Screamers Page #3

We're at 1 4 degrees north latitude.

We expect to reach

the NEB Command...

...in about four hours. Hello..?

We've got a new arrival.

He came in yesterday.

Chuck, you're breaking up.

You'll get your next transmission

at 00:
00 hours.

- Libby, over.

- lt seems a little strange...

lf you're gonna be a rock,

be a rock. Don't be a bug.

Don't do that to me!

l nearly pissed my pants... sir.

Things ain't what they used to be.

Jefferson!

- Didn't you hear it?

- No.

- Good God, man!

- Cool, huh?

- Do you know how much they cost?

- Keep that on your wrist.

- Doesn't it work if it's nearby?

- lt stays on your arm!

l'm already dragging one kid around.

Do l have to tie your shoes for you?

Your tab was on

and it was going for you.

What is this?

l've never seen this.

lt looks like an animal.

lt's not an animal.

lt's an upgrade.

- Maybe it's a NEB one.

- Jefferson, relent.

We're getting out of here.

Take your bear with you.

- Where are we going?

- A long way for you, kid.

You soap the socks the night before.

The water dries out

but the soap stays in.

- You've got soap against skin...

- Have you got a dimmer switch?

lf you put a teddy bear

in a microwave, nothing will happen.

- But a wet frog...

- Shut up.

Jefferson!

Goddamn screamer!

lt wanted to kill us.

lt can see us and touch us.

l can't tell what the signals say.

lt can talk.

- He's a f***ing toaster.

- That's right.

Pinocchio's not a real little boy.

- Why didn't it try to kill us?

- lt was tagging you.

They're smarter now. They get

into our bunkers. They tag along.

Who can resist a kid

with a hard luck story?

Once it gets inside, the killing

starts. But you knew that already.

- You brought him in here.

- lt found us.

What is your reason for being here?

We were invited here

for a peace negotiation.

Marshall Cooper sent this

from NEB headquarters.

You want to negotiate..?

We ain't gonna do it here.

- Are you taking them to the bunker?

- You got something better to do?

- Sir, do you trust these guys?

- No.

- What are you doing?

- Calling the office. Problem?

Cicero, this is Libby. Come in.

- How is it out there?

- We've got a new kind of screamer.

- l can't hear you real well.

- lt's a kid. A little boy.

- Don't let it into the bunker.

- l can't hear you.

There's too much interference.

That kid, he was like a person.

How did he know what to say?

You think Santa

makes them his little elves?

They've got more brains than you.

Fighting won't solve our problems.

One of those kids tagged my patrol.

We took him into our bunker.

- Nobody got out.

- Except you.

- What's that supposed to mean?

- You figure it out.

You guys brought them here.

Only after the bombing started.

But now they don't care what uniform

is covering your ass.

- Neither do l.

- Slow down, soldier.

Would you mind

taking that outside?

Stray bullets

are bad for the inventory.

lt's worth a lot more

when it ain't all shot to... sh*t.

l'm letting you stay here out of

the kindness of my heart, Becker.

So follow the ground rules.

First, no gunplay inside.

Second, this is my place,

and nobody touches anything.

Real Scotch, not synthetic sh*t.

No spitting.

Spare a cigarette?

Well, gentlemen...

Live it up.

l haven't had an American cigarette

in over a year.

There's plenty back at base,

but l forgot to bring them.

- You got the last one.

- Very generous of you.

What is this place, a commissary?

There hasn't been a commissary here

in over two years.

Not since those blades arrived.

- Are you a freelancer?

- Right. Black market, Commander...

Hendricksson, Joseph. San Francisco.

Jessica Hanson, Pittsburgh.

How do you do?

- lt's early in the day for that.

- Yeah.

l'm looking for Marshall Cooper,

Fifth NEB Army.

He'd be in the command bunker,

if there still is one.

What about

your communication satellites?

lf they're still working,

they'd be in there, too.

What do you mean by that?

You have no idea

of the hell you opened up.

We opened up? Just tell me

where the command bunker is.

You wouldn't last ten yards

out there without me.

- Have you seen it?

- l heard it.

- Hordes of them.

- What hordes?

Davids. l heard them

screaming into the bunker above us.

l heard the soldiers screaming.

Then it got very quiet.

Nothing...

except the smell of death.

- Still want a guided tour?

- lf Cooper is alive, l'll find him.

l'll take you to Command.

We'll go underground.

- l want something in return.

- Speak.

- l want off this ashtray.

- Where?

Earth. How long do you think

l'm gonna last in here?

Nobody leaves. The NEBs and

Alliance are fighting on Triton 4.

They've hung everybody

on this planet out to dry.

Good Lord, you're beautiful.

l can take you back

to the Alliance bunker.

- Deal.

- Going somewhere, Jessica?

She's taking me to NEB Command

and l'm taking her to Alliance.

Cosy.

And then what?

Become a prisoner of war?

You can relocate anywhere

if you can get off this globe.

Or you can go straight to hell

for all l care.

You're crazy.

You don't know what's down there.

- Afraid of the dark, Ross?

- Get off my back.

Look at this. lt's one of ours.

She's got everything.

And l found something else.

- What is it?

- A plutonium rocket.

Plutonium? Have l been

blowing smoke out of my ass?

We've not used nukes in this war yet

and we're not going to use them now.

So leave it.

Okay, let's get on the good foot.

Anybody that's coming, come on.

"When he's best,

he's little worse than a man."

"And when he's worst,

he's little better than a beast."

l never knew they put

Shakespeare in comic books.

Ain't it sharp enough yet?

lt's never sharp enough.

l'm not sure if these tabs work,

but stay close to me and Jefferson.

Let's go.

This leads to the maintenance tunnel

underneath the command bunker.

l ain't going in there.

Don't tell me a big guy like you

is scared of mice!

- Has a rat got your tongue?

- Get off my back.

ls that all you know how to say?

Explain your vocabulary, Ross.

Knock it off!

Just get off my back!

We're almost there.

This is the command centre.

This is the ground level.

- What the hell is this?

- lt's exactly what you think it is.

l knew it!

We're all gonna die!

Jefferson, if that man moves,

or even farts, shoot him.

Shut up.

lf Richard Cooper were alive,

he'd be here, wouldn't he?

The ComSat stabilizers

are all frozen.

This one's free.

Uplink attempt initiated.

Sat Net downlink does not respond.

Malfunction.

Sat Net does not respond.

Way to go, Ross.

Can l come with you?

Jefferson, get everybody

out of here now. Do it!

Go.

Can l come with you?

Can l come with you?

We're not leaving

without Hendricksson.

Can l come with you?

- Can l come with you?

- Jefferson!

Cute, Jefferson.

lt won't take them long

to get through this door.

- Thanks for waiting, Becker.

- Yeah, next time.

There won't be a next time.

That was stupid.

- What was so important back there?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes