Flash Gordon Page #7

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Still slashing at the ARMORED MEN with his sword, FLASH is backed to the ledge of the ARENA. He falls in.

DALE:

Flash!

MING:

He will not escape, my pretty one. For that savage is to provide us with rare sport.

AURA:

Father, a bargain. If he survives, he’s mine!

MING:

If!

DALE scowls at AURA.

INT. ARENA – MINGO PALACE

Shaken, FLASH raises himself onto one knee and quickly takes in his surroundings. The ARENA is a ten-foot-deep pit in the palace floor. The walls are smooth marble and the floor is a series of metal grates. Opposite FLASH is a STEEL DOOR.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO PALACE

MING casually raises his hand and a muscular slave in a loin cloth sounds a gong.

The ARMORED MAN at the control panel throws a lever.

INT. ARENA – MINGO PALACE

The barred door slides OPEN. Three muscular men slowly emerge. They are men, but with the heads of SNARLING BABOONS! They brandish long yellow fangs at FLASH as the young man tenses up, ready to defend himself.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO CITY

A lizard woman and hawk woman hold DALE by the arms as she struggles to free herself to assist FLASH.

DALE:

Let me go!

INT. ARENA – MINGO PALACE

The three BABOON MEN circle FLASH, seizing him up. Snarling and baring fangs. They attack! FLASH punches the first who howls away like a feral beast. Another jumps onto FLASH who counter-fights with expert wrestling tactics.

MING looks on in bored disappointment.

Aura watches. Her ample chest heaving in lust.

DALE watches in both fear and admiring love.

The three BABOON MEN attack FLASH all at once. One sinks his fangs deep into Flash’s shoulder as another tears away at his clothes and with claws, ripping into his flesh. The third hoots loudly as he claws at FLASH.

MING grins, arching his fingers.

FLASH rips himself free and flings his back against the wall. Bloodied and wounded, he renews his strategies strictly for survival. The three BABOON MEN hoot at him like feral beasts as they lurk in for the final assault.

The three BABOON MEN leap at FLASH. FLASH punches and kicks them away. One is punched so hard, he goes down.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO PALACE

MING’S eyes turn to slits as his face flushes crimson in controlled rage.

MING:

He fights well, this earthman. But, he shall not escape the pit!

AURA:

No, father! I implore you! Not that!

As FLASH continues his struggle to survive, AURA races down the steps that lead to the throne and stands at the edge watching FLASH fight. Another BABOON MAN has slumped unconscious to the ground.

AURA dashes over and down the steps that lead down to the floor of the arena.

MING rises from his throne. He points at the arena.

MING:

Retrieve my daughter at once!

Five ARMORED MEN race down into the arena.

INT. ARENA – THRONE ROOM – MINGO PALACE

AURA stands next to FLASH. She clasps his muscular bicep. FLASH is exhausted, winded. He is smeared in grime and blood. His shirt has been completely ripped off and one pant leg is gone. Bloody scratches crisscross his glistening torso.

AURA looks up at her father.

AURA:

Father! He has earned the right to live!

One of the ARMORED MEN approaches AURA. FLASH punches him, sending the man careening across the arena against the wall. He falls unconscious.

The other ARMORED MEN fight FLASH. While they are in a scuffle, AURA runs over to the first downed guard and snatches a ray gun from his holster.

She turns and blasts the attacking ARMORED MEN.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO CITY

MING is enraged! He snarls as he points down to Flash.

MING:

The pit!

INT. ARENA – MINGO PALACE

AURA stands next to FLASH. She raises the ray gun. A beam SHOOTS out and hits the ARMORED MAN at the control panel. The man is sliced completely in half by the ray. The CORPSE slumps down, the hand still grasping a lever, pulling it as he falls.

The section of the grated floor FLASH and AURA are standing on falls open and the two plummet downward.

DALE screams.

AURA and FLASH plummet down into a pit of darkness.

WHIPE TO:

A TITLE CARD appears, white on black:

“To be continued in the next exciting chapter:

THE TUNNEL OF TERROR!”

Fade out. Credits.

 

FLASH GORDON:

EPISODE 2

THE TUNNEL OF TERROR

A triumphant Wagnerian-like theme plays over OPENING CREDITS. A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title as a roll-up slowly crawls into infinity.

Chapter Two:

THE TUNNEL OF TERROR

A mysterious comet hurtling from the skies threatens to destroy the earth and forces Flash Gordon and Dale Arden into a rocket ship with Doctor Hans Zarkov in a mad attempt to reach the planet-sized comet and divert it from its course.

Crashing on the planet Mongo, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov are taken before the evil Emperor Ming who plans to add Earth to his chain of galactic conquests. The tyrant promptly imprisons Zarkov in his laboratory, and then, determined to win the beautiful Dale Arden for his bride, condemns Flash to fight to the death against huge ape-like mutants in an arena...

WHIPE TO:

INT. ARENA – THRONE ROOM – MINGO PALACE

AURA stands next to FLASH. She clasps his bicep. FLASH is exhausted, winded. He is smeared in grime and blood. His shirt has been completely ripped off and one pant leg is gone. Bloody scratches crisscross his glistening torso.

AURA looks up at MING.

AURA:

Father! He has earned the right to live!

One of the ARMORED MEN approach AURA. FLASH punches him, sending the man careening across the arena against the wall. He falls unconscious.

The other ARMORED MEN fight FLASH. While they are in a scuffle, AURA runs over to the first downed guard and snatches a ray gun from his holster.

She turns and blasts the attacking ARMORED MEN.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO CITY

MING is enraged! He snarls as he points down to Flash.

MING:

The pit!

INT. ARENA – MINGO PALACE

AURA stands next to FLASH. She raises the ray gun. A red beam SHOOTS out and hits the ARMORED MAN at the control panel. It slices him completely in half. The CORPSE slumps down, the upper corpse still grasping a lever, pulls it as he falls.

The section of the grated floor FLASH and AURA are standing on drops open and the two plummet downward.

DALE screams.

AURA and FLASH plummet down into a tube-like pit of darkness.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO PALACE

MING points at another ARMORED MAN at the control panel.

MING:

Deploy the net! Rescue my daughter!

The ARMORED MAN pulls a wall lever at the control panel next to the sliced half corpse. He views a CONSOLE SCREEN above the control panel.

ANGLE:
From above, in the static and gloom of the colorless CCV IMAGE, we see the backs of giant, slithering REPTILES in the dark. The silhouette of a mesh net slides across the image.

INT. TUNNEL OF TERROR – MINGO CITY

FLASH and AURA plummet down the dark shaft. They land on the MESH NET extended across the pit.

INT. THRONE ROOM – MINGO CITY

MING shoves the ARMORED MAN aside and glares at the image on the console. Fists clenched; he turns to CAPTAIN MALO.

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