Pale Blue Dot Page #15

---

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)

Life support:
Go/no go?

MISSION FLIGHT DIRECTOR (V.O.)

Go.

89.

Laura takes a long pull on the beer. Drew just shakes his

head.

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)

T-minus ten seconds.

The large clock rolls backward from ten seconds. The crowd

gathered starts chanting numbers backward-

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

The twins are beyond excited.

ED NEIL:

FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO--FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO--

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)

--ONE. Main engines start.

The countdown clock rolls to ZERO.

In the distance, a BRIGHT FLASH of smoke and light as

Endeavour’s twin booster rockets ignite.

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)

Liftoff.

Endeavour arcs skyward, the flames from its engines

reflecting on the waters of the Banana River.

At this early hour, the light cast shines brighter than the

rising sun. Monstrous plumes of smoke and steam, thousands of

feet long, billow from the launch site.

WALLY:

Jesus Christ.

The friends and family of Endeavour track the arc of the

space ship as it breaks free from the influence of the

planet.

The astronauts travel at speeds most humans will never know,

covering a mile every three seconds as they’re propelled by

over one million pounds of fuel.

The crowd cheers-- how could they not?

NEIL:

Whoa. So cool!

Laura-- eyes fixed on the orbiter-- starts to cry.

Drew puts his arm around her, drawing her close.

90.

DREW:

It’s okay, babe. You had a good

run.

She doesn’t stop crying.

INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - SHUTTLE SIMULATOR - DAY

SIRENS BLARING.

Laura, intense yet detached, is at the helm of the simulator-

RED LIGHTS FLASHING.

Calmly, she turns back to the crew member responsible-

-- ERIN.

LAURA:

Erin. It’s you.

A SECONDARY ALARM SOUNDS.

Erin thumbs through her book too quickly, dropping it to the

ground.

ERIN:

Sh*t. Sorry sorry sorry.

LAURA:

We’re dying right now. Our families

will never see us again.

ERIN:

Okay. I hear you.

Erin starts hitting buttons. Nothing is working.

LAURA:

You’re f***ing up. There’s not

gonna be anything left of us to

bury.

ERIN:

Okay!

Erin flips one last switch and-

The simulator shuts down. Failure.

Laura is furious:

91.

LAURA:

What’s wrong with you?

ERIN:

I’m sorry-

LAURA:

You’re not properly prepared. When

you’re sloppy, people die. Do you

understand?

ERIN:

Yes.

LAURA:

This job is a privilege. You need

to show it the respect it deserves.

Laura unbuckles her harness and leaves the simulator,

brushing past a dumbfounded Paxton.

PAXTON:

What the hell was that?

Laura storms by without answering.

INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Laura lumbers down the hallway, fists clenched.

Behind her, a door flings open: Erin.

ERIN:

Wait!

Laura stops. She takes a deep breath.

LAURA:

If you want an apology it’s not

happening.

Erin catches up to Laura.

ERIN:

It’s not that. I’m the one who

should apologize.

LAURA:

What?

ERIN:

You’re right. I was f***ing up in

there. But I’ll get better.

92.

LAURA:

You’ll have to.

ERIN:

I will. I can do this. I’m sure of

it. And a big part of that is you.

Laura doesn’t answer.

She works to hide the grimace that twists on her face every

time she hears Erin speak.

ERIN (CONT’D)

You’ve been to space. You have a

family. You’re strong and smart and

everything I want to be. I know I

can get there because I have you to

look up to. Thank you so much for

that.

Erin moves in for an awkward hug. Laura does her best to

reciprocate, grateful that nobody else is around.

LAURA:

I’m not that great.

ERIN:

You are. You’re not afraid to go

after what you want. I wish I could

do that.

Laura hugs her back.

CUT TO:

DREW’S FACE:
DEVASTATED. RAGGED.

INT. PEPPER HOME - NIGHT

He looks like he’s had the wind knocked out of him.

Drew and Laura sit on opposite ends of their kitchen table,

unable to look at each other, unable to speak.

And then-

DREW:

How long?

Laura wipes a tear from her eye. She shakes her head.

93.

LAURA:

Does it even matter?

DREW:

I want to know how long you’ve let

me look like a f***ing idiot.

LAURA:

Drew-

DREW:

I guess your life here with a

husband-- with your children-- just

wasn’t good enough?

LAURA:

Stop it.

DREW:

Maybe if I was an astronaut, huh?

Like your new boyfriend?

LAURA:

It’s not that.

DREW:

I deserve to know why, dammit.

LAURA:

Because he gets me, Drew.

DREW:

And I don’t?

LAURA:

No. You don’t. I wish you did. But

you don’t. Mark-- he knows what

it’s like.

DREW:

What does that even mean?

LAURA:

I just don’t want this anymore. I’m

sorry. I’m really sorry.

DREW:

Sure you are.

Drew looks away-- he can’t take this.

LAURA:

I’ll leave.

94.

Drew doesn’t respond. Laura reaches for his hand, but he

pulls it away.

EXT. BACKYARD - LATER

Ed and Neil sit in the backyard, playing with action figures

and toy trucks. Laura’s crouched beside them, watching.

NEIL:

It’s kind of like when you went to

space?

LAURA:

Kind of like that. But you’ll still

get to see me. I’m going to be much

closer.

NEIL:

Okay.

LAURA:

Ed?

Ed doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even look at his mother. He

just crashes two trucks into each other over and over again.

LAURA (CONT’D)

I love you both.

Laura stands. She looks at her boys before heading back

inside.

But, just as she reaches the sliding glass door-

ED (O.S.)

Mom.

-- Laura turns to find Ed running towards her, something

clutched in his hand. He holds it out to her.

ED (CONT’D)

Here.

He hands Laura the Venom action figure.

ED (CONT’D)

To remember us.

Laura grabs her son in a huge hug.

LAURA:

Oh, Ed. How could I ever forget

you?

95.

INT. RUTH’S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Ruth’s been crying. She’s standing on her bed, using a broom

to try and scrape the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars from her

ceiling.

There’s a knock on her door before Laura quietly enters.

LAURA:

Ruth?

Ruth turns on her mother, yelling at her with all the preteen

fury she can muster:

RUTH:

Get out!

LAURA:

Sweetheart, I have to tell you

something.

RUTH:

I know what you have to tell me.

You’re leaving, right? I already

know.

LAURA:

You’re right. I am leaving.

Ruth drops onto the bed. She lies on her back, looking up at

her now blank ceiling.

Laura walks over and sits beside her.

RUTH:

It’s because Dad doesn’t want you

going back to space, isn’t it?

You’re leaving because he doesn’t

want you to be an astronaut

anymore.

LAURA:

Who said that?

RUTH:

I can hear you arguing. I live

here, too.

LAURA:

Ruth, listen. This isn’t your

father’s fault-

-- Ruth sits up at this, angry once again.

96.

RUTH:

I know it’s not his fault. It’s

your fault. You’d rather go up

there than be here with us. You

went up there and you changed and

now getting back there is all that

matters to you.

Laura’s stunned. This whole time, she’s felt crushingly alone

in this house, completely misunderstood. But her daughter

gets her.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes