THE VOICE OF ATON "COMPRESSION" by GORDON D WENN CAST LIST --------- JOE SECURITY GUY DEBBIE SECURITY GUARD #1 STEVE SECURITY GUARD #2 SET LIST -------- INTERIORS --------- ENGINEERING LAB Copyright (c) 2005 - All rights reserved - KitsWriter@Yahoo.com # 1. ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. - ENGINEERING LAB - LATE EVENING We see the inside of a large concrete room, being used as an Engineering Lab. Heavy electrical cables snake across the floor, connecting several large pieces of equipment along the walls to control stations. Which are then connected to a much larger test object in the middle of the room. In one corner we see a small office, with three people in lab coats eating a take-out dinner. We will come to know them as JOE, DEBBIE and STEVE. They don't seem to be in a very good mood. JOE (adamant) But, I did pay the last time! DEBBIE (scowling) Joey! Just leave it alone! Nobody cares who paid the last time. Or the time before that. Or before that. Or whenever? STEVE (controlling) Yeah, man. It's not a big deal. So relax, chill out and eat your food before it gets cold. Everything's cool. JOE stands, his chair scrapes the floor making a noise. His mood seems to have deepened slightly. JOE (to Steve) Chill? Cool? Suddenly, you're from the hood? STEVE (loud) What's your problem, you get paid! JOE (angry) Paid? Those bits of rubber you gave me, haven't come back down yet! # 2. STEVE (shrugs) Don't look at me. You're going to have to take that up with payroll. JOE turns and looks sharply at DEBBIE. DEBBIE (innocent) What? She looks away, then picks up a carton of food. JOE grabs it from her hand. DEBBIE(CON'T) (surprised) Hey! JOE (possessive) I pay for it, it's mine. You pay for it, it's yours. That's how that works. STEVE jumps up, taking the carton back from JOE. Who doesn't look too happy. STEVE then tries to deflate the situation by using his highly polished leadership skills. STEVE (diplomatic) You know, we're all in this together. We're all hurting. Money is just tight right now. (pause) In a couple of days the Marshall grant might come through. The muscles in JOES' neck begin to throb. JOE (agitated) The Marshall grant? You blew that three months ago on that eighty thousand dollar piece of crap in the parking lot. You know, the red one with the personalized "STEVE GEE" license plates. STEVE (perplexed) Yeah so. What's your point? # 3. JOE (confused) My point? (pause) If I give you twenty bucks for it? Could you chip in for dinner next time! STEVE raises an accusing finger. STEVE (points) Hey! You leave my car out of this. Understand? JOE (loud) Your Car? They stare at each other menacingly. We see DEBBIE sitting between them. Her eyes darting back and forth. The she grabs the food back, commenting innocently. DEBBIE I'm hypoglycemic. DEBBIE looks away and starts eating the food in the carton. Unconcerned that either of them would escalate their conflict any further. Our view moves left, to the main entrance to the lab. We see a set of double doors with a small landing and two steps down to the main floor. The door opens, a man wearing a security guards' uniform enters. He jangles a large set of keys, while balancing a clipboard, before closing the door. He surveys the room, walks down the two steps, then moves gingerly forward. Carefully stepping over the tangle of cables on the floor. His attention turns to the large object in the middle of the room, just as JOE emerges from the office. JOE (possessive) Who the hell are you? The man in the security guards uniform addresses JOE. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) I'm the Security Guy. JOE (confused) We don't have security in this building! # 4. SECURITY GUY (gestures) Actually you did. But they really weren't that secure. People kept walking in. Office equipment kept walking out. They lost the contract. My company has this building now. We'll be implementing a number of procedural changes. STEVE and DEBBIE peer out from the office. The SECURITY GUY waves to them, then consults his clipboard. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (inquisitive) Which of you is Steve Graham? JOE nods toward the office. JOE He is. SECURITY GUY (to Joe) Then you'd be Josef Yarovik. (looks toward Debbie) And lastly, Deborah Spollazo. DEBBIE steps out of the office, then waves casually, as if he were taking attendance. JOE on the other hand, seems intruded upon. Invaded. He tries to take command of the situation. JOE (antagonistic) Firstly, we're very informal. (introduction) I'm Joe and that's Steve and Debbie. (pause) Secondly, this is our lab. We make the rules. You're not allowed to enter unless you have our permission. (loud) So, why are you here? What do you want? JOE continues his exercise in control by moving a few steps toward the SECURITY GUY. Who hasn't moved. # 5. SECURITY GUY (to Joe) Unfortunately, your continued use of this facility is the primary reason that I'm here. (pause) The building management has directed my company to serve you with this formal eviction notice. You are to vacate the building by noon, this coming Saturday. The SECURITY GUY removes an envelope from his clipboard. He waves it at JOE. Who just stands there, slightly deflated. Then he turns to STEVE, who disappears back inside the office. JOE appears conflicted. Not entirely sure, who should be the focus of his anger. The SECURITY GUY continues, regaining his attention. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (holding envelope) It doesn't really matter if you accept this, or not. It's just written notification of our intent. We will be emptying out this room, regardless of your cooperation. JOE grabs the envelope, crushing it in his hand. His anger then gives way to reality. He tries not to panic. JOE Today is Thursday, how are we suppose to pack all this up and leave in less than two days. SECURITY GUY (flatly) Teamsters. JOE (surprised) What? SECURITY GUY You were sent five registered letters. Each detailing the current situation. They also included several options. You chose none of them. # 6. JOE stares at him blankly. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (checks clipboard) Judith called eleven times. JOE (lost) Who? SECURITY GUY (explains) She's the building manager. The one person you should thank, for your current extension. (pause) But unfortunately, her job is now on the line. So after your eviction, everything you own will have to be sold to pay your creditors. JOE thinks, then begins to smile. JOE (snide) You could start with the "STEVE GEE" mobile. It's the red one, parked across the street. STEVE dashes out from the office, lashing out at JOE. STEVE (loud) I told you to leave my car out of this! JOES' smile fades. JOE (to Steve) It's all about your car, isn't it? You really don't care about the finances or this project. It just doesn't seem to concern you. (pause) Your entire attention seems to fixed on your car. STEVE (shrugs) So, what's your point? # 7. JOE (loud) You don't actually do anything. Other than, showing up late and punching out early. (pause) What exactly do you do? STEVE tries to redirect JOES' argument. STEVE My car's the least of your problems. You have less than two days to dig yourself out of this hole. Otherwise your precious project is just a fading memory. SECURITY GUY (interrupts) Actually, nine thirty, tonight. JOE and STEVE suddenly have his undivided attention. JOE (surprised) You said we had until noon, Saturday! STEVE adds his two cents. STEVE (frowns) Yeah! SECURITY GUY (explains) At nine thirty, all unnecessary power is turned off. The building computer goes into power save mode. It's all part of the new procedural package. (pause) Also, the exterior doors will now be mag-locked at five thirty PM until seven the next day. Weekends the building will be closed. Also, for a small fee, all your individual access cards will be replaced, by computer chip fobs. # 8. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) All the new upscale condos have them. We'll also be putting in scanners at the main entrance doors, parkades and in the elevators. (pause) It was all in the memo. JOE (interjects) But, we have a test scheduled for tonight. SECURITY GUY With whom? JOE (lost) What? SECURITY GUY Who did you schedule this test with? JOE (loud) Nobody! It's just a figure of speech. I don't report to anybody. SECURITY GUY (gestures) Okay.... You mean something like: It's a free country, but you still have to pay for everything. JOE (irked) What are you babbling about? SECURITY GUY (shrugs) Just another figure of speech. The SECURITY GUY briefly looks down, checking his footing among all the electrical cables on the floor, before taking a few steps towards the door. He stops at the landing, waves casually to DEBBIE, then turns to look at the large test object in the middle of the room. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (to Joe) So, how much time would you need to run this test. # 9. JOE (hopeful) Three to four hours. The SECURITY GUY nods noncommittally. SECURITY GUY So the next fifty three minutes wouldn't be enough. STEVE adds another two cents. STEVE (shot) Are you kidding. He takes the whole morning to tie his shoes. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) Sorry, I can't override the computer. Do what you can until the power shuts down. (looks at test object) Pity. That's a really nice Time Machine. He turns and walks up the two steps to the door, before JOE stops him. JOE (loud) What did you say! SECURITY GUY (gestures) Oh, nice Time Machine, my Uncle has one. DEBBIE, who really hasn't participated yet, moves out from the office door. Confronting the SECURITY GUY. DEBBIE Your Uncle has one? SECURITY GUY (smiles) It's just one of those stupid family stories. (pause) Although, it is on the Internet. The SECURITY GUY stops, feeling a little foolish. DEBBIE gestures for him continue. # 10. DEBBIE (impatient) So, spill already. SECURITY GUY (gestures) Okay.... My Uncle Larry, acquired this old motel. It didn't make any money, so he tore it down and put in a really cheesy Dinosaur theme park.... Basically, a playground for four year olds with sixteen large Dinosaur sculptures.... He also makes this volcano chili for their parents. (pause) As for the Time Machine. Well, one night, while he was cleaning the kid debris out a Triceratops, this bright blue light appeared in the middle of the park. He claims two figures emerged, two very Reptilian figures. DEBBIE (interested) What happened then? SECURITY GUY Well, they took one look at all the Dinosaur models, then started screaming at each other in a language he couldn't understand. JOE and STEVE start to interrupt, but DEBBIE shushes them. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) Although, he claims that just before they vanished, one of them started beating the other one in the head, yelling something he says sounded like: Wrong Way! Wrong Way! DEBBIE starts laughing. Then just smiling. Then she looks at him very suspiciously. The SECURITY GUY finishes his story. # 11. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) So basically, from what he saw, he built a model of their Time Machine. Although all it really does is give birds a convenient place to crap. (shrugs) I always thought it was supposed to be some sort of ride. You can find a longer version of the story at crackpot dot com. DEBBIE seems to be mulling over something. DEBBIE (verbal thought) No, that's not it. She disappears inside the office for a moment, returning with an automatic pistol. JOE (surprised) What are you doing with a gun? DEBBIE (matter of fact) It's Steves. JOE (to Steve) Why do you need a gun? STEVE Carjackers. JOE (loud) Your car! Are you nuts? JOE is about to continue his rant at STEVE, but is interrupted by the SECURITY GUY, pointing at the gun in DEBBIES' hand. SECURITY GUY Guys. JOE moves slightly closer to DEBBIE, then stops, eyeing the gun in her hand. JOE (to Debbie) What are you going to do with that gun? # 12. DEBBIE I have a theory. He's not telling the entire truth. She points the weapon directly at the SECURITY GUYS' chest. STEVE (interjects) Do you actually know how to use that thing? Then without looking at STEVE, she tilts the gun to the right, presses a button on the pistol grip with her thumb and ejects the magazine. She makes a brief inspection, before reinserting it into the weapon. Then she slides the top portion of the gun back, ejecting the already chambered round and cocking the weapon. STEVE seems impressed, but before he can say anything else, she fires a round directly into the SECURITY GUYS' chest. The next few moments will require some detailed explanation, and occur in slightly slower motion. The force of the bullet entering his chest, pushes the SECURITY GUY back. However, instead of falling over onto the floor, he seems to stop. The surface of his body becomes darker, as if a black and white image of him, had been reversed. This new dark surface begins to contract. Shrinking him down to a single point, before vanishing. Then, with the gunsmoke still in the air, he just returns. Unhurt and alive. DEBBIE fires again. With a similar result. He falls back, the darkness engulfs him, and then disappears into a single point of nothingness. Only to return, without any adverse effects. DEBBIE moves aggressively forward, stopping with her weapon a few inches from his head. DEBBIE (adamant) Explain that! SECURITY GUY (shrugs) I can't. DEBBIE (corrects him) Don't you mean: You won't! # 13. SECURITY GUY (nonchalant) Are you planning to do that again? DEBBIE (directly) How can you do something that never happened? DEBBIE moves away, back towards the office. Then stops, throwing the gun to STEVE. STEVE (astonished) What the hell was that? DEBBIE (flatly) Temporal Compression. JOE (lost) Temporal what? STEVE sees an opening. STEVE (goading) You mean you don't know. I thought you were our resident genius. SECURITY GUY (interrupts) Of course he doesn't know! How could he? (gestures) He's not really running this project. All eyes turn to DEBBIE. Who opens up in this new spotlight. DEBBIE (to Steve) Did the building manager actually call? STEVE (flip) Yeah, five or six times. DEBBIE (to Joe) What did you do with those registered letters? # 14. STEVE (interrupts) He heaved'em. DEBBIE looks at JOE with a certain amount of disgust. Then she addresses the SECURITY GUY. DEBBIE (gestures) Stop me if I'm wrong. (pause) You were sent here to stop this project from ever being completed. And I must admit, you almost succeeded. Using procedural changes in the building and our financial situation was close to brilliant. SECURITY GUY (gestures) You mean, the truth. DEBBIE (shrugs) I suppose.... But if you consider the timing of your arrival and the fact that neither of these idiots actually believes that this thing is real. We come to the only conclusion possible. SECURITY GUY (innocent) And what would that be? DEBBIE (frowns) You're from the future. And you've come back to uninvent time travel. (pause) Which is odd, because if you succeed, then time travel doesn't exist and you wouldn't be able to come back and uninvent it. (pause) I think that's the standard paradox. # 15. SECURITY GUY You mean the one where you can't go back in time and shoot your grandfather, because then you wouldn't exist to go back in time and shoot him. DEBBIE (nods) Yeah. SECURITY GUY (smiles) Alternatively, if you find yourself standing in front of a fresh corpse, with a smoking gun, and there aren't any temporal consequences, then your grandfather was probably the milkman. JOE seems overly agitated. He looks to DEBBIE for an answer. JOE (surprised) You mean it actually works? STEVE (to Joe) Of course it works, moron! (to Debbie) It actually works? JOE pushes STEVE out of the way, moving closer to DEBBIE. JOE (unnerved) What exactly just happened? You know, with the gun and the bullets! DEBBIE thinks for moment, choosing her words carefully. DEBBIE Briefly, I killed him. Then we were probably arrested. Which means the project never saw the light of day. It also means he had no reason to come back and try to stop us. Therefore he wasn't killed. # 16. DEBBIE(CON'T) We were never arrested and we finished the project. Which then gave him a reason to come back and try to stop us. (pause) Is that clear? JOE I guess.... But, what happened to the bullets? DEBBIE (to Joe) I don't know. I don't think it's that important. (to Security Guy) Of course, for all that to work flawlessly, you'd have to be using a completely different system. Not this one. Something the paradox couldn't corrupt. SECURITY GUY It's an Inverse Temporal Accelerator. DEBBIE That sounds big. What's the power source? SECURITY GUY Our communication system, uses molecular sized gravitational holes. It's connected to a network of White Dwarf Stars. It's actually instantaneous, none of that speed of light stuff. The financial system needed something that could operate at the speed of money. DEBBIE seems impressed, then she drags JOE into the office. JOE (off guard) What? DEBBIE Internet. # 17. They disappear into the office, leaving STEVE alone with the SECURITY GUY. Who then gingerly retraces his steps through the cables on the floor, stopping next to STEVE. STEVE holds up his gun menacingly. STEVE (joking) Bang! The SECURITY GUY smiles at him. STEVE changes the subject. STEVE(CON'T) (nods) So, you're from the future. The SECURITY GUY seems reluctant, but manages an answer. SECURITY GUY (gestures) No. No I'm not. They're crazy. STEVE (gestures) So, any Aliens. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) Not really. It's complicated. STEVE seems a little unhappy with his response. He digs in. STEVE (snarky) What's the problem? Just get in to your rocketship and go out and find some. The future is all about Aliens. Right? SECURITY GUY (corrects him) Actually, rockets will be replaced by a fusion/electro-magnetic drive in thirty years. The first faster than light drive was developed ten years after that. But, it wasn't really very practical. STEVE (interested) Why not? # 18. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) It still took several years to get anywhere. The average attention span hadn't changed from what it is today. It wasn't like going to the Moon, coming back, then getting a ticker tape parade, all within the same week.... Everybody got bored and changed the channel. STEVE (understands) So, What happened then? SECURITY GUY Twenty years later, somebody came up with something better. Then they added the five speed transmission the first one used, turning it into the drive we use now.... Well, not now, but you know, latter. Not now. STEVE seems to appreciate the car reference more than actually understanding the tenses. Then returns to his original inquiry. STEVE (gestures) Cool.... But, no Aliens? The SECURITY GUY appears to relent. SECURITY GUY Well... About eight hundred light years, over that way.... He points up at an angle, in a seemingly random direction. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) We found three Alien Races, who had been at war with each other for twelve million years. STEVE Why? # 19. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) We really don't know. The original Races had actually died out. They'd been replaced by their evolved pets. STEVE looks at him blankly. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) The people that found them were miners out looking for rocks. STEVE (lost) Rocks? SECURITY GUY Iron, nickel, cobalt. The raw materials used by a consumer driven heavy industrial space faring society. One hundred Billion people, all requiring that crap, we come to define culture. STEVE (puzzled) Yeah, but Rocks? The SECURITY GUY dumbs it down. SECURITY GUY The Universe is filled with an infinite supply of rocks. We use them, because exporting the Planet you happen to be standing on, would be bad. STEVE (nods) Right.... So what happened to the Aliens. SECURITY GUY The ships the miners had were heavy ore processors. Which included Cutters. Automated probes armed with five hundred mega watt ion cannons. # 20. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) They turned the big rocks into little rocks, which fit into the processors. (pause) The Aliens and their nine thousand ships, turned and attack the miners. Who then launched the fifty thousand Cutters from B shift. (pause) It was all over in a minute and a half. STEVE starts laughing. STEVE (jovial) Twelve million years gone in ninety seconds! SECURITY GUY (nods) The Universe is like that sometimes. (pause) Of course, none of this was reported until after they had swept up the debris from countless and as it turns out, pointless battles. STEVE So, they all stopped to make a few bucks. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) Nobody could really blame them. It was all free for the taking. (gestures) These people spend their entire lives in space. Standing at the beginning of our never-ending consumers highway. STEVE draws another blank. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) They have a motto: If it's not nailed down, it's ours. STEVE seems to have heard that one. Smiles. # 21. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) Then, there were the Planets. STEVE Planets? SECURITY GUY Imagine not one, but three worlds, entirely covered by buildings. Twenty-six kilometers thick. STEVE thinks about that one for a moment. STEVE (nods) Yeah. SECURITY GUY Of course, shortly after they were notified, the authorities moved in. STEVE (interested) What happened? SECURITY GUY They deployed a Solar Shield. Which requires a certain amount of explanation. He holds up a finger, indicating an explanation is forthcoming. His left hand clenches into a ball, then drops down and away slightly. His right hand is held up high and cup shaped. Which he then angles at his left hand, mimicking some object. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (explains) A probe is placed between the Planet and its Star. A canopy, five thousand kilometers across is deployed from the Probe. This creates a permanent eclipse, which blocks the sunlight from reaching the Planets surface. The Planet begins to cool down. Every freezes. Destroying all the structures. Which then preprocesses everything for removal. # 22. STEVE How cold are we talking? SECURITY GUY (nods) Well, Carbon Dioxide sublimes out of the atmosphere at around minus eighty degrees Celsius. STEVE (impressed) Oh. SECURITY GUY But, along with this great bounty of recyclables, came an even greater prize. (pause) An Ocean of Post Organic Goo. STEVE looks at him strangely. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (dumber) Texas Tea, black gold. STEVE suddenly understands. STEVE (smiles) So, you're still watching the Hillbillies? The SECURITY GUY takes a moment to remember the reference. SECURITY GUY (shakes head) Not really. Nobody speaks Anglic anymore. STEVE (confused) What's Anglic? SECURITY GUY (puzzled) The language we're speaking right now. STEVE (correction) You mean English.... (pause) What language do you speak? # 23. SECURITY GUY It's called Rubhanic.... You see, the first people to colonize Mars, spoke Russian, Bharat, Han and Arabic. Which blended together after a while. Are you familiar with Yiddish? STEVE doesn't answer, as DEBBIE interrupts him. She comes charging out of the office, with JOE following closely behind. DEBBIE makes her way over to the test object. She then starts pointing out things for JOE to do. DEBBIE (points to cables) Remove that.... that.... and that. STEVE becomes generally interested in what's going on. STEVE (to Joe) So, what are you guys doing? JOE (to Steve) We found that other time machine on the Internet. So, we're reconfiguring. DEBBIE interrupts them, rather rudely. DEBBIE Talking is not working! JOE returns to his work, which seems to involve rewiring the test object. DEBBIE moves over to a control station on the left side of the main entrance. The computers begin to boot up. STEVE furrows a thought at the SECURITY GUY. STEVE It seems that they're still very much in business. What's Plan B? SECURITY GUY Actually.... (thinks) Plan A is still in effect. STEVE (unsure) Yeah? # 24. SECURITY GUY (explains) Debbie's basic premise is that I came back from the future to try and stop her from inventing Time Travel. STEVE (confused) You're not? SECURITY GUY She's assumed that everything is linear. All events moving forward in endless progression. When in fact it's more circular. Looping back occasionally, making corrections. (pause) It's all about probability. Factored against potential. (pause) The potential acts as an anchor. Fixing you to a specific event in space/time. Then, once you've eliminated this potential, the Temporal Compression takes hold. Removing you from the event. STEVE has a rational moment. STEVE (inquiry) So, the guy on the Internet is actually you? SECURITY GUY (nods) Yeah, it's always me. I'm the guy that does this. I always did and I always will. STEVE (gestures) But, you're giving Debbie and Joe the secrets to Dino-Travel? STEVE stops, he suddenly gets a previous joke. # 25. STEVE(CON'T) (smiles) Wrong Way! Wrong Way! JOE finishes his rewiring of the test object, then he joins DEBBIE at the control station. The SECURITY GUY directs STEVES' attention to DEBBIE and JOE. SECURITY GUY Note their attention to every detail. Their intense focus on the problem at hand. Their dedication to a cause. STEVE (inquiry) Why? SECURITY GUY Shortly after they finish, everything within five hundred meters of this room, will be pushed forward nine hundred and two years into the future. STEVE tenses up. STEVE (perturbed) What? SECURITY GUY Unfortunately, you never see your car again. The gun in STEVES' right hand moves up slowly, stopping at a forty-five degree angle. STEVE stares at DEBBIE and JOE, his emotional state in question. Oddly, the SECURITY GUY takes this moment to touch the left side of STEVES' neck, with his right forefinger. We see a small electrical flash. STEVE stiffens, his body unable to move. He can however, speak. STEVE (afraid) What are you doing? SECURITY GUY Keeping you focused on a feeling. # 26. We see the gun in STEVES' hand. He tries to loosen his grip. Unsuccessfully however. STEVE (flatly) I'm not going to shoot them. SECURITY GUY (shrugs) That's okay, they've already been shot. All the gears in STEVES' head, start working overtime. A new thought surfaces. STEVE (eureka) You mean those bullets that Debbie fired at you! STEVE isn't very happy with this idea. He decides to ignore it. STEVE(CON'T) (denial) No. None of this is happening. That's stupid. Really crazy. Unable to move, we see his eyes dart around the room, nervously. SECURITY GUY In the future, much like today, the really crazy stuff gets put in Tabloids. Putting a slight disclaimer on the factual events. The SECURITY GUY moves STEVE over to where DEBBIE had been standing, when she fired at him. He repositions his arm, with the guns' trajectory facing the control station. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) Of course all the really good parts of this story, and by that I mean the actual truth, get overshadowed by the much more juicier love triangle and murder/suicide pact. STEVE (thinks) Wait, that's wrong, Joe never slept with Debbie! # 27. SECURITY GUY Who says Debbie was the centre of the triangle? (pause) It's all about your car, isn't it? STEVE dodges an answer by looking at DEBBIE and JOE work. Something odd occurs to him. STEVE Don't they see me standing here with this gun? SECURITY GUY Yes, they do. But they're more concerned with the ten million people who might show up when Christ is born. STEVE squirms slightly, trying to regain motor control. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) You see Steve, it's a very simple plan. When the power goes out, all the systems will still be on. Then, when it comes back on, there will be a power surge, frying the main system and erasing any data on the hard drive. (pause) You could warn them, though. Something else occurs to STEVE. STEVE (adamant) This is all very circumstantial. They can't convict me without any real evidence. I haven't even fired this gun. They can test for that. Right? SECURITY GUY (gestures) Actually you're tried, convicted and executed for murdering Nicholas Gleason. # 28. STEVE (lost) Who? SECURITY GUY (gets closer) Remember your last car? The metallic blue one.... Remember what happened to it?... How you felt when you were cut off? And what happened when you saw the wreckage? (pause) You'd shoot that guy, wouldn't you? STEVE (pumped up) In a New York Minute! SECURITY GUY (pats him on back) Well, this is your lucky day! The SECURITY GUY adjusts STEVES' head forward, so he can see the upcoming event. The space in front of them begins to distort. Then ripple. We see two small focuses forming where the SECURITY GUYS' chest had been. Then with the CAMERA fixed on the distortion, we hear two gunshots, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor. The ripples begin to smooth out, the space in front of them returns to normal. STEVE somehow manages to turn his head and look at the SECURITY GUY, waving goodbye. SECURITY GUY(CON'T) (smiles) Ciao, Bella! The darkness engulfs the SECURITY GUY, he shrinks down to a single point, then vanishes. The entrance door to the lab opens almost immediately. Another SECURITY GUARD enters. He sees the gun in STEVES' hand and backs up slightly. He stops at the edge of the landing, then checks his footing. He looks down quickly, but sees DEBBIE and JOE. Then he turns back to STEVE, slightly green. We see STEVE looking intently at his nametag. We move in closer. It reads: NICK. Anger seizes STEVE. He regains control of his motor functions. # 29. STEVE (loud) Are you Nicholas Gleason? SECURITY GUARD #1 (afraid) Yeah?... (bolder) What about it?... STEVE (loud) You cut me off!... You killed my car!... STEVE shoots him in the chest, just as a second SECURITY GUARD enters the lab. The second SECURITY GUARD sees his partner on the floor. He stops, holding his hands up in caution. Trying to calm the situation. STEVE lowers his gun offering no resistance. The second SECURITY GUARD moves quickly forward, taking the gun away from STEVE. Then he drops STEVE onto the floor, pushing his head into some cables, before handcuffing him. STEVE offers up an unoriginal excuse. STEVE Hey! That guy cut me off! He killed my car!... Almost on cue, the second SECURITY GUARD looks up at the test object, which begins to emit a high pitched whine. STEVES' face is being held firmly into a floor cable, so he doesn't actually witness the next event. A blue light rapidly engulfs the test object. It reaches a point of maximum brightness, then disappears. SECURITY GUARD #2 (confused) What the hell?... (to Joe) Did you see that? It just disappeared! STEVE (face down) Did I see what? You've got my face in these cables! The second SECURITY GUARD releases his hold on STEVE. He stands up, unsure of what he just witnessed. STEVE lifts his head up from the cable, then looks into the empty space. # 30. STEVE (thinks) Right. Yeah.... It probably went nine hundred years into the future. Something to do with Dinosaurs. (second thought) Hey, is there a cable dent in my forehead? The second SECURITY GUARD hasn't heard him. He steps into the empty space, waving his arms about, trying to find something invisible. Strangely, STEVE calls out a warning. STEVE Hey man, watch those cables. The power is still.... There is a bright electrical flash. The second SECURITY GUARD hits the floor. STEVE squirms his way to the top step of the landing. Sitting with his hands shackled behind his back, he starts to verbalize his thoughts. STEVE(CON'T) Okay. The power goes out at nine thirty. I get his keys and undo these cuffs. Then.... (smiles) We have the obligatory Car Chase. (nods) Yeah! I like that. It works. The CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL the carnage strewn around the room. We see STEVE sitting quietly, thinking about his car. FADE OUT. THE END #