Edge Of Eternity: Exodus to Mars

FADE IN:

EXT. EARTH – SPACE VIEW – NIGHT

The blue and green of Earth glow faintly, surrounded by infinite darkness. A once-vibrant planet, now dimmed by faint pollution clouds and faint debris orbiting its surface.

SUPERIMPOSE:

“Year 2065 – Earth’s Final Days”

INT. UNITED GLOBAL AEROSPACE COMMAND (UGAC) – HEADQUARTERS – NIGHT

A massive operations room. Walls lined with digital displays showing Earth’s deteriorating condition: rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and news reels of civil unrest.

At the center stands CAPTAIN NORA HAYES (36), confident yet burdened, wearing a sleek, practical uniform. She scans a holographic projection of the Mars colony plan.

TECHNICIAN:

(urgent)

Captain Hayes, the Council is ready for you.

Nora nods and turns to DR. ELIAS QUINN (38), a reserved but sharp scientist.

NORA:

Let’s see if they’re ready to save the world.

INT. COUNCIL CHAMBER – LATER

A semi-circular room filled with world leaders on holographic screens. At the center is a 3D model of the spacecraft, Genesis I.

COUNCIL LEADER:

Captain Hayes, your team has been selected for a mission of historic importance. But make no mistake—this is humanity's last chance.

Nora steps forward, addressing the room with calm authority.

NORA:

I understand the stakes. My team is ready to lead humanity's first step toward a future on Mars.

COUNCIL LEADER:

Then go, Captain. And make history.

INT. UGAC TRAINING FACILITY – DAY

A rigorous training session. Astronauts and soldiers run obstacle courses, test zero-gravity suits, and simulate spacecraft systems.

Nora observes, her focus on MAYA TRAN (30), an engineer calibrating a rover under pressure.

NORA:

(to Maya)

Rovers won’t save us if the craft doesn’t launch.

Maya hesitates, then nods.

INT. BARRACKS – NIGHT

The crew gathers for an informal briefing. LIEUTENANT JAMES CARTER (35), a military officer, reviews a blueprint of the spacecraft.

CARTER:

Everything depends on precision. One failure, and we don’t get a second chance.

MAYA:

(half-joking)

No pressure then.

The group chuckles, except DR. RACHEL LIU (40), the psychologist, who watches everyone closely, taking mental notes.

EXT. LAUNCH FACILITY – NIGHT

Floodlights illuminate the sleek, massive Genesis I spacecraft. Crews prepare for final launch tests.

Suddenly, an EXPLOSION rocks the facility. Chaos erupts.

INT. CONTROL ROOM – NIGHT

Alarms blare. Nora storms in, Quinn at her side.

NORA:

What the hell happened?

TECHNICIAN:

Sabotage, Captain. The Earthkeepers.

QUINN:

(low)

They’re not going to stop.

Nora glares at the monitors.

NORA:

Neither are we.

INT. UGAC WAR ROOM – DAY

The Council debates whether to delay the mission. Nora slams her hand on the table.

NORA:

We’ve trained for this. Earth doesn’t have time for delays.

COUNCIL LEADER:

The risks—

NORA:

(urgent)

Are nothing compared to what happens if we stay.

The room falls silent.

EXT. SPACEPORT – DAY

The crew assembles at the base of Genesis I. Final goodbyes with family and friends. Tension hangs thick in the air.

DR. LIU

(to Nora)

They’ll remember us for this.

NORA:

Let’s make sure it’s for the right reasons.

INT. GENESIS I – COCKPIT – NIGHT

The crew straps in. Systems light up, countdown begins. Nora’s voice steadies over the intercom.

NORA:

This is it. Let’s give humanity a fighting chance.

The engines ROAR to life.

EXT. EARTH – NIGHT

Genesis I ascends, piercing the atmosphere. The light of its engines reflects off a fading Earth below.

INT. GENESIS I – OBSERVATION DECK

The crew gazes at Earth shrinking behind them. Silence, heavy with emotion.

NORA:

(whispering)

Goodbye, home.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

INT. GENESIS I – MAIN CABIN – NIGHT

The spacecraft hums quietly as it adjusts to the weightlessness of space. The crew is unstrapping themselves, acclimating to zero gravity. MAYA TRAN floats toward a console, her movements awkward but improving.

MAYA:

(half-laughing)

Well, that’s one way to lose a few pounds.

LIEUTENANT JAMES CARTER smirks, pulling himself toward the central table where a holographic map of the route to Mars is projected.

CARTER:

You’ll be wishing for gravity when you can’t drink your coffee without a straw.

NORA floats into the room, her expression serious but calm.

NORA:

Alright, everyone, gather up.

