Return to Terra Nova
Episode 2
"Back in business"
EXT. JUNGLE, DAY
A small puddle sits on the jungle floor. Its surface is as still as glass. The stillness does not last long however, and the surface is disturbed when small lizard comes over to it and begins drinking from the puddle. Suddenly, a sound in the jungle causes the lizard to perk its head up, making it cautious of it's surroundings. The source of the sound, a scouting rover, drives into view. The lizard scampers away as the rover barrels towards it. Inside the rover are two soldiers. One is talking into his comm device while the other steers through the jungle. They drive towards a large building jutting out of the side of a massive rock formