Pale Blue Dot

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AN SUV RACES UP TO-

EXT. LOUISIANA GAS STATION - 2007 - EVENING

-- SPRAYING GRAVEL EVERYWHERE. The driver’s side door FLIES

OPEN before the engine’s even cut off---

BANG!---

the SUV is too close and the door slams into the pump.

It doesn’t matter. There’s no stopping this driver, a woman

in her late thirties, as she wiggles her way out of the car---

DING DING DING---

leaving the keys in the ignition. This is LAURA PEPPER and

she does not have a second to spare.

Laura runs to the pump, hurrying the nozzle into the tank,

leaping over the hose to insert her credit card.

She is athletic and pretty in a no-nonsense way but, right

now, she’s also an agitated, disheveled mess---

ratatat-tat---

impatiently tapping her fingernails on the roof of her

car. She checks her watch, looks over her shoulder to catch

the sun disappearing from the horizon.

The SUV has Texas plates. Wherever Laura’s going, she’s in an

awful hurry to get there.

Unbeknownst to Laura, there’s a SMALL BOY, sitting on the

curb in front of the gas station, playing with a toy UFO. Or,

at least, he was playing with the toy before he got

completely distracted watching...

...Laura frantically pulls the gas pump from the SUV, without

even letting the tank fill-

-- splattering an unnoticed bit of gasoline as---

she replaces the gas pump and reaches up under her dress

to-

--PULL OFF A SOILED ADULT DIAPER.

Laura tosses the diaper into the trash, hops back in the SUV

and tears out of the gas station, leaving the stunned boy

behind.

2.

INT. LAURA’S SUV - LATER

Laura smokes a cigarette and tears down the highway. She’s

staring off into the distance, her gaze fixed on a distant

point in the horizon-- an old Navy trick for staying awake.

Without looking away from the road, she tries the radio. She

finds nothing but static.

Laura reaches over to open the glove box. She grabs a CD

case. She pops the case open, shoves the mix CD in the player

and-

-- “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette kicks in.

Laura cranks the volume up and, as she does, we pan over to

the still-open glove box-

-- to find a loaded hand gun.

EXT. HIGHWAY - CONTINUOUS

Laura’s SUV hurtles down the highway, going almost double the

speed limit. She flies past a sign:

WELCOME TO FLORIDA -- THE SUNSHINE STATE

TITLE CARD:
PALE BLUE DOT

EXT. ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - EARLY MORNING

Now wrapped in a giant TRENCH COAT, and wearing a bizarre,

dark WIG, Laura enters the arrivals terminal of Orlando

International Airport.

INT. ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - CONTINUOUS

Laura walks purposefully through the mostly-empty airport.

She pulls at the belt of her trench coat, tightening it as if

it were a suit of armor.

Nearby, an AIRPORT JANITOR vacuums the loudly patterned

carpet. Laura walks up and taps the man on the shoulder-

-- startling him half to death. After collecting himself, the

Janitor pulls an earbud from his ear.

LAURA:

Baggage from the Houston flight?

3.

AIRPORT JANITOR:

Uh, I’m not sure. Over there maybe?

The Janitor points to the other side of the terminal where a

crowd waits beside a luggage carousel.

LAURA:

Thanks.

Laura heads for the carousel. The Janitor watches her go for

a moment, an eyebrow cocked at her bizarre getup. But,

eventually, he shrugs and goes back to his vacuuming.

This is Florida, after all. He’s seen worse.

INT. BAGGAGE CAROUSEL - MOMENTS LATER

A woman waits beside the baggage carousel, stretching. This

is ERIN FLEETWOOD.

She is a few years younger than Laura but very much the same

type-- blonde, fit, pretty. Though, even after a red eye

flight, Erin is far more rested and put together than Laura

right now-

-- which, is readily apparent as Laura peeks from behind a

nearby column-

-- spotting Erin. Laura’s obviously watching her, spying

even. She’s breathing heavily and her hands are shoved deep

into the pockets of her trench coat.

Erin senses something, someone, and turns her head just as-

-- Laura jumps back behind the pillar. It’s a close call but

then-

--BEEP BEEP BEEP-

-- an alarm goes off, signaling the arrival of the flight’s

luggage.

With a heavy lurch, the conveyer belt starts up. Erin spots

her bag quickly-- a bright red suitcase-- grabs it and starts

for the exit.

Keeping her head down, Laura steps out from behind the column

and walks after Erin. As she does, she reaches in a trash can

and pulls out an old newspaper.

4.

EXT. ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - CONTINUOUS

Laura’s pretending to read the newspaper as she follows Erin.

They make their way past a line of taxis and shuttles.

INT. PARKING GARAGE STAIRS - CONTINUOUS

Erin walks up a set of stairs. Aware of footsteps coming up

behind her, she stops.

The footsteps stop, too.

Erin waits for a suspicious second but there’s no sign of

anyone else in the garage or stairway.

INT. PARKING GARAGE - GARAGE

Erin wheels her suitcase along the darkened parking garage,

hurrying a bit now. As she does, she looks over her shoulder

to find---

Laura following her. She’s twenty feet back, looking

downward, her wig pulled low to cover her face-

--Erin takes off at a full sprint, her bag bumping and

rolling behind her.

Laura doesn’t run. She takes her time.

As she walks, Laura reaches in the pocket of her trench coat

and removes a pair of bright yellow DISH WASHING GLOVES. She

pulls them on as she continues to stalk Erin.

Erin makes it to her car, fumbling with her keys--

--WHICH SHE DROPS-ERIN

Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!

-- Erin scrambles to the ground, reaching for her keys. She

grabs them, unlocks the car-

-- haphazardly tosses her suitcase inside---

before diving in herself---

and slamming the door shut and locked.

Erin looks out the window but there is no sign of Laura.

She’s gone. Vanished.

5.

Erin takes a long, deep breath, collecting herself. She puts

the keys in the ignition and turns the engine-

--BAM BAM BAM-

ERIN (CONT’D)

AHHHHHH!

-- a HAND REPEATEDLY SLAPS THE WINDOW. It’s Laura and she’s

screaming:

LAURA:

I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I need

help!

Erin stops, her eyes squinting in recognition...

ERIN:

Laura?-

-- at the sound of her name, LAURA STARTS CRYING. It’s ugly

stuff-- big tears, heaving, the works.

Concerned, Erin rolls down her window.

ERIN (CONT’D)

What are you doing here? Are you

okay?

LAURA:

You have to stop.

ERIN:

What-

-- LAURA BLASTS ERIN IN THE FACE WITH A CAN OF MACE!

ERIN (CONT’D)

You b*tch!

ERIN SLAMS ON THE GAS-

--CRUNCHHH---

her car lurches forward, directly into the bumper of the

car parked opposite-

-- Laura stands there, the can of mace in her gloved hand,

stunned at what she’s done---

Erin blindly grabs at the gearshift, throwing her car into

reverse and slamming on the gas all over again-

-- Laura drops the mace-

6.

--CRUNCHHH---

Erin crashes into more cars, making her getaway---

BEEP BEEP BEEP---

setting off a car alarm. She shifts back into drive and

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