The Dark Frontier (1) FADE IN: EXT. SPACE TITLE OVER: "NEAR EPSILON IRINDI SYSTEM, 2 JANUARY, 2214 TCE." A big, dirty white vessel slowly lumbers by. The huge orange lettering on the sides identify it as "ANTARIES & IRINDI TRANSPORT FERRY 42". A large, sleek starship follows in the distance. The name "TSS PROTEUS" and the logo of the TERRAN INTERSTELLAR CONFEDERATION SPACE COMMAND are painted boldly on the vessel's sides. INT. PROTEUS - BRIDGE Along the walls of the large, dimly lit, circular room, crewmen sit at several control consoles. Numerous flat, oval-shaped "com screens," mounted on bracket-arms, and pointed at various angles, display images and data. Beneath an ornate, stained-glass lighting panel, in the center of the room, CAPTAIN LESLIE WEBBER, well built, six foot two, 38, the Captain of the ship, sits in one of two identical high- backed upholstered chairs. His First Officer, COMMANDER MELISSA CONNOR, attractive, five foot five, 30, sits at his side. They intently watch the images on two bracket-mounted com screens, mounted at eye level near the chairs. CONNOR I sure hope you are right about this, Leslie. We were ordered to divert to the Adena system, by Admiral Chandler himself. WEBBER Yes, and leave a transport ship, carrying one hundred tons of refined platinum, unescorted through Syndicate controlled territory? Doesn't that sound a little suspicious to you? CONNOR I know we don't have any evidence that Chandler is on the Syndicate's take, but you do have a point. But I highly recommend that we do proceed to Adena as soon as we are sure that the shipment will be safe. WEBBER We might be a little late, but we can claim engine problems, if it . . . Whoa! Lookie there!. On the com screen, appear two smaller SPACECRAFT, resembling black cockroaches. The array of antennas and photon cannons bristling out their sides only tend to enhance the "bug" effect. CONNOR Raiders! I count three of them, closing in on the transport. WEBBER What did I tell ya', Melissa, right on cue! EXT. SPACE POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! The raiders fire their photon cannons at the transport. The rapid shots resemble the streams the old style "tracer" bullets, causing small EXPLOSIONS where they strike the transport's hull. INT. PROTEUS - BRIDGE WEBBER Helm! Battle mode. Relinquish control to command. HELMSMAN Aye, sir! Helm to command. Helm controls swing around in front of the chairs. Webber grabs one of the CONTROL STICKS. Connor swings a COM SCREEN, displaying range grids and targeting indicators, closer to her face. WEBBER All right kiddies! It's ShowTime! EXT. SPACE The PROTEUS wheels around and accelerates. Proteus closes in on the TRANSPORTER and its ATTACKERS. POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! A stream of photon cannon fire erupts from the Proteus's bow-mounted weapon, and stitches across the nearest raider, shattering the hull like glass. BOOM! A massive internal EXPLOSION finishes the stricken craft. INT. PROTEUS - BRIDGE WEBBER Scratch one raider! HA! We caught them flatfooted! CONNOR The other two are running! Bearing one fifty-three on seventy-nine! Webber moves the stick to the right, the ship banks. EXT. SPACE The RAIDERS run away full tilt, with Proteus close behind. POW! POW! The raiders fire a few shots aft. They bounce harmlessly off the nose of the larger craft. POW! POW! POW! The Proteus fires its POINT-FIVE-METER PHOTON CANNONS once again. The multiple shots tear into the stern of the lead raider. It catches on fire and then-- BOOM! Explodes. Webber's ship turns to pursue the remaining craft. ZAP! It suddenly DISAPPEARS in a flash of blue light. INT. BRIDGE WEBBER Damn! They jumped! EXT. SPACE KBOOM! A Single LARGE SHOT, seemingly out of nowhere, tears into the stern of the Proteus. INT. PROTEUS - BRIDGE The ship rocks! ALARMS go off. Several of the com screens turn red. WEBBER What the hell was that! CONNOR Syndicate enforcer ship! It must have jumped in just as the raider jumped out. EXT. SPACE ZAP! ZAP! Two more flashes of light! Two more Syndicate "ENFORCER SHIPS" materialize. Looking like huge, elongated, yellow and black eggs, they swing their 'point-five' CANNON TURRETS around and begin to FIRE. BOOM! Another EXPLOSION rips Proteus amidships. INT. BRIDGE It's chaos! Crewmembers RUN in all directions. Numerous small FIRES break out. Webber and Connor study the few still working com screens in an attempt to assess the damage. WEBBER Shit! The reaction engines are gone! Force shields down, Jump caps have discharged. CONNOR Fire control is disabled! We're sitting ducks! WEBBER Damn it! We drove right into an ambush! The bastards set us up! EXT. SPACE The THREE ENFORCERS close in on the crippled PROTEUS. INT. BRIDGE. WEBBER They have us! Why don't they finish us off? EXT. SPACE Two of the ships EXTEND black, cross, shaped DEVICES, connected to hollow articulated arms, towards the Proteus. The crosses strike the hull, and ATTACH themselves with claw like HOOKS that extend from each arm and drive themselves inward. A powerful, beak-like hydraulic ram CUTTER, in the center, begins to PUSH itself THROUGH the Proteus' hull plates. CONNOR They are deploying their spiders! We are being boarded! INT. PROTEUS - PASSAGEWAY CRUNCHHH! The metal beak PUNCHES through the inside wall. A part of the wall PEELS OPEN like the petals of a flower, as the ram's four quadrants open up, sealing the contact and revealing a HOLE leading into the hollow ARM that now serves as a connecting PASSAGEWAY between the ships. A strange assortment of MEN, some dressed similar to pirates, bikers and cowboys, armed with automatic firearms pour out of the opening. They SHOOT at the crewmembers. Two crewmen fall. A few armed crewmembers FIRE back. One of the boarders falls. INT. PROTEUS - BRIDGE Webber and Connor are out of their chairs, but still watching their com screens. CRUNCHHHH! One of the spider beaks PUNCHES through the sidewall of the bridge, and PEELS it open. Another group of hostile BOARDERS emerges from the hole, firing their weapons. Connor runs for an open door, Webber ducks behind a console. Webber pulls his "One hundred over ten", a large automatic PISTOL, (fires 100 10 gram projectiles) from his holster. POW! POW! POW! He returns fire. Other members of the bridge crew take positions behind chairs and instrument consoles, and begin SHOOTING. Several of the invaders fall, but there are more behind them. MORE GUNFIRE.One by one, defenders fall. Webber, about to be overwhelmed by the onslaught, continues to fire. POW! POW! He shoots TWO INVADERS at almost point blank range. CLICK! Webber's gun stops firing! He seems to be out of projectiles. A BEARDED MAN grabs Webber around the neck. Webber pulls out a COMBAT KNIFE and THUNK! drives it into his attacker's chest. Webber swings the knife in a wide arc. He SLASHES the neck of another MAN. SEVERAL ATTACKERS grab the Captain from behind, and wrestle him to the deck. One strikes him with the butt of a PISTOL. Webber, rendered unconscious, goes limp. INT. SYNDICATE OFFICE -- NIGHT A huge nearly empty room with a high ceiling and a tall window that looks out into the stars. A large "COM SCREEN" dominates one wall. Two black leather clad GUARDS lead a bound and naked Leslie Webber into the room and face him towards the dark, silhouetted figure of a MAN that appears on the screen who speaks with an electronically distorted voice. MAN Welcome captain Webber! WEBBER KONSTANTIN! KONSTANTIN You have been a vexation to our operations in the Irindi district for quite some time. Unfortunately, for you, your life, as you have known it, is over. WEBBER My crew! What have you done with my crew? KONSTANTIN Most have been put to work at tasks more useful to my organization. A few, such as yourself, have been selected for "Special treatment". WEBBER You bastard! If I ever. . . KONSTANTIN Silence! By all rights I should have you killed, but then you would become a martyr, a h e r o. (a beat) No, I want you to serve me as an example, a warning to others who would dare interfere with Syndicate business. (a beat) You are to be my "Guinea Pig", so to speak. A subject is needed to test a new item of alien technology that I have recently recovered from a wrecked Reptoid ship. (a beat) Some of my scientists tell me that it will not work with humans, others say otherwise. You will help me find out. (a beat) If it fails, then you indeed will be dead. (a beat) If it works, welll . . . In either case you will never captain a starship again. (a beat) Take him away! The guards drag Webber away. They push him through a doorway leading into a side room. INT. SIDE ROOM -- NIGHT A featureless room with shiny metal walls. In the center is a SHINNY METAL BOX with blinking lights, attached to a cylindrical, GLASS TANK, filled with a glowing green liquid and big enough to hold a standing human. A narrow skeletal STAIRWAY leads to the top of the cylinder. The guards TIE Webber's legs, drag him up the steps and DROP him into the tank. In a panic, Webber STRUGGLES to breathe as the liquid fills his mouth and lungs. He blacks out. EXT. IN FRONT OF HOUSE AT WEBBER RANCH -- NIGHT TITLE OVER: "WEBBER RANCH, BARNARDS STAR, FOUR" A one story, 'contemporary' looking house. The flat stone and beam construction give it sort of a "Western" look. A tall, attractive brunette, Mrs. ADRIENNE WEBBER,32, stands in front of the structure, looking up into the night sky. The SOUND OF A VEHICLE approaching draws her attention. A tall, six wheeled, enclosed ATV ("all terrain vehicle") pulls up near by. A man, DOCTOR MERRIT,40's, climbs out. ADRIENNE Doctor Merrit! MERRIT Hello, Adrienne. Admiral Simmons suggested that I stop by and look in on you. How are you holding up? ADRIENNE It's been two days since I received the news of Leslie's disappearance. I'm trying to be brave for Justin's sake. MERRIT Have you told him yet? ADRIENNE No. He's only ten years old. I. . . I Just don't know what to tell him. I don't know if Leslie is alive or dead . . . MERRIT We must be prepared for the worst I am afraid. He was involved in a battle with Syndicate raiders when he was last heard from. And we all know that the Syndicate does not have a reputation for mercy. ADRIENNE (hangs her head) I know, Doctor, I know. You will tell me if you hear any more news? MERRIT Yes. Take care, Adrienne. Please call me if you need me. Dr. Merrit climbs into his ATV and drives away. Adrienne slowly walks across her front yard, looking into the stars listlessly. The sound of shuttle THRUSTER JETS attracts her attention. A small black SHUTTLECRAFT lands on the private landing pad, several hundred yards away. In the distance, she sees a MAN climb out, carrying a large BUNDLE, which he, unceremoniously, throws onto the tarmac. He climbs back into his ship. Adrienne runs towards the pad. The Shuttle takes off and disappears into the night sky. EXT. NEAR LANDING PAD -- NIGHT Adrienne approaches the OBJECT that the man threw onto the pad. She stops in horror and represses a scream as she encounters the naked body of a WOMAN, face down atop a puddle of blood. Tall, slim, and athletic looking, the woman appears to be in her late twenties or early thirties. The woman MOANS. She is still alive! Adrienne gets on her knees and rolls the woman over onto her back. Adrienne notices where the blood is coming from. She tears a strip of the hem off her own skirt and stuffs it into the "wound" between the woman's legs. ADRIENNE Oh God!, Oh God! Stay with me honey. You're going to be all right. Adrienne brushes the LONG RED-BLONDE HAIR away from the woman's face. She sees several bruises. The woman opens her eyes. WOMAN (moans) Adrienne! Is it you? The woman looses consciousness. Adrienne gets up, seemingly in awe that the woman knows her name. She pulls her "COM PHONE" from her waistband. ADRIENNE Dr. Merrit! Adrienne! I need an ambulance ship at the ranch immediately. EXT. LANDING PAD -- NIGHT An ambulance ship sits on the pad. Dr. Merrit's ATV is parked near by. PARAMEDICS wrap a sheet around the woman and secure her to a stretcher. Adrienne, standing next to Dr. Merrit, watches. MERRIT You were right Adrienne, The woman has definitely been raped, and by multiple assailants, as far as I can tell. Fortunately, there are no broken bones or internal injuries. ADRIENNE Will she live? MERRIT She does have several severe contusions, some vaginal tearing and she has lost a lot of blood. Your quick thinking probably saved her life. ADRIENNE Thank God! Do you know who she is? She knew MY name. How did she know my name? MERRIT (checks his portable com screen) Her DNA profile lists her as one Kora Horst, a . . . prostitute who once lived on Efra two. (a beat) It also says that Ms. Horst died there three years ago. ADRIENNE Apparently, she didn't. MERRIT Well, according to the records, her body was identified and doubly DNA verified both by the local authorities and the Terran Confederation Special Police. There are no records of twins or clones. ADRIENNE Well, whoever she is, I'm sure she knows something about Leslie. MERRIT I'll let you know when you can talk to her. It should be a few days. Dr. Merrit accompanies the patient as the paramedics roll the stretcher into the AMBULANCE SHIP. Adrienne watches the ship lift off and disappear into the distance. INT. SANDERSVILLE HOSPITAL -- NIGHT The woman lies in a bed, with her eyes closed, connected to an I.V. Drip. A monitoring machine BEEPS near by. A NURSE checks the readout screen, and leaves the room. The woman begins to stir, but remains unconscious. Her eyes twitch beneath the closed lids. Images form in her mind. INT. ROOM -- NIGHT It is dark. Silhouetted against the dim light of a large COM SCREEN, an upright, large 'X' shaped, cross like 'TABLE' casts a dark shadow across the floor. Someone appears to be strapped to it, facing the screen, arms up and legs down in a "spread eagle" position. The shadow of the back of the person's head is silhouetted against the glowing display. The darkened form of Konstantin, once again, appears on the screen. KONSTANTIN Leslie Webber! Your name still fits you well! The head nods and slowly raises up to view the screen. From another angle, the light from the screen reveals the head and face of the WOMAN. Leslie Webber's EYES WIDEN as SHE examines her lithe, naked body as far as the constraints will allow. WEBBER No. . . This can't. . . . What is this?! You bastard! What did you do to me? KONSTANTIN Yes, Leslie, You have been turned, both physically and genetically into a female, and quite an attractive specimen at that. WEBBER You'll pay for this, Konstantin! I swear! KONSTANTIN You are quite a lucky woman, Miss Webber. From what we have been able to determine, there is a three out of four chance that the genetic converter will kill rather than reconstruct a human subject. You have beaten the odds. WEBBER Now what?! KONSTANTIN We will release you. Locking you away would serve no constructive purpose. Your colleagues need to see what you have become. (a beat) But not before I allow a selected few of my officers to extract a bit of pleasure from your personal misfortune. For all the problems you have caused, you owe them at least that much. Several leering MEN, in various stages of undress, led by CAPTAIN THORN, 35, a big man with a black goatee, enter the room. Webber struggles against her bonds, knowing what is coming, but to no avail. WEBBER (screaming) Noooo! INT. SANDERSVILLE HOSPITAL ROOM -- NIGHT The SCREAMS of the woman alarm the staff. TWO ORDERLIES and a NURSE, run in and hold the woman to the bed. The nurse applies an INJECTOR to the woman's arm. The woman calms down and falls back onto the bed, unconscious. INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - DAY TITLE OVER: "Three Days Later" Doctor Merrit and Adrienne walk down the hallway. ADRIENNE Any more clues on who she is? MERRIT We still have her registered as "Jane Doe". She won't tell us anything. She insists on speaking to you, alone. They stop at a door. MERRIT This is the room. You may go in. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- DAY The woman sits up in bed. Her hair has been combed and pinned back. She looks healthy and alert. The bruises on her face have faded considerably. Her eyes register a look of recognition for a second, then turn away as Adrienne enters the room. She turns back to Adrienne somewhat apprehensively. WOMAN You don't know me, do you Adrienne? Adrienne walks up closer, perhaps a little too close. ADRIENNE No, but you know something about my husband, I'm sure of it. WOMAN You're right, I do. (a beat) I am Leslie Webber, Adrienne! The woman's statement takes Adrienne entirely by surprise. LESLIE (continuing) I am your husband, Adrienne! The Syndicate did this to me.---Some kind of alien genetic reprogramming. They wanted me to serve as a warning to other fleet captains who take their role of guardians of the shipping lanes too seriously. Adrienne listens incredulously. LESLIE (continuing) A brainwave scan would prove it, but why wait. Ask me anything! Something only Leslie and you would know about!" Adrienne thinks for a moment. ADRIENNE All right, where did Leslie take me on our
Copyright © 2001 Thomas M Ray |