A Personal Attack (Falling Skies fanfic)A Screenplay by evievievie A small band of aliens with a personal grudge against Tom have camped out in the woods near Charleston. Falling
Skies Episode
??.5 “A
Personal Attack” A small
band of aliens with a personal grudge against Tom have camped out in the woods
near Charleston. EXT.
ENEMY CAMP-NIGHT Two men
and a woman, bedraggled and dirty, are shoved through the darkness of trees by
skitters. In a fire-lit clearing, they are thrown to their knees in the mud. Harnessed
twin boys step out of the darkness. The bonfire lights their malevolent little faces
from below. The twin
on the LEFT points to the woman. She’s in her 20s and has long dark hair. LEFT You. Come forward. RIGHT I want to see your face. Glaring
around in defiance, yet appalled at the sight of these children, the woman
complies. There’s a
RUSTLING sound as a fishhead alien (SAA) lurches out of one of the tents. It
remains crouched on spidery legs in order to keep eye level with the humans. Its fishy
eyes have a softness and are topped with lovely scaly ridges. They come within inches
of the woman; her bravery falters, and she SCREAMS. The
fishhead blinks heavy lids, revealing a touch of metallic purple paint; it
steps back. RIGHT Too bad. LEFT and RIGHT It’s not her. The two
men try to comfort the sobbing woman, and none of them notice the mech stepping
out of the trees. The mech
heats up it’s gun, and BLASTS at the three humans. INT.
TOM’S ROOM-NIGHT Tom awakens
in darkness, more chilled than alarmed. He looks over at Anne sleeping beside
him; he’s so glad to see her. He brushes the long, dark hair from her face. In sleep,
her hand reaches for his arm and rests there. Tom tries
to close his eyes again. INT. CAFETERIA-DAY Weaver
sits at a bench eating some kind of soup with some of the other 2nd
Mass. Tom Mason
shows up with his plate of food and sits nearby. TOM Morning Captain. WEAVER Tom. TOM Even
with Anne and my boys close by… it’s hard to stay asleep at night. I worry. WEAVER I
hear you. Weaver sets his fork down. WEAVER I do
sleep easier, knowing my daughter is here with us. Maybe Anne has a point.
About the civilians. TOM You’re
saying you were wrong? That would go a long way if you said it to her directly. WEAVER Shut
up, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying maybe civilians have their
use. TOM Civilians
related to you have a use? The rest are useless? WEAVER Damnit,
don’t twist my words around. I’m trying to say something nice about the civvies! At this moment a CIVILIAN hurries forward and
touches Weaver’s arm to get his attention. CIVILIAN Weaver,
Sir! I’m really sorry sir, I just had to come tell you… three people snuck out
last night. WEAVER What? CIVILIAN We
all hate putting up with the tyrants, you can’t blame them! They went out to
scavenge. WEAVER That
ain’t the orders! Who are they? Are they fighting men? CIVILIAN They’re
civilians, sir! And they never came back. Weaver’s civilian-loving mood clouds over with fury. WEAVER Damnit! INT. WAR ROOM-DAY Weaver and Mason stand before Bressler, who
is staring boredly at his folded hands. WEAVER They
said only 3 people went out. Should be a snap to find out where they got to,
bring ‘em back. BRESSLER You
want me to risk our fighting men, possibly get them killed or get our city
exposed, for three wandering fools? TOM Those
“wandering fools” are part of our community. I would not expect you to risk
fighting men for anything less. BRESSLER How
clever of you, Tom, to appeal to my sense of community. Those three wouldn’t
have been part of the military community, would they? Mason and Weaver exchange looks. BRESSLER I
thought not. They’re not worth it. You have to admit, they’re probably not
alive. WEAVER I
know you’re not saying “no” to us, after what the 2nd Mass has done
for Charleston! Bressler just sits there like an a*****e. MASON Alright,
let’s get out of here. BRESSLER Now,
wait a minute. I know you want to go find your friends. I won’t say no
entirely. Take Elroy, here, and one more of your own. WEAVER You’re
willing to risk one Charleston man. BRESSLER Don’t
insult me, Captain. Elroy is our best tracker. He may be all you need. ELROY, the man guarding the door, apparently,
is a thin, shaggy, and now very startled man. ELROY Oh.
Of course, it would be a pleasure to help, Captain Weaver! BRESSLER And
unless there’s something else, you’re dismissed. WEAVER Supremely annoyed, Weaver and Mason walk out.
Weaver ignores Elroy, but Mason glances at him curiously. INT. OUTSIDE BRESSLER’S OFFICE-DAY As Mason walks out of the office, only mildly
appeased, Anne ambushes him. MASON Anne! ANNE I
heard what happened. Did you get permission to launch a search party? MASON Yeah.
