Flash Gordon Page #3

Season #8

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ZARKOV huffs and turns. He walks into his house, leaving the door open. FLASH and DALE enter ZARKOV’S LABORATORY.

INT. ZARKOV’S CHATEAU – DAY

The inside eloquence and old-world charm of the furnished house is now CLUTTERED with a veritable junkyard of electrical and scientific machines, charts, stacks of paperwork, and random disorder.

As FLASH and DALE enter the house, DALE clutches FLASH’S arm and whispers.

DALE:

Flash, that’s Dr. Hans Zarkov.

In the middle of the living room, the DISHEVELED SCIENTIST turns on the couple and points a REVOLVER from the pocket of his lab coat at FLASH and DALE.

FLASH:

Woah! Hold up! We’re not here to hurt you!

ZARKOV:

Young man, whether you like it or not, you’re going with me.

FLASH:

Going? Where?

DALE:

Crazy, apparently.

ZARKOV:

I’m sorry you two were caught in the attack.

FLASH:

You mean the meteor shower?

ZARKOV:

Bah! You can call it that.

FLASH:

Call it whatever you want, you’re the one with the gun. Look, we just need some help. My name’s Flash Gordon. This is Miss-

DALE:

Dale Arden, reporter for the...

ZARKOV:

No interviews!

FLASH:

Does it matter now?

ZARKOV:

I suppose you have a point. Gordon? Professor Ray Gordon’s son?

FLASH:

Yeah, that’s right. And that rocket out back makes you Hans Zarkov.

ZARKOV:

Ah, I see. So, your father sent you to stop me!

FLASH:

Stop you? Stop you from what?

With the gun still aimed at FLASH and DALE, the doctor PULLS OPEN the thick drapes of a large, bay window. In the near distance, HUNDREDS of FLAMING METEORS rain down onto the burning landscape.

ZARKOV:

Young man, this world is doomed to destruction!

FLASH:

I know. My father thinks it’s...

ZARKOV:

Your father thinks I’m mad! They all do!

FLASH:

Well, you’re the one pointing a gun at us. Why don’t you put it down and we can talk.

ZARKOV sighs. Lowering the pistol, he staggers over to a desk utterly exhausted.

ZARKOV:

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I don’t want to hurt anyone. For hours, I waited for my assistants, but they went coward. (He faces the couple with renewed vigor.) But, I’m telling you there is a way to save the earth! That comet rushing towards us is inhabited! If we can reach it in my rocket ship, I may have found a way to divert its course to Earth!

FLASH:

Inhabited? With people? Are you certain?

ZARKOV:

Without a doubt.

ZARKOV stumbles toward FLASH. Pleading.

ZARKOV:

Young man, I need a fearless soul to help me! I cannot do this alone. Will you go? It’s the only chance to save every living thing on this planet.

FLASH quickly ponders the idea. He looks at DALE. He glances at the firestorm being created outside.

FLASH:

Okay. Yeah, I’ll bet on a long shot with you. When do we start?

A rush of relief overcomes the doctor.

ZARKOV:

At once! There’s no time to lose!

FLASH:

What about Miss Dale? We have to get her somewhere safe.

ZARKOV points out at the approaching firestorm and falling meteors.

ZARKOV:

There is no place of safety to be found on this earth!

FLASH glances down at DALE, smiles, and nods. There is definitely chemistry between the two. DALE nods back.

FLASH:

All right, then we’ll take her with us.

ZARKOV:

What? Out of the question!

DALE:

I’m definitely not staying here! I’ll go. Take me with you.

ZARKOV curtly shakes his head.

ZARKOV:

No!

FLASH:

Then, forget it. If she can’t go, I don’t go.

The noise outside becomes monstrously louder.

ZARKOV:

Fine! Into the ship! There’s no time to waste!

The three race out the front door of the house.

EXT. ZARKOV’s CHATEAU – ROCKET SHIP – DAY

As the WINDS HOWL around them blowing dust and debris, the three race up the scaffolding to an open side hatch near the front of the rocket. In the b.g., on the horizon, a FIRESTORM burns through the forest as hundreds of FLAMING PROJECTILES streak across the leaden sky.

INT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET – COCKPIT – DAY

The three quickly enter the rocket’s cockpit. Using a ladder, ZARKOV scampers up to one of four seats at the nose of the rocket.

ZARKOV:

Find a seat and strap yourselves in. Young man, you sit there. I need you to hold that lever down during lift-off or we’ll explode before leaving the stratosphere.

FLASH and DALE secure themselves. ZARKOV sits at the control seat, busying himself for liftoff. DALE and FLASH glance around at the cabin congested with wires and old-style gages. It looks extremely thrown together.

FLASH:

Nice. Hey, doc, are you sure this thing’ll fly?

ZARKOV:

I’ve experimented with models.

FLASH:

Really? They ever come back?

ZARKOV:

(flicking switches and pushing buttons)

They weren’t meant to.

There is an enormous rumble as the rockets ignite.

EXT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET SHIP – DAY

With a tremendous roar, ZARKOV’S ROCKET SHIP lifts off and soars up toward space.

EXT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET

At accelerating speeds, the tiny rocket ZIPS UP away from the surface towards and past the camera through tumultuous thunderclouds and falling meteors.

INT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET – COCKPIT

Rapid cuts of the three in EXTREME PAIN from THE MASSIVE G-FORCES pressing down on their distorted faces.

EXT. SPACE

The PLANET EARTH, wrapped in storm clouds and flashes of both lightning and meteor strikes, fills half the screen as the TINY ROCKET races up above the stratosphere and into outer space.

INT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET – SPACE

ZARKOV flips switches and turns dials. DALE nervously holds FLASH’S hand as the violent shaking of the ship SUBSIDES.

ZARKOV:

We’ve just passed through the stratosphere. Look.

He smiles back at the terrified DALE and points out the window. She glances out the porthole and her face is both a mixture of awed BEAUTY AND TERROR.

EXT. SPACE – EARTH

The Earth quickly drops away bathed in golden sunlight. It is beautiful and definitely worth saving.

INT. ZARKOV’S ROCKET - COCKPIT

ZARKOV:

We are well on our way. You are free to move about the cabin. However, take precautions, we are at zero gravity.

FLASH:

(caringly)

Dale, feel like looking around?

DALE:

(She clutches his hand tighter)

I’m fine right here.

ZARKOV flips a switch and a SMALL TV MONITOR snaps on. It is an image of THE COMET they are heading for.

ZARKOV:

There! This wandering comet – this planet Mongo – you’ll soon become better acquainted with it, I can promise you that.

DALE:

It’s thousands of miles away!

ZARKOV:

This rocket is powered by a fission powered M-12 engine...

FLASH:

I read an article online about that. Isn’t that classified tech?

ZARKOV:

(coyly)

Not to its inventor. (His attention remains on the image of the comet on his screen.) That message I received from them... the meteor strikes, the earthquakes...

FLASH:

I don’t understand. You’re saying the meteor storm was deliberate?

ZARKOV:

Deliberate as the destruction of the earth if we fail in our mission.

DALE:

Wow! What a story I’ll write when we get back!

FLASH:

If you get back.

ZARKOV:

If any of us get back. We must reach Mongo, contact its rulers, reason with them! There is no other way to save mother earth!

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