From
space to under the sea. This is a screenplay for a television series about
mankind having to return under the sea to escape the harsh conditions on the surface.
After
a couple of generations they begin trying to explore the surface again but then
quickly learn they are no longer alone.
TEASER
FADE IN.
EXT./INT.
E.S.S.A. ORION.
The
E.S.S.A. research vessel ORION is in high orbit above Earth. Small stabilizing thrusters ignite
around the ship, as it prepares to reenter earth’s atmosphere.
COCKPIT.
CAPTAIN
AKIHITO, 54, sits with LEUTENANT BRIGHTMAN, 27. Both are preparing the ship for reentry.
AKIHITO
Well, Lieutenant, what do you think of your first trip up here?
BRIGHTMAN
I am ready to get home, sir. Two weeks up here felt like an eternity, especially with all
these scientists and lab techs.
Akhito
laughs and sits back. He buckles
himself into his chair and grips the control yolk.
AKIHITO
If you’ll make the announcement I’ll take us home.
Brightman
lifts a small lapel microphone to his mouth.
BRIGHTMAN
Ladies and Gentlemen, If you would so gladly take your seats we
are about to begin our descent back to earth. Thank you very much.
Akhito nods
to Brightman and he begins to stir the ship down back to earth.
CUT TO.
EXT. ORION
The ship
begins to enter the atmosphere. As
it progresses further the entire underside begins to glow light orange.
When the
glow reaches the rear wings a large section of the wing’s tip breaks off. The ship shakes violently as it
continues down into the earth’s atmosphere.
INT.
COCKPIT
Akihito
struggles to keep the ship under control.
BRIGHTMAN
(alarmed)
What the hell was that sir?
AKIHITO
I don’t know.
(glances at flashing display)
We’ve lost a rear stabilizer.
INT.
PASSENGER COMPARTMENT
Passengers
all look around startled.
EXT. ORION
As the ship
drops lower into the atmosphere the remaining portion of the rear wing breaks
off. The ship dives off to one
side as it enters the clouds of the upper atmosphere.
INT.
COCKPIT
Akihito’s
sweaty face is contorted in struggle.
AKIHITO
Turn on our distress signal! When I get this down it won’t stay
on the surface for long.
Brightman
begins imputing data into a small console next to his copilot seat.
EXT. ORION
The ship
rocks side to side as it continues to drop below the clouds. Spreading beneath it is vast blue
ocean.
The ship
slams onto the surface. It skips
across the surface of the water. A
huge wave erupts in its wake after every impact. The ship slowly skids to an awkward stop.
INT.
COCKPIT.
Akihito
unbuckles himself and shakes the Lieutenant who reeling from a head wound.
AKIHITO
Hey LT! You need to
tell everyone to get to the life pods now before this ship starts to sink.
BRIGHTMAN
Ah, What? What happen?
Akihito
leans in and speaks into the Lieutenant’s lapel microphone.
AKIHITO
This is Captain Akihito.
The ship has experienced a minor mechanical malfunction and all
passengers need to proceed to the escape pods. Please calmly follow the yellow guide lights to the
pods. Thank you and I hope you
enjoyed your flight.
Captain
Akihito opens the cockpit doors and Doctor ELIZABETH SANCHEZ, 35, stands on the
other side.
SANCHEZ
Nice landing, Captain.
Just when I thought these last two weeks couldn’t get anymore
boring.
AKIHITO
Just the person I needed to see right now. Wake his ass up and get him to
Ops. I’ll be waiting for him
there.
Akihito
pushes pass Sanchez as she enters the cockpit.
SANCHEZ
All the passengers are fine by the way!
AKIHITO (O.S.)
I’m sure they are.
EXT. ORION.
The large
ship floats on the surface of the water with its tail submerged. Steam bellows from the rear of the
ship.
A few small
portals open on the side of the ship. Four cylindrical man-size pods are
launched out. The pods jump along the water like skipping stones. When they
stop they shoot upright and float briefly. Slowly each begins to sink.
INT. ORION
OPS ROOM
Akihito
stands behind a rough looking black man, MACKEY HORN, 40, he is smacking on a
piece of gum as he studies the images on the display screens.
A young
Asian girl, NIOKU YO, 24 enters Ops.
NIOKU
Hey, Mackey, Life pods 1-4 are launched.
MACKEY
Are they sinking yet?
NIOKU
Not yet. . . Oh wait, yep, there they go.
Mackey
looks back at Akihito with a smile on his face.
AKIHITO
What? You know what
you’re doing. I’m just here to
make sure you two get off the ship before me.
Mackey
shakes his head and looks back to the displays.
AKIHITO
Although if you don’t mind me asking: What exactly happen to my
ship?
MACKEY
The rear stabilizer wing locked up shortly after reentry,
something was actually bound to happen considering all the times we’ve made it
back with no problems.
Brightman
enters the room with a small bandage on his forehead.
AKIHITO
It’s nice of you to join us, Lieutenant.
MACKEY
(tapping a finger
on
his fore head)
Maybe next time you can borrow one of the engineer’s maintenance
helmets.
Brightman
nods to Akihito and Mackey.
MACKEY
Life pods 15 through 19 are away. Let’s see how long it takes them.
They all
watch as the pods appear as green blips on a screen. The blips move away from a facsimile of the ship on the
display. They stop and turn from
green to blue.
BRIGHTMAN
What does that mean?
NIOKU
It means they are sinking, sir.
EXT. ORION
The life
pods float briefly on the surface then begin to sink.
Three of
the four life pods are drawn together as they sink. The fourth begins to drift off alone. As the pod sinks the occupant looks
around.
INT. POD
The window
of the pod illuminates with information of the pods systems.
POD COMPUTER
Submersion program activated. Pod 16 integrity and life support monitored. All systems operational at 100%.
EXT. POD
The Pod
quickly sinks until the ocean around it becomes dark and the only light is from
the inside of the pod.
INT. POD
The
occupant of the stray looks around nervously as the darkness envelopes
everything. Suddenly the pod stops
sinking with a THUMP.
POD COMPUTER
Pod 16 has reached ocean bottom. 3,045 meters.
Rescue beacon functioning properly. All systems at 100%.
The pod
sits on the bottom of the ocean.
The vast emptiness of white ocean bottom spreads around the pod in the
pale lights cast from the rescue beacon and outer lights of the pod.
The
occupant becomes a little more nervous as the pod sits in the darkness.
POD COMPUTER
Movement has been detected within the vicinity of Pod 16. 45 meters and closing. Please be aware, movement has been
detected in the area.
A small
LIGHT ignites the darkness 30 meters in front of the pod.
The light
slowly moves closer. As it nears a
human form can be seen holding the light.
Suddenly a
webbed hand SLAPS down onto the pod window from above. It startles the occupant.
POD COMPUTER
Contact has been made with POD 16. Structural Integrity is maintaining at 100%. Please be aware that contac . . .
The
Occupant reaches up and turns the computer voice off.
A head
appears in the window.
Its eyes
are large and black. A thin stripe
of hair crests its bald head. Its
nostrils and ears are covered by flaps of skin. On the sides of the man’s neck
are gills.
He is a
Genetically Altered Human.
As the
small light approaches the life pod a second person is seen walking on the
bottom of the ocean toward the pod.
Both men
only wear wet suits. The walking
one gives the occupant of the life pod a big wave with his webbed hand as he
comes closer. The occupant waves back with a big smile on his face, he
activates the pod communication system.
OCCUPANT
Damn; I sure am glad to see you two. I was beginning to think they had forgotten me.
One of the
gilled rescuers gives a thumb up sign.
He reaches up with a webbed hand and speaks into a wrist
microphone.
DEVONS
(series of squeaks
And whistles.
Subtitles)
This is Devons, calling the Viona, do you copy Viona.
The area is
DOUSED with bright light. The
rescuer’s eyes quickly dilate and their brilliant colors can be seen.
A rescue
ship designed like a Sea Ray is over the pod and the two rescuers. A mechanical tentacle, from the rear of
the ship, picks the life pod from the ocean floor. The pod is placed on the
bottom of the ship where other life pods are hanging like eggs.
The two men
swim up to the ship and disappear into alcoves on the back of the ship. The ship joins other similar vessels
that are collecting the other life pods from the Orion crash landing.
Genetically
altered individuals can be seen swimming around the ships. They and humans in deep sea diving
suits all disappear into the alcoves on the backs of the vehicles.
END OF TEASER
ACT I
INT. RESCUE
SHIP V9-32 “VIONA”
The two
genetically altered rescuers emerge from two small alcoves in the side of the
cargo hold. Both of the
genetically engineered rescuers are drenched.
On one of
the wet suits is stitched the name DEVONS. He reaches up with his webbed hand and squeezes his
nose. When he lets go of his nose,
his nostrils reopen with a burst of air.
He runs his fingers down his neck and the gills on his neck SNAP closed.
A small
group of normal human techs stand watching as the two men go through their
ritual of opening ears and nostrils and closing gills and stretching away the
webs between their fingers.
The rescuers then hang up their equipment.
CARGO TECH #1
(teasing)
Hey, Devons! The
boss is looking for you.
DEVONS
I’m sure she is.
She just can’t get enough of me, boys.
All the
techs laugh and go back to work.
Devons turns to his partner who is putting away his own equipment.
DEVONS
You want to come see the boss with me, Ferguson? She might not kill me if there’s a
witness.
FERGUSON
No way, man! If
she’s that pissed she would probably kill us both just so that there were no
witnesses.
INT. VIONA
OPS ROOM
JASMINE
REYNOLDS, 32, a young attractive blond haired, strong willed captain, stands
behind two Operation Techs. They
watch the systems as the rescue continues.
JASMINE
Is that the last one?
OPS TECH #1
Yes, ma’am. We have
12 pods underside and all rescue personnel are accounted for. Cargo Techs are working to get the pods
empty and everyone settled.
JASMINE
Good. Contact the
‘Poseidon’ and tell them we’ll see them in dry dock.
Jasmine
leaves Ops and
VIONA
HALLWAY
runs into
Devons who is waiting just outside the door.
JASMINE
Damn it, Devons.
What the hell are you doing?
DEVONS
O’shea down in Cargo said you wanted to see me.
Jasmine
rolls her eyes and walks around Devons.
He follows her.
JASMINE
You really think I have time to bother with you right now. I have more important things to do than
worry about you.
DEVONS
Whoa, hold on there hot shot, I was just checking. If O’shea was mistaken then I’ll go
back to saving lives and being under appreciated.
Jasmine and
Devons walk through a passenger compartment. The passengers from the life pods try not to watch the two
fighting.
JASMINE
Devons, I’m going into the cock pit now and there’s not enough
room in there for me, my co-pilot and your ego, so just go back to being under
appreciated somewhere else.
Jasmine
hits the cockpit door controls.
The door WHOOSHES open.
COCKPIT
JAKE ‘ZIP’
MORRIS, 27, a young country looking man, looks over his shoulder as Jasmine
steps into the cockpit.
DEVONS(O,S.)
Whatever.
Jake quickly turns back to the controls.
JASMINE
(under
her breath)
Little, egotistical shit.
Jake smiles
and suppresses a chuckle.
JASMINE
Ready to get these back to the settlement, Zip?
JAKE
Yes, ma’am. All
pods are empty and secured.
‘Poseidon’ has located the Captain and co-pilot of the Orion and are on
their way to get them.
JASMINE
Good. Take us home,
Zip.
EXT. VIONA
The sea ray
shaped vessel retracts its mechanical tentacles and illuminates its wing and
forward lights. A faint blue light
shines from the tips of the wings and rear of the vessel as the engines push
the ship through the dark waters.
A second
sea ray ship, ‘Poseidon’ can be seen in the darkness.
The Viona
quickly gains speed as it rises into the lighter water of the ocean. The vessel’s lights go out as the water
becomes light enough to see through.
In the
distance an object can be seen.
It’s a huge
series of huge domes spread on the bottom of the ocean. Other ships of various designs come and
go from the settlements.
VIONA
COCKPIT
Jasmine
watches as the settlement becomes closer.
Jake
concentrates on the many displays and controls of the ship.
JASMINE
Dry Dock Alpha Zero Tango this is Rescue vehicle Victor Niner
Three Two, requesting permission to land.
Jasmine
waits for the reply, still agitated from the run in with Devons.
JASMINE
Damn, come on.
JAKE
They have to authenticate the ship’s
i.d. signal.
DRY DOCK TECH
(over radio)
Rescue vehicle Victor Niner Three Two, you have been granted
permission to enter dry dock Alpha Five Charlie. (beat)
Sorry, Reynolds, the Authority Security Forces has Alpha Zero
Tango cordoned off. They arrived
shortly after you left this morning.
Welcome back, Viona.
Confused
Jasmine looks over at Jake.
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