Pale Blue Dot Page #4

---

Instead, she opts for composure:

LAURA:

I look forward to serving NASA and

my country, any way I can, for a

long time to come.

Paxton smiles.

PAXTON:

You’re one of the good ones,

Pepper.

18.

INT. PAXTON’S OFFICE WAITING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Paxton escorts Laura from his office into a waiting area,

where a MAN leans against the wall and thumbs through an old

issue of Time Magazine.

PAXTON:

It’s great to have you back on

Earth.

The man looks up-

MAN:

Ha! That’s not what you said when I

came back.

The man is MARK GOODWIN, a 45-year-old All-American type.

Paxton grunts something like a laugh.

PAXTON:

That should tell you something.

(to Laura)

Laura have you met Mark Goodwin?

He’s commanding Endeavour in the

Fall.

Laura turns to Mark.

Their eyes meet.

Time stops.

LAURA:

I’m Laura-

-- the film skips, stutters and-

--BURNS RIGHT OFF THE SCREEN.

BURN TO:

NEWSREEL FOOTAGE

EXT. ALASKA - 1970S

Black and white footage of a quiet lake. Mountains line the

skyline. The sound of an ENGINE SPUTTERING TO LIFE is

followed by:

19.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Born April 29, 1965 in Anchorage,

Alaska, Mark Nathan Goodwin was

born to fly.

A seaplane takes off from the water’s glassy surface.

INT. SEAPLANE - CONTINUOUS

A teenage Mark, baby-faced but full of confidence, is

piloting the plane. He turns to the camera and takes his

hands from the yoke, goofing off like a kid riding a bike.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

From an early age, Mark was a

skilled and confident pilot.

EXT. ALASKA - MOMENTS LATER

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Which, is not to say his early

flight hours were not without

incident.

-- THE SEA PLANE CRASHES-

-- it’s a horrible accident, the kind of thing no one could

possibly survive, except-

-- Mark “mother f***in’” Goodwin-

-- who, somehow, climbs out of the wreckage, shaking his head

and laughing at himself.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Mark walked away.

As Mark walks away-

--KA-BOOM -

-- the plane EXPLODES behind him.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Unharmed.

EXT. PERSIAN GULF - WAR YEARS

Standard news reel footage of a plane landing on an aircraft

carrier.

20.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Goodwin served in the Gulf War.

Earning a number of medals and a

teaching position at the Navy’s top

flight school.

Having landed safely, Mark climbs out of the cockpit. He

pulls his helmet off and walks across the carrier runway, a

total badass.

EXT. BEACH - LATER

Mark, in a short bathing suit, struts around a volley ball

court.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Where he excelled both in and out

of the classroom.

He leaps into the air and SPIKES THE BALL into the camera.

INT. MARK’S TOP GUN OFFICE - LATER

An ATTRACTIVE FEMALE CADET enters the office, where Mark sits

on his desk with that same confident smile.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

He was quite popular amongst his

students.

The Female Cadet closes the door behind her suggestively...

INT. SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY - LATER

Mark somersaults through low-gravity, not a care in the

world.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

And soon, Goodwin was recruited to

NASA, where he quickly became a

star pilot and the life of the

party.

INT. PHOTO SHOOT - LATER

Back on Earth, Mark, decked out in a flight suit with a

helmet in hand, poses for his NASA portrait. There’s an

American flag over his right shoulder, a model of the shuttle

over his left, and that same ever-confident smile on his

face.

21.

NARRATOR (V.O.)

Mark Goodwin has logged more than

three hundred hours in space and is

set to prove that, for someone this

special, even the sky is not the

limit-

BACK TO:

INT. FRANK PAXTON’S WAITING ROOM - DAY

... where Laura’s offering her hand to Mark. He takes it

gracefully, amused by her flustered stammering.

LAURA:

...Laura Vine. I mean, uh, Pepper.

Laura Pepper. I’m sorry it’s

just...I...

MARK:

It’s okay. Coming back is hard.

LAURA:

Yes it is.

Mark laughs to himself, recognizing something in her.

MARK:

Already trying to get back there,

aren’t you?

There’s no sign of her earlier composure as Laura blurts out:

LAURA:

As soon as I can.

CUT TO:

INT. PEPPER HOUSE - EVENING

Laura enters the house. It’s cozy and lived-in, as clean as a

house with three kids could reasonably be. She’s carrying her

own luggage.

As soon as she reaches the kitchen, Laura makes a beeline

straight for-

--a row of African violets on a window sill. The flowers

look healthy but she can’t be sure and she sticks her fingers

into the soil. It is soft and damp, perfectly maintained.

22.

DREW (O.S.)

You didn’t think I’d remember.

Drew enters behind his wife, smiling.

LAURA:

I know you didn’t.

Laura lifts the potted violet, revealing a brand new price

tag on the bottom.

DREW:

Busted.

Laura playfully hits Drew with the pot. She’s about to give

him an earful when-

-- Ed runs inside with a LIT SPARKLER.

ED:

Mommy, we’re having 4th of July

again! Since you missed it!

LAURA:

Give me that.

Laura snatches the sparkler from her six-year-old. She turns

to Drew who gives her two big thumbs up.

DREW:

4th of July!

ED:

FREEDOM!

With that, Ed races from the kitchen. Laura runs the sink and

puts the sparkler out with a hiss as-

--POP POP POP-

--a loud string of firecrackers goes off outside. Drew

laughs.

LAURA:

What about the neighbors, Drew?

It’s a weeknight.

DREW:

Who cares about the neighbors? My

wife just got back from outer

space. We’re celebrating.

CUT TO:

23.

FIREWORKS EXPLODING...

EXT. PEPPER BACKYARD - LATER

...they’re the home-variety but it’s still an impressive

display.

As Drew runs around like a maniac, lighting mortars and black

cats and cherry bombs, the twins look on in awe.

Laura, for her part, seems to be enjoying the display from a

safe distance. Ruth’s a few feet from her, playing a game on

her cell phone, ignoring the rest of the family.

LAURA:

Hey. Come here.

Ruth answers without looking up from her phone:

RUTH:

Why?

LAURA:

Just come here.

Ruth rolls her eyes and shoves her phone in her pocket. She

walks over to her mother. Laura pulls Ruth into her, wrapping

her arms around her daughter and resting her chin on the top

of Ruth’s head.

LAURA (CONT’D)

What’d you grow three inches while

I was gone?

RUTH:

No.

LAURA:

Well, you’re growing so fast you

could’ve fooled me.

The two of them stand there a moment, the constant blast of

fireworks almost soothing. There’s a faint hint of a smile on

Ruth’s lips but it’d disappear in a second if either of her

parents could see.

LAURA (CONT’D)

Anything happen while I was gone?

RUTH:

Dad killed your violets and got new

ones from Lowe’s.

24.

LAURA:

You’re not supposed to tell me

that.

RUTH:

Oops.

LAURA:

I meant with you. Anything happen

with you? Any changes?

Ruth finally grasps what her mother is asking...

RUTH:

Eww. Gross, Mom. Stop.

...Ruth pulls away from her mother’s grasp, unwilling to

stick around if the topic is her changing body. Laura calls

out:

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