We can only take a few people, but yeah. ANNE If
those people are hurt out there, you’re going to need a doctor. Tom is appalled. MASON Anne,
I… ANNE You
know you can’t stop me. I’m needed, Tom. He grabs her by the arms and pulls her close. MASON Anne!
The person growing inside you is far more important than the people out there.
Stay! I’m begging. Unmoved by his roughness, she raises her eyebrows. He lets go. ANNE Okay.
See if Lourdes will go with you, then. Tom breathes a sigh of relief and hugs her. TOM Unfortunately,
we can’t take Lourdes, either. Weaver says we’re only taking scouts. It’s gonna
be quiet, and quick. EXT. SOMEWHERE IN THE WOODS-DAY The fishhead alien sits alone in a dark tent
and closes her eyes. As her mind touches those of her many harnessed children,
they silently report back what they see: A little girl with onyx eyes looks out over
an empty grass field while crouched, panther-like, in a tree. A teenager with wispy yellow hair kneels in
the tall grass of a bog. A crocodile lies next to her. A ginger-haired boy lies beside a stream. His
posture is more like a robot that has been tipped on its side, than a child lying
in wait. He stares at a wooden footbridge, currently empty. And the twins stand guard outside the tent.
They briefly look at each other, without any particular care in their eyes,
then look away. The alien opens her eyes. EXT. SCHOOLYARD-DAY A group of children all look off in the same
direction. One little boy points. LITTLE BOY Look!
Matty’s going to freak out again! Matt stands in front of a taller, fairer boy
(LUKE.) Luke has shaped his hands into guns and is taking fake shots. LUKE You
think you’re smarter than everybody, huh? Matt is distracted by the hand guns. MATT No,
I don’t! LUKE You
shouldn’t make me look stupid in class then. Luke is no skitter. Matt looks up and down,
assessing this threat. MATT When
the teacher called on you, you had the wrong answer. When she called on me, I
had the right one. Should I have given a wrong answer, to make you appear
smarter? The older boy is taken aback by Matt’s
courage. And embarassed that Matt has said the quiet part out loud. MATT Just
leave me alone. It’s not hard. Luke
puts his fake hand gun against Matt’s head and shouts, BAM! Matt tackles Luke to the ground and starts
punching him in the face. Across the yard, an adult notices something
is happening, and starts to run over. INT. DETENTION-DAY Tom thanks the guard who is admitting him
through a chain-link gate. Across from where he stands is Matt on a concrete
bench, miserable, not meeting his eyes. Tom sits cautiously next to his son. TOM Matt. You okay, buddy? Sullen and listless, Matt shakes his head no. TOM Look.
You don’t have to go back to school. They’ll let you out of here at the end of
the day, and from now on you can just study at home. MATT Thank
you. TOM Is
there something else? Besides this? MATT I’m
a fighter, Dad. You can take me with you when you go outside. TOM No,
son. I can’t. MATT This
is stupid. I can’t do anything. Torn with guilt at Matt’s sad face, Tom
somehow gets up to leave. He pauses at the gate and turns to the guard. TOM Locking
a little boy up for getting in a fight at school? I hardly say I agree with
this. I’ll be back by nightfall, and if there’s so much as a scratch on him… To his surprise, the guard salutes him. GUARD I’m
in awe of the bravery of the 2nd Mass, sir. No harm will come to
your son today. TOM Oh.
Thank you. EXT. RUINS OF CHARLESTON-DAY Four motorcycles ROAR through the abandoned city streets. As they turn around a bend, they all slow
down. A flattened office building marks the end of the city, and the beginning
of a wilderness that grows wilder each day. The first man removes his helmet; it’s
Weaver. He surveys the landscape with a tactical eye. The other three helmets come off: Mason, Maggie
and Elroy. WEAVER This
is where our three civvies stepped off the grid. MASON They
wouldn’t have gone far, would they? MAGGIE They
must have been foraging. Looking for berries or something. The four watch the trees and grass, looking for the answer. ELROY There
would be morels, between the tree line and the field. Certain herbs grow deeper
in the trees. WEAVER If
I was them, I’d have stayed in cover of the trees. MAGGIE Well,
the grass is tall enough to hide somebody crouching. WEAVER Alright!
