Characters: Emmet Atwater, Defoe Defoe
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Characters: Emmet Atwater, Defoe Defoe, Young Jacquelyn Requin, Pops, Moms, Kaya, Bilal, Longwei, Katsu, Jazzy, Roathy, Isadora, Azima, Jaime, MEB1, MEB2, MEB3 Rich woman 1, Rich woman 2, Rich woman 3, Rich man 1, Rich man 2, Rich man 3, Desmond,Adamite 1, Adamite 2, Adamite 3, Vandermeer, BE1, BE2, BE3, BE4, Crock, Young Emmet FADE IN: 1 INT. BABEL COMMUNICATIONSMEETING ROOM- MORNING 1 RW1, RW2, RW3, RM1, RM2, RM3, and Desmond are sitting at the front of the room, Defoe is standing next to them. Azima, Isadora, Katsu, Roathy, Bilail, Emmet, Longwei, Kaya, Jazzy, and Jaime are sitting around the table (counter-clockwise in that order) DEFOE You all know why you’re here. The screen behind Defoe turns on to display the Babel logo. Azima and Isadora sit up taller and Emmet takes out his earbud which plays loud hip-hop music. DEFOE (CONT’D) You were told this was going to be a game, but in reality, the ten of you were chosen to become the forefront of a space mission that is of the utmost seriousness to mankind. What you discover on this exploration will forever alter the future of the human race. (looks at each teen individually) The reward for your efforts will be beyond your greatest fantasy. A check for fifty THOUSAND dollars will be put into your bank accounts each month for the rest of your lives. All the children sit up straighter with their eyes focused on Defoe except Jaime who remains in the same disinterested state as he was in before. Jaime and Emmet lock eyes then Emmet turns and looks back at Defoe. DEFOE (CONT’D) Monetary stability is not the end of your payment, we are also offering our best medical plans for your families. As soon as you sign the contract, they will have free access to healthcare, counseling, surgery, and the most advanced treatments for cancer and other terminal diseases. These services come without a price tag and they’re offered in perpetuity. Jazzy clasps a locket around her neck. Emmet quietly types into his phone ‘perpetuity’. DEFOE (CONT’D) … We offer Stock options with their company internal connections with any business in the world and an opportunity to put your name in the history of the human race. Desmond is passing out a gag order if you're still interested just sign on the dotted line. Desmond with a stack of papers in his hands gets out of his chair and walks towards the kids setting a packet of papers in front of each of them. The papers are all in different languages. Emmet picks up his pen and signs on the dotted line. The rich men and women at the front of the room turn to each other whispering. Defoe is walking around the circle of chairs looking over each of the kids shoulders. Emmet puts in both earbuds and music starts playing. FADE TRANSITION: 2 EXT. BASKETBALL COURTS- FLASHBACK 2 The music gradually grows louder as the camera focuses on a park bench where slides and water bottles sit. The camera then pans over to the basketball courts where Emmet, PJ, MEB1, MEB2, and MEB3 are playing. The scene freezes and words ‘Most Excellent Brothers’ with doodled stars appear over them. The words disappear after 7 seconds. PJ makes a basket and the camera zooms into Emmet and PJ as they walk off the court together. The music gets quieter. MEB2 Yeah PJ! MEB1 Bro, that wasn’t even fair! PJ (snorts) Suck it up dude, you lost and that's just the hard truth. MEB1 rolls his eyes and walks towards the bench. PJ and Emmet walk toward the bench together while MEB 2 and MEB 3 are behind them, jostling and joking with each other. PJ (turning his head to look at Emmet) Hey, you have that Babel thing tomorrow, right? EMMET (also turning to PJ) yeah, why? PJ Well, um, so you know how we did a little research thing that night when you were chosen. EMMET (laughs) ha, yeah. I like had no clue who they actually were, were you know? PJ: (forced laugh) Yeah so I did a little more digging and (pauses) EMMET Dude, what, just spit it out. PJ Yeah so uh, so they took over Google back in ‘35 and some websites are uh projecting that um that they’ll take over NASA in the next twenty years. EMMET so? PJ Well, also, I found some… some other not so great things about Babel. Stuff like cover ups and big government conspiracies and stuff. EMMET: (laughs in semi-disbelief) You really don’t believe that crap, do you? (silence on both sides) Duuude, we’re gonna have