Millennium Dawn screenplay- act 1

Ext.  Deep space

A massive SPACECRAFT centered in the frame, countless windows blazing with light. Painted on its side are every national flag you can think of.

After a moment, something huge tumbles into view, bigger even than the ship. It takes a moment to realize it's a PENCIL. It passes through the ship as if through a ghost.

The camera pulls back to reveal...


int.  CONTROL ROOM - DARK

...that the ship is a HOLOGRAM floating in the air over a lit-up console, the stars behind it visible through a massive ragged HOLE IN THE WALL. The view is from inside a futuristic control room. There's no gravity here- small items like the pencil float slowly past.

The ship flickers a few times, then disappears. The words "DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE" appear, then the ship re-appears, only now there are flashing red lights along its front half.

The hologram pixellates, jitters and is gone. A moment later a schematic of the ship appears- a blinking yellow light appears on a point towards the back of the ship. That spot zooms into magnification, with a label reading "CRYO POD activated".

The display changes again, this time showing a top-view schematic of an egg-shaped POD, with a silhouette of a child in the center. Vital areas of the silhouette begin lighting up green...the heart, the lungs, the brain...

The camera cross-fades to...


Int. CRYO-STORAGE UNIT - Dim Blue Light

...the actual pod, lined up perfectly with the schematic. Inside is a sleeping girl with long red hair and freckles: TRU CALLISTER (11). She wears a purple and yellow JUMPSUIT. Slowly, a row of interior blue LEDs fade up around her.

Her pod and a half-dozen others are arrayed on a circular CARRIAGE like flower petals, following a twisting track through a colossal chamber full of identical, unlit pods.

The carriage whizzes past a windowed room bulging from the wall- through the glass the CONTROL ROOM is visible.

int.  Waking Chamber- Dim Fluorescent Light

A huge, dimly lit chamber. One of the tracks runs vertically down to the floor- to the right is a wall with a stairway going down, to the left is a balcony overlooking darkness. The room is dingy, with drips from the ceiling forming PUDDLES on the floor. A tattered banner overhead reads 'WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LIFE".

The carriage with Tru's pod glides down the track, easing to a stop as it turns to align her pod with a horizontal CRADLE.

The glass cover slides away with a WHOOSH. Tru's eyes flutter open slowly. Barely awake, she smacks her lips- then a look of disgust comes over her face.

                           TRU:

Bleech....morning breath.....

Tru heaves her head and shoulders over the edge of the tube and groans, rubbing her eyes. She slowly becomes aware of her surroundings.

                           TRU:

Mom…? Dad…?

A feminine voice emanates from a GLOWING PANEL on Tru's right forearm- this is the voice of MILLIE, the ship's computer.

                           MILLIE: (V.O.)

Welcome, Trudy Emily Callister.

Tru just slouches in her Pod- she's clearly unsurprised by the voice.

                           TRU:

Hi Millie… where...what....?

She shakily tries to rise.

                           MILLIE:

You may feel disoriented- this should pass. Unless it doesn't- but then, I've found you get used to it.

Not really paying attention to Millie, Tru focuses in on some of the neighboring tubes.

Tru's POV- she looks around, then focuses on a pod containing a brown-haired woman: Tru's mother, ABIGAIL CALLISTER (37). Pans to an adjacent pod, where a man sleeps: GARETH CALLISTER(42). One more quick swing takes in a young girl: BIZZY CALLISTER (8).

                           TRU:

MOM! DAD! BIZZY!

Tru tries to climb out of her pod- and, with a SQUEAK, tumbles awkwardly over the side, out of sight.

She lays sprawled on the metal floor, face up.

                           MILLIE:

You have been in hibernation for 798 years, 38 days and 15 hours. You may feel a bit stiff.

                           TRU:

Yeah…thanks for that.

Tru slowly struggles to rise. There is a sudden WHIRR, and the empty pod is pulled back onto the rack.

                           TRU:

Am I the first one you woke up? I thought my parents would be up first.

                           MILLIE:

You are the first of your family to be awakened. Unforeseen cantaloupes necessitated a change in plans.

                           TRU:

(to herself, almost silently)

Cantaloupes?

                           MILLIE:

We are approximately twelve hundred years from the planet Aletheia. You are..

                           TRU:

TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS!!??

                           MILLIE:

Approximately, yes- I was rounding down. You may wish to speak softly...

Tru rises on wobbly legs, propping herself on her mother's pod- she's clearly shaken by this revelation.

                           TRU:

Millie, wake my parents, please. They'll straighten this out.

                           MILLIE:

That is not authorized. They are scheduled to be awakened in twelve hundred years, approximately. If you'd like, I'll schedule a reminder for you.

Tru looks around in growing panic.

                           TRU:

MILLIE! WAKE MY PARENTS PLEASE!

                           MILLIE:

Again, that is not authorized. You may rejoin them in cryogenic sleep once you've completed your assignment.

                           TRU:

WHAT ASSIGNMENT?!

                           MILLIE:

An excellent question- please let me know when you find out. Also, you should probably speak more softly…oh, wait…never mind.

Tru's face is inches from her mother's, her eyes brimming with tears.

                           TRU:

(a whimper)

Please...Mom…

                           MILLIE:

Your legs should have some feeling now. Can you move?