We don’t know which way they went. We will split up. Elroy and I in the trees,
Maggie and Tom out in the grass. Quick and quiet, use your eyes. Use your ears. They lay the bikes down in what used to be
the office building, and cover them with old, charred cubicle walls. Gun ready, Tom steps out into the yellow
grass. EXT. THE TREES-DAY The trees grow thick here. Weaver navigates
the soggy ground warily. He looks to his left; twenty yards away,
Elroy is doing the same thing. His mottled brown outfit helps him blend in. EXT. LAKE IN THE WOODS-DAY They find a big pond. WEAVER That water don’t look clean. ELROY It’s
a good place to find edibles. But the ground is mush; I can’t tell if there’s any
tracks. He cups his hands and drinks the water. Weaver cringes. ELROY It
is dirty water, but it’s a good dirty. Full of life! Weaver takes a sip from his canteen to wash
out the imagined taste. EXT. DEEPER IN THE TREES-DAY It has begun to gently rain. Weaver surveys
the muddy ground; no tracks. He climbs up on a massive fallen tree, and
walks along its length, not seeing anything. WEAVER (to himself) Naw,
they wouldn’t have come this- ELROY What
is THAT? Weaver slides off the tree and jogs to Elroy. Together they stand before a crater three
stories deep. The cause of the crater, all darkness and glinting metal, is
barely visible in the trees beyond. The two men look down. The dirt of the crater is marked with skitter
tracks. Alarmed, they both drop into a crouch and get
behind tree trunks. Weaver looks at Elroy, wide-eyed and
listening hard. Faint skitter VOICES can be heard. EXT. THE GRASS-DAY Crouching as best they can, Maggie and Mason
cover the grass field about a yard apart from one another. MAGGIE Look! There’s another one. It’s raining gently, but they can see clearly
the boot-print in the ground. They continue walking, eyes on the ground. They approach an area with less grass. TOM Whoa. There on the ground, skitter tracks. MAGGIE Damnit, skitters! MASON And at least one mech. The look into the trees of this area. MAGGIE Tom, they’re probably dead. MASON I agree. MAGGIE So,
why are you hesitating? You want a closer look? Mason nods, but isn’t happy about it. MASON Yeah. Let’s take a peek. Hunched and alert, they move forward. EXT. ABANDONED SKITTER CAMP-DAY After taking a brave peek from behind a rock,
Mason stands up and approaches the center of an abandoned skitter camp, gun
ready. Maggie watches him from under cover, her gun
also ready. Mason’s boots squish over criss-crossing
skitter and mech tracks. He sees something out in the trees, and
lowers his gun. MASON They’re here. All three of them. Staying hidden, Maggie winces and shakes her
head. Mason comes back out of the trees, and sees
something else. He brings his gun back up. He FIRES, spraying a brief blast of bullets. Maggie looks anxiously around for the target.
Seeing no movement, she sprints from her hiding spot and reaches Tom’s side. They’re looking at a shabby burlap tent, now
riddled with holes. Maggie strides forward, and whisks aside the
burlap. Nothing. It’s empty. EXT. THE CRATER-DAY Elroy whispers to Weaver. ELROY What was that? WEAVER Gun shots. Tom and Mag. Someone else heard the shots, too. A skitter
hangs down from the trees like a spider, looking in that direction. Weaver holds perfectly still, but Elroy
trembles. The skitter takes a leisurely stroll down the
side of the tree with the swagger of an unchallenged cockroach. ELROY Oh. S**t. WEAVER Shut. Up. The skitter starts walking in the direction
of the gunshot. Then, for no reason, it starts coming toward Weaver and Elroy’s
hiding spot. Elroy shakes uncontrollably, PANTING. The skitter returns to the direction of the
gunshot; it was just walking around a mud puddle. It’s back is to Weaver and Elroy, now. Elroy raises his gun; Weaver puts a hand on
it, and glares at him. With a rustle of leaves, the skitter is out
of sight. Weaver whispers angrily: WEAVER What
was that! You would have given away our position! ELROY I’m
sorry. You’re right. I’m sorry. WEAVER I’m
gonna die out here. I’m gonna die out here, and you will be the cause of death.
Look at you, are you trembling? Elroy starts crying. ELROY I’m
sorry, Sir, I just keep failing. And failing. You know what Bressler said to
me, after you left? He said he sent me with you because I wasn’t fit to guard
the door! Weaver grits his teeth and looks away. EXT. THE GRASS-DAY Mason watches the trees from behind a trunk.
Maggie goes over the tracks in the mud. MASON How
many were here, you think? MAGGIE Six or seven skitters, one mech. MASON Only one? Are you sure? MAGGIE I’m
sure. And do you see these smaller tracks? MASON Harnessed
kids. MAGGIE I
can tell there’s only one mech because the tracks no longer criss-crossed when
they left. MASON How
did I miss that? You’re good! Which way did they go? MAGGIE That
way. She points out into the trees. MASON We
know where they are… this is good. Let’s go report back. Together, they head back. EXT. THE CRATER-DAY Weaver peers through his binoculars. Through them, he sees the harnessed onyx-eyed
girl hop down from a tree. Two skitters take position, guarding her. Elroy is listening to the forest, eyes
closed. WEAVER I
count five skitters, including the one you almost shot. I only see one mech.
