing the best that we can. HARRIET nods and steps away from the hospital bed, FRANK is lying motionless on the bed. DOCTOR (CONT’D) He’ll be fine, just wait outside so that myself and the other staff can get on with our jobs. You did the right thing bringing him here and you did so in a timely fashion. Do you have a place to stay? HARRIET I’ll be fine thanks, thank you for doing this. DOCTOR Don’t thank us just yet, we haven’t taken out the bullets yet. We just have our hands full right now, with all the people being brought in from the clashes at the tunnels. HARRIET looks around the ward, and there are several people lying in hospital bed with various injuries. DOCTOR (CONT’D) The guards say they don’t want to kill people, but that doesn’t stop them from beating them black and blue. HARRIET I’m honestly not sure what’s stopping them from killing us all. Anyone who says the new ways were chaotic, should see what the old ways are doing to us now. CUT TO: INT. ANDREA AND CALLISTA’S APARTMENT- THE UNDER CITY - MOMENTS LATER HARRIET knocks on the apartment door and ANDREA answers, JILL is frantically searching the apartment in the background. HARRIET I have something to tell you. JILL So do I, my brother is missing and I demand to know where he is. HARRIET Frank has been shot, and there are many more casualties out there. You’re brother couldn’t have possibly left the under city if the clashes are still going on. There is a sound coming from ANDREA’s computer, indicating that she has a new message. ANDREA What does your father want now? JILL I haven’t the slightest clue. ANDREA sits at her computer desk and reads the e-mail out loud. ANDREA ‘I have your accomplice and one half of the Gemini project, all I need is the missing piece. Bring her to me and the clashes will come to an end.’ JILL What has he done to Jack?! Why is he even there? JILL is about to leave when ANDREA tries to stop her. JILL (CONT’D) I don’t care what you say, I’m going after my brother and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. ANDREA The e-mail says that Callista is there, if you go back there than you are doing more harm than good. There’s nothing to suggest that he’ll keep his word, Callista is there and she will help him. JILL How can you be so sure? ANDREA Because I trust her more than I trust your father, I believe that she can handle this. JILL nods, but she’s still worried about what’s going to happen to her brother. JILL I just hope that you’re right, for his sake, for mine, and for yours. CUT TO: INT. DOMINIC STONE’S LAB - PARFAIT LABORATORIES - PARFAIT - MOMENTS LATER CALLISTA is subdued by the body guard while DOMINIC goes about his business. DOMINIC Soon you will see that what I am doing is for the good of humanity, while you are just an impulsive, ignorant child who needs to be taught a lesson. JACK tries to bear the pain, but he still feels agony as he undergoes the treatment. CALLISTA How long do I have to watch this torture porn? DOMINIC Long enough for you to understand it, and until he learns to endure it. The machine stops and JACK is unstrapped and hoisted from the chair. DOMINIC (CONT’D) How do you feel now? JACK is to stunned to speak, shying away from DOMINIC’s touch. DOMINIC (CONT’D) The process wasn’t easy, but I’m sure you managed it just fine. JACK doesn’t say a word, his eyes look dead and emotionless. CALLISTA senses something is wrong and that she needs to help JACK escape. While DOMINIC is distract she takes the body guard’s gun and shoots him with it. DOMINIC (CONT’D) Impatient little one aren’t you, as childlike as ever I see. CALLISTA Just admit this piece of s**t doesn’t work, and that Jack is scared half to death. DOMINIC ...and throw away my life’s work? Are you that stupid? Do you have the slightest clue what lengths I went through to do the research, which you thought you could just walk in and steal. CALLISTA points the gun at him, JACK seems oblivious to this as it’s happening around him. CALLISTA In the end, your research didn’t work. All the while, the simple solution would have been to let the rest of use live our lives in peace. However, you couldn’t have that now could you...and now here we are, a mad scientist, a ‘child’ as you insist on calling me, and a boy who you tortured. CALLISTA points the gun at DOMINIC’s head, DOMINIC freezes in fear but tries not to show it on his face. CALLISTA (CONT’D) Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow your f*****g brains out on the wall? Give me one good reason why the people of the under city shouldn’t over run a city that is rightfully theirs? DOMINIC There will be destruction, chaos, anarchy, I have tried to make you see reason but you refuse to. CALLISTA empties the bullets inside the gun and throws the weapon to the side. CALLISTA Wrong answer I’m afraid. CALLISTA leads JACK out of the laboratory, he trails behind her sluggishly. DOMINIC is too astonished to do anything, and he stares after them as they leave. FADE TO: INT. HOSPITAL WARD - HOSPITAL - UNDER CITY - MORNING FRANK wakes up in the hospital ward, he is staring at the ceiling, when he suddenly notices ANTHONY looking down at him. ANTHONY Wake up sleepy head, everything’s going to be fine today. FRANK Where am I? ANTHONY Oh that’s right, you were completely out of it when you got here. Someone poked a couple of holes in you and then spent all night fixing you up. FRANK smiles when he looks at ANDREW, while ANDREW’s eye wander around the ward. ANTHONY (CONT’D) What the hell happened here? Some kind of war? FRANK You could say that... ANTHONY Well you were ether really brave for defending some poor sod who was getting the s**t kicked out of him, or you’re really dumb for letting them poke some holes in you. FRANK tries to get up and he winces in pain as he tries. ANTHONY (CONT’D) Take it easy there Frank, just because they fixed you up, that doesn’t mean you can’t break again. FRANK What’s the point? I mean if you’re here, than I must be... ANTHONY Dead? Well, you came to the under city to get over my death, so I’m not sure how you would get over your own death. FRANK chuckles at the thought, but still feels confused about the idea. FRANK I’ve only just woken up, try not to bombard me with these mysteries of death. ANTHONY All right, all right, at least for the morning. You can’t stop questions like these creeping up on you when you’re about to sleep. FRANK So, am I dead? I’m asking just to be sure. ANTHONY laughs at the question. ANTHONY Frankie, I said that they fixed you up didn’t I? If they didn’t, then yes you might be dead. FRANK ...but that means you’re still dead. ANTHONY smiles warmly, trying to cheer FRANK up. ANTHONY Well, the worst is over now Frankie, I can feel it. It sucks that I’m only with you in spirit, but it’s better than nothing right? FRANK smiles, but a small tear rolls down his cheek at the thought of ANTHONY leaving him. ANTHONY (CONT’D) I should be going now, but we’ll chat another time, so don’t forget to think of me once in a while. ANTHONY kisses FRANK on the forhead before walking away, FRANK looks down at his hands and begins to cry. Suddenly, a voice pulls him from his dream. HARRIET Frank? Frank? Frank! FRANK is jolted awake and he’s still in his hospital bed, HARRIET and the DOCTOR are by his beside while he tries to get his bearings. He notices that unlike in his dream, ANTHONY isn’t there with him. FRANK How long have I been asleep? HARRIET For a day or two, you didn’t miss much expect for Callista being the heroine. FRANK What happened? FADE TO: EXT. SMUGGLER TUNNELS - UNDER CITY - MORNING HARRIET tries to retell the story of what happened while FRANK was comatose. CALLISTA sneaks back into the under city with JACK, whilst the guards are changing shifts. HARRIET What happened to you? How did you get back in? CALLISTA It’s a long story, can you get Jack to the hospital? Two other smugglers assist CALLISTA in carrying JACK to the hospital. HARRIET What happened to him? CALLISTA What will happen to us if we accept the correctional treatment. Poor guy was scared to death when it was over. I’ve seen what it can do, we have no choice but to re-take Parfait. There’s nothing they can do for us, and they will not mould us in their image. HARRIET How do you suggest we do that? CALLISTA looks around the tunnels but she doesn’t see FRANK anywhere. CALLISTA What happened to FRANK? HARRIET One guard shot him, just because he defended someone who was getting beaten up. CALLISTA Yup, sounds like something Frank would do. Anyways gather the other smugglers, I have a plan. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL WARD - HOSPITAL - UNDER CITY - MORNING HARRIET is continuing on with her story while FRANK is on the bed listening to her. HARRIET So the other smugglers and I held off the guards while the other people charged ahead through the tunnels. You should have seen it Frank, it was amazing! I didn’t think anybody in Parfait had ever seen so many people in one place before. All the other guards are locked up in cages now, and the nobles have barricaded themselves in their fancy homes. CALLISTA It’s not like you to look so animated about something Harriet. CALLISTA and JILL walk through the door, CALLISTA is carrying a small basket of fruits from the market. JILL looks over at JACK, who is lying down on his bed. CALLISTA (CONT’D) I turn my back for a few hours and already someone shot you, not once but twice. Honestly what are you going to do without me? FRANK I’m the one who led you here, the question is where would you be without me? FRANK, CALLISTA and HARRIET chat with each other, whilst JILL walks over to JACK’s bed. JILL Hey, how are you feeling? JACK Feeling slightly better, but the machine was just terrifying. I felt like was on fire the entire time, I had no idea how our father expected it to work. JILL Well it didn’t, so what’s our purpose in life then if we’ve proven that our father’s inventions don’t work? JACK ponders the question for a moment as he sits up in bed. JILL sits down on JACK’s bed as he sits up. JACK I suppose we have to go out and find our own purpose, like they did. JACK gestures to the others, but JILL she’s still unsure about how she will find her purpose. JACK (CONT’D) At the very least we should be able to find a hobby. JILL laughs and gives her brother a hug. JILL What you did was stupid, insane, senseless and some might even say pointless. Right now, I’m just happy that you came home alive. JACK returns his sister’s hug, smiling at her. JACK When I get out of hospital, maybe we’ll be able to see what the rest of Parfait is like. JILL I still find it hard to believe that the people of the under city managed to takeover a city in one evening. JACK It tends to look that way when everyone else is hiding in their houses. They’ll get over it someday, at least most of them will. JILL stands up from the bed, dusting off her pink dress. JILL Perhaps, but the under city is growing on me. It seems to have a little bit more charm than Parfait ever did. JACK We are starting to sound so worldly, when we’ve barely set foot outside of a laboratory. JILL The under city just seems so lively for a place a dark and dim city. Parfait looks lifeless in comparison, no wonder our father was desperate to repopulate it. JILL is about to leave the hospital ward when she turns to her brother. JILL (CONT’D) I’m going to the market to get some fruits, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. JACK It’s fine, under the doctor’s watchful eye, I won’t be going anywhere. JILL You were very brave yesterday Jack, very stupid but still very brave. JACK I had a good teacher guiding me. JACK smiles as JILL leaves the hospital ward. Meanwhile, CALLISTA is talking to FRANK about ANTHONY. CALLISTA It’s a shame Anthony couldn’t be here to see this. You still miss him don’t you? FRANK Isn’t that the reason I ran away to under city? So that I could miss him in peace? CALLISTA I suppose, I’m sure he’s missing you too. FRANK chuckles to himself and then shakes his head. FRANK Anthony doesn’t have to deal with the shipments coming in tomorrow, he’s to busy having fun than I am...where ever he is. I’ll always miss him, but I’ve missed him in peace for long enough. Now, I just need to move on and keep looking ahead. What about you? What will you do with yourself now that there is nothing to steal? CALLISTA shrugs casually as a response to the question. CALLISTA Never really given it much thought. FRANK You could become a smuggler, we still need people to move supplies into the under city. CALLISTA Are you sure you want the fate of your evening meals to rest on my shoulders? FRANK I’m serious, maybe it means taking orders from someone else, something you’re bad at. As an occupation it’s not bad, you get to keep the leftover supplies, and by that point they are usually still fresh. CALLISTA ponders the idea for a moment, since she had never considered it in the past. CALLISTA I suppose, I mean the jackets are nice. FRANK laughs at her reason, but he’s happy to hear that she’s considering joining them. FRANK Not as nice as the military ones that you’re use to, but they are sturdy, warm, and they don’t smell weird after a bit of rain. CALLISTA That last part is a lie! It does smell weird after you’ve been in a rainstorm. You’re sense of smell has been shattered to the point where you can’t tell good and bad smells apart. FRANK If any part of me is shattered right now, it’s my shoulder. FRANK gestures to the sling around his arm. FRANK (CONT’D) Still, would you consider joining us? CALLISTA I will, but I’m sure Harriet must be sick of me by now. FRANK Like I said, all you have to do is remember to follow orders once in a while. CALLISTA Fine, but only once in a while. Parfait’s no longer a whitewashed hell, so the job should be easier now. FRANK gives her a serious expression as he raises his eyebrows. FRANK Right, because your occupation was a walk in the park compared to mine. CALLISTA Hey I don’t have one anymore, that’s the reason that I’m joining the smugglers, so that I can still be helpful to people. FADE TO BLACK. © 2015 SarahFC |
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Added on January 9, 2015 Last Updated on January 13, 2015 Author
SarahFCAboutI'm a 19 year old Eurasian girl and I love to write screenplays. What kinds of screenplays you ask? I love to write animated fantasy and science fiction films. I want audiences to be amazed by the wor.. more..Writing
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