The Avengers

1BLUE SKY WITH CLOUDS

PAN DOWN to reveal:

2EXT - SALTFLATS - DAY

A flat horizon, stretching to infinity.

A 360 degree pan reveals: nothing. Deserted, no hiding places. No animals, no

humans, no objects. Except in mid distance --

3RED PHONE BOX

brightly painted, traditional, comforting, belongs in a village green. Perfectly

ordinary -- except for its location.

Silence. Only the wind over the plain. Except --

The PHONE RINGS.

RING-RING ... a mellow, old-fashioned tone. We wait for someone to answer it. But

of course nothing and nobody for miles. Except --

4IN DISTANCE

a CAR ENGINE ... A puff of smoke on the horizon ... VA-VA-VOOM of high geared

acceleration, as INTO VIEW

ZOOM! --

5CAR

speeding like a bullet. Driven at maximum, breakneck speed, 125 mph. A petite open

top '65 Lotus Elan, all streamlined curves, full throttle, it nears the phone box, and --

SCREECHES to a halt.

Dust clears, ENGINE NOISE FADES. From the seat, hops --

6KINKY BOOT

in black leather.

Buckled. Strap at ankle. Crunching into the ground.

PAN UP TO:

7BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

late 20's. In CLOSEUPS of -- Tight black leather catsuit. A flash of auburn hair.

Black leather like a second skin. Smoothed over legs, thighs. Buckled at wrists, straps

at ankles, zips --

Pulled up over flesh. This is EMMA PEEL, scientist. Sexual, invulnerable, cool. Very

cool. She locks up at clouds in the sky. Then steps across to the phone box. Picks up

the phone.

EMMA:

How now brown cow ...

(pause)

The rain in Spain falls mainly

on the plain ...

(pause)

The quick brown fox jumped over

the lazy --

From the receiver, an irritated official voice.

VOICE (V.O.)

(filtered)

Password affirmative. Thank you,

Doctor.

Emma puts down receiver. Hangs a cardboard outside the phone box. Then presses

button bakelite box.

A second's wait. A coin from the slot. Then a HUM as --

8INSIDE PHONE BOX

the floor lowers automatically. Emma disappears. Hanging outside the box, a notice

now reads "Out of Order."

Next to the call box we notice a sign: an arrow pointing into the desert: "London 84

miles."

9INT. LABORATORY

underground. Emma descends on the lift platform; steps into a research lab in retro hi

tech. Walks past assistants, down long pink and orange steel corridors, Werner von

Braun goes disco. Nears a door, marked: "Prospero Project -- Authorized Personnel

Only." Logo with lightning emerging from a cloud.

10 FROM AIRLOCK DOOR

A man enters, older. In matching leather suit: like an astronaut. Early 40's, handsome,

charismatic, with swept-back silver-black hair. His name tag: DR. PETER PEEL.

PETER:

Ready, darling?

Peter fixes her name tag: DR. EMMA PEEL; runs a finger down over her breast. She

smiles.

EMMA:

Ready as I'll ever be ...

Mutual erotic, intellectual attraction. Peter takes her hand and they walk down:

11 LONG CORRIDOR

air-lock doors:
a series of sealed chambers inside a hitech Labyrinth --

A man joins them. A shyer, bespectacled, less handsome version of Peter. On his name

tag:
DR. VALENTINE PEEL -- brother and partner.

In b.g., a countdown starts, ECHOING thru the lab

VALENTINE:

Atmospheric pressure checked, antenna ready...

Thermal chamber ready ... Compression module

set ... Temperature control on course between

one and one forty ... Water turbulence steady ...

PETER:

Anything else?

Valentine smiles, shrugs --

VALENTINE:

Good luck ... Peter ... Emma.

EMMA:

Thanks, Valentine ...

Emma gives him a quick peck on the cheek.

A shy look from Valentine at Emma. Peter senses

PETER:

Just a minute, darling. My brother's a

worry wart. I better have a word ...

Valentine --

Peter takes Valentine over to one side. Emma checks gauges and dials. Behind her a

conversation. Peter returns.

He takes a ring from his finger --

12 CLOSEUP - DIAMOND GEM

on a gold ring.

13 BACK TO SCENE

He slips it onto her finger.

PETER:

Something to remember me by.

Peter smiles. The remark strikes Emma as curious. But no time to query. She smiles

back. He gives her a kiss --

PETER:

(checks his watch)

See you in an hour ...

EMMA:

One sunny day ...

The countdown ECHOES around them as they separate.

14 IN DISTANCE

Valentine watches her.

15 INT. LAB CHAMBER

Inside a bed of ice, Emma is lowered by hydraulic machine into a steel radioactive

thermal chamber, glowing eerily blue

The effect is very cold. Frozen. Numb. Like a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty, beauty

entombed and sealed in a glass coffin. Plunged down into a vault. Opposite her --

In another glass coffin, Peter Peel, is lowered down.

16 FROM EMMA'S POV

The sound of their HEARTBEATS. Their BREATHING. BLEEP and PULSE OF

ELECTRONICS. Thru glass and leather. Like cerebral sex. Technological, erotic.

Peter winks at her -- Emma locks longingly at him, as --

17 UP IN CONTROL ROOM

Valentine watches behind glass. Like a kid excluded from a bedroom. He attends to

dials. And to his female assistant --

VALENTINE:

(thrilled)

Readings still normal ...

The assistant smiles oddly. FOCUS ON --

An insignia tattooed on her neck: "X404." A replicant.

They monitor screens. A DULL HUM.

18 EXT. SALTFLATS - DAY

A weather antenna emerges from the ground: an enigmatic phallic silver blob, like a

Koons sculpture. The sun glints off it ...

19 DOWN BELOW

A temperature gauge rises.

The ice is infused with pulsating colors: purple -- blue -- green -- red. Starts to heat

up as if --

It soaks up temperature: from cold to hot in instants.

20 CLOSEUP - WHITE GLOVED HAND ON DIAL

"CUMULUS COLLECTOR." The graphs accelerate, but over the dull HUM -- a

MURMUR, a BREATH. As Emma's HEARTBEAT rises

The gloved hand turns up the dial, past a red danger mark.

Suddenly a BLIP. Something wrong.

21 DOWN IN HIS VAULT

Peter Peel's "coffin" starts to overheat. Peter reacts --

PETER:

(intercom cutting out)

Losing control -- malfunction

in thermal chamber -- for Christ's

-- Emm --!

22 IN CONTROL ROOM

Needles push off the dials, as --

The ice swells:
strange mix of colors, absorbing heat and energy in clusters of molten

metal ... steam and sparks ignite ... Valentine's eyes widen in alarm ...

COUNTDOWN (V.O.)

Five -- four -- three -- two --

one ... Three -- two -- one ...

(repeating)

Three -- two -- one ...

23 INSIDE COFFIN

Peter's glass cracks

The emergency light goes on -- the ALARM sounds -- lab assistants running ...

24 IN HER COFFIN

Emma realizes; looks to Peter --

25 EXT. SALTFLATS - DAY

The "Koons" antenna is drawing a strange purple cloud towards it, from otherwise blue

sky ... siphoning the purple atmosphere down itself into

26 INT. CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Thru the air ducts the purple cloud starts to billow ... Panic stations! Valentine looks

aghast at the graphs: all systems f***ed, over the intercom --

VALENTINE:

Emma, Peter, get out! It's going to explode!

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