Shadow 19 Jon Spaihts

7/31/2019 Shadow 19 Jon Spaihts

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SHADOW 19

Jon Spaihts

917-855-5421June 30 draft (rough) [email protected]


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Smoke clears. Across the valley, four D-CLASS TANKS climbover the ridgeline. They are three stories high, painted withthe blue interlocking circles of the Hegemony.

The colony goes turtle: withdrawing its towers, it closes upand hunkers down against the rock.

EXT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE (IN ORBIT)

The Battleship's guns begin to fire in a cycle of terribleviolence: pounding at their targets on the moon below.

Twelve DROP-CAPSULES launch. Rocket toward the surface ofDione.

EXT. DIONE - DALTON COLONY BATTLEFIELD

The battleships bombardment hammers the tanks. Near-missesand hits. Their armor is damaged but withstands the assault.

The tanks launch flares and interceptor missiles.

A drop-capsule rockets down and shatters, revealing Vance infull armor. He vaults from the impact crater - as a missileexplodes where he just landed.

Other drop capsules hurtle down, OTHER MARINES emerge. Theytake cover in rocky terrain chaotic with explosions.

ATHENAS VOICEAll troops down safe.

VANCEMarines! Give me a battle line,twenty meter spacing. Athena.Tactical.

The electronic voice of his armor's battle computer answershim - feminine, calming.

ATHENAS VOICETactical.

Vances visor lights up, painting the terrain around him withdata: enemies, friendlies, ranges and velocities.

Each Marine is tagged in Vance's display with his name andstatus. Vance watches his men move into a battle line.

ATHENAS VOICEFour D-Class tanks incoming. TargetColossus out of range.

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The four tanks loom closer. Behind them, Vances visordisplay indicates the Colossus, hidden behind the ridge.

VANCEAdvance on me. Fire as you go.

Vance moves toward the D-Class Tank at a run through thebroken terrain. The other Marines join in seconds later,their rifles blazing.

ATHENAS VOICEIncoming fire.

From the tanks, energy beams flash toward the Marines. Vancecartwheels off the ground, JUMP-JETS flaring from his boots.He arcs through space, firing all the while.

Behind him Marines take evasive action on their jets.

VANCEWe're not breaching the armor.Let's get close and do somedemolition.

ATHENAS VOICEFatality. Sergeant Holder.

Vance charges a tank. Enemy fire rakes the ground around him.

INT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE - COMMAND COCKPIT (IN ORBIT)

Onscreen, Colonel Coburn watches the battle unfold below.

A fatality marker throbs where Sergeant Holder fell. Theeleven remaining Marines charge toward the enemy.

EXT. DIONE - BATTLEFIELD

Vance reaches a tank: gets in under its guns and keeps going,right between its gnashing treads and under its armored body.

From a pod on his thigh he pulls a series of powerful mines.

Plants them on the belly of the tank.

VANCEAthena. Detonate on my mark.

On the underside of the tank, belly hatches open. ARMEDTROOPERS drop out. Their gunfire ricochets off his armor.

Vance hurls a mine into an open hatch. Fires his jump-jets.Cannonballs through the troopers into the clear.

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VANCENow!

Behind him the tank EXPLODES spectacularly.

Vance scans the battlefield - two of the D-Class Tanks burn

furiously. Marines concentrate fire on the other two.

ATHENAS VOICEFatality. Lieutenant Carver.

Vance looks up, and gapes in awe. The COLOSSUS climbs overthe ridge: a tank twice as big as the D-Class machines. Afortress on the move.

VANCEI see the Colossus. Its a monster.

COBURN (V.O.)

We are hitting it now.

A barrage of shells from the orbiting Battleship. Explosionsmarch across the lunar surface and pound the Colossus.

When the smoke clears, the Colossus is battered but intact:still coming.

Its mammoth guns rise to point toward the stars.

VANCEHeads up, Command! Colossus isreturning fire...

A thunderous concussion shakes the ground. Flames leap as theTank's heavy guns all fire at once.


Gunfire from the Colossus far below tears into theBattleship, triggering a chain of EXPLOSIONS.

INT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE - COMMAND COCKPIT

Colonel Coburn, shaken badly, watches damage reports streamin from the Battleships burning sections.

COBURNMarines. We are hit. Highline isdisengaging.

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The Battleship veers away from Dione.

EXT. DIONE - DALTON COLONY BATTLEFIELD

All four of the D-Class Tanks are burning hulks. Marinesemerge from the smoking wreckage to advance on the Colossus.

Vance watches in horror as the mighty guns of the Colossuslower to engage in the surface battle.

VANCERapid advance! Move! Move!

The battle line breaks into a run: the Marines sprint towardthe Colossus, rifles flashing...

The HEAVY GUNS of the Colossus open fire. The Marines takeevasive action - but one by one soldiers are BLASTED intooblivion.

ATHENAS VOICEFatality. Sergeant Markhart.Fatality. Sergeant Chan. Casualty.Lieutenant Drake.

Vance roars in rage.

VANCECover! Take cover!

The Marines dive for shelter as the guns shake the earth.

VANCE(under his breath)

Too many. Too many.

He stares at the Colossus, scanning the giant war machinewith telescopic vision.

His gaze settles on the anti-personnel gun turrets that

protrude like steel barrels from the tank's hull.

VANCEMcGrath! Get to Drake. Run a med-check. Everybody else, fire fromcover on my order. Target thesensors. Eyes and ears. I want that

monster blind. Ready...(gathers himself, poisedto sprint)

Fire!

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Vance explodes from cover, racing toward the Colossus. Aroundhim, the Marines blast away at the Colossus's sensors withprecision rifle fire.

Vance is half running and half flying, his jump-jets blazing.The Colossus pounds the battlefield with haphazard firepower,

but Vance weaves and leaps and the gunfire doesnt touch him.

He gets in past the guns. Leaps onto the Colossus. Clingsmagnetically beside a gun turret.

A plasma torch extends from his forearm. He aims at the seamwhere the turret meets the hull and lights up.

Blinding light from the contact point. His visor darkens.White-hot liquid metal gouts down the side of the tank.

He plants his feet, wraps his arms around the gun and heaves.

The motors of his battle-suit WHINE.

ATHENAS VOICEWarning. Critical strain.

VANCE(through clenched teeth)

Override!

With a SCREECH, the entire turret tears out of the tank. AGUNNER spins to the rock below. A BLAST of escaping air.

Vance swings into the hole.

INT. COLOSSUS

Vance bulls down a passageway. He barely fits. The shouldersof his armored suit scrape the walls.

His visors heads-up display streams with data as ATHENA mapsthe inside of the tank.

VANCEHold your fire. Im inside the

Colossus.

MARINE (V.O.)Inside?!

A TANK CREWMAN rakes Vance with bullets that bounce off hisarmor. Vance blows him away with a single shot.

Vance reaches a ladder-well leading upward. He starts up -and his shoulders CLANG against the well rim. He doesnt fit.

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Vance heaves. The ladder rungs bend under his hands. With ashriek of metal, the walls of the ladder-well give way.

COLOSSUS - BRIDGE

The COMMAND CREW does damage control: drivers wrestle withcontrols...gunnery officers search for targets. They wearlight vacuum suits.

Behind them, the ladder-well emerges from the deck plates.

A ROAR. The bridge is shaken by an unseen force.

Vance BLASTS out of the ladder-well on his jets, SMASHES intothe ceiling. Lands on his feet in a shower of scrap metal.

The deck crew spins in alarm. Two crewmen pull pistols andfire. Bullets ricochet wildly.

Vances rifle comes up.

EXT. COLOSSAL TANK

An explosion blows out the Colossuss command bridge. Jets offlame billow into space.

The Colossus goes dark. Churns to a stop. A hailstorm ofshrapnel pelts the battlefield.

Vance lands on his feet in the dust - armor dark with soot.

INT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE (ON DIONE)

The Marines gather again in their ready room. They aretransformed: armor pitted and blackened, faces smeared withsweat and blood. Only seven men remain.

Technicians lift their helmets off, open up their armor. Twomen are wounded: medics rush to help them.

The Marines gather around Vance, slap his shoulders in grim

celebration: they are mindful of their losses.

MARINE #1This was all you, Cap.

VANCEThis was the fighting two-ten, bestplatoon in the Corps.

MARINE #2But the big kill was yours.

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VANCEThe kill belongs to the men welost. When we get inside theColony, we drink to them.

COBURN (O.S.)

We wont be seeing the inside ofDione Colony.

The men turn. Coburn stands above them on his command deck.

COBURNWe lift as soon as our casualtiesare aboard.

The Marines murmur in protest.

VANCEBack to Mars already?

COBURNEarth. Special orders.

Sudden silence.

MARINE #3Whats it about, sir?

COBURNI don't know. Captain Vance hasbeen called home. Were just alongfor the ride.

The mens eyes turn to Vance in surprise.

COBURN(to all the men)

I wish I could grant you some shoreleave. You've earned it. But I haveorders.

(points at Vance)You. In my stateroom.

INT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE (IN FLIGHT) - COBURNS STATEROOM

A luxurious cabin by spacefaring standards but still cramped.Colonel Coburn sits reading an electronic slate.

The engines rumble. Saturns rings slide past the porthole.

Vance enters in regular uniform, hair damp. He looks wary.

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COBURNVance, you've done more combattours than any man in the division.I've done all I can to keep you

where you want to be. But it lookslike I'm losing you.

(reads slate)Transport Captain Conrad Vance toEarth ASAP. Run silent. Avoidhazard of combat. Vance to reporton arrival to the State ScienceAgency for special duty.

Vance looks stunned. This makes no sense to him.

VANCEThe SSA?

COBURN

What it says. A battleship divertedto take one man home!

VANCEWhat does the Science Agency want

with a Marine? Do they run combatops?

COBURNWho knows what they do? But theSecretary of Defense signed theorder himself. Its for real.