One child. ELROY There
are two more skitters. To the west of us. They may have spotted us already. Elroy opens his eyes again, and turns them in
the direction of a small clearing. Two skitters walk into it; they haven’t
spotted the two men yet. The red-haired boy walks out behind the
skitters. WEAVER Ok.
Here’s the plan. We follow those three until we’re a bit farther from the bunch
at the crater. Then we take out the skitters. Then we grab the child. Then we
run like hell. ELROY Ok.
Got it. That’s a great plan! I can do that. I can. The red-haired boy and his two skitters spread
out, but they’re walking away. Weaver and Elroy creep after them. The skitters move forward and a bit out of
sight. Weaver and Elroy respond by creeping forward
a few paces and crouching behind foliage. Elroy’s wide eyes meet Weaver’s; Weaver
winks. The boy stops, and c***s his head sideways at
something he sees on the ground. ELROY Oh s**t. He sees our tracks. The boy kneels down for a closer look. Elroy runs out of the bushes. ELROY I’m sorry! I’m here! Don’t shoot! The skitters turn their guns toward him. WEAVER Holy-! The skitters move forward to apprehend Elroy,
who stands there with his arms in the air. As the skitters drive Elroy toward Weaver’s
position, Weaver pops out of the bushes and SHOOTS the first skitter directly
in the face. Elroy runs. Weaver shoots at the second skitter, wounding
the gun arm and a leg; it drops its gun, HOWLING. Elroy stops mid-stride, grabs the red-head,
and continues to run. Weaver is now in a wrestling match with
something that has more limbs than he does. He seems to be winning, landing
most of his blows. Another skitter appears behind Weaver, and
raises it’s rifle butt-first over Weaver’s head. As Weaver grips the green arms that are
reaching for his neck, the rifle-butt swings down toward it’s mark, making a
CRACK. Lights out. INT. MEDICAL ROOM-DAY The curious VOICES in the crowded room all
sound muted and alien. Frowning faces gape at him and babble words. Oppressive ceiling
lights blaze. Anne’s face drops in to view, an anchor in
the insanity. She tries a sympathetic smile. ANNE Hi there, young man. She pulls on plastic gloves. ANNE Everything’s
going to be okay. Let’s get that harness off of you. The red-headed boy jerks his eyes from one
side of the room to another, his movements robotic. He looks more sharply at
Anne. RED-HEADED BOY It’s you. His grimy hand reaches out and grabs Anne’s
wrist, determined not to let go. ANNE Alright, take it easy. Take it
easy. RED-HEADED BOY I’ve done it, Saa. He lets go, and falls back on the table,
suddenly drowsy. Anne checks her hand and wrist nervously. ANNE I’m
ok. He must be delirious from all he’s been through. She pulls a mask over her nose and mouth,
getting ready to do the procedure. The villainous silverfish SLIPS in through
her eyelid, escaping notice. INT. HAL’S ROOM-DAY The door opens, and Lourdes walks in, frowning
with concern. Hal has still not woken up. He lies
motionless on the hospital bed. Lourdes checks his forehead and his pulse.
Then she pauses and peers at his face, as if willing him to wake up. LOURDES Why
are there so many people who can’t be saved? She sighs. BEN Hey, Lourdes. Lourdes SHOUTS. Ben stands up on the other
side of the bed. LOURDES Oh! Ben, I thought I was alone. BEN Are you scared of me? LOURDES What! Oh, no, Ben. Of course not. He shuts his eyes, trying to believe it. LOURDES It’s
just that you kind of rose up out of the darkness. Ben laughs at this, and she does, too. BEN I’m
sorry. LOURDES No,
it’s my fault, I’m on edge. BEN I’m
creepy. It’s ok. LOURDES Ben.
You are not, nor have you ever been, creepy. BEN What
about when I had the harness on? LOURDES Well,
that wasn’t you! Was it? He becomes a bit sullen as he puzzles that over. LOURDES Someone
else, some alien, decided you should wear that harness. But now you choose for
yourself. Ben, start trusting yourself. He allows half a smile. BEN Do
you want to come pick up some rations with me? LOURDES Sorry,
I have to get back and help Anne. BEN Oh.
Ok, that’s cool. LOURDES Well,
see you. She walks out. He looks down at his
motionless brother and purses his lips. INT. MEDICAL ROOM-DAY Tom Mason pushes through people milling about
the medical area, until he bumps into Anne. TOM Anne. He throws his arms around her, surprising
her. TOM Is
it true, Elroy and Weaver brought back a harnessed child? ANNE Well,
it’s partly true; there he is. The redhead sleeps on a nearby bed. Anne pulls Tom close and speaks into his ear. ANNE Weaver
didn’t come back. TOM Oh,
no. Tom looks sharply over at where Elroy sits on
one of the beds; Elroy turns away, ashamed. ANNE Send
another search and rescue, Tom. Bring me with you. We have to get him back. TOM Anne,
no! You are NOT COMING! Some people stop and stare. Just as Anne’s mood starts to turn dark, Bressler
walks in. A HUSH falls over the room. Bressler stalks over to the bed holding the
red-haired boy. He looks him over with deep suspicion, and even bends forward
as if to smell him. BRESSLER Wake him up. ANNE Sir,
he’s just had the operation. It might kill him! BRESSLER Woman,
you follow the chain of command or I will kick you out of Charleston. Anne looks down at the sleeping youth,
shaking her head defiantly. The flesh of his back is still raw, the sawed-off
spikes looking painful. In a pan nearby is the rigid, bloody heap of a dead harness. Tom, still angry over Weaver, tries to offer
Anne words of calm through gritted teeth. TOM Anne,
honey. Do you think there’s any way you could bring him around for a minute or
two, just long enough to answer a few questions? He looks at the Bressler and raises his voice as he adds: TOM Just
a few questions, and then the kid can get back to recovering. Bressler burns holes with his eyes. He’s not
in a compromising mood. Boiling over with silent anger, Anne slaps a
button on the machine that had been feeding the child his medicine. The hush grows quieter as everyone in the
room waits for the boy to wake up. Veins pulse in Bressler’s forehead. Wincing in pain, the boy with red hair starts
to stir. INT. DETENTION-DAY BAM BAM, Ben’s fist rattles the chain-link
gate where Matt is being held. Matt jumps. MATT Ben! He runs up to the gate, and the brothers
touch fingers. BEN Hey,
little buddy, how long till they let you go? GUARD We
let him out at six o’clock. MATT The
guard’s name is Cliff. He’s nice. Ben nods at the guard. BEN What
have you been doing all day? MATT Eh.
Sitting. Ben pulls a book out of his coat; Matt’s diary. BEN Matt,
I know you want to be helpful, and I know you want to fight. So you need to be
ready to help at all times, and ready to fight. No more sitting, okay? A
time-out is a blessing in disguise. He passes the diary to Matt through the gate. Matt opens it to the bookmarked page. Ben has
written a list: Push ups. Jumping jacks. Essay: On Freedom. MATT Push
ups? Jumping jacks? You’re making me write an essay? BEN Yes.
You know how to write one, right? You write an introduction paragraph, three
supporting paragraphs, and then the conclusion. Matt pouts. BEN They’re
more like suggestions. Things are never so hopeless that you should just sit,
ok? Matt stands and salutes Ben. MATT I’ll
do it. He drops and starts doing push ups. BEN Thatta
boy, Matty! MATT Will
you come and get me at six o’clock? BEN You
bet! Keep working those muscles, soldier. INT. HALLWAY-DAY Ben faces forward as he walks down the
hallway away from the detention center. A man and woman in passing slow down,
and the woman cranes her neck to get a glimpse of Ben’s spikes. Then the couple
continues on their way. He sees Lourdes outside the med center. She
turns and notices him, too, and hurries over. She whispers something in his ear, and they
both take off together around a corner. The sign on that hallway reads MED
HALL. INT. MED HALL-DAY The med hall is crowded. Lourdes takes Ben’s
hand and pulls him through the crowd. They get near enough to see the de-harnessed
child. The boy’s eyes are open, but bloodshot. Bressler hovers over him. BRESSLER What is your name, boy? REDHEAD Oscar. His voice is monotone. Oscar looks weakly at
the mass of faces over his bed. BRESSLER Which side do you serve, Oscar? Oscar seems to snap to attention. OSCAR I serve Saa. BRESSLER Saa? What is that? OSCAR I serve Saa. The lady in the
woods. A machine next to Oscar BEEPS an alarm, and
Oscar’s eyes roll up; he passes out. BRESSLER Stabilize him! Wake him up again. With clenched jaw, Anne turns the alarm off
on the machine. Oscar’s breathing relaxes, and his eyes open
again. This time, Mason steps up to Bressler. TOM With
your permission, sir, I can get him to talk. Please let me try. Bressler glares at Tom, but waves his hand,
granting permission. Tom takes Oscar’s hand. TOM Hey, Oscar. How are you feeling? OSCAR Bad. I feel tired. TOM Okay.
We’re going to let you rest in just a minute. Can you tell us what you were
doing in the woods today? OSCAR Um…
it’s hard to remember. TOM Can
you tell me who Saa is? OSCAR Saa
is us. TOM We
need your help, Oscar. Saa kidnapped our friend. Oscar looks at Anne, genuine puzzlement on his face. OSCAR No,
she didn’t. You kidnapped me. BRESSLER Get
some information out of him, Tom! Tom puts his hand on top of Oscar’s hand. TOM Help
us, Oscar. How many are out there? What do they want? OSCAR Saa
is in pain. She’s very angry. She knows your face, Tom. TOM What? OSCAR Saa
feels so much hate. I don’t think I like her plan. TOM Why? Oscar’s face goes pale; his eyelids flicker. TOM Stay
with me, Oscar. Can you give me a clue? How do we stop her? Weakening, Oscar looks to Tom with pleading eyes. OSCAR I
would take out the twins. Oscar closes his eyes, and goes pale and listless. ANNE Enough. She blocks Tom and Bressler as she tends to Oscar. Tom reaches out to touch Anne’s shoulder, but
thinks better of it. BRESSLER Mason,
commanders. My office, 5 minutes. He turns on his heel, and underlings snap
into place behind him. As he walks past Ben, Bressler slows and grins
down at him, with gleeful murder in his eye. A startled Ben stares after him, hackles
raised. INT. LADIES’ ROOM-DAY Anne enters the ladies room and turns on the
faucet. She splashes water on her face, then turns the water off. Another woman finishes washing her hands and
exits; as the door starts to swing shut, Anne GROANS in pain, doubling over. A drop of blood DRIPS onto the floor. Anne straightens back up. The disturbed face
looking back at her in the mirror has a trickle of blood on her nose. As she looks in the mirror, she changes. Her
eyes widen, her breath quickens. As she lets a quaking breath out, her fear
dissolves. She gives a soft, contemptuous CHUCKLE. INT. BRESSLER’S OFFICE-DAY In the quiet tension of the room, the various
commanders look at each other, all stunned at the ominous revelations of Oscar. Bressler condescends to rise from his desk. BRESSLER Twenty-four
hours. We will take time to prepare and assemble, then we will sweep the
surrounding woods, and clear it of whatever we find. TOM All
due respect, commander, but we can do that sweep right now. All eyes are on Tom. Bressler rolls his eyes. TOM Listen.
Maggie counted the footprints of 7 skitters, 1 mech. It’s like a small scouting
team, or something. This is an easy win. BRESSLER Noted.
Like I said, we leave in 24 hours. Tom’s hopes sink. TOM What
if Weaver doesn’t have 24 hours? BRESSLER I
guess you better hope he does. TOM Weaver
is military! I’m appealing to your sense of military community, now, this isn’t
about lost civilians anymore- BRESSLER Get
out. TOM What? BRESSLER I
don’t give a crap about you or your captain. Get out of my office. INT. HALLWAY-DAY The door to the bathroom swings open, and
Anne steps out. She still has blood on her lip. She passes people in the hallway, all of them
smiling and friendly toward her. INT. MED HALL-DAY Anne reaches the bedside of a YOUNG WOMAN who
is ill. The woman coughs. YOUNG WOMAN Is there any aspirin, doctor? Anne merely frowns with mock sympathy, and
keeps walking. Looking down at Oscar now, Anne pinches the
end of a spike and wiggles it; Oscar growls in his sleep but does not awaken.
Frowning, Anne keeps walking. Lourdes watches her, eyes wide. That’s not
Anne. INT. OUTSIDE BRESSLER’S OFFICE-DAY The door SLAMS open, and Tom is roughly
thrown out. TOM You’re
killing him! You want me to let my captain die! I challenge your decision! I
challenge it! Surly hands detain Tom from either side. Bressler merely LAUGHS. Then Tom goes silent as something catches his eye. Anne has come into the vicinity. A man
guarding one of the exit doors is busy watching Tom. Anne walks right past him
and opens the exit door. After casting a cold, challenging glare directly
at Tom, she leaves. TOM No!
ANNE! She’s leaving! Stop her! She �" she’s going outside! Bressler steps into the hallway and looks at
the closing door curiously. BRESSLER He can go. The second they release him, Tom bowls over
the door-guard and runs outside. Having gotten a head start, Anne is a hundred
yards away, and running. Calling her name in anguish, Tom follows. INT. DARK HALLWAY-DAY Lourdes peeks inside a room, searching, then
keeps walking. She comes into a dark, unused hallway, and finds Ben there with
a book. LOURDES Ben! BEN Oh! You scared me, Lourdes. She allows a smile in the midst of her panic. LOURDES We’re
even, then. Hey… I think something is wrong with Anne. BEN Wrong
how? She shakes her head with worry. INT. DETENTION-DAY A metal gate CLATTERS open, and Ben and
Lourdes come down the stairs. Matt jumps up from his writing. MATT Is it six o’clock? Ben addresses the guard. BEN Cliff! I need a big favour. CLIFF Sorry.
I sympathize with you, but I cannot let him out until six. BEN I’ll
put in a good word for you with my dad. You really want to be here guarding
your own kind, when you could be out there, actually fighting? Cliff
lifts his chin, considering Ben. He opens the gate. MATT Ben! He gives his big brother a big hug. MATT I
thought you wanted me to train up and finish my essay? BEN Oh,
yeah. How far did you get? He picks up Matt’s book. BEN “Freedom
is something we can give to each other or take away from each other. The aliens
want to take all the freedom that we have; I won’t let them.” Wow, Matt. That’s
a really good start! LOURDES Do
you really think we should be bringing him…? BEN You
heard the kid. He’s ready to fight for freedom. And he hands Matt a pair of binoculars. EXT. OUTSIDE THE CITY-DAY Wind whips his hair as Ben walks out into the
tall grass, Lourdes and Matt close behind him. Ben closes his eyes. His spikes glow blue. Two rebel skitters come creeping over. BEN What
do you think, guys? We need to somehow rescue my dad, and Anne, and Weaver,
too. The two skitters click and trill at each other. Ben turns to Lourdes and Matt. BEN They
have a way of converting stray skitters to the cause. But even though the group
of skitters out there is very small, they are under heavy control. Betty and
Hector here would like us to kill whoever is exerting all that control, and
spare the skitters, if we can. LOURDES That
won’t be easy. MATT Can
you tell me again why we’re out here instead of the military? BEN Because
I don’t trust anyone but us. Only we can save Dad and Anne and Weaver… and the
enslaved skitters, too. Hector the skitter RUMBLES happily, and he and Betty slink away. INT. THE CRATER-DAY Weaver comes to, groggy and grumbling, to a
skitter hand poking his face and chest. WEAVER Euh! The skitter seems to chuckle. It moves away
so that Weaver can see who has captured him. Saa steps forth, creepily lovely. Weaver looks at her, then takes in his
surroundings. WEAVER Oh, Hell. Skitters and harnessed children all stand
about in the mud. WEAVER Is this… the crater? Looking up, he sees a makeshift canopy of brown
burlap that has been raised over this small area. Saa merely looks at him with her deep, fishy
eyes. Looking down, he notices his feet are in half
a foot of water. Brown, dirty water. WEAVER Not much for housekeeping, are ya? Something SWISHES and SLOPS in the deep end
of the water: harness larvae! Disgusted, Weaver gags and looks away. The twins are nearby, hands folded before
them. They look alike except for the patterns of dirt on their skin. One bows
his head a bit, the other holds his chin out. The more dominant one speaks. His
brother merely mouths some of the words, not by choice, but as a puppet feeling
the pull of his brother’s string. LEFT You
know Tom; he knows you. I have seen it through my dead mate. I will kill you in
front of him. Then I will kill the others. Tom must feel my pain. As if she had said it herself, Saa turns away
from Weaver and goes into a little tent. EXT. LAKE IN THE WOODS-DAY Under the surface of the murky water,
tadpoles wriggle around. A boot SQUISHES into the mud nearby. Near-tears and worried as hell, Tom Mason
creeps around the water’s edge. Evil Anne is fifty meters up ahead, staring
straight back at Tom over her shoulder. She takes off again. Tom picks up the pace as well. EXT. DEEPER IN THE WOODS-DAY Tom sees the huge fallen tree up ahead, and
instinctively hides himself behind a tree. Anne appears on the fallen tree, resting her
elbows in it, her chin in her hands. ANNE Come out now, Tom! TOM Anne!
