The Dark Frontier (9) sends out a series of devastating rapid shots immediately before the impending collision. KBLAMMM! The Enforcer Two blows apart like the two halves of an egg! Without slowing down, Retribution blows through the fireball and out the other end. It's still on a dead - on course for the Enforcer One! INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Tynan and Sanders watch on his view screen SANDERS Damn! TYNAN Aidar was moving too slow. His guns couldn't keep up. Divert more power to the reaction engines, we have to maintain a sufficient speed differential. EXT. SPACE The one-point-five glows bright orange from the heat of the rapid firing. INT. RETRIBUTION - ENGINEERING Bainbridge, breathing heavily, can't believe what just happened. He switches off his video. From now on, he is going to only watch numbers. EXT. SPACE Enforcer Eight now moves in behind Leslie, taking care to remain out of one point five's range. CAPTAIN AKITA Matches Leslie's speed. LESLIE I've got one on my tail and another one getting into position. The Cannon's too hot to fire! Bainbridge how's the QUELL? BAINBRIDGE Still has about 15 minutes. You better jump! LESLIE Damn! No way am I going to let Sanders get away from me. Not now! EXT. SPACE Using the stabilizing thrusters, she rapidly flips the Retribution around one hundred and eighty degrees. The course does not change, but the ship now faces backwards, pointed towards Enforcer Eight. INT. ENFORCER EIGHT - BRIDGE The very angry visage of Leslie Webber now fills AKITA's com- screen. LESLIE (screaming) You sonofabitch! This is between me and Konstantin! How dare you interfere! Captain AKITA is taken aback by Leslie's outburst. She Suddenly tears into him again. LESLIE (shouting) That is a fifteen meter quell you are looking into, Jack! It took out the moon of axel two and it will absolutely obliterate a starship. If you aren't far away from here before I count to three, I will scatter your sorry atoms across half a parsec! One! Two! . . . EXT. SPACE ZAP! Enforcer eight vanishes! INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Tynan yells into the com link TYNAN No, you fool! She's only bluffing! Damn! He can't get back until his jump capacitors recharge. EXT. SPACE. Leslie, still hurtling towards Enforcer One, swings the Retribution around once again. The big photon cannon has cooled a bit by now. She points her ship at Enforcer Twelve. BAM! BAM! BAM! Leslie fires three one point five shots at it, directly across its course. THAT gets his attention. CAPTAIN GALVIN backs his craft off a bit more. The bow of the Retribution remains pointed at him, tracking his movements. INT. ENFORCER TWELVE - BRIDGE Leslie appears on his view screen. She seems quite a bit calmer now, and even smiles slightly. LESLIE Do I have to worry about you, Captain? Sanders breaks into the conversation, over the com system. SANDERS She's bluffing, The QUELL still has ten minutes to recharge. She'd have used it on ME if it was ready. LESLIE QUELL is too good for you Sanders! I want you to suffer for what you did to me and Melissa I want you to suffer for Justin and Adrienne! (friendly voice) Well now, are you willing to bet your life on Sanders's Quell expertise, Captain, seeing as how it is you that is looking down it's throat? Leslie leans closer to the screen. Beads of sweat begin to form on Galvin's brow. LESLIE (calmly, cool) Now I ask you Again. Do I have to worry about you? (a beat) You certainly should worry about ME. GAVIN (under his breath) Fuck this shit! EXT. SPACE The Enforcer Twelve wheels around and proceeds out of the area. INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Sanders is furious! SANDERS Gavin! Get back here you coward! I'll have you executed! I'll have your whole family killed! INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE LESLIE You're all mine now Sanders! She pushes the thrust lever forward. INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Captain Tynan watches the com screen as the RETRIBUTION'S BLIP draws slowly, but ever closer to his own. Tynan is obviously rattled. As calmly as he can, Tynan gets out of his chair, and casually walks towards the rear of the bridge. Clay doesn't seem to be watching. Tynan takes his chance! He JUMPS for the open HATCH of the ESCAPE POD. In a flash, Clay jumps up, whips out his "Fifty over twenty" PISTOL and, POW! POW! POW!, puts three shots into Tynan's head. Kora runs to the bridge. KORA What did you do? You're as crazy as Webber is! SANDERS I will have no cowards aboard my ship. Sanders gets on the ship's Com System. SANDERS Attention crew! Tynan has become incapacitated I am now assuming the Command of this ship. You will follow my orders as you did Tynan's. Any who refuse will face extreme disciplinary measures. Sanders sits in the Captain's chair and settles back with a smug smile on his face. Kora doesn't like what she sees. Sanders casually enters some cords into his com screen. And presses the Jump Lever. ZAP! A flash of light! Leslie's blip vanishes from his ranging-com screen. But only a few seconds later, it re-appears. KORA She found us again. Her BT can match us jump for jump. (a beat) How long are you going to run Clay? You know you will have to fight her eventually. SANDERS I never fight unless I have the advantage. Not only are our ships practically evenly matched, she has that damned QUELL. KORA (a beat) She won't use the QUELL on us. She wants you too bad. Use her rage against her. That's your edge. Sanders looks at Kora. He swallows hard and gathers up his courage. He speaks into his com link. SANDERS Slow to one third. Rotate guns one hundred eighty degrees. Converge fire on target! EXT. SPACE The Retribution steadily closes the gap between the two ships. WHAM! The "Enforcer ONE" lets loose a synchronized volley at the approaching Retribution. WHAM! All six of the point-five shots simultaneously slam into the smaller ship's forward deflector fields, knocking it violently off course. Leslie straightens out and resumes the charge. WHAM! Another volley hits, this time at closer range. The Retribution tumbles and spins backwards. INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE Again Leslie manages to recover the ship's attitude. She glances at the PHOTO of Adrienne and Justin stuck to the corner of the com-screen. With a renewed look of determination on her face, Leslie pushes the THRUST LEVER forward. LESLIE I'm increasing thrust and engaging the auto- stabilizer jets. I've got to get close enough to blast through his force Shields. BAINBRIDGE (concerned, over com) The deflectors aren't designed to take such direct hits. The momentum of the ship is supposed to take up the shock of the blows. EXT. SPACE WHAM! Another volley hits! This time the field absorbs the blows. The engine thrust counteracts the impact. Retribution stays on course, headed straight for Enforcer One. Retribution drives in closer still. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! The volleys intensify. The port forward field begins to glow red. K-POW! With a jolt, it gives way! BOOM! A point-five shot gets through and impacts just aft of the top turret, shattering plates and driving itself into the hull. INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Kora gasps! She feels IT! KORA We got her BT! Jump now! INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE Leslie presses the fire button on her com screen. BAM! BAM! BAM! Leslie's one-point-five speaks three times. To Leslie's horror the Enforcer One is GONE! It has jumped out just in time. BAM! BAM! Leslie fires the big gun into empty space in frustration. LESLIE Zee! Get me the cords now! The com screen shows only static. Leslie rushes back to the telemetry area. INT. RETRIBUTION - TELEMETRY ROOM Zee lies on the blood-spattered floor. Doc bends over her. Leslie embraces her friend, getting blood on her hands and clothing. LESLIE Zee! Zee! Zee opens her eyes and looks up at Leslie. ZEE You can do it Les. LESLIE No I can't! Zee! Zee! Please don't die! It is too late. Doc looks up at Leslie. The look on his face says it all! DOC I'll put her in the stasis chamber. If there is not too much damage , a good hospital might be able to revive her. He does not look too optimistic. Bill and Doc lift Zee into the SILVER BOX and close the LID. It latches with a dull CLICK. Leslie is frozen in shock for a few seconds, but she begins to recover. Her face looks ashen, Her expression somewhat different. LESLIE Goddamn it! It ends! It ends nowww! Leslie moves the RANDOM FIELD SCREEN back into place and turns it on Leslie stares at the screen. The NUMBERS COME UP just as they had the last time she had a session with Zee, when they were on their way to the mine. Unfortunately, also like the last time, she can read them no better. They JUMP across the screen and change position and shape. She finally screams and dissolves into tears of despair. Her head hangs down, her hair in her face. TICK, TICK, TICK . . . A gentle TINKLING SOUND draws her attention. ADRIENNE'S LOCKET, swinging from Leslie's neck, bumps against the com screen. Leslie picks it up and tearfully reads the ornate script inscribed on the metal disk. "To my Wife Adrienne on our tenth anniversary, All my love, Leslie" A wave of sadness washes over her countenance and--- Suddenly! inspiration! LESLIE (to herself) Art! Beauty! Shapes! The right brain!-- The fancy writing! Yes! She looks at the RANDOM FIELD SCREEN again. A magnified image of the locket begins to form. Then, as if by an unseen hand,THE X, Y, AND Z COORDINATES OF THE ENFORCER ONE, in a SCRIPT in the style of the lettering on the locket, rapidly write themselves across the screen. Leslie closes her eyes. LESLIE I've learned the trick Zee. I've learned the trick! Leslie enters the numbers onto an adjacent com screen. INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE Leslie runs up to the helm. She pushes past Melissa and presses the Jump icon on the screen. EXT. SPACE ZAP! In a flash the Retribution appears practically nose to nose with enforcer one. INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Sanders looks up at his view screen in surprise and horror. All he sees is the muzzle of Retribution's one point five cannon. INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE LESLIE Computer! Transfer primary weapon control to helm. Die! You sonofabitch! Leslie presses the FIRE button on her helm JOYSTICK EXT. SPACE BAM! The one-point-five fires point blank into the hull of Sander's ship! BOOM! It blows a hole just to the port side of the Enforcer's nose, and BOOM! an even bigger hole in the stern where it emerges. BAM! The second shot hits something on the way through. An internal explosion lights up every window and porthole for a second. All the lights go out. BAM! BOOMMM! A third shot sets off another explosion that blows the belly out of the craft. Enforcer One, the gyro system, now gone, slowly begins to roll over like a dead fish. Oxygen fed jets of flames shoot out of the hull from cracks and holes all across its surface. FUMP! FUMP! FUMP! Several emergency escape pods launch themselves from Enforcer One's stricken hull. INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE Almost robot like, Leslie draws her GUN and deliberately inserts a new projectile MAGAZINE. DOC He's likely already dead or has escaped. LESLIE He's still on board! He's still alive! I feel it. Deploy the spider! DOC You can't seriously be considering . . .Are you insane? The disheveled hair and the dark look on Leslie's face suggest an unpleasant answer to Doc's question. LESLIE He's mine and mine alone. Commander!Deploy the spider! DOC Melissa, talk some sense into her! MELISSA She is the Captain and her actions are conducive to the completion of the mission. (a beat) If she does not return after thirty minutes I will destroy everything with the QUELL. Melissa Launches the Spider. EXT. SPACE With a CRUNCH, It attaches itself to Enforcer One's shattered hull. INT. ENFORCER ONE - BRIDGE Aboard the ENFORCER ONE, Clay Sanders picks himself off of the floor. The surviving crewmembers are running for the nearest escape pods. The com screens show only static. INT. ENFORCER ONE - PASSAGEWAY Sanders runs to where the nearest escape pod should be, but to his dismay finds an EMPTY SHAFT. It has left without him. He runs down the passageway looking for another pod. INT. ENFORCER ONE - ANOTHER PASSAGEWAY CRUNCH! The "SPIDER" cuts a neat hole through the hull that opens into a peripheral passageway. Leslie, gun in hand, climbs through the opening. A MAN, running by, draws his gun. . POW! Without missing a beat, Leslie puts a shot precisely between his eyes. Leslie holds the "HUNDRED OVER TEN" in her right hand, pointed at the floor as she marches, directly and purposely down the center of the passageway. Leslie looks dangerously INSANE. A being possessed of but ONE purpose, ONE objective, Her dark circled eyes protrude slightly and stare unblinkingly straight ahead. NOTHING or nobody dares to get in her way. Her mask-like countenance, still smeared with blood and soot, serves to terrify already PANICKY CREWMEMBERS, frantically running down the passageways, trying to find a way to escape their doomed ship. CREWMEN, some carrying sidearms step aside, deliberately avoid eye contact and press themselves against the walls as they pass by and continue on to the escape pods. Leslie stops at an intersection in the passageway. She KNOWS which passageways to take. Onwards she presses. Drawing ever closer to her prey. Clay Sanders emerges from around a bend in the hall. Not twenty paces away, he sees Leslie approaching. She sees him but doesn't bat an eyelash or break the rhythm of her gait. Their eyes meet for a second. Sanders momentarily FREEZES and visibly has to make an effort to turn away. Sanders closes his eyes, and ever so slightly, moves his shaking hand towards his GUN. He looses his nerve, turns and runs. He rounds the corner, out of Leslie's direct line of sight. He ducks into the doorway of the telemetry room. INT. ENFORCER ONE - TELEMETRY ROOM A large room with several control consoles and com screens. Numerous SMALL FIRES spring up from cracks in the floor. He sees ANOTHER DOORWAY on the opposite wall. He tries to run through to the other entrance, but A SHEET OF FLAME flares up, blocking his way. He turns to run back out into the passageway. Leslie now stands in the DOORWAY. Sanders runs back towards the fire, hoping to find a way around it. No luck! He finds only a solid wall of flames. Leslie, now in the room, walks ever closer. Sanders can go no farther. The wall of fire blocks his escape. Leslie takes a few more steps closer and stops. Clay Sanders freezes with pure terror as Leslie's gaze bores into his very soul. With the light from the FLAMES illuminating her visage from beneath, The smudges of soot still on her face and Zee's dried blood still on her hands and clothing, Leslie appears like a murderous demon from the depths of hell. The look on Sanders's face reveals he knows that he is done for. In a feeble, hopeless gesture, he manages to slowly bring his own GUN up to his own temple. HE PULLS THE TRIGGER. Nothing! His weapon is empty. The man looks as if he will begin to cry. Leslie swings up her arm and points her "HUNDRED OVER TEN" directly at the whimpering man's forehead. He braces himself for the inevitable. She suddenly lowers the angle of her arm slightly. POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! Six ten millimeter projectiles tear through Clay Sander's middle and lower torso. Leslie wears a frozen expression on her face. Sanders sinks to the deck and rolls onto his back as his life oozes out in red puddles on the carpet. SANDERS Finish it! Finish it! For a second, Leslie points her GUN at his chest, but lowers her weapon, turns and begins to walk away. PARTS OF THE BURNING CEILING BEGIN TO FALL into the room. Leslie dodges several as she heads for the door. A large CHUNK detaches and falls directly on top of Sanders. He SCREAMS from beneath the flaming rubble as he begins to fry in his own juices. Leslie turns one last time towards where the man lay. A twitching, SCORCHED HAND reaches out from beneath the debris. The screams cease and all is still. INT. ENFORCER ONE - PASSAGEWAY The passageways are deserted. Leslie marches back the way she had come. Her face looks the same. INT. RETRIBUTION - BRIDGE Leslie, Bainbridge, Doc, and Bill sit silently in their chairs. Leslie hangs her head down. Only Melissa seems unaffected. No one is jubilant. Doc, Bill, and Bainbridge say nothing. They all wear the same facial expressions. Doc looks at his hands and flexes his bionic fingers. Leslie glances at the STASIS BOX that holds Zee's body. She reaches over to her com screen and picks up the PHOTO OF HER WIFE AND SON. She looks at it and puts it back into her wallet. LESLIE Commander Connor, take us home. EXT. SPACE Retribution disappears into the distance. FADE TO BLACK: THE END ������
Copyright © 2001 Thomas M Ray |