2. FADE IN:
EXT - LANDSCU-221 HORIZON - DAY, HIGH NOON
The small dot of the boxy LANDING SHUTTLE in the horizon
gets bigger as THE TITLE and EXPOSItION fade in
In 2601, mankind travels the stars
thanks to a new type of highly
energetic isotope created 400 years
ago.
EXT - LANDSCU-221 LANDING PAD - DAY
The shuttle lands amidst a cloud of kicked up sand and steam
and MARGARETE TAUM, brunette, 30s,steps out. Her neatly
pressed uniform and polished Sam Browne belt give her an air
of determination
HL-N 1006 follows behind her. Slim, young and pale, she has
a blue stripe going from temple to temple that marks her as
a walking system.
The pair are greeted by SAIS, female, slightly on edge, and
the three exchange bows.
SAIS
Welcome to the refinery,
detectives.
TAUM
Thank you for allowing us in.
SAIS
Of course, it was just a bad
accident with a pump section, but
we always facilitate the Industrial
Bureau
TAUM
For an accident this large so close
to the food shipping season, an
investigation was inevitable
SAIS
Here, let’s get out of the heat, we
have a room set up for you
The three walk together toward the facility. HL-N leans into
Taum
HL-N
(quietly)
Ma’am, the pump models used have an
almost negligible failure rate
3. 2.
Taum nods her head and gestures for her companion to be
quiet. The three walk toward a large open door
INT - MEETING ROOM
Taum and HL-N sit across from Sais in an impromptu meeting
room. The low hum of industry can be heard in the back. Sais
is smoking like a chimney and is clearly starting to lose
her composure.
Taum is leaning forward in her seat and writing in a paper
notepad. HL-N sits calmly with her hands in her lap.
SAIS
Detectives this is outrageous.
Factories are not sabotaged in this
age.
TAUM
It happens, Ms. Director. HL-N,
what were the statistics?
HL-N straightens in her seat as Taum hands her a mysterious
aerosol can. HL-N slowly spray the contents in the can into
her eyes and the faded blue stripe on her face becomes fresh
and vivid.
HL-N sucks in air through her teeth and her eyes roll back
in her head. She comes to and is prepared to talk.
HL-N
(chanting)
There were 471 incidents in the
last five years that the
inspectorate considers to possibly
be sabotage. 17% were against
agricultural worlds, 28% against
the shipyards and the rest against
Fuel production.
SAIS
Probably just accidents no? They
work the people in those fields
hard.
HL-N
Inspectorate psychology concludes
that the motivation of the
incidents is possibly political in
nature.
HL-N leans on the table as her nose starts bleeding.
(CONTINUED)
4. CONTINUED: 3.
HL-N
Rev-r-revolutionary activity is not
to be ruled out.
The euphoria of the aerosol wears off and HL-N slumps on the
table. Sais looks disgusted and angrily hands HL-N a
handkerchief.
SAIS
Goddamn meatputers. The whole
process isn’t natural.
TAUM
She is still flesh and blood, like
us.
Sais scoffs and stubs out her cigarette.
TAUM
Now, you were going to show us the
area where the incident occurred?
INT- FACTORY CORRIDOR
Taum,HL-N and Sais walk down a small hallway adorned with
all manner of pipes and vent openings . Sais is still
smoking like a chimney.
TAUM
How long have you been on this
world?
SAIS
Three years. They hired me during
the Fuel Boom.
TAUM
I almost took a job in the industry
then. Seems like they hired
everyone who could work.
SAIS
Yeah, and then fired them all a
year later. I got lucky. A lot of
people I know didn’t.
HL-N
The post-boom readjustment caused a
four-percent rise in galaxy-wide
unemployment
(CONTINUED)
5. CONTINUED: 4.
SAIS
She’s all numbers and facts, isn’t
she?
Sais turns around and glares and HL-N. She points with her
cigarette
SAIS
You don’t care about the people.
Just numbers and facts. I’ll give
you a fact; on Laupner-12, my home,
unemployment rose by 45%. I was the
only person in my town with a job.
Do yo--
TAUM
That’s enough, Ms. Director. We
want to get this sorted out. The
less you have an outburst at my
partner the quicker we can conduct
an investigation and leave
Sais starts to say something, but Taums takes a step closer
and Sais turns and hits the button for an elevator. She
shakes her head.
SAIS
Take this elevator. Hit the K23
key. Eleanor will meet you on the
factory floor. Goodbye detectives.
The elevator dings and opens. The walls of it are lined with
plastic film and a single fluorescent bulb lights it
Taum and HL-N step in and face Sais on the outside. Taum
hits a button on the panel
TAUM
Thank you for your cooperation
The doors slide shut. Sais laughs bitterly
SAIS
Fucking bureaucrats.
Sais removes the panel on the elevator call button and flips
a small switch hidden behind it. She reaches into her pocket
and pulls out a small walkie-talkie like device.
SAIS
(into the walkie)
Do it.
6. 5.
INT- ELEVATOR
Taum leans against the plastic as HL-N stands in the middle
of the elevator.
TAUM
Didn’t seem like she had cause to
be so angry
HL-N
I detected several stress markers
when we were interviewing her.
TAUM
What did they point to?
HL-N
Either Argon poisoning, or she was
lying.
The elevator comes to a halt. Taum starts to walk forward
but HL-N stops her.
HL-N
This isn’t the floor the director
specified.
Taum looks up and sees that she is right. The doors ding
open and the duo is face to face with four armed men. Guns
pointing right at them. The detectives put their hands up
automatically.
Taum makes some noises from her throat
INT - FLOOR D12
A MAN behind the armed men laughs. He steps forward. Shadows
obscuring his face. HL-N and Taum lower their hands slowly
MAN
Detectives, good to meet you at
last. Sais told me she had a good
time with you both.
TAUM
She was a bit of a bitch. Didn’t
like my friend.
MAN
Well, most of here don’t either.
Call it a shared prejudice. Then
again, we don’t like you either.
(CONTINUED)
7. CONTINUED: 6.
TAUM
We’re Inspectorate, you can’t get
away with this. We’re already onto
you.
The man waves his hand and scoffs
MAN
Yes, yes. The gendarmes on the Io
food processors said the same thing
TAUM
So what, you’re a network?
MAN
Oh Inspector. I can’t waste words
on a pair of corpses. Well, a
corpse and whatever a broken
meatputer is called. Just know the
Pentriches are going to change this
rotten system. Farewell detectives
The Man turns to walk away. He raises his hand to signal his
men to get ready to fire. Taum starts to move her hand
toward the holster on her belt
TAUM
(quietly)
Helen, the spray.
HL-N takes the spray from her pocket. Taum thumbs open her
holster.
TAUM
THROW IT!
HL-N lobs the aerosol as Taum draws her service pistol and
drops down to her knees. The can flies through the air and
gets to the MAN’s head before Taum shoots it. The can
explodes and sends blue accelerant and metal fragments
everywhere. Taum gets a few in the face. HL-N drops to the
floor
With the gunmen distracted, Taum starts shooting into the
crowd. Juicy, Robocop style squibs start going off. The Man
himself is shot in the thigh. The confused gunmen reply in
turn and fire wildly, blowing holes in the elevator but
leaving Taum and HL-N unharmed.
The scene descends into a haze of blood mist, blue fumes,
kicked up dust and gunfire. It’s total Peckinpah.
(CONTINUED)
8. CONTINUED: 7.
The smoke clears and the bloody and blue corpses of the
gunmen are clear, but a blood trail going down the hall
confirms the Man survived the shootout.
TAUM
Stay here!
Taum gets up and runs after the Man. She almost trips over
the corpses.
INT - FLOOR D12 HALL
Taum is running at full speed after the Man. A thin blood
trail gives her an idea of where to go.
TAUM
Give it up! You can’t get away with
this
INT - FLOOR D12 HANGAR (CONTINUOUS)
The hallway opens up into a bright hangar bay. Several
silver-skinned solar skimmers are parked. One is taxiing
toward the open doors. The Man is being carried by SAIS
toward the open cargo bay of the skimmer
Taum locks onto them and raises her gun
TAUM
Halt! You’re not going anywhere
The Man and Sais turn. The engines on the skimmer roar and
the Man silently issues an order to another one of his
cronies. The crony opens up on Taum with a machinegun and
she barely dives behind a shipping container.
The Man and Said board the skimmer and it jets out of the
hangar as Taum fires a few ineffective shots at it. It
departs
TAUM
Goddamnit!
A HANGAR MANAGER comes out to Taum. She sees him and raises
her gun at him. He panics and throws his hands up.
HANGAR MANAGER
Don’t shoot!
TAUM
Why are you here?
(CONTINUED)
9. CONTINUED: 8.
HANGAR MANAGER
Th-that skimmer wasn’t meant to
depart now. I w-was looki--
TAUM
Shut up! What do you know about the
Pentriches?
HANGAR MANAGER
I...I don’t? I’m just the manager
here. Transport, exports, that sort
of thing.
Taum just now notices the blood running down her face. She
touches it with her off hand and rubs it on her tunic. A few
other hangar employees are gathering to watch the scene.
Taum takes out her identification
TAUM
I’m Inspector Taum, Industrial
Bureau. The accident last week was
deliberate sabotage. Now I need
medical assistance. Let’s go.
The manager and a few of the employees start to guide her to
the med bay. Taum follows behind them, gun and I.D. still
out.
TAUM
And someone get me a Comm array!
INT- REFINERY MEDICAL BAY
Taum waves off a nurse and applies a bandage to her face as
the COMMUNICATION ARRAY rings. HL-N is on a bed being
examined by a Walking System tech.
A staticky image of the CHIEF OF THE INSPECTORATE appears on
a small screen.
CHIEF
Christah Taum. What the hell
happened to you?
TAUM
Landscu-221 was sabotaged. It was a
group action. Do we have any info
on a group calling themselves
the Pentriches?
CHIEF
Uh, nothing comes to mind
immediately. I’d have to check our
files
(CONTINUED)
10. CONTINUED: 9.
TAUM
I think they’re new, or so
underground we didn’t have anything
on them.
CHIEF
Goddamn. How are you? And HL-N?
TAUM
We’re fine.
She gestures to her face.
TAUM
This is just some shrapnel. We got
into a fight with some of them. The
leader escaped however.
CHIEF
Has the refinery been compromised?
TAUM
No, I think it was a vanguard on
the world. The rank and file
workers didn’t seem to know. I
think they might be on other worlds
though. Their leader made it sound
like they
CHIEF
I’ll mobilize a gendarme unit to
sweep the planet and relieve you.
Good work Taum.
TAUM
Thank you, Sir.
CHIEF
Get back to station, we’ll have
something to get our budget back.
That’s for goddamn sure.
The chief ends the call and he cuts away amidst more static.
As soon as the screen goes black the movie itself cuts to
black and the CREDITS roll.
