Morning Star Page #4

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EXT. PARIS STREET -- LATE AFTERNOON

A HOVERING POLICE VEHICLE the size of a PT boat passes above.

Webber walks past a modernist-abstract MONUMENT, ringed bycandles, dedicated, in French, to the “Heros de

Arrondissement Gobelin.” He pauses to read the Englishinscription: “...to members of all services who valiantlydefended the ‘Goblin Front’ 2023-2024” Overtaken by memory,

he looks down the street...

FLASH TO -- EXT. PARIS STREET (YEARS EARLIER)

The same street in flames. Humans, some in uniform, some

partisans in rags, battle Aliens riding hover vehicles withAKs and rocket launchers. A HUGE ALIEN CRAFT looms above all.

BACK TO-

Webber shakes it off and walks on. He drops something in thecup of a HOMELESS VETERAN. The Veteran salutes Webber WITH AROBOTIC LEFT ARM... as Webber keeps walking, the Veterantracks him with his eyes, seemingly with intent.

INT. MONORAIL -- EVENING

Webber shares a car with a FATHER and his SON. He watches the

boy half-dozing in his father’s lap with something like envy.

FLASHBACK TO- INT. A REFUGEE HOSTEL -- DAY

Webber’s Father picks his way slowly through a dank hallcrowded to bursting with RAGGED CHILDREN, all with namespinned to their coats. He’s not finding the child he’slooking for... until one skinny urchin, slowly, warily standsup. He wears the name “Martin Webber.” It’s the little boyfrom the opening, 3 years older.

The man’s eyes fill with tears. He lays hands on his son sogingerly it’s like he’s afraid the child will break.

16.

INT. ST. VINCENT CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL -- DAY

Webber passes VETERANS with robotic limbs sitting likezombies in wheelchairs. He looks in a private room midwaydown the hall. His FATHER lies in the bed here. Old now.

Webber doesn’t go in. He just lingers in the doorway,

watching his father sleep. When the old man starts to rouse,

Webber clears out before he can be seen.

INT. WEBBER’S APARTMENT -- NIGHT

Spartan in the extreme. The only decor is an ABSTRACTPAINTING that resembles a white landscape.

Webber stands at his window. A LIGHT comes on across the

courtyard of this slightly dilapidated 19th century,

Haussmann-style apartment building,- it’s that waitress, Miaputtering in her little kitchen. Webber watches her withconcern, suspicion... and maybe something else. He closes hisshutters and puts the latch on.

EXT. SALZBURG, MARKARTPLATZ -- NIGHT

Enchanted city, yellow lamplight. Dorna joins well-heeledstragglers heading into the OPERA HOUSE.

INT. SALZBURG OPERA HOUSE -- NIGHT

Dorna shows his ticket to an usher but doesn’t take a seat.

He watches the audience. “The Magic Flute” is in progress. AnOLD WOMAN, hunched, head lowered, rises from her seat and

comes up the aisle toward him. Dorna doesn’t glance at her asshe passes but when he looks in his palm, there’s a SMALLBRASS KEY there.

OPERA HOUSE - UPPER FLOOR

Dorna makes sure he’s unobserved then uses the key to enter aprivate box. His eyes have to accustom to the dark. The boxis empty except for a lone figure, holding opera glasses,

seated in the first row of seats.

Dorna moves closer and discovers that the opera fan in theseat is a macabrely smiling ventriloquist’s DUMMY.

The Dummy lowers the opera glasses and rotates its cracked,

painted face. Its mouth drops open, grotesquely wide. BeforeDorna can react, a YELLOWISH CAUSTIC SUBSTANCE sprays fromthe gaping mouth. He screams as his face melts...

17.

We HEAR Dorna’s death gurgles as a vaporous yellow streamcontinues to issue from the doll’s mouth... PANNING to the

stage, Papageno collapses, spewing blood, followed by othermembers of the cast, the orchestra, the now panickingaudience is stumbling into the aisles...

EXT. SALZBURG OPERA HOUSE -- NIGHT

The “old woman” - little more than a silhouette - stops,

straightens up, looks back at the opera house. Listening tothe SCREAMS coming from inside. A well-dressed mob appears atthe closed front doors. Desperately pounding hands smearblood on glass. From this distance, it looks the walls of ahuge fish tank turning red.

INT. HQ - HOMELAND DEFENSE BLACK SITE -- DAY

Webber enters a hive of frenetic activity...

BEWLEY:

Four hundred and thirty dead.

Initial reports are fuzzy but itlooks like they used a Xenitecompound, sulfur dichloride.

FELTON:

“Devil’s Piss.”

(to Bewley)

They use it in their mining

operations. To dissolve rock.

MARLING:

The official Xeno response is astrong denial they had anything to dowith the attack, mixed with a vow of

retaliation if we indulge in“opportunism”. That means somethingless than f***-all, of course, but it

does beggar belief the Hex wouldthreaten the truce so brazenly on theeve of the peace talks.

A photo’s being passed around. Webber puts on glasses. The

photo is Dorna’s corpse. Webber stiffens looking at it.

BEWLEY:

There has always been one theorythat the Xenos’ exponential birthrate necessitates them having a“doomsday plan” for globalexpansion- or someday inevitablydeveloping one.

18.

FELTON:

Nice to know the Academy’s stillteaching the obvious like it wasrevelation.

Bewley is irked by the insult but doesn’t respond.

WEBBER:

What the hell was Dorna doing inAustria anyway?

BEWLEY:

Best we can reconstruct it, he was

pursuing some personal investigation.

Likely, he caught wind of thisSalzburg plot and got bolloxed up inthe middle of it.

MARLING:

We haven’t been able to confirm yetthat Salzburg had anything to dowith the report Dorna filed toEberlin last month.

WEBBER:

What report?

A commotion greets a new arrival in the bunker - GAST, agaunt, imposing figure, dressed immaculately, all business.

FELTON:

It’s the grim reaper.

Webber is clearly not happy to see the man. Nobody is. Allhush as he addresses them in a slight French accent.

GAST:

I need not remind anyone that thedeath of an agent in the fieldimmediately becomes a Priority Reditem. You’ll all be expected togive this one hundred percent ofyour time and energy. That’s fromEberlin himself. Thank you.

Gast walks away, to murmuring. Webber pulls Marling aside.

WEBBER:

What do you know about this reportDorna filed?

MARLING:

He didn’t tell me anything... Hedidn’t mention it to you?

19.

There’s an obvious subtext there. Webber hits it head on-

WEBBER:

He didn’t trust me.

MARLING:

He didn’t trust anybody.

INT. DORNA’S HOUSE -- NIGHT

Webber enters a living room crowded with people crying,

consoling, etc. Dorna’s wife, INBAL, a handsome, if brittle,

woman sees him from across the room and comes to him. He hugsher, whispers in her ear. She pulls away, shaking her head.

INBAL:

What happened?

WEBBER:

I don’t know.

INBAL:

And you’d tell me if you did?

WEBBER:

We don’t know anything yet.

(hushes Inbal, hugs her)

You don’t have to be in control of

anything right now... Look at me.

Just take care of yourself, Ok?

She starts to protest then just nods. He holds her, gently.

MOMENTS LATER:

Webber places a hand on Dorna’s sulking DAUGHTER’s shoulder,

gives the girl a “be brave” smile and moves off. Seeing noone’s watching, he slips away.

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