VANCEI'm a soldier, not a lab rat. I'dlike to protest the order.

COBURNNot under radio silence. Two weeksto Earth. Nothing to do til thenbut rest up. Your orders.

(he hands Vance the slate)Maybe it's time you got out of thefield. You ought to have my job bynow. Hell, you ought to be senior

to me. How long can you keeprefusing promotions?

VANCEI don't know. I'll stay in armor aslong as they let me.

(he laughs)Maybe that's what the Science guys

want. To have my head examined.

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INT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE - BARRACKS - NIGHT

Vance and the other Marines lie in their bunks watching videoon electronic slates as light as magazines. One soldier dozesoff in front of a news broadcast:

NEWS ANNOUNCER #1The Allied States and the Hegemonybroke off arms-control talks after

weeks of deadlock. Stockpiles offusion and gravity weapons continueto grow.

Another soldier munches bright blue chips from a bag andwatches a different channel:

NEWS ANNOUNCER #2Prices rose again as the population

outgrew the food supply for thesixth year running...

And a third soldier watches a video letter from home.

MARINE'S WIFE...somebody tapped into theBaxters' water pipes! At theseprices I guess you can't besurprised. But imagine, stealing

water!

Vance watches a broadcast with particular interest:

NEWS ANNOUNCER #3...more than half of the federalbudget is now classified. Despitepopular outcry against this secretspending, the so-called "blackfunds" continue to grow.

Five bunks are empty. Folded flags commemorate the dead.

EXT. BATTLESHIP HIGHLINE (IN FLIGHT) - EARTH APPROACH

The scarred Battleship passes an Allied States defensivespace station: a huge manned satellite bristling with guns.

The satellite SCANS the Battleship with a laser beam as itpasses.

Earth shines below, half in light and half in shadow. On theplanet's night side, cities shine in the darkness: far largerthan today's cities, and connected by arteries of light.

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The Battleship descends toward the eastern seaboard of NorthAmerica - where dawn is fast approaching.

EXT. NEW WASHINGTON SPACEPORT (EARTH)- MORNING

A vast landing ground surrounds the spaceport terminal.Military spacecraft lie at harbor. The distant towers of NewWashington shine in the sunrise.

The Battleship Highline settles into a landing bay. A gangwaytube extends from the spaceport to the battleship.

INT. GANGWAY

Vance debarks alone, in dress uniform: his chest crowded withmedals. Walks the long transparent tube toward the terminal.

His men watch him go, dressed in common fatigues.

SPACEPORT TERMINAL

Vance emerges from the gangway into a busy concourse.

An officer in a military uniform stands waiting: JOHNRANDALL, 50, a good-natured bear of a man with a barrel chestand a crew cut.

OFFICERCaptain Vance.

(they exchange salutes,shake hands)

Major John Randall. Department ofDefense. Welcome home.

SPACEPORT CONCOURSE

Vance and Randall walk together.

RANDALLIt's an honor to meet you, Captain.

I know what you did on Dione.

He shakes his head, speechless. Vance nods his thanks.

RANDALLI'm here to make the handoff toyour new command.

VANCEWhos my C.O. now?

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Randall's forehead wrinkles in perplexity.

RANDALLThe lawyers are looking at that.The whole arrangement's unusual.Technically, it looks like your

C.O. is Jarod Marbeck. Director ofthe State Science Agency.

VANCE(amazed)

The Director of the SSA. And whatdoes he want with me?

RANDALL(shrugging)

Secretary of Defense signed yourorders. He didnt tell me why.

VANCESpeak of the devil.

He nods over Randalls shoulder at...

A PUBLIC MEDIA TERMINAL

The news. A pretty ANCHORWOMAN speaks. In an inset image, theSECRETARY OF DEFENSE gives a press conference.

ANCHORWOMAN (ONSCREEN)Secretary of Defense Gideon Daintoday announced the end ofhostilities over the Dalton Colonyon Dione.

The image cuts to the press conference. DEFENSE SECRETARYGIDEON DAIN speaks: a chiseled man with salt-and-pepper hairand the brick-solid build of a career soldier.

SECRETARY DAIN (ONSCREEN)Today the Hegemony surrendered itsclaim to our mining colonies onDione, after last months defensive

action by the Offworld Marines.

Vance grins in satisfaction.

SECRETARY DAIN (ONSCREEN)The action was exemplary. Ourlosses, acceptable...

Vances smile fades.

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SECRETARY DAIN (ONSCREEN)...and the Dalton Colonists remainfree people.

The news cuts to a piece on overpopulation.

RANDALLNobody minds losing some soldiers,as long we win. I was in theOffworld Corps myself. SeventeenthDivision, Mercury terminator.

(Randall hikes up histrouser leg. His rightleg is a high-techprosthetic.)

Then I tangled with a neutron gunand landed me a desk job.

Vance gives the artificial leg an expert glance.

VANCEThat's a good leg. I have friends

with that leg.

SECURITY BARRIERS

Vance and Randall exit the spaceports secure zone through ahumming gauntlet of sensors and scanning beams.

Beyond the barriers, a SCIENTIST waits: Vances age,athletically built. He wears a long black coat, styled like alab coat, and a black skullcap. His face shows no feeling.

RANDALLYou must be...

SCIENTISTRune Banneker, Scientist.

VANCE(extending a hand)

Captain Conrad Vance.

BANNEKER(ignoring the hand)Yes. Come with me.

Banneker turns to leave. Randall scowls in indignation.

RANDALLThat's a war hero you're talkingto. You take care of our man.

Banneker replies with a supercilious smile.

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BANNEKERHes our man now.

The Scientists strides off. Vance shoots a troubled look atRandall, and hurries after the Scientist.

INT. LIMOUSINE (IN FLIGHT) - DAY

Vance and Banneker soar into New Washington. They are alone:the limousine pilots itself.

New Washington is shining and beautiful: an architecturalhomage to the 20th-Century American city.

Everywhere, signs of militarization: Soldiers on streetcorners. Propaganda posters. On billboards, military style isevident in civilian fashions. The red hawk banner of theAllied States flies from every building.

VANCEI havent been here in years. Itsbeautiful.

BANNEKERCity population is forty-six

million. Growth rate is fivepercent plus a year. It'sunsustainable.

Vance stares at Banneker in distaste.

VANCEIve been off-world for two years.Its beautiful.

The limousine settles in front of an imposing classicalskyscraper: The headquarters of the State Science Agency.

INT. STATE SCIENCE AGENCY - DAY

The cavernous lobby bustles with people. They wear stylizedlab coats in white, gray, or black. The youngest wear white

coats, the oldest black.

Heavily armed Agency Guards stand post at every door.

Banneker strides through the vast front doors, Vance in tow.

BANNEKERWelcome to the State ScienceAgency.

Vance looks like hes just stepped through the looking glass.

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Banneker heads for a distant bank of elevators. As theyapproach, he stares at an elevator: it opens.

ELEVATOR

The doors close. Vance and Banneker are alone.

Banneker gazes intently at the elevators control panel.Lights flash to life, and the elevator descends.

The floor indicator reaches the lowest basement level - butthe elevator KEEPS SINKING.

VANCEWere still descending.

BANNEKERYes.

Vance stares. Banneker ignores him. The elevator plummetsdeep underground.

After an endless time the elevator sighs to a halt. The doorsdont open. Banneker hands Vance an electronic slate.

BANNEKERBefore entering this facility, you

must sign this writ of secrecy.

Frowning, Vance scrolls through the dense legalese.

VANCE"Penalties for violation of secrecy

may include revocation ofcitizenship, imprisonment, orexecution." Execution?

BANNEKERYou can easily avoid the penaltiesby obeying the writ.

The men stare at each other. Finally Vance presses histhumbprint in the signature box. Banneker takes the slate.

The elevator doors open.

INT. UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

Vance and Banneker emerge into a bright vestibule. A cannonon the ceiling rotates and aims its muzzle at Vance.

Vance takes an experimental sidestep; the cannon ignoresBanneker and tracks Vance like a hunting dog.

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BANNEKERSecuritys tight down here.

UNDERGROUND CORRIDOR

Banneker and Vance walk abreast at a brisk clip.

BANNEKERWhy do you think we selected you,out of a hundred thousand Marines?

A Scientist in a grey coat walks by, shepherding a mysteriousmechanism on a motorized cart. Vance watches it pass.

VANCESelected me for what?

BANNEKER

Well get to that. Why you?

VANCEIve seen more action than most.

BANNEKERYouve survived more missions thanany trooper in the Offworld Corps.

They pass another security cannon. Vance watches the weaponunhappily as it tracks him.

VANCEIve been lucky.

BANNEKERYou have the fastest reflexes inthe Corps, and the lowest restingpulse rate. Your eyesight andhearing are in the firstpercentile. Youre an amazingspecimen. But thats all trivia.The point is, youre the man whocomes home.

VANCESo far.

GRAND CONCOURSE

A huge subterranean space, gleaming and supermodern. Walkwaysabove walkways, all bustling with movement as Scientistshurry to and fro.

In the center of the Concourse stands a great GLOBE OF EARTH:it shows the world divided into two super-nations that cover

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every speck of land on the planet - the Allied States markedin red, the Hegemony in blue.

Beside the globe stands JAROD MARBECK, 65, DIRECTOR OF THESTATE SCIENCE AGENCY. Magisterial and severe in an ornateblack coat and cap.

DIRECTOR MARBECKWelcome, Captain. I'm JarodMarbeck, Director of the StateScience Agency.

(he smiles)You're wondering why you're here.

VANCEYeah.

Marbeck points at the globe turning slowly above them.

DIRECTOR MARBECK

We've lived in a state of cold warfor more than a century. All ourlives. Do you know how many times

we've come close to total war?

VANCENo.

DIRECTOR MARBECKSix. Six times we've armed ourdoomsday weapons and teetered onthe brink of extinction. Imaginethat!

Marbeck shakes his head with the air of a man personallyoffended.

DIRECTOR MARBECKWe Scientists work to protecthumanity. From disease. Famine.Cosmic accidents of every kind.This Agency has quietly rescuedhumanity more times than I cancount. And for what? So our idiotpoliticians and military barbarians

can march us right back to theabyss! The world's in danger. Ouronly home.

VANCEWe have colonies on the outerplanets.

DIRECTOR MARBECKLittle steel bubbles filled withair! If Earth is lost, they'll

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perish in a year or two. No, I sawthe truth long ago. There's onlyone way to safeguard our future.

VANCEWhat's that?

DIRECTOR MARBECKWe need another world.

GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAMBER

Marbeck and Banneker lead Vance into an immaculate whiteconference room.

Around the table: SCIENTIST WALTER LARSON, 60, slender andfolksy; SCIENTIST MARTIN CAUL, 70, a bearded man with fierceeyes; and SCIENTIST CORDELIA RHAY, 65, keen and severe.

All the Scientists wear black coats and skullcaps. Behindeach Scientist stands a gray-coated Apprentice.

Vance's eyes are drawn to Martin Caul's Apprentice: ADAKILDARE, 30, a beauty whose hair falls to her shoulders. She

watches Vance with open curiosity.

Marbeck and Banneker sit, leaving a chair at the foot of thetable. After an awkward moment Vance takes the empty chair.

DIRECTOR MARBECKColleagues, this is Captain ConradVance of the Offworld Marine Corps.

The Scientists inspect him. Vance looks back, his eyeslingering boldly on Ada. Flustered, she looks away.

Marbeck points at Vance.

DIRECTOR MARBECKI was your age when I becameDirector. You see, I was a prodigytoo: but where you excel atkilling, I had other talents. Ienlarged the Astronomy division and

began a search of the heavens. Andin just five years I found what Iwas looking for.

He raises his hand, and a STAR swells into existence in theair above the conference table - which is also a holographgenerator. Vance is startled, which amuses the Scientists.

DIRECTOR MARBECKErix. Similar in size and orbit toour own world, with a single large

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DIRECTOR MARBECK (cont'd)

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moon. A new hope for humanity, justtwenty light-years away.

IN HOLOGRAM: Planets spring into being around the star. Thefourth planet, ERIX, grows to fill the space over the table:an angry red planet with a pale yellow moon.

DIRECTOR MARBECKI assembled the best scientific

minds in the Agency. And theydesigned and built the mostextraordinary spacecraft ever made.

IN HOLOGRAM: The scene shifts. A spaceport orbits Jupiter.Cradled in its scaffold is a saucer-shaped spacecraft.

As the view shifts, the ships immensity becomes apparent.Construction ships swarm over it like ants.

DIRECTOR MARBECK

Prometheus!

VANCE(awed)

Nothings that big.

The elderly Scientist Larson grins.

LARSONPrometheus is. Half a kilometeracross, with a mass of seventy

million tons. And history's biggestgravity drive running through itscore. Its a magnificent monster.

Marbeck indulges Larson with a smile of real affection.

DIRECTOR MARBECKAnd the greatest secret ever kept.

VANCEHow many people aboard?

DIRECTOR MARBECKNone. The Prometheus has no

passenger compartments, no cockpit.It's a super-intelligent machinedesigned to transform Erix into anew Earth.

VANCEA terraforming ship.

DIRECTOR MARBECKYes! The Prometheus Project. Thisis Scientist Walter Larson, Chief

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Engineer. He designed Prometheusforty years ago.

Vance looks at Larson in surprise. Marbeck gestures at theother Scientists around the table.

DIRECTOR MARBECK

Scientist Cordelia Rhay, ChiefPhysicist. Scientist Martin Caul,Chief Planetologist. You've metScientist Banneker, ProjectCoordinator. I lead the project.And our work has begun in earnest.After a thirty year voyage,Prometheus has arrived.

IN HOLOGRAM: Prometheus orbits Erix. It releases a shower ofprobes that fall onto the planet: a swarm of satellites thatswing into crisscrossing orbits.

Prometheus lands and DIVIDES elaborately. Six sections crawlaway on giant treads, each a titanic machine in its ownright. The core remains, a spire reaching into the sky.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThe ships core forms thePrometheus Ground Station, here.Six crawlers spread over thesurface, sowing the seeds of newlife. And now to the point. One ofthese crawlers has broken down.

(he points)Crawler Three. Its communicationsarray has failed. Without satellitedata it can no longer chart itscourse. It will not move or launchthe rockets it carries.

VANCEHow can you know this? Itsimpossible to know whats happeningtwenty light-years away. Any

message would take twenty years toget here.

RHAYThats true - in the physics youwere taught. But there have beensome unannounced breakthroughs inthe field. The Prometheus isconnected to Earth by a devicecalled a Lang Transporter. Itallows objects to travelinstantaneously from one point toanother. The Prometheus has been

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sending us progress reports roughlyonce a week.

VANCEYou have a teleportation machine.

RHAY

A Lang Transporter. Yes.

DIRECTOR MARBECKA transporter, Captain Vance, that

works in both directions. A devicelarge enough to transport a man.

Vance digests this information. The Scientists watch him.

VANCEYou want me to go to Erix.

DIRECTOR MARBECK

Yes.

VANCEYou want me to repair CrawlerThree.

Marbeck smiles like a teacher pleased with a clever student.

CORRIDOR

Marbeck leads Vance and the other Scientist along at a briskclip. Security cannons continue to pick Vance out of thecrowd and track him as he passes.

Vance, shell-shocked by all he's learned, is trying to gethis head around it.

VANCEI thought I was pretty well-informed. You know, I read thenews.

Marbeck chuckles.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThe events that truly shape theworld rarely make the news.Especially in this day and age.

PROMETHEUS PROJECT - TRANSPORT FACILITY

A cavern of staggering dimensions, its floor lost in shadowfar below. A futuristic reactor looms in the darkness. At thecenter of its coils: a chamber not much bigger than a coffin.

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A catwalk stretches across empty space to the chamber.Marbeck leads Vance out onto the bridge. His voice echoes.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThe Lang Transporter. The onlydevice of its kind. Humanitys

greatest invention, if humanityonly knew it. That doorway there,that chamber...a gateway to another

world. You will be the first topass through, Captain. The first.

PROMETHEUS PROJECT - STAGING ROOM

A huge industrial space connected to the Transport Facility.

Heavy machines hulk in the corners. Massive cranes hangoverhead. The floor is a mosaic of conveyor belts and moving

platforms.

Banneker leads Vance in.

BANNEKERWe have everything you should need.If we dont have it, we canprobably get it. If we cant get it

well make it for you.

Banneker points to a door at the top of a metal staircase.

BANNEKERYour quarters. Close to the work.

A klaxon sounds: a massive locker descends into the StagingRoom on an elevator. The crate is marked with Marine insigniaand Vances name.

Banneker gazes at a heavy crane: it leaps into motion. Liftsthe locker from the elevator. Sets it down and withdraws.

VANCEYou keep doing that.

BANNEKERDoing what?

VANCEControlling machines with youreyes. Elevators, doors, the crane.How's it work?

BANNEKERIn the Agency, rank has itsprivileges.

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He removes his cap. He is bald: a sleek metal crown clings tohis scalp. Its terminals pass through the skin into his head.

VANCEOuch.

BANNEKERWhen there are secrets to be kept,

machines make the best servants. Wedont need many human helpers here.

Vance keys his ID code into the massive locker. Thumbs theprint reader. The case opens.

Inside: Vances armor - and an arsenal of weapons and tools.

Banneker peers into the locker. Inspects a rack of somethinglike wet-suits. He fingers one curiously. It's marked withVance's name and Captain's rank insignia.

BANNEKERWhat is this?

VANCESkinsuit. You wear it under thearmor. Soaks up sweat, keeps yourskin clean, heals wounds. It evenscratches where you itch. Best ofall, on a long mission itcatheterizes you.

BANNEKEROuch.

VANCEYeah. You tend to have a love-haterelationship with your skinsuit.

MINUTES LATER

Vance, wearing a skinsuit, stands in front of his armor.

VANCE

Athena, wake up.

Athenas electronic voice speaks from the battle suit.

ATHENAS VOICECaptain Vance.

VANCEOpen.

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The battle-suit SPLITS OPEN like some strange mollusk - thehelmet swings back, the body opens wide.

Vance slips easily into the armor, and it closes around him.He stands up wearing half a ton of metal.

VANCEOffworld Marine, ready for duty.

BANNEKERVery impressive. Come and see therepair job. We have a mock-up.

VANCEHang on.

Vance reaches into the locker and clamps a bulky apparatusonto his left forearm. He points it at Banneker.

Its muzzle belches a blur of motion that makes Bannekerflinch violently - but its only a rapid rotation of tools:socket-wrench, chisel, hammer, pincers.

VANCE(grinning)

Field engineers toolkit. Canthurt you.

Behind Vance, unknown to him, the Staging Room machines turnon him: the heavy crane hangs overhead, its quivering jawsready to crush him. A pit opens at his heels. Securitycannons awaken and take aim.

Banneker relaxes, and the machines withdraw silently into theshadows.

TRAINING FACILITY

Vance, in full armor, enters on Bannekers heels. Apprenticesgape at the giant in their midst.

A house-sized machine dominates the room. Its shaped like abeetles head: two eye-like domes, a shell of armor plate.

One armored dome is torn raggedly open.

BANNEKERThis is a replica of CrawlerThrees comm array. We reproducedthe damage from diagnostics.

Vance takes in the complex machine. Shoots Banneker a look.

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VANCELook, why am I here? You've got tohave hundreds of engineers whocould do this.

BANNEKER

The Offworld Marine battle suit isthe toughest spacesuit there is.And it takes months of training to

wear it. A skilled Marine was ourbest option.

Vance walks up the modules hull and inspects the damage. Hecasually peels back the thick metal and peers inside.Bannekers eyes widen at this feat of strength.

VANCEWhat did this?

BANNEKERUnknown. Probably collision damage.Erix isnt flat.

VANCEIt's not pretty. But it looks likethe only real damage is this cable.It's an easy fix.

BANNEKER(skeptically)

There are components you have tomove. Systems to shut down andrestart in a certain order.

VANCEEasy. Good.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - ENGINEERING CENTER - DAY

Scientist Larsons kingdom, a gallery of technical diagramsand intricate mechanisms.

Larson, Banneker, and Vance survey a huge scale model of

Prometheus and its Crawlers.

They cluster around the model of Crawler Three.

SCIENTIST LARSONNow when you complete this repair,

watch out. Crawler Threes going tostart talking to Prometheus, and inless than a second theyll exchange

more information than a human brainhandles in a lifetime. Crawler

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Threes going to find out it's latestarting the Ocean Program. Andright that second itll launch itsrockets, bound for the seas ofErix.

Larson frowns. Four hatch-covers flip open on top of the

model of Crawler Three. Four model rockets emerge. Larsonlifts one with obvious pleasure.

LARSONBig rockets. Itll get hot for you.Around two thousand degrees Kelvin.

VANCEFor how long?

SCIENTIST LARSONTen seconds or so. Only a second ortwo of peak heat.

VANCEAll right. I can ride that out.

SCIENTIST LARSON(grins)

Thats a damned fancy suit.

VANCE(returning the smile)

Yes, sir. What do these rockets do?

SCIENTIST LARSONThe oceans are the foundation ofthe biosphere. The rockets areloaded with bacteria designed tochange...

BANNEKERCaptain Vance may have top-secret

military clearance, but he has noclearance here. Tell him only whathe needs to know.

Vance and Banneker lock eyes. Theyre not going to get along.

STAGING ROOM

The Staging Room is deserted. Vance and Banneker enter.

VANCESo what now?

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BANNEKERNow nothing.

(off Vance's bewilderment)Its eight-o'clock. The end of ourday. Well resume at eight tomorrow

morning. Take some time to study

the project. You have the files.

Banneker turns to go.

VANCEWhat about food? Im starving.

BANNEKERTalk to the terminal in your room.Food will come in the autovalet.

Banneker disappears down the corridor.

VANCE(shouting after him)

The auto-what?

VANCES QUARTERS

A simple room with a desk, a holography table, and anindustrial metal bed. A door opens onto a compact bathroom.

A panel in the wall stands open: the AUTOVALET, a deliverysystem. A dinner tray, demolished, sits on the desk.

At the holograph table, Vance flips through data: maps ofErix...diagrams of Prometheus...diagrams of Crawler Three.

Under the table, his knee jumps with nervous tension.

CORRIDOR

Deserted. Vance strolls restlessly, hands in his pockets. Thesecurity cannons track him as he passes.

VESTIBULE

Vance palms the elevator switch: ACCESS DENIED.

TRANSPORTER FACILITY

Vance stands outside the door. Stares into the transportercavern. Electricity flickers over the vast machinery.

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In his face in this solitary moment, we see somethingextraordinary: fear.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - PLANETOLOGY CENTER - DAY

Ada Kildare greets Vance and Banneker at the entrance.

ADA(with a winning smile)

Captain Vance. Welcome to thePlanetology Division. I'm AdaKildare.

VANCEScientist Kildare...

ADAAda.

VANCEAda. Pleasure to meet you.

She leads them through a tantalizing laboratory. Apprenticeswork at display screens filled with weather systems,satellite maps, complex data displays.

ADAThis is where we study Erix.Geology, chemistry, biology,everything.

She hustles them through the lab too fast to allow Vance agood look around.

VANCE(under his breath)

Biology?

MARTIN CAULS OFFICE

The den of a university professor: actual books on shelves, aholography table, huge display screens for data.

Scientist Caul and Ada sit with Vance and Banneker. Caulscowls at Vance and strokes his beard.

CAULYou'll have to tell me how I canhelp you, son. I'm no military man.

Vance looks impatient.

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VANCEI have to travel a hundredkilometers across an alien planet,and back. I have no recon. What'sthe ground made of? Does it rain?Whats the rain made of? What about

background radiation? Electricalstorms. Volcanoes. Earthquakes...

CAULAll right, all right. Ada will getyou an environmental survey...

(he glances at Adainquiringly)

ADATomorrow, first thing.

VANCE

And you said biology. There's lifeon Erix?

CAULOf course. We couldn't terraform

without biomass to work on.

VANCEWell, what are we talking about?Algae? Bugs? Little green men?

CAULNo, no, nothing like that. Nointelligent life.

VANCEYou know that?

CAULCertainly. There's no technology.No agriculture, no artificialstructures, no roads. No controlleduse of fire. No sign of socialorganization. We've been thorough.

VANCEAll right. So what is there?

CAULAbundant plant and animal life. Ican't be very detailed.

VANCEListen. Im combat-certified in lowgravity, heavy gravity, and zerogravity. I can operate in vacuum,

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atmosphere, or underwater. Butthere's no training program foraliens. I need information.

Caul glances nervously at Banneker.

CAUL

Please understand. Prometheus is aplanetary terraforming system. Ican tell you whether Erix's carboncycle is positive or negative forthe week. I can give you thechemical composition of any part ofthe planet to ten decimal places. Ican give you details - but not theones you want. You want to know iflife on Erix could be dangerous toyou. And we simply have no idea.

TRAINING FACILITY

Vance, in armor, practices the repair. Larson and a crew ofAPPRENTICES look on. Vances right hand is tucked behind hisback; he works with his left.

Vance finishes the repair, lifts his hand with a flourish.Diagnostic lights flash to life.

APPRENTICE #1System operational.

APPRENTICE #2Three minutes forty-eight seconds.With one hand.

Apprentices restore the mock-up to its damaged state for thenext practice run.

LARSONAnd no technical diagrams. Nextyoull be doing it blindfolded.

Vance looks at Larson mischievously. The mock-up is ready.

VANCEAthena. Blackout.

Vances visor goes opaque. He gropes over the repair.

INT. VANCE'S QUARTERS - DAY

Vance lets Ada in. She moves into the room, a little shy,looking around. Vance, suddenly self-conscious, gives the

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place a quick scan, but there's nothing to tidy up: the roomis immaculate.

She peeks into his tiny bedroom: Vance's personal effects arestashed meticulously; his bedsheets are taut as a drumhead.

ADA

You really know how to make a bed.

VANCEBoot camp dies hard.

Ada activates Vance's holograph table.

ADAI brought you some more detailed

maps and environmental data.

A map of Erix rises from the table. Vance looks it over.

ADAI've made notes where I could.Hazardous terrain, rainfall and

wind conditions... Everything Icould think of.

Vance toggles the map through different overlays: temperaturedata, precipitation, geology...he stops at a display hedoesn't understand.

VANCEWhat's this?

ADA(hesitantly)

Biological material. Vegetation.

VANCEJust my luck. Looks like Prometheuslanded in a hot spot.

ADAIt wasn't chance. We chose alanding site rich in organic

material. A jungle, really.

VANCEGreat.

VANCE'S QUARTERS - LATER

Alone, Vance studies the map. He's been at it for a while. Hepulls a REMOTE from his pocket and speaks into it.

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VANCEAthena. Wake up.

STAGING ROOM

The chest panel of Vances armor lights up.

VANCES QUARTERS

Athenas voice emanates from the remote.

ATHENAS VOICECaptain.

Vance plugs the remote into his holography table. AthenasGreek-helmet icon appears in the corner of his display.

VANCETactical Model One. This is theplanet Erix.

ATHENAS VOICEModel One.

With a stylus, Vance touches a symbol on the map.

VANCEThis is Prometheus Ground Station.Call it longitude zero.

ATHENAS VOICELongitude zero.

Vances stylus floats over the map: across ridges andvalleys, canyons and rivers. A long way. Touches again.

VANCEThis is Crawler Three.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAMBER - DAY

Vance stands in front of Director Marbeck and the Scientistsof the Governing Council, who sit around the table.

DIRECTOR MARBECKAfter only two weeks, you sayyoure ready.

Vance plugs his REMOTE into the Council table.

VANCEAthena. Tactical model 5B.

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The map of Erix rises out of the table.

VANCEDisplay primary route. Secondaryroute. Tertiary route. Displayhazards.

Athena paints information across the map. A dense path ofdata connects the Ground Station to Crawler Three.

CAUL(intrigued)

Youve altered that map.

VANCEThis is a Theater-Wide TacticalModel. Its what the Corps uses.Athena has the whole region in

memory.

DIRECTOR MARBECKAnd the repair?

LARSONHe can do it blind. I watched him.

VANCEMore prep is just over-training.Im good to go.

DIRECTOR MARBECK(to Scientist Rhay)

The Transporters ready?(off Rhays nod)

Very well. In the morning, Captain,you will go.

INT. VANCE'S QUARTERS - NIGHT

Vance does push-ups, ticking them off like a metronome.

He rises, breathing hard. The map of his mission glows on hisholography table: he circles the table, studying the map,

focused and deadly serious.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - STAGING ROOM - THE NEXT MORNING

Vance, in full armor, is checked over by a team ofApprentices. Banneker looks on.

Vances breathing is slow and steady, his eyes far away.

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At the last moment the Apprentices replace his VANCE IDplates with plates reading VANCE 1. Vance takes no notice.

TRANSPORT FACILITY

Vance enters, hulking in his armor.

Ada stands beside the door. Vance musters a smile.

VANCEWish me luck.

ADAGood luck, Conrad.

Vance crosses the catwalk to the transport chamber. TheScientists watch from the Control Room window.

All eyes on Vance. Tension palpable in the room.

The transport chamber opens, spilling light into the cavern.

RHAY (O.S.)Are you ready, Captain?

Vance gives the thumbs-up.

DIRECTOR MARBECK (O.S.)Enter the chamber.