If there is any part of you that remembers who you are… please come back with
me! In response, Anne disappears behind the fallen tree again. ANNE Tom,
help me! HELP! Tom dashes out into the clearing, and a
skitter and the onyx-eyed girl step out behind him, pointing guns at his back. Tom hears them and whips around. TOM What have you done to her? Anne laughs cruelly. ANNE She’s
right here. What a wise, compassionate woman. Better come keep her safe. She walks farther into the woods, and Tom is marched after her. EXT. THE CRATER-DAY Dirty water SPLASHES as Weaver kicks his
hobbled feet at a persistent larvae. He looks up as Saa emerges from her tent. RIGHT Tom Mason comes! On hearing that his death approaches, Weaver
looks down at the water, and up at the canopy, and over at Saa, in a new light. WEAVER Wait a minute. LEFT Yes, worm bait? WEAVER You
said Tom killed your mate? That fish-eyed thing was married? I know what’s
going on…! Saa begins an unhurried walk around the water, eyes on Weaver. WEAVER The
cheap tent… hardly any troops… ditch water instead of an incubator… Every harnessed child darkens with malice. WEAVER You’ve
gone rogue. You’re out here all on your own, aren’t you? Did the other
fishheads kick you out of the club? Too crazy? Too sentimental? Too female? LEFT and RIGHT Be
silent! WEAVER You
really loved that bug-eyed, slimy-skinned, mass-murdering sumbich, didn’t you.
You’re a big softie. Saa bounds forward and SLAPS Weaver, knocking
him horizontal into the water. Weaver sputters and yanks at his bindings. A
larva swims near his face. LEFT What
a horrible specimen you are. Vulgar. Smelly. Stupid. Weaver watches Saa, not the twins, and doesn’t answer. One of the skitters croaks out a warning, and
Anne struts in under the canopy. Mason comes in behind her, with much less
enthusiasm. Tom and Weaver’s eyes meet. TOM Weaver! You’re alive! RIGHT Not for long! The twins stand beside Weaver and Left holds
a knife to his throat. Anne beams at Tom. ANNE This
is the last time you will see your friends alive, Tom. Go ahead; try and save someone. Needing no further encouragement, Tom sprints
at Weaver, splashing through the nasty water. He is four feet from Weaver, and the twins laugh
at him. Weaver, finally yanking one hand free of his
binds, grabs at the knife. Tom grabs the back of the chair and drags Weaver
away from the twins. He looks to Anne. TOM No! Saa takes a gun from one of the skitters and
raise it at Anne. In the split second he has to assess the
situation, Tom’s eyes fall on the left twin, and the right. The girl with onyx
eyes, giggling; the girl with wispy hair, stroking the back of a crocadile. A dark shape in the water. Bending down, Tom grabs the larvae by the
tail, and flings it into the face of the right twin, where it hits with a SMACK. The boy shrieks. The panicking larvae is scratching Right’s
face. He stumbles; he falls. The other twin’s eyes swim into focus; he
comes to himself and looks down at his brother. LEFT Danny? Saa looks sharply at the twin. Feeling her
pull, his back arches; but he resists, reaching for the creature latched onto Danny’s
face. The two girls look at him curiously. At this moment, Ben comes bursting onto the
scene. BEN Betty, Hector! NOW! Rebel skitters swarm over Saa and her forces,
apprehending their weapons. Ben runs up to Anne, who SLAPS him. After a
shocked moment, he sees that she is still being influenced. He backs away. Tom strides forward. Saa, being held at
gunpoint by Lourdes, is fuming, her narrow chest heaving. TOM It’s
all over, Saa. We’ve got you way out-numbered. Surrender! BEN You
need to kill her, dad. Anne clucks her tongue at him. ANNE Tom
has done enough killing. He murdered Saa’s mate. And I won’t stop until he
regrets it! TOM I’m
not going to kill Saa. There is no need, now. We will take her prisoner. BEN Please
listen to me, Dad, it’s no use. She’s too dangerous! Holding his bare hands out, Tom comes closer to Saa. TOM Is
that true? Can you cooperate? Or do we really have to kill you? Saa continues fuming. TOM I’m
sorry that your mate is dead, Saa. But if your people have turned on you, if
your people refused to help you… shoot. Maybe this is better? She starts to lurch toward him, and is
tackled by several skitters. Tom is both relieved and rattled. EXT. SAA’S JAIL CELL-SOMETIME LATER Lourdes, Ben, Hector and Betty all stand before
the cell. LOURDES Hector,
Betty. How did the new skitters respond? Ben’s spikes glow blue. BEN We
couldn’t reach them at all, at first… when one of the twins went down, suddenly
we could touch all of their minds. Hector stops gesturing, and Betty puts her two cents in. BEN I
think the twins, when together, amplified Saa’s control. Saa paces back and forth like a circling koi fish. BEN Saa
was selfish and cruel. The new skitters are glad to join us. Lourdes smiles. Ben notices her smile, and remembers something. BEN Do you
wanna go get some rations, now? LOURDES Sure! They leave Saa to her thoughts. © 2024 evievievieAuthor's Note
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StatsAuthor
evievievieRocklin, CAAboutHello! I'm Evie from California. I love reading and writing scifi and fantasy, preferably with a diverse cast and queer positive vibes. Stiilllll working on book #1. My dream is to connect with more w.. more..Writing
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