Morning Star Page #23

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EXT. ALIEN ZONE -- DAY

Webber reaches a high street where he can clearly see the“Motherzone” tower. He heads that way.

MOTHERZONE TOWER

A white-tiled expanse, cordoned off by ALIEN SENTRIES andpatrolled by CYCLOPEAN PODS. Beyond the cordon, the TOWERfalls intermittently under shadow as a HUGE TRIANGULAR BLADEhovering in the sky above it slowly rotates. In the whitecourtyard, WELL-HEELED HUMANS, obvious government types, mixwith ALIEN DIPLOMATS or talk on phones. This is clearly wherethe peace talks are going on.

Webber approaches the cordon, scanning the dignitaries on theother side of the barricade. He watches a SENTRY wave a LIMO

through. He notes a familiar face behind the tinted rearwindow: SECRETARY-GENERAL VOSS.

There’s movement too at the entrance of the tower -a phalanxof EXO-SUITED ALIENS are just now emerging, led by the XENIANAMBASSADOR, festooned in ornamental robes.

Webber knows whatever’s going to happen is happening now. Hescans the human contingent in the courtyard more closely.

110.

Kemp is there, wearing a diplomatic badge, cheerfullychatting up a balding ATTACHE.

Webber takes one step toward the barricade... and suddenlyfinds himself surrounded by threatening CYCLOPI. ARMED

SENTRIES approach. One scans him with some device.

ALIEN SENTRY:

Martin Webber?

Webber raises his hands. He sees Secretary Voss emerging fromthe limo with his BODYGUARDS.

Kemp sees the same thing. This is his moment.

But just as he starts moving, Kemp notices the buzz ofactivity all around. A Bodyguard whispers something in Voss’ear and the Secretary immediately gets right back in the limohe just got out of. Kemp has no idea what’s going on.

Then he sees Webber, on the other side of the barricade,

under arrest, and he understands.

He looks toward the tower where the Xenian Ambassador is

right now getting the same message from his guard...

ALIEN BODYGUARD (SUBTITLE)

Security has been compromised. Wehave to go back.

Kemp can’t believe it as security closes around theAmbassador, leading him back toward the tower entrance.

Kemp looks back toward the barricade. He can’t hear whatWebber’s telling the Alien Security forces surrounding himbut there’s no doubt about the upshot as Webber points at him

It’s now or never. Kemp charges after the Ambassador,

bringing out of his pocket an RED GLOBULE the size of a golfball. When he gets as close as a Cyclops covering theAmbassador’s retreat will allow, Kemp throws it. A Hail Mary.

It lands in the hair of a BLONDE DIPLOMATIC ATTACHE

desperately trying to get the Ambassador’s attention. Shedoesn’t even notice.

CLOSE ON:
the red egg in her hair undulates, a spider-likeleg emerges...

Kemp says a profane prayer under his breath.

The Blonde Attache’s body suddenly collapses like a deflatingballoon inside her tailored suit. And a MASS OF CARNIVOROUS

INSECTS erupts from where she was standing.

111.

At once, people- human and alien alike- are being devoured inthe streaming RED TIDE, flesh disappearing, exposing sinewand bone. Some visibly decompose while still trying to run.

The Cubensis Idori stream across the barricade, climb the

tripod legs of the Cylopi, gumming up their inner works and

bringing them down. Webber has to dive to avoid being crushedby one as it falls.

As abruptly as it started, the red tide extinguishes itselflike a spent wave- just shy of the disoriented XenianAmbassador who’s already at the tower entrance.

Recovering his feet, Webber sees Kemp pursuing the Ambassadorinto the tower. He goes after them...

INT. MOTHERZONE TOWER - CONTINUOUS

Entering, he finds himself in a long corridor lit only byamber light spilling from the SILO at its far end. As thatborrowed light fades, all Webber can see ahead are MUZZLEFLASHES. Kemp trading gunfire with the Ambassador’s guards.

Webber feels along the wall. Near the end of the corridor, hehas to step over dead bodyguards. As he enters the silo...

MOTHERZONE TOWER - SILO - CONTINUOUS

...that AMBER LIGHT flares up again. It’s the light of theMother Zone, filtered by a dome above. The Triangle in thesky above the tower has rotated to let it in again.

The temporary illumination allows Webber to see everything:

He’s on a platform halfway up the silo. Twin ladders line thesilo, opposite each other. They are linked at regularintervals by BRIDGES, each of which is divided intocompartments by a series of transparent BLAST SHIELDS.

Webber looks downward and sees the Ambassador being hustledby his last surviving bodyguards down the ladder below,

toward a platform at the base of the silo from whichSPHERICAL TRANSPORTS continuously rise, like cars on aDisneyland ride. He sees no sign of Kemp.

Webber starts down the ladder as the Triangle in the sky onceagain blocks out all light.

KEMP (O.S.)

Here we are. At the passage betweenthe two worlds.

(MORE)

112.

KEMP (O.S.) (CONT'D)

After I kill His Excellency, weshould hijack one of the spheres,

take the ride all the way up. Stormthe gates of heaven.

Webber FIRES in the direction of Kemp’s voice. Kemp RETURNS.

They stop firing as one of the empty SPHERES rises betweenthem. The lights of the sphere reveal Kemp’s position- on theladder opposite, just above him.

Webber fires and misses. To his surprise, Kemp doesn’t shootback- instead, Kemp grabs the ladder with both hands, holdingon for dear life. Webber looks up as light returns and seeswhy: the dome is opening to let the Sphere pass.

As the dome opens, it’s no longer amber light flooding thesilo, it’s the BURNING WHITE LIGHT of the Mother Zone,

undiluted. It singes Webber’s sleeve where his arm pokes outa little from the shade of the landing above. Gravitydisappears. All the yellowish dust that coats everything inhere is suddenly released to dance in the air. Webber andKemp have to hold on to keep from being swept up too.

The dome closes behind the sphere. Gravity returns.

Webber and Kemp resume shooting each other until everythinggoes black again.

Webber hears hushed, anxious ALIEN WHISPERS- the Ambassador

and his remaining escort. A beat later, there’s an ERUPTIONOF MUZZLE FLASHES everywhere. It lasts only a moment.

When light returns, Webber sees the last two of theAmbassador’s bodyguards dead on the next bridge below him andthe Ambassador himself- spattered with their blood-

desperately continuing his descent down the ladder alone.

He’s a sitting duck for Kemp who’s almost parallel with himnow on that other ladder across the silo.

Webber fires quickly, hitting Kemp in the back of theshoulder, throwing off his aim.

Black falls again. Kemp hisses in the alien tongue, then-

KEMP (O.S.) (CONT’D)

Your problem is you see both sidesof the conflict. If you’re both,

you’re neither...

Webber aims his weapon at Kemp’s voice even as he keepsclumsily descending the ladder after the Ambassador.

113.

WEBBER:

We have to be who we are.

KEMP (O.S.)

That’s why I embrace Neither.

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