The crew clusters around her, some pulling themselves along handrails. DR. RACHEL LIU observes from a corner, taking mental notes as always.

NORA:

We’ve got a six-month journey ahead. This is where things get real. No distractions, no room for error.

She makes eye contact with each member of the crew, her tone firm but reassuring.

NORA:

We all made sacrifices to be here. Families. Friends. Home. But this mission is bigger than us. We’ve got a responsibility—to Earth and to each other.

QUINN:

And if we fail, there’s no one else coming after us.

The room falls silent, the weight of his words settling in.

NORA:

That’s why we won’t fail.

INT. GENESIS I – ENGINEERING BAY – LATER

Maya is running diagnostics on the ship’s systems. She types furiously into a console as a series of green lights flash across the screen.

MAYA:

(to herself)

Alright, girl. Don’t let me down.

A low rumble vibrates through the ship. Maya frowns, turning toward a section of the bay where a faint clicking sound echoes. She floats over, searching for the source.

Suddenly, a loud CLANK echoes through the bay. Maya grabs a handrail, her eyes darting around.

MAYA:

(over comms)

Captain, I’ve got something odd in the engineering bay.

INT. GENESIS I – BRIDGE – SAME

Nora is at the controls, reviewing flight data with Carter. Maya’s voice crackles over the intercom.

MAYA (V.O.)

There’s a noise coming from one of the supply compartments. Could be a loose panel.

NORA:

Stay there. Carter, with me.

INT. GENESIS I – ENGINEERING BAY – MINUTES LATER

Nora and Carter enter. Maya points toward a supply hatch. The faint clicking is louder now.

CARTER:

Could be something shifted during takeoff.

Nora carefully opens the hatch. Inside, supplies are floating in disarray. Among them is a small DEVICE with blinking lights—a makeshift explosive.

CARTER:

Damn it.

NORA:

Sabotage.

MAYA:

How did it get past security checks?

NORA:

That’s the least of our problems. Carter, disarm it. Now.

Carter moves quickly, his hands steady as he examines the device. Sweat beads on his forehead as he carefully removes the outer casing.

CARTER:

This isn’t amateur work.

The lights on the device flash faster.

NORA:

Carter—

CARTER:

(almost to himself)

I got it.

He yanks a wire free. The blinking stops. The room exhales collectively.

NORA:

(into comms)

Quinn, get down here. I want a full sweep of the ship. If there’s one device, there could be more.

INT. GENESIS I – MAIN CABIN – LATER

The crew gathers around the central table again, tension thick in the air. Quinn is analyzing the disarmed device.

QUINN:

It’s sophisticated. Whoever planted this knew what they were doing.

CARTER:

The Earthkeepers.

NORA:

How could they get past UGAC security?

QUINN:

Maybe they didn’t.

Everyone looks at him.

QUINN:

What if it was someone inside?

The implication hangs in the air. Dr. Liu speaks up, her tone calm but firm.

DR. LIU

Let’s not jump to conclusions. Paranoia will only make things worse.

NORA:

Rachel’s right. But we need to stay vigilant. From now on, no one works alone. We check every system, every compartment. Understood?

The crew nods, but the unease lingers.

INT. GENESIS I – OBSERVATION DECK – NIGHT

Nora stands alone, gazing out at the vastness of space. Earth is a distant blue dot behind them.

Quinn approaches, his footsteps silent.

QUINN:

Can’t sleep?

NORA:

Didn’t even try.

She gestures toward Earth.

NORA:

It already feels so far away.

QUINN:

Because it is.

A beat.

NORA:

We’ll make it, right?

Quinn hesitates, then nods.

QUINN:

We have to.

EXT. SPACE – GENESIS I – CONTINUOUS

The sleek spacecraft glides silently through the void, its engines glowing faintly against the infinite blackness of space.

INT. GENESIS I – BRIDGE – MORNING

The crew gathers on the bridge. The holographic display shows the path to Mars, with checkpoints and milestones marked along the way. NORA stands at the helm, addressing the team.

NORA:

Good work last night. We’ve identified no further threats on the ship, but we can’t get complacent. This journey is far from over.

She clicks a control on the panel, zooming in on the next waypoint in their route.

NORA:

Next course adjustment in twelve hours. Let’s focus on our assignments until then. Maya, double-check propulsion diagnostics. Quinn, run a full system health check on life support.

CARTER:

What about the device?

NORA:

I’ve flagged it to UGAC command. They’ll investigate how it got aboard, but we’re too far out for them to intervene now.

Quinn frowns, studying the holographic map.

QUINN:

I still don’t like it. Whoever planted that didn’t intend for us to make it this far.

DR. LIU

We should keep monitoring for sabotage. The psychological strain of this mission is already enough without adding distrust to the mix.

NORA:

We’ll stay vigilant. Everyone stays in pairs. No exceptions.

She looks around the room, her gaze lingering on each of them.

NORA:

Let’s get to work.

INT. GENESIS I – PROPULSION BAY – LATER

Maya is strapped into a workstation, surrounded by control panels displaying propulsion data. She hums a tune as she runs diagnostics, typing quickly.

Suddenly, one of the monitors flashes red: ANOMALY DETECTED.

MAYA:

Uh-oh.

She pulls up the details, frowning. The readings show a slight fluctuation in the ship's fuel reserves.

MAYA:

(into comms)

Captain, I’m seeing something odd with the fuel reserves.

INT. GENESIS I – BRIDGE – CONTINUOUS

Nora and Carter exchange a look.

NORA:

What kind of anomaly?

MAYA (V.O.)

There’s a minor drop in reserve levels. Could be a sensor glitch, but I’ve never seen this kind of fluctuation before.

NORA:

Quinn, meet us in propulsion.

INT. GENESIS I – PROPULSION BAY – MINUTES LATER

Quinn is examining the readouts alongside Maya. Nora and Carter float in, their expressions tense.

QUINN:

It’s not a sensor glitch. We’re losing fuel—slowly but consistently.

CARTER:

Could it be a leak?

MAYA:

No, all seals are intact.

Quinn leans closer to the monitor, his eyes narrowing.

QUINN:

Someone tampered with the containment system. They didn’t just want to sabotage us—they wanted us to think it was an accident.

NORA:

Can it be fixed?

MAYA:

Yes, but we’ll need to be careful. If the reserves drop too low, we’ll lose maneuvering capacity.

NORA:

Then fix it. Carter, stay here and assist Maya.

She turns to Quinn.

NORA:

You and I need to talk.

INT. GENESIS I – CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS – LATER

Nora and Quinn sit across from each other, tension thick in the air.

NORA:

This isn’t just sabotage. It’s a campaign to take us out before we even reach Mars.

QUINN:

It’s deliberate, and it’s methodical. Whoever’s behind it has access to resources and information.

NORA:

And they’re still on Earth. Which means we’ve got no one to rely on but ourselves.

QUINN:

There’s something else. The device from last night—it wasn’t designed to destroy the ship. It was meant to send a signal.

Nora’s expression hardens.

NORA:

To who?

QUINN:

That’s what worries me.

INT. GENESIS I – CREW LOUNGE – NIGHT

The crew is gathered, trying to relax. Carter is playing cards with Maya and Dr. Liu, while Quinn works quietly at a side station.

CARTER:

(to Maya)

You call that a bluff? I can read you like a book.

Maya smirks, laying down her hand.

MAYA:

Read this.

Carter groans as she takes the pile of cards.

Meanwhile, Nora is seated at the observation window, gazing at the stars. Quinn joins her, holding two cups of water.

QUINN:

Figured you could use a break.

She takes the cup, nodding in thanks.

NORA:

You ever wonder if we’re doing the right thing?

QUINN:

All the time.

He leans back, his gaze distant.

QUINN:

But if we don’t try, what’s left for the people back home?

NORA:

A dying planet.

They sit in silence for a moment, the enormity of their mission weighing on them.

EXT. SPACE – GENESIS I – CONTINUOUS

The spacecraft continues its journey through the void, the red planet of Mars faintly visible in the distance.

INT. GENESIS I – ENGINEERING BAY – NEXT MORNING

Maya and Carter have repaired the fuel containment system. Maya wipes sweat from her brow, a rare smile of satisfaction on her face.

MAYA:

System stabilized.

CARTER:

Nice work.

Suddenly, the ship’s alarms blare. RED LIGHTS flash throughout the bay.

SHIP AI:

Warning:
Proximity alert. Object detected on collision course.

Maya and Carter exchange a panicked look.

MAYA:

What the hell is that?

INT. GENESIS I – BRIDGE – CONTINUOUS

Nora and Quinn scramble to the controls. The holographic map displays an incoming object—a small, fast-moving spacecraft.

NORA:

It’s not debris.

QUINN:

It’s too controlled for that.

CARTER (V.O.)

Captain, we’ve got visuals on the object.

NORA:

Patch it through.

A screen flickers to life, showing a sleek, unmarked craft bearing down on them.

NORA:

Prepare for evasive maneuvers.

EXT. SPACE – GENESIS I – CONTINUOUS

The Genesis I shifts, its engines roaring as it begins to veer away. The unidentified craft adjusts course, staying locked on its target.

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