                           TRU:

Y..yes

behind Tru, two out-of-focus METALLIC FIGURES rise into view from over the balcony railing.

                           MILLIE:

Good. You should run now.

Focus shifts to the shapes behind Tru. They are imposing SECURITY ROBOTS. They hover a few feet off the ground, and have large round shields mounted on their left arms.

                           TRU:

Run..?

As she says this, the robots come ablaze with flashing red lights, like police cars.

                           SECURITY ROBOT #1:

Halt! You are in a restricted area.

                           MILLIE:

I recommend you don't halt.

Tru whirls around, confused and even more frightened.

                           TRU:

What?! I just…

She begins to step back, warily. The robots hover there, facing Tru.

                           SECURITY ROBOT #1:

HALT!

                           MILLIE:

Really. Don't halt.

The robots begin to float towards Tru. Each raises its shield, and along the rim a disk spins, indexing through a series of frightening weapons before stopping on big gun barrels, crackling with electricity!

                           SECURITY ROBOT #1:

You are in a restricted area. Submit for detention immediately.

Tru she edges warily towards the wall, not sure if she should flee.

                           TRU:

Millie…. Call them off please…

                           MILLIE:

Security is no longer under my control. My earlier advice still applies.

As Tru edges back towards a wall, her bare foot slips in a puddle, and she tumbles! Instantly there is a blinding FLASH and a loud metallic THUMP.

The flash fades out- Tru is now on her bottom, looking up in shock. On the wall above her, right where she would have been standing, a large metal NET is stretched on the wall, fired by one of the bots. It is held in place by magnetic clamps,and it crackles with electricity.

                           SECURITY ROBOT #1:

You are resisting arrest. That is grounds for immediate arrest.

Tru scrambles to her feet, just as there is another FLASH and a second net hits the ground right where she had been. Noticeably, the net is touching the puddle, which crackles as well. She stares at it for a beat, then scrambles for the stairway.


int.  DINGY CORRIDOR - DIM LIGHT.

Tru leaps down the stairs- an arc of electricity just misses her, crackling into the wall and making her duck as she runs.

                           MILLIE:

Oh good, you're running.

Tru flees down the dingy corridor.

                           TRU:

Millie! A little help please!

The flashing lights are not far behind- clearly the robots are in hot pursuit!

Tru runs, looking back over her shoulder in terror. Water drips from pipes overhead, and Tru's footsteps are accompanied by wet SPLASHES.

                           MILLIE:

I'm unable to assist a fleeing criminal- you should turn yourself in to a security robot at the first opportunity.

Another lightning bolt just misses Tru, showering her in sparks!

                           MILLIE:

Oh good, here come some now.

                           TRU:

Millie! This was YOUR idea!

Tru scrambles around a corner

int. Dingy Corridor/Dead End- Dark

As Tru dashes into view she stops suddenly, looking past the camera with alarm.

She's hit a dead-end. There's a massive water tank blocking the corridor about ten feet ahead. A stream of water sputters from a SPLIT PIPE above.

                           MILLIE:

I think you went the wrong way.

                           TRU:

Looks that way...

In the corridor behind her, the flashing lights grow brighter- it's too late to turn back!

The robots round the corner a moment later- Tru is gone! Lasers shoot from their eyes and scan the dead end, searching for her.

Alongside the bots, a few feet off the ground, TRU is pressed against the wall. She is balanced on her tiptoes on a beam, fingertips on the SPLIT PIPE. As the robots pivot in unison towards her, she pulls with everything she's got, and a jet of water blasts the two ROBOTS!

Electrical arcs surround them as they take the full brunt of the stream of water! As the flow of water slows to a trickle, the robots shudder, then slump to the floor and lie there, occasionally sparking.

Tru jumps carefully down and starts to back into the main corridor, eyes never leaving the robots. Behind her, unseen and unheard, a SMALL FIGURE lowers itself down from the ceiling.

The camera follows Tru as she backs away, continuing to stare at the robots. Behind her stands a short cocoa-skinned girl in a smudged white jumpsuit, which she's accessorized with a hodge-podge of other items- a POUCH, a vest, a short skirt- this is SHARVALI WALKER (10). Just before Tru collides with her...

                           SHARVALI:

Nice trick.

Tru shrieks and jumps, practically leaping out of her skin.

                           TRU:

Y…You…who…

Sharvali peers past Tru at the two robots, bemused.

                           SHARVALI:

Water… Huh. never thought of that…

                           TRU:

I...I figured…y'know...electricity and water…

                           SHARVALI:

Well, they won't be down for long- we should get you to the Commons.

Suddenly, Tru has had enough- the confused, panicked look on her face is replaced by a still panicky but angry resolve.

                           TRU:

Hang on! Someone needs to tell me what's happening here, or I'm going to SERIOUSLY FREAK OUT!

                           MILLIE:

I would be happy to..

                           SHARVALI and TRU:

(Simultaneously)

Not you!

                           SHARVALI:

Always the same questions... C'mon- we'll walk and talk.

(extends her hand to Tru)

Sharvali Walker.

                           TRU:

Tru Callister.

Sharvali smirks.

                           SHARVALI:

Hi Newbie- "Welcome to your New Life"!

Sharvali strides off, leading a reluctant Tru into the darkness.