to send you to live with Aunt Addie on the corner of fifth and twenty-eighth. PJ I’m just saying… Emmet jogs away from PJ and gets his stuff from the bench and starts walking away from the group as MEB 1 starts talking MEB 1 PJ! We told you to stop crushing on Wacky Addie! PJ (rolls eyes and grabs his stuff, taking off his shirt and wiping his sweat) No du-, bro! Wait! PJ runs after Emmet. PJ (catching up to Emmet) hey, you walk fast PJ reaches for Emmets hand, grasping it before Emmet pulls away EMMET (keeping his eyes facing front) No, not right now. PJ (brow crinkling in confusion) But they can’t see us (Emmet shakes his head in a ‘no’ way) um.. I'm sorry? What did I do? EMMET Hey, I appreciate your concern about Babel but Moms really needs surgery and it would be nice to let Pops retire (turns to look at PJ) maybe when I get back from wherever they’re gonna send me this (gestures between him and PJ) can happen, but not now. I can’t afford to be distracted. (PJ looks at his feet) I’m sorry, I just think we’re better off as friends. PJ Yeah. okay. FADE IN: 3 INT. BABEL COMMUNICATIONS MEETING ROOM- CONT’D S1 3 Azima is signing her paper and PJ is sitting behind her on the table by the door with criss-crossed legs. PJ She’s more than cute (winks) Emmet blinks in surprise and confusion then the camera moves back to where PJ was; he flashes a peace sign then fades away as the camera moves back onto Defoe. Defoe grabs Azima’s paper and smiles without his eyes. DEFOE Very good. Now, as we describe your mission, you are welcome to leave at any point, but the gag order you’ve signed is something we’re deathly serious about. (beat) If you speak of this to anyone, you will find your hands tied legally for the rest of your life. Understood? Everyone nods, RW1, RW2, RW3, RM1, RM2, RM3, and DESMOND get up from their seats at the front of the room and move to the side wall as the screen drops down to become larger. Defoe walks up to it and the camera zooms in until it fills the screen. The Babel logo gets larger then fades into an earth-like planet. VOICE OF DEFOE Babel Communications discovered this habitable planet sixty-three years ago. The picture then zooms out to show the planet with two moons around it and the symbols ‘P237HH’ in the top right corner VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) Eden. Our relationship with the planet has been a determined one. The planet and the moons begin to orbit each other VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) Now, we know with certainty that life is possible here. The screen changes to show astrological charts and other design things one fading into eachother VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) Even with our vast technological advancements, the original journey to Eden took twenty-seven years. The camera cuts from the screen to show disappointed faces and the occasional wide eyed face to then cut back into the screen VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) (chuckles) Of course, that journey now takes us less than a year. A collective breath is heard being released and the screen changes to show the tower space station VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) The Tower Space Station is already orbiting Eden. We will rendezvous there before sending you to the surface. The planet is populated by a species called the Adamites. The screen changes to show pictures. First, of the rocky landscape, then some pictures of the Adamites VOICE OF DEFOE (CONT’D) Naturally, we’ve had a few encounters with the species. The last picture fades out to show a video clip. Military vehicles with armed soldiers in front and scientists in lab coats behind on one side of the screen and three Adamites talking to a man in a lab coat with a soldier holding a machine gun at his side. The lab coat crosses his arms and a big black liquid-y substance flies up from the Adamites. The soldiers fire at the Adamites and in retaliation, the Adamites release a dense fog of nyxia. It flies over all the soldiers and the scientists only to pull back revealing all of them dead and dismembered on the ground while one solitary figure stands in the midst of the blood and body parts. The camera zooms in to reveal the figure to be a girl of about seven. A pause sign appears then fades away again and the movement of the video stops. VOICE OF DEFOE Jaquelyn Requin. She was born on the first flight to Eden.