TRANSPORT CHAMBER

Vance steps inside. The door closes. He stands cramped in thesmall, bright chamber. Breathing faster now.

RHAY (O.S.)Charging.

The vast dynamos of the Lang Transporter RUMBLE to life.

VANCEAthena. Transit to Erix. Stand by.

ATHENAS VOICEStanding by.

The sound of the dynamos rises to a HOWL.

EXT. NEW WASHINGTON - SUNRISE

New Washington stands pale against the dawn. A rollingBROWNOUT darkens the citys lights.

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INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - TRANSPORTER CONTROL ROOM

The Scientists watch as electrical arcs spatter across theTransporter. The noise is incredible.

Ada joins the other Scientists in the control room. Theywatch in fascination.

TRANSPORT CHAMBER

Vance closes his eyes against the light and noise. Sweat runsdown his cheek.

The dynamos reach a SCREAMING PITCH and hang there.

RHAY (V.O.)Full charge. On your signal.

VANCEHit it.

BOOM. Blinding light.

Pure energy hammers through the transport chamber: for asplit second Vance is a human lightning rod, a negativeimage, his mouth wide in an inaudible scream.

Silence.

Vance stands trembling, wisps of smoke rising from his armor.He takes a shuddering breath. Opens his eyes.

The chamber door grinds open - not the slim door he expected,but a massive slab of armor plate.

He looks out at...

THE PLANET ERIX

Smoky clouds race across a blood-red sky. Lightning flashes,and where it strikes a ribbon of fire twists and fades.

The landscape is a jungle out of a childs nightmare.Everything is moving. Theres no clear division between plantand animal. It howls and rages and feeds on itself.

Vance stares, transfixed with horror.

VANCEMy God.

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EXT. PROMETHEUS GROUND STATION

Prometheus towers out of the jungle, its vast ribs curvinginto the sky like the bones of a giant.

The ships descent has blasted a clearing in the jungle. Thetracks of the huge Crawlers lead away in all directions,highways of crushed vegetation and ruin.

Vance steps out. The ground crunches under his boots.

ATHENAS VOICESatellite system online.

VANCEAthena. Show me Crawler Three.

A blue marker on his visor display points down the path to

his left. Crawler Three is out of sight over the horizon. Areadout gives the distance: 124 KILOMETERS.

Vance moves out into the clearing. VINES wriggle toward himacross the ground. Vance, wide-eyed, skips back from them.

ATHENAS VOICEMultiple targets incoming.

PREDATORS burst from the jungle and head for Vance - big andterrifyingly fast. Gleaming tusks jut from their shoulders.

Vance pulls his rifle - but the weapon is tangled in vines.

He pulls it free - too late. Theyre on him. Tusks punchthrough his armor. Horrific wounds.

His rifle fires convulsively.

He dies.

The gunfire shocks the jungle into motion. Winged thingsexplode into flight, trees claw at the air. A vision of Hell.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - TRANSPORT FACILITY (EARTH)

The transport chambers door opens. Vance steps out onto thecatwalk. Hes untouched, his armor unmarked.

A few thin wisps of smoke rise from his shoulders. He doesn'tlook like a man who's just seen his own death.

In the Control Room the Scientists stand watching.

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VANCEIm still here.

DIRECTOR MARBECK (O.S.)Technical difficulties, Captain.

RHAY (O.S.)Were, ah, running tests.

Vance looks up at the Control Room. The Scientists look downat him...all but Ada Kildare, who turns and vanishes.

VANCETechnical difficulties. But this issafe.

DIRECTOR MARBECKPerfectly safe in theory. It takesa week to recharge the transporter.

One week. Until then - continuetraining.

TRAINING FACILITY

Vance, in armor, stands in front of the repair mock-up.Plainly sick of doing this. He sighs heavily.

He gestures, and the toolkit extrudes from his armoredgauntlet. He starts the repair.

INT. VANCES QUARTERS - DAY (A WEEK LATER)

Vance sits wearily at his small holography table. Histactical map of Erix glows in the darkened room. A KNOCK.

VANCECome in.

Banneker steps in, all business.

BANNEKERThe transporters ready. You go in

the morning. Eight-oclock.

PROMETHEUS PROJECT - TRANSPORT FACILITY - MORNING

Vance, in armor, steps into the chamber for the second time.His ID tags read VANCE 2. The door closes behind him.

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TRANSPORT CHAMBER

Vance stands cramped in the tiny chamber.

RHAY (V.O.)

Stand by...on your signal.

Again the dynamos howl in leashed fury.

VANCEGo.

A BOOM and a blinding FLASH.

Energy slams through him - and then Vance stands shudderingin the transport chamber.

The door opens. Vance steps out into the...

TRANSPORT FACILITY

Vance looks up at the Control Room window where theScientists stand.

VANCEWhat now?

DIRECTOR MARBECK (V.O.)Patience, were almost there. One

more week. Well try again.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - STAGING ROOM - NIGHT

Vance, wearing a headset, tinkers with his armor.

VANCE(into headset)

Sensor diagnostic. Execute.

ATHENAS VOICEDiagnostic running.

(O.S.) AGITATED VOICES in the distance.

Vance looks up. In the corridor outside, Scientist Bannekerand Ada Kildare are arguing. Vance lifts a headphone awayfrom his ear, listens. The thick window muffles their voices.

VANCECancel diagnostic. Tactical sound.Isolate voices.

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ATHENAS VOICETactical sound.

An oceanic roar resolves into speech.

ADA (V.O.)

Well, how can he do better if youdont tell him whats happening?

BANNEKER (V.O.)Were obliged to protect certainsecrets.

ADA (V.O.)You make no sense. You're hidingthe problem you want him to solve.

They move away down the hall, and the conversation is lost.Vance pulls his headset off, pondering.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - VANCES MISSION ROOM - NIGHT

Vance lies on his bed, the room lit by the shifting light ofa holograph: bloody Erix orbiting its pale sun.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - TRANSPORT FACILITY - MORNING

Vance, in full armor, steps once more into the

TRANSPORT CHAMBER

The door closes over him as the dynamos howl. The tags on hisarmor read VANCE 3.

BOOM. Lightning strikes inside the chamber.

EXT. ERIX - PROMETHEUS GROUND STATION - DAY

Electricity crackles over the immense terraforming ship.

The transporter door opens. Vance emerges, trailing wisps ofsmoke. Gapes again at the alien wilderness.

ATHENAS VOICECaptain. Marines down.

VANCE(in disbelief)

What?

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Two CASUALTY MARKERS hover in his visor display. He inspectsthe fallen shapes with telescopic vision. Sees the shatteredarmor, reads the ID tags: VANCE 1, VANCE 2.

VANCEYou bastards. What have you done?

ATHENAS VOICESatellite system online.

Vance scans the jungle. Nothing to see. He notices a fallenRIFLE beside one of the fallen Marines. Sprints for it.

ATHENAS VOICEIncoming. Multiple targets.

Vance gets the rifle. Three PREDATORS are closing on him.

He BLASTS them, a rifle in each hand.

The gunfire tears into the predators. They stagger, ragingagainst their injuries, and go down.

Vance relaxes - and his visor LIGHTS UP with warning markers.

ATHENAS VOICEIncoming. Incoming. Incoming.

PREDATORS erupt from the jungle. The leaders pounce and Vancejumps away on jets, rifles blazing mid-air.

He lands running. They stay with him, flanking him.

Vance leaps over a SABER TREE and the tree snatches him outof the air, piercing his armor with curved blades. He dies.

INT. TRANSPORT FACILITY (EARTH) - MORNING

The transport chamber door slides open. Vance, unhurt, stepsout into the laboratory, visibly angry.

From the Control Room the Scientists look down at him.

DIRECTOR MARBECK (V.O.)Apologies, Captain. It looks likewere not quite there yet.

Vance stares suspiciously. He zooms in telescopically on theDirectors face. Marbeck is smiling.

VANCEAthena. Open up.

His armor releases him.

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DIRECTOR MARBECK (O.S.)Captain?

CONTROL ROOM ACCESS CORRIDOR

Vance emerges from the elevator in his black skinsuit. Hesgot something hidden in his hand.

Banneker stands at the Control Room door. Vance brushes pasthim and palms the door switch. Nothing happens.

Banneker slides between Vance and the door.

BANNEKERThe Control Room is a restricted...

Vance applies an armlock. Plants Bannekers hand on the doorswitch. The door slides open.

CONTROL ROOM

Director Marbeck stands waiting. Around him, technicians sitat elaborate consoles.

Vance enters. Banneker follows, rubbing his twisted arm.

DIRECTOR MARBECKCaptain.

Vance takes in the monitors and controls. He scans the facesof the technicians.

VANCEYoure not disappointed.

DIRECTOR MARBECKWhat?

VANCEYoure not disappointed.

(points at the techs)Theyre not trying to figure out

whats wrong. Theyre just sittingthere. Job's done.

He holds up an ID tag from his armor. It reads VANCE 3.

VANCEVance Three. What does that mean?What is that machine doing to me?

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DIRECTOR MARBECK(to Banneker)

Heres what comes of recruiting theheadstrong problem-solver.

(to Vance)Captain, you won't get what you

want by making demands of me infront of my staff. Your concern isnoted. Banneker, if you will.

Banneker reaches for Vances arm as if to escort him out.Vance stops him cold with an admonishing finger.

VANCENot on your best day.

He flings the ID plate at Marbecks feet.

VANCE

Do you know what battle readinessis, Director? Its the vital thingthat bleeds away when you keepsoldiers in the trenches too long.When you tell them every day thatbattle is coming, and it nevercomes. I'm in the dark here. Idon't know what we're doing. And atthis rate, when something finallyhappens, I won't be ready.

Marbeck struggles visibly with his temper, and wins. He takesa deep breath.

DIRECTOR MARBECKYou're right. The Lang Transporterhasnt failed. It works perfectly.

VANCEAnd what does it do?

DIRECTOR MARBECKYou said it yourself. Faster-than-light travel is not possible. TheTransporter works by another

principle.

RHAYConrad, the Lang Transporter hastwo chambers. One here, and one onPrometheus. The system exploitsquantum superposition to createvirtual particles in...

Vance tries to follow this. Shakes his head in frustration.

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VANCEJust give me the bottom line.

RHAYSorry. The Lang Transporter doesnttransport things. It duplicates

them. It samples whatevers in onechamber and creates a perfect copyin the other chamber. Weve createdcopies of you on Erix three times.

A moment of silence rolls by. Vance stares at the Scientists.

VANCECopies of me. On Erix.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThe Transporter allows you to standon Earth and cast your shadow on

another world. The men we sent toErix were you, in a sense, withyour abilities, your memories, yourintentions...but you remain.

VANCEAnd you didnt feel the need totell me this. What are you doing?Building an army over there?

He stares out at the Transporter brooding in its cavern.

DIRECTOR MARBECKTheres no army. Your first twoduplicates, your shadows on Erix,died within minutes. Your thirdshadow is most likely dying as wespeak.

Vance - a man who has never been wounded - is stunned. Heglances at the VANCE 3 nameplate on the floor.

VANCEI died.

DIRECTOR MARBECKYour shadows died.

Vance looks at Marbeck, grappling with the unbelievable.

VANCEShow me.

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INT. GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAMBER - LATER

The Scientists stand around the holography table: DirectorMarbeck and Scientists Banneker, Caul, Rhay and Larson.

Vance, back in regular uniform, faces them across the table.

IN HOLOGRAPH: Grainy satellite video of the Prometheus GroundStation.

DIRECTOR MARBECK (O.S.)Prometheus, seen from orbit.

Vance points at the landscape surrounding Prometheus.

VANCEWhats all this movement?

CAULThe jungle.

IN HOLOGRAPH: Electrical energy erupts from the Station.

RHAY (O.S.)That energy discharge is thecreation of a large mass.

The image zooms in. A blurry figure emerges from the Station.

DIRECTOR MARBECK (O.S.)Thats you. Or rather, the firstcopy of you. Call him Shadow One.

SHAPES burst from the jungle and overwhelm Shadow One.

VANCEWhat's that? What are those?

A data marker pops up, recording the death.

CAULAliens.

ADANative predators.

Vance shakes his head in disbelief.

DIRECTOR MARBECKDeath at one minute eighteenseconds.

Director Marbeck cues the next holographic recording.

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DIRECTOR MARBECKSecond arrival, one week later.Your second duplicate, Shadow Two,exits the station. Gunfire. Deathat two minutes fifty-one seconds.

CAULSame type of predator.

ADAMaybe territorial.

Vance watches, frozen with amazement and rage.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThird arrival, just hours ago.Shadow Three.

VANCE

He picked up a second weapon.

DIRECTOR MARBECKExtended gunfire here.

Vance stares, completely absorbed.

VANCETwo kills. Three.

DIRECTOR MARBECKApparently. Shadow Three flees. Heis pursued. Death at four minutestwenty seconds.

BANNEKERTwenty meters off the ground. Lookslike he got stuck in a tree.

Vance scans the faces around the table, settles on Ada.

VANCEIs this real? Is that me?

ADA

It's real. Believe it.

Vance stares at the flickering images. When he looks uptheres fire in his eye.

VANCEYou knew this was happening. Andyou sent me - copies of me - intothat hell with the same equipmentand the same plan, every time. Whatdid you expect the third time?

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BANNEKERYou cant plot a curve with one ortwo data points...

VANCELook. Im no scientist. I don't

have your expertise. But this isntscience. Its combat. And thats

what I do.(to Marbeck)

Do you want this done? Do you wantto save your terraforming program?

DIRECTOR MARBECKYou know I do. It must be done.

VANCEYour Shadow Three took some ofthose monsters down with a light

rifle. Whatever they are, they die.Let me pick the weapons and planthe op. Ill do this thing.

Marbeck looks at Vance as if seeing him for the first time.

DIRECTOR MARBECKYou believe it can be done?

VANCEIll get it done. On theseconditions: You give me the data Ineed. I don't care how you do thepaperwork. Just answer myquestions.

DIRECTOR MARBECKAgreed.

VANCE(pointing at Banneker)

And I dont need a handler. Get himoff my back.

Scientist Bannekers outraged glance finds no audience.

DIRECTOR MARBECKScientist Banneker will assist you -as you see fit.

INT. PLANETOLOGY CENTER - MARTIN CAULS OFFICE

Vance sits with Scientist Caul and Ada around Caul'sholography table.

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CAULCongratulations. You're the firstnon-Scientist ever to hold a level-one SSA security clearance.

VANCE

So are you done lying to me?

His eyes fall on Ada. Caul notices.

CAULDon't blame Ada. At this level ofsecurity, a slip of the tongue canbe high treason. She could forfeither career, her freedom... even herlife.

ADAThe writ of secrecy you signed is

no joke.

CAULAnd now you're in even deeper.Level-one secrets are practicallyradioactive.

VANCEAre you trying to scare me?

ADAHe's trying to keep you safe.

VANCE(surrendering)

I get it. So talk to me aboutaliens.

CAULWhen we sent Prometheus to Erix, weexpected to find life. The planet'schemistry implied life. But how

much? What kind?

He gestures, and a globe of Erix rises from the holography

table. It's an infrared display: the seas are cool in shadesof blue: the continents hot with life.

CAULNo one was prepared for the data wegot back. Erix has twice thebiomass of Earth. More life thanEarth has ever carried.

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ADAGreat for terraforming. Lots ofbiomass to work with.

VANCEAnd what lives there?

CAULWe don't know much. Between thejungle canopy and heavy cloudcover...we get glimpses. We'vecatalogued hundreds of organismsfrom rabbit-sized creatures tothings bigger than anything onEarth.

VANCEDinosaur-sized.

ADAWell, technically, bigger thandinosaurs.

Vance stares.

ADA(encouragingly)

They might be plant-eaters.

CAULYou should expect great diversity.It's a wilderness.

VANCEWell, a Marine who's done more thana hundred combat ops walked intothat wilderness wearing one of thefinest weapons systems ever built,and was torn to pieces in minutes.Three tries, and every time he diedin minutes. I have to know howthats possible.

CAUL

(to Ada)Show him the simulator.

BIOSIMULATOR FACILITY

Ada and Vance stand in front of a large holographic tank.

Strange shapes writhe in the hologram: unborn monstersmutating in the womb. Vance stares, aghast.

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VANCEWhat am I looking at?

ADAWe have DNA sequences from samplestaken all over Erix.

VANCEDNA? Like us?

ADAYes and no. They have three basepairs instead of two - and not thesame ones. What you see is ourcomputers trying to imagine theorganism this DNA sequence mightcreate. Its a very hard problem.

Vance stares at the shifting shapes. They gleam with metallic

spines, scales, blades. Unfinished demons.

VANCEYou think you've got problems.

ADAErix is richer in heavy elementsthan Earth. Tungsten, chromium,titanium. Living things on Erixincorporate those metals.

VANCETheyre made of titanium?

ADAPartly. Some of them. Erix also hastwice the background radiation ofEarth. That means a higher mutationrate: faster evolution. So thenatural arms race that producestiger claws and turtle shells andporcupine quills on Earth...

VANCEProduces military hardware on Erix.

ADAIts a safe bet.

CORRIDOR

Vance catches up to Banneker in a hallway. He talks rapid-fire as they stride along.

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VANCEI want new armor. Ten-gauge plateon a heavy-planet chassis.

BANNEKERAll right.

VANCEOne Kehlor R-10 Railgun. Tenthousand armor-piercing rounds. Onehundred Mark-Six field grenades.Extended flamethrower tank. Gotthat?

Banneker doesnt bat an eye.

BANNEKERI have it. You can carry all this?

VANCEIll find a way.

INT. PHYSICS CENTER - SCIENTIST RHAYS OFFICE

The walls are display screens densely covered with equationsand complex diagrams.

Vance faces Scientist Cordelia Rhay across her desk.

VANCEHow do I know these copies of meare capable? Maybe my Shadows failbecause somethings wrong withthem.

RHAYYou dont understand. What theTransporter sends is you. Theprocess is perfect. The man on Erixis as much you as you are. What youknow, he knows. What you can do, hecan do. Dont ask me what yourShadows are capable of: youre the

only one who knows.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - STAGING ROOM - DAYS LATER

A new, more massive suit of armor stands in its rack. Vancewelds extra ammo pods to the armor.

Nearby, Apprentices unpack enough ammunition for a regiment.

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EXT. PROMETHEUS GROUND STATION (ERIX)

A fantastic electrical display erupts from the Station,lightning stabbing into the clouds from the giant machine.

SHADOW FOUR steps out in heavy armor, railgun in one hand,missile launcher in the other.

He stares in grim determination at the jungle reflected inhis visor. The badge on his helmet reads VANCE 4.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - STAGING ROOM - DAY (EARTH)

Vance stands at the wall. His armors first three ID platesare bolted up there: VANCE 1, VANCE 2, VANCE 3.

He bolts a new plate up at the bottom of the column: VANCE 4.

INT. ENGINEERING CENTER

Larson and Vance examine Larsons scale model of Prometheus.Larson looks up from their work with a sudden boyish smile.

LARSONThink. Youre the first man ever toleave the solar system. The first

man to stand under an alien sun.It's historical. Do you feel it?

VANCEThats a grand way to put it. Butyeah, I feel it.

LARSONI felt it. Building Prometheus.With Scientist Rhay, and ScientistCaul, and Director Marbeck. Farfrom home. Jupiter hanging over us.

VANCEHow many people built Prometheus?

LARSONThree thousand. And thousands of

machines.

VANCEWith that many people, how'd youkeep it secret?

The old Scientist's good humor fades away.

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LARSONWhen Director Marbeck wantssilence, he get silence.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - VANCES MISSION ROOM - DAY

Ada peers into the map table. Vance leans over her shoulder.He stands close; theyve grown comfortable with one another.

IN HOLOGRAM: a satellite map of Erix. Shadow Four's fatalitymarker blinks, a lonely star in the alien wilderness.

VANCEShadow Four did five-point-threekilometers before he died. ShadowFive carried more missiles.

IN HOLOGRAM: Shadow Five emerges from Prometheus and blazes

into the jungle.

VANCEHe goes through his missiles in twohours. At two point five hours, hevisits the body of Shadow Four.

ADAWhy? Something there can kill him.

VANCEYeah. Must have been something he

wanted badly.

He watches her with a half-smile: testing her.

ADAAmmunition.

VANCERight. At five hours he stopsshooting. I think his rifle failed.Itd be red-hot by then. After therifle quits he doesn't last thirtyseconds. He did seven kilometers.

The image freezes.

ADAThats progress. But its a hundredkilometers to Crawler Three.

VANCE(nodding)

I dont think were going to get

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through the jungle. But you saidtheres less life in the highlands.

Vance taps his remote.

IN HOLOGRAM: A new trail paints itself across the landscape:scaling the cliffs to the highlands, traveling many

kilometers, and descending again near Crawler Three.

VANCEIts a hell of a climb, and its alonger trip. But I think Shadow Sixshould take the high road. I knowIve been demanding data on thejungle. But now I need everythingyou can give me on the highlands.

ADAI have it ready. But I want to showyou something first. Come with me.

SERVICE CORRIDOR

Ada leads Vance down an unfamiliar industrial passage. Shecant quite suppress a smile. Vance is perplexed.

Ada palms a door open, revealing a freight elevator. Hefollows her in.

FREIGHT ELEVATOR

The doors close. Vance looks up. The elevator is an openplatform: the concrete shaft seems to go up forever.

Ada palms the switch. Nothing happens. Ada scowls.

Then the elevator ROCKETS upward. The walls hurtle past. Theygrab for the railings. Ada grins from ear to ear.

EXT. SSA HEADQUARTERS - ROOF - DAY

A trap door in the roof slides open. The elevator rises into

view and locks into place. Vance is astonished.

They step onto the roof.

The sun drenches New Washington in golden light. Trafficsparkles. Buildings shine. Clouds scud overhead.

ADAI heard you asked to go outside.

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VANCEThe Director said no. Securityrisk. The elevators refuse me.

ADAI thought maybe Security wouldnt

consider the roof outside.

Vance stands at the edge of the roof, drinking in the view.He cant stop smiling.

VANCEIve been off-planet so long. Itsbeen killing me to be back home,but trapped underground. Thank you.

ADAI wish Id thought of it sooner.

She stands close. Vance touches the shoulder of her coat.

VANCEWhite coats, gray coats, blackcoats. What do they call you gray-coated Scientists?

ADAWhite coats are for Novices. Grayfor Apprentices, black for Masters.

VANCESo youre an Apprentice.

ADAIve been offered the mastery, morethan once. Thats an honor at myage. But I havent accepted.

VANCEWhy?

ADAThere are things that go with

mastery Im not comfortable with.

VANCEThe hardware under the hats.

ADAYou know about that?

VANCEBanneker showed me his.

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ADAIts called the cybernetic crown.Banneker was the youngest Scientistever to receive it. Hes proud.

She pauses, looking out over the city.

ADAAfter your coronation, you absorbinformation faster than before. Youcalculate faster. You have totalrecall. And you can control theAgencys devices. Masters doscience at a higher level.

Vance nods in understanding - he relates to this idea.

VANCEIn my armor I see farther, move

faster. I can almost fly.

ADABut you can take the armor off.With the crown theres no goingback. Youre different forever. Andits classified technology: afteryour coronation the Agency owns apart of you. They always know whereyou are, and you're no longer freeto leave. The job's forever.

Vance scowls in distaste at that idea.

VANCEI've only been here a couple of

months and I've had enough.

ADAAnd sometimes the crown changespeople. Maybe one Scientist inten...they stop socializing. Losetheir taste for ordinary pleasures.

VANCE

Which pleasures?

ADATake your pick. The crown toucheseverything.

She parts her hair with her fingers, touching one point afteranother.

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ADATwo terminals in the frontal lobe.Two in the parietal, two in thetemporal, one in the occipital.

Her fingers form a cage around the top of her head. Vance

slides his fingers into her hair. Pulls her hands away.

VANCEI like you better this way.

She closes her eyes for a moment. Takes a deep breath.

ADACharging into battle?

VANCE(letting go)

Sorry, I...

She kisses him. He pulls her in, pressing her body againsthim. After a long moment she breaks for air, grinning.

ADAWow.

VANCEI've been in space a long time.

He starts to unbutton her gray coat. She lets him.

EXT. HIGHLAND PLAIN - DAY (ERIX)

A dry flatland studded with rocks and low, twisted trees.

SHADOW SEVEN flees across the plain, firing on the run. Theshadows of winged creatures spiral around him on the ground.

A WINGED RAPTOR smashes him to the ground, its talonspiercing his armor. He dies. Other raptors land. Theysquabble over the body.

Time accelerates. The sun hurtles across the sky.

The raptors fly off, revealing broken armor, a ravaged body.

Night and day flicker past. Alien vermin swarm over thecorpse. The armor corrodes and collapses on itself. The face

withers to a bare skull.

Seven days pass. Time slows. Resumes its normal pace.

An armored boot plants itself before Shadow Sevens unseeingeyes. SHADOW EIGHT stares down at the body.

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After a moment Shadow Eight stoops. Takes the dead mans gun.

INT. GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAMBER - DAY

Vance and Ada sit at the large holography table, reviewing

the progress of Shadow Nine. It's late, and they are weary -their heads propped on their hands.

IN HOLOGRAPH: Shadow Nine struggles through the jungle - atiny, indistinct figure.

Swarming shapes pursue him. Flashes of light as he fires hisrifle, his grenade launcher, his jump jets.

He stops moving. A fatality marker pops up on the display.

Scientist Caul appears behind them. Looks gravely at Vance.

CAULHow many times can you watch this?

Vance glances up at the old Scientist and nods. Restarts therecording. The flickering light plays across his face.

VANCEThat's my twin down there. Mybrother. He's dying.

CAULThat's what I mean. Can't be goodfor you.

VANCEEvery choice he makes is a message.Every mistake. His death is alesson. All I can do to honor hissacrifice is learn from it.

CAULI guess I haven't given muchthought to what your duplicates gothrough.

Vance nods, his eyes far away.

VANCEWhen I have a Shadow fighting onErix, I'm so aware of it I canalmost feel it happening.

Ada has been tapping at an electronic slate. She looks up.

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Ada steals through the Staging Room and up the stairs. Slipsinto Vance's room.

VANCE'S QUARTERS

Vance and Ada lie naked and entangled on Vances narrow cot.Ada pores over Vances muscles with her hands.

ADAAll these scars.

VANCEEvery trooper takes his hits. A fewget through the armor.

ADAYou're lucky to be alive.

VANCEIt's not just luck.

ADASo proud. The ladies must love you.Are there ladies, in space?

VANCEThe Corps is fifteen percent women.But theyre not like you.

ADA(laughing)

I would hope not! Youre not whatIm used to either.

VANCEYou sure this wont make troublefor you? People must know you comehere.

ADAWe have to report personalrelationships inside the Agency.But youre not a Scientist.

(grins)Youre a Captain in the OffworldMarines.

VANCEAnd you like that.

ADAI like that.

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EXT. JUNGLE - DUSK (ERIX)

SHADOW THIRTEEN races through the undergrowth, a gun in eachhand. Whistling SPINES like arrows tear through the junglearound him, skipping off tree-trunks.

He emerges into a clearing...and stops short. SCORPIONS waitfor him there: monstrosities whose tails hurl deadly spines.

Pursuing Scorpions burst from the jungle behind him. Caughtin the middle, he leaps to the top of a round rock.

Scorpions swarm out of the jungle, surrounding him. He pivotsin place, guns raised. Hope drains from his face.

He starts shooting. A storm of spines flies in answer.

INT. VANCES QUARTERS - MORNING (EARTH)

Vance slams awake, bathed in sweat, panting.

The clock says 5:30 AM.

Ada lies beside him, her skin shining in the half-light.

INT. DIRECTOR MARBECK'S OFFICE - DAY

Marbeck sits at his grand desk. In front of him, ScientistCaul paces restlessly on the fine carpet.

CAULJarod. It's over.

Caul sounds almost threatening, but Marbeck responds withgood-natured disbelief.

DIRECTOR MARBECKMartin. This kind of sentimentalityis beneath you.

CAUL

How can you hear what I've foundand still go through with this?

DIRECTOR MARBECKHow can you ask? Erix is thegreatest gift ever given to thehuman race. It's my life's work.

CAULYou and your legacy. The world

won't stand for it, once they know.

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Marbeck comes to his feet, all silky menace.

DIRECTOR MARBECKWho's going to tell them, Martin?You?

The question affects Caul like a loaded gun. He freezes.

CAULI should never have joined you inthis. It was a devil's bargain.

The door behind him opens. Guards enter the room.

DIRECTOR MARBECKCall it what you will. It was abargain.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - VANCES QUARTERS - DAY (EARTH)

Vance sits at his holography table. Shadow Thirteen'sfatality marker winks on the map.

Director Marbeck appears behind Vance.

DIRECTOR MARBECKThirteen attempts, Captain.Thirteen weeks lost. Thirteendisruptions of the citys power.More conspicuous requisitions for

weaponry.

Indignant, Vance pivots in his chair to face Marbeck.

VANCEWhat do you want from me? I'm

moving mountains here! Nobody'sever done anything like this.

(he points at the map)I'm getting there. That's progress!

DIRECTOR MARBECKYou belong to my project now. If

you ever want to get back to yourlife, back to your platoon...(almost snarling)

...then dont give me progress,Captain. Succeed.

STAGING ROOM

Brooding and stressed, Vance surveys his arsenal: racks ofguns, piles of munitions. Banneker stands behind him.

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BANNEKERI know. You want something better.

Vance shakes his head helplessly.

VANCE

There is nothing better. These arethe best...

(his eyes go wide)I'm so stupid!

BANNEKERThat's what I keep telling you.

VANCEI thought I was using the best

weapons and armor available. ButIm not. Im using the best stuffavailable in the field.

BANNEKERAs opposed to...?

VANCEThe Arsenal in Nevada hasexperimental weapons. They makefield-issue gear look like toys.They're too expensive to put inharms way...

Banneker gets it and comes around at once.

BANNEKERBut you can use them without risk.What do you need?

VANCEA flight to Nevada. And when I getthere - anything I ask for.

INT. BALLISTIC SHUTTLE (IN FLIGHT)

Vance looks out the window of a supersonic plane.

America rolls by far below. The curvature of the Earth isvisible. Behind him, the sun rises. Above, he can see stars.

A fully armed SSA guard sits beside Vance. Banneker sitsacross from him beside a second guard.

EXT. NEVADA ARSENAL - FRONT GATES

A military troop carrier barrels down a desert road.

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Vance sits up front with the driver; Banneker and the guardshunker uncomfortably in the back.

Vance and his escort arrive at a remote desert facility: TheNevada Arsenal of the Department of Defense.

INT. NEVADA ARSENAL - LOBBY

ISABEL GARVEY, 50, stands waiting. Shes a lean, rangy womanin plain service uniform, sleeves rolled up.

Vance, Banneker, and their guards enter. Banneker approachesGarvey officiously.

BANNEKERRune Banneker, Scientist...

Garvey brushes past Banneker to Vance.

GARVEYCaptain Vance? Colonel IsabelGarvey. Chief Weapons Master.

She sticks out a hand. Vance shakes it, grins at her grip.

VANCEMa'am.

GARVEYThis way.

Vance and Garvey stride briskly away, forcing Banneker andhis guards to hurry after them.

GARVEYYour combat reports are requiredreading here. We redesigned the G-4rocket launcher based on yourfeedback.

VANCEThe new G-4 is outstanding. Smooth.Fast on the reload.

SECURITY CHECKPOINT

Plexiglass barriers, armed sentries, automatic guns.

Vance and the Garvey sweep through the checkpointunchallenged. The sentries block Banneker and his guards.

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GARVEY(to Vance)

You're the only one cleared for theArmory. You need these guys?

Vance grins at Banneker on the far side of the barricade.

VANCENo.

Banneker glares as Vance and the Lieutenant stride away.

ARMORY

Garvey and Vance stride along a corridor, trailed by twosubordinate officers who tag along at Garvey's beck and call.

VANCE

I need the best armor you have. Andweapons.

GARVEYDo you understand how valuablethese prototypes are?

VANCEThey'll be safe. Barely handled.

GARVEYYou need 'em ready to use, butyou're not going to use them.

VANCEI know that sounds strange.

GARVEYSounds like you took a few hits tothe helmet.

ARMORY

Garvey leads Vance past a fantastic gallery of armor

prototypes: slim black stealth suits; five-ton demolitionsuits; suits with massive specialized weapons.

They pass a rack of massive axes and machetes too heavy tolift without armor.

They stop beside a gorgeous silver armor with fluid lines.Vance takes to it immediately.

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GARVEYHeres the crown jewel. Diamondfiber plate. Hardest thing going.And lighter, so we can bulk up thechassis, the power plant, the

motors. Stronger and faster than

current models.

VANCEThis is what I need.

Vance is already headed for the exit. Garvey follows,protesting.

GARVEYI knew youd say that. Its theonly suit of its kind.

VANCE

I'll take good care of it.

They pass the rack of massive machetes. Vance points.

VANCEAnd get me one of those.

WEAPONS LAB

Garvey shows Vance a rack of identical supermodern rifles.They are bulky and ponderous: designed for powered armor.

GARVEYThe Milburn M20 railgun. Nextgeneration rifle.

Vance heaves a railgun out of the rack. With a speed thatbelies the weapons weight, he checks the safety; cracks the

magazine open, checks the load, closes it; cocks the weaponloudly, chambering a round.

Nearby technicians look up as the weapon goes live.

Vance hauls the rifle to his shoulder - arms trembling under

the burden. He flicks the gunsight on. The scope paints lightacross his eyes.

Vance shuts the rifle down and drops it into the rack.

VANCENice. But it's just a bigger,better machine gun. I want theexperimental stuff. I want anenergy weapon.

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GARVEYA handheld energy weapon? There'sno such thing.

Vance looks her steadily in the eye.

VANCEYou know what I'm here for.

Garvey stares back at him, her defiance crumbling. She sighs.

DARK OPS LAB

A WEAPONS DESIGNER looks up from his workbench: a gaunt manof 50 in high-tech goggles that magnify his eyes.

Garvey and Vance stand in front of him.

WEAPONS DESIGNERBorrow the Valkyrie!?

(he peers at Vance)You're Conrad Vance.

VANCEYeah.

WEAPONS DESIGNERYou're a one-man destruction test.You've abused or broken every

weapon in the arsenal.

VANCE(grinning)

Not the Valkyrie.

WEAPONS LOCKER

The Valkyrie hangs behind shatterproof glass: a sleek energyrifle. It's polished to perfection, but toolmarks and weldsbetray its handmade origin.

The Weapons Designer hands the Valkyrie to Vance.

GARVEYValkyrie Laser Rifle. It'll punch ahole through twenty centimeters ofcarbon steel. Ten thousanddischarges on a single power cell.

Vance smiles, hefting the weapon. He thumbs it on: theValkyrie activates with a deep throb of power.

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VANCETough enough for field use?

WEAPONS DESIGNERI made it myself. But it's a testunit! You can't just...

Garvey waves him quiet.

GARVEYHe can.

Vance points into the weapons case: another weapon hangsbeneath the Valkyrie.

VANCEWhat's that?

WEAPONS DESIGNER

(reluctantly)Antimatter grenade launcher.

Vance flashes Garvey a big smile. She sighs again.

INT. PROMETHEUS PROJECT - CAUL'S OFFICE (NEW WASHINGTON)

Scientist Ada Kildare arrives at Scientist Caul's office, andis shocked to find the door flanked by SSA guards.

She enters to find Scientist Caul and Director Marbeckwaiting for her.

Marbeck has a cold and malevolent air. Scientist Caul looksboth furious and frightened; his hands are fists.

Ada picks up the vibe in the room. Looks warily from Marbeckto Caul.

ADAYou called for me?

Marbeck looks promptingly at Caul.

CAULAda. I'll no longer be with theProject, as of today.

His voice is taut, emotionally loaded.

ADA(dismayed)

Why?

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ADAIts not forbidden.

DIRECTOR MARBECKIts not wise. We Scientists mustguard our objectivity.

ADAObjectivity? Conrads a colleague,not an experiment.

DIRECTOR MARBECKTwice you've refused the crown. Youcould have been the youngest ever.Younger than Banneker. Now thatyour responsibilities have grown,it's time you became a Master.

ADA

Its my choice. You cant force iton me.

DIRECTOR MARBECKAt times in the past, times ofcrisis, Scientists have beencompelled to take the crown.

ADA(horrified)

What are you saying?

DIRECTOR MARBECKWe do great things here. Don'tcomplicate the work.

INT. NEVADA ARSENAL - CORRIDOR - DAY (NEVADA)

Garvey leads Vance back toward the lobby of the Arsenal.

A YOUNG FUNCTIONARY catches up to them at a run. Whispersurgently in Garvey's ear. Garvey's eyes widen inastonishment.

GARVEYFollow me.

She hustles Vance back the way they came, away from Banneker.Banneker watches them retreat in renewed frustration.

Garvey rounds a corner and stops at a pair of double doors.

GARVEYStand up straight and watch your

manners.

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MEETING ROOM

Three dignitaries sit behind a long table: a distinguishedMAN IN A SUIT flanked by two GENERALS, a man and a woman. Thegenerals' chests are buried in decorations.

Vance follows Garvey in and snaps to attention, eyes widewith surprise.

He stares at the man in the suit: Defense Secretary GideonDain, seen earlier on a news broadcast in the Spaceport.

SECRETARY DAINCaptain Vance. Im Gideon Dain,Secretary of Defense.

VANCEYes, sir. I know, sir.

The young functionary scurries to Vance's side with a chair.Vance sits. The functionary presses a cup of coffee into hishand. Vance relaxes a bit.

SECRETARY DAINYour flight's in less than an hour.I'll keep this brief.

Vance sips coffee. Nods.

VANCEYes, sir.

SECRETARY DAINThe Department of Defense relies onthe State Science Agency for keytechnologies. When they requested aMarine for special duty, I couldnteasily say no. Im beginning toregret that decision. I want toknow what this project's about.

VANCEI signed a writ of secrecy, sir. I

can't say much.

SECRETARY DAINEver since you arrived, there havebeen weekly power fluctuation inNew Washington. Whenever theyoccur, we detect an energy pulse

with the profile of no knowndevice. But there is a theoreticaldevice that would create that kindof energy pulse. Its called a Lang

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Transporter. No working model hasever been built, or so we thought.Have you ever heard the term LangTransporter, Captain?

VANCEYes.

The generals exchange meaningful looks. SECRETARY DAIN leansforward intently.

SECRETARY DAINWhere are they sending you with allthose guns?

VANCEYoure telling me the governmentdoesnt know what Marbeck's doing?

Theres a strained silence. The generals watch Vance gravely.

SECRETARY DAINThats what Im telling you.

VANCEI cant tell you where they send

me. But I'll tell you this

Shadow 19 Jon Spaihts

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