Ares Page #12

---

DANNY:

Why are the police looking for us?

Evan hesitates. Scared they won’t believe him. Then:

CUT TO:

INT. NONDESCRIPT OFFICE BUILDING - MOSCOW -FLASHBACK

Evan walks in wearing a rumpled suit. He straightens his hairas he approaches the RECEPTIONIST.

EVAN:

I’m Evan Lange. I was hired to do

some consulting for Mr. Surkov.

INT. SMALL OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

An ASSISTANT (early 30s) shows Evan in. Inside is just a desk,

with a large sealed package on it.

ASSISTANT:

First -- you must sign a nondisclosure

agreement.

She hands him an NDA. Evan skims it. Signs.

ASSISTANT:

You may open the package now.

Evan, confused, tears it open. Finds several packs of origamipaper and instructions for how to fold a paper crane.

ASSISTANT:

Mr. Surkov would like to you try tofold one thousand paper cranes inninety minutes. After you make eachone, you will drop it in here.

She shows him a CHUTE built into the wall.

60.

ASSISTANT:

For this, Mr. Surkov is willing topay you two thousand dollars, inaddition to reimbursing all travelexpenses, of course.

EVAN:

So I signed a non-disclosureagreement. And now I make swans.

ASSISTANT:

This is what Mr. Surkov flew you toMoscow to do. Do you accept or not?

Evan relents. Sits down at the desk.

EVAN:

Kooky billionaires, huh? Must be funbeing his assistant.

The assistant looks at the clock on the wall.

ASSISTANT:

Your ninety minutes starts now.

She exits. Evan reads the origami instructions. Starts foldingwith his obsessive precision. He drops each crane into thechute as he goes.

90 MINUTES LATER

A timer buzzes. Evan drops his last crane into the chute.

A BEAT. Evan wipes the sweat off his face.

The door opens. A MAN (mid-40s) enters in an understated suit.

The same man Evan almost shot outside Chloe’s office in Addis.

In his hands are TWO of Evan’s ORIGAMI CRANES. He’s excited

and warm -- a fan meeting a rock star.

SURKOV:

Colonel Lange! I’m Misha. Misha

Surkov. Thank you for coming all this

way.

He gives Evan a hug. A long hug. One Mississippi -- twoMississippi --Evan’s wondering what the f*** is going on --

three --

Surkov finally releases him.

61.

SURKOV:

Unfortunately you only made 433little birds. I asked for a thousand.

EVAN:

The astronaut's union only allows meto make 433 origami swans a day. Takeit up with them.

Surkov unfolds the two cranes, flattening the papers onto thetable. He examines them admiringly.

SURKOV:

This is your first bird, and this isyour last. The folds are just asprecise on the last one as on thefirst. Most people get sloppy as theyrun out of time.

(smiles)

But you do well under pressure. Andimagine if you were sober!

Evan ignores the remark.

EVAN:

So you’re some kind of origami

forensic?

SURKOV:

I am the owner of this museum.

He opens another door. Through it Evan can see: A PRIVATEMUSEUM filled with artifacts from the Soviet space program.

INT. SURKOV’S PRIVATE COLLECTION - MINUTES LATER

Evan and Surkov, each holding a glass of vodka, meander pastglass display cases, old Soyuz capsules, rocket parts...

SURKOV:

-- So the police raid my party inParis... full of whores. None of them

were even for me!

Evan laughs. Surkov’s energy is infectious.

SURKOV:

So the Siberian Minerals board forced

me to cash out. Now I focus on my owncompany. Quartus. Have you heard ofit?

62.

EVAN:

(trying to be polite)

No, but that doesn’t mean --

SURKOV:

(cutting him off)

Good. I don’t want anyone knowing

about us. The best way to come infirst is for no one to know there’s a

race...

Evan isn’t sure what he’s talking about. Before he can ask,

Surkov points to a strange contraption:

SURKOV:

You know what this is?

(Evan shakes his head, no)

In the ‘60s, the Soviet Space Program

wondered what cosmonauts should eat

on the journey to Mars. Just one morepound of food or water adds tens ofthousands of dollars to the mission

cost. So the scientists hoped to havecosmonauts raise their own meat on

the journey. This is the mouse farm.

Evan smiles.

EVAN:

I’ve read the reports. They also

recommended the astronauts eat all

the paper onboard after they weredone with it.

They’re like history buffs -- men who bond over facts not

feelings. Comparing notes on a mutual obsession.

SURKOV:

I want to do something with my money,

Colonel. Jeff Bezos spent 42 milliondollars building a clock in thedesert that will run forever. Fuckingstupid, right? We’re going to one-up

him. Him and Neil Armstrong andLeonardo da Vinci and...

(smiles)

Everybody else who’s ever lived,

basically.

EVAN:

(beginning to have aninkling, stares)

How?

63.

SURKOV:

By sending you to a place only Godhas seen.

Surkov’s been looking forward to this moment and watches

Evan’s eyes widen. Surkov smiles.

EVAN:

Why?

SURKOV:

The greatest fortunes the world hasever know will be made mining space.

EVAN:

No. I mean -- why me?

SURKOV:

I bribed someone at NASA to get theirrecords. I found out about yourspecial skill.

(off Evan’s confusion)

Most people show signs of mentaldeterioration after just a few weeksof isolation. But that doesn’t happen

to you, does it? You like beingalone. This mission will be two yearswith Zero contact with Earth.

Otherwise we run the risk of peoplefinding out what we’re doing.

EVAN:

(surprised)

You want to go there in secret?

SURKOV:

(nods)

If other companies hear of ourmission, they might try to beat usthere.

(quiet, almost seductive)

Can you keep your mouth shut untilyou get home? Then -- once you’ve

gone and come back safe -- we tellthe entire world.

Evan can’t help but smile. Stars in his eyes.

SURKOV:

But before that... not even yourfamily.

Surkov looks meaningfully at Evan’s wedding ring. Evan takesit off and tucks it in his coat pocket.

64.

SURKOV:

(smiles)

I’m not a family man myself. Familyis small business. I don’t do small

business.

Evan takes another sip of his vodka.

SURKOV:

Another promise. That drink in yourhand will be your last -

Evan whirls the liquid around in his glass, still half-full.

Resolved, Evan puts the glass down on top of a display case.

Surkov smiles. Picks up Evan's glass. Raises it to Evan in a"cheers." Then downs the remaining vodka.

BACK TO:

INT. PICK UP TRUCK EN ROUTE BACK TO ADDIS

Danny (still stoned) and Chloe stare at Evan.

EVAN:

Right now, I’m the only one who knows

where the capsule is. But Surkov issearching the desert for it. If hegets it before we do with all thesamples inside, I have nothing,

except for this...

He pulls the LEAD BOX from his purse.

EVAN:

Inside here... is something thatdoesn’t exist on Earth.

DANNY:

(rapt)

What is it?

EVAN:

I don’t know. I never tested any ofthe samples we collected myself. Andwe left all the testing equipmentbehind to lighten the load fordeparture. But after the otherastronauts died -

FLASH TO:
Evan cutting the throat of the other astronaut.

Blood exploding from his throat into zero gravity.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes