Ares Page #6

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Evan realizes the female tourists are now doing some sort ofbasket-weaving with the Saba women.

INSIDE THE BUS - MOMENTS LATER

Evan takes a seat in the back. The Youngest of the Three Womentaps on his window with the barrel of her RPG. Evan tenses.

Next to her is BAULU, who caught him trying to steal the gun.

EVAN:

F***...

The Woman, scowling, raps on the window again. Evan opens it.

EVAN:

I’m sorry, I wasn’t going to take -The

Woman thrusts a BUNDLE through the window and leans in.

YOUNGEST WOMAN:

(heavily accented)

Go kill police.

Evan startles --she speaks English? -- but before he can

reply, the TOURISTS begin filling the bus.

He peeks into the bundle. Inside is a RUSTING HANDGUN.

He surreptitiously checks the chamber. Six bullets inside.

SUDDEN CUT TO BLACK.

MAN’S VOICE

Chris. Chris?

Evan’s EYES OPENING -- heart pounding -- springing up -- where

is he? He sees he’s IN THE BACK OF THE SAFARI BUS bumping

through the desert. But he’s unsure how he got there.

MAN’S VOICE

Chris. Want some?

The voice belongs to a SUNBURNED BRITISH TOURIST, who holdsout a BAG OF CHIPS. Sun blisters cover his bald red head.

27.

FLASH IMAGE:
The surface of a red planet, covered in craters.

SUNBURNED TOURIST

You know where y’ are?

Evan looks at him blankly.

SUNBURNED TOURIST

You got lost in the desert. Y’ Jeepbroke down... Don’t remember?

EVAN:

No, I do... I do.

He stuffs some chips in his mouth. The Tourist sees Evan isjittery. Like he’s afraid. Or in withdrawal.

SUNBURNED TOURIST

Your hands are shakin’.

Evan thrusts his hands in his bundle. Keeping his handshidden, he starts folding the WANTED AD into an origami crane.

As if by keeping his hands busy, he can calm his nerves.

SUNBURNED TOURIST

I had the shakes once. When I first

got clean. Couldn’t fill my coffee

cup too full or I’d spill it carryin’it to my desk.

Evan yanks down the window and VOMITS outside.

SUNBURNED TOURIST

That too.

Beat.

EVAN:

One time, when I was getting sober, Itold people I'd gone to space. I wasin a bar, saying I was an astronaut.

My wife had to come haul me out ofthere.

The Tourist smiles and starts blabbering about his AAexperiences. But the sound of his voice cuts out as -

Evan’s focus shifts to the strange world out the window:

Beehive-shaped huts. Termite obelisks. Children playing on theroad. Vultures, flapping ragged wings, tear at dead animals.

He startles as he sees TWO ASTRONAUTS in pressure suitssetting up equipment in the desert. He STARES at them.

28.

The Tourist follows his gaze, but sees nothing.

The bus bumps into a DUSTY VILLAGE. Evan turns to the Tourist.

EVAN:

Why’re we stopping?

He sees they are pulling up next to some ETHIOPIAN POLICEMEN.

EVAN:

(panicking)

Are we scheduled to stop here?

The Sunburned Tourist shrugs. Evan looks like he might jumpout the window until the Guide announces:

TOUR GUIDE:

This is Harar market, ladies and

gents. They sell the finest khat in

Ethiopia. A mild stimulant. Let’s go

sample something that would beillegal where you come from...

The tourists follow the Guide into the NIGHT MARKET outside.

Evan turns to the Sunburned Tourist, who’s about to get off:

EVAN:

Hey. Could I borrow some money? Just‘til Addis...

SUNBURNED TOURIST

(over his shoulder)

Sorry mate, I only have forty Birrleft and there’s no ATMs out here...

Evan’s now alone on the bus, but for the DRIVER, who yaps onhis phone.

He sees many of the tourists left their BAGS onboard.

Keeping an eye on the Driver, Evan checks the bags. He’s

disappointed -- most people took their wallets out with them.

Finally he finds a purse with A CELL PHONE and WALLET inside.

EVAN:

(mutters to himself)

Big picture.

A TOURIST comes back on the bus. Evan quickly drops the ENTIREPURSE into his bundle from the tribeswomen. He hurries out

INTO THE CHAOTIC NIGHT MARKET

29.

The Guide and tourists furiously chew khat leaves at variousstalls. Bits of green spittle flying out of their mouths.

TOUR GUIDE:

Don’t go overboard. It takes a few

minutes for the narcotic to kick in -

Evan sees a NEON SIGN that says “INTERNET.” An internet cafe.

He heads toward it, past vendors hawking from cars and booths.

Villagers STARE at Evan and the tourists. Beggars grab at him,

gesturing that they want food. Children chant “Faranji!”

Evan realizes that, as a white person, he’s too conspicuous.

His eye falls on a VEILED WOMAN selling BURKAS. Modesty forMuslim women. He picks out a burka with netting over the eyehole. Buys it with cash from the stolen wallet.

INT. INTERNET CAFE - MOMENTS LATER

Evan sits in front of a decade-old computer with recordingsoftware and an “Upload to Youtube” window open.

He sees himself projected on the screen, recorded by the

computer’s camera. He looks like sh*t.

He spits on his hands and rubs his face clean. Rifles throughhis stolen purse. Tidies his hair with the woman’s brush.

CUT TO:

CHLOE (33 now) fixes Evan’s hair. They’re backstage at

A NASA PRESS CONFERENCE - HOUSTON

Evan’s 40. Wearing a sleek suit. He can’t stop beaming.

She holds his face in her hand a moment. Overwhelmed with

pride. A look that says I love you no matter what.

An ANNOUNCER ONSTAGE introduces “EVAN LANGE” and...

He strides onstage. Facing a cheering auditorium. A row of

press in front with DOZENS of CAMERAS.

BACK IN HARAR’S INTERNET CAFE:

Evan stares into computer’s single lens. Lost in the dream.

30.

EVAN (O.S.; PRE-LAP)

If you wanted to tell the history ofmankind over the last million years,

you’d say...

BACK TO THE NASA PRESS CONFERENCE

Evan soaks up the crowd’s feverish excitement as he speaks.

EVAN:

Man learned to make fire. Man walked

on the moon... And two years fromtoday, we’ll add a third milestone to

human history:
Man walks on Mars.

On cue, the curtains behind him PULL BACK, revealing: A 30FOOT

IMAGE OF MARS with the NASA logo on it.

EVAN:

America will lead the world there!

BACK TO THE DUMPY INTERNET CAFE

The sound of the NASA crowd cheering continues in Evan’s mindas he sits facing the crowd of dumpy computers and peopleglumly surfing the web. Completely ignoring him.

He clicks the RECORD button. He speaks with quiet intensity:

EVAN (INTO THE VIDEO CAMERA)

My name is Evan Lange, retiredColonel, U.S. Air Force. I’m posting

this statement in case somethinghappens to me before I can go to thepress with proof of what I’ve done.

BACK TO THE NASA AUDITORIUM:

The crowd continues to applaud. Evan’s elated. A man whose

dreams are coming true.

Evan’s eyes meet Chloe’s as she holds up their son DANNY (8)

in the eaves of the stage.

Danny watches in awe. Can’t believe this legend in the

spotlight is his father.

EVAN (O.S.)

I was part of a team of threeastronauts that went to Mars.

BACK TO THE INTERNET CAFE IN HARAR

31.

Evan continues speaking quietly into the camera:

EVAN (INTO THE VIDEO CAMERA)

The other two, Yuri Gershkovich and

Keiju Sasaki, are now dead. They weremurdered to preserve the mission’s

secrecy. Now my life is in danger. My

family’s might be as well. I meant to

land near Addis, so I could get myfamily to safety... But the capsulewent off course. I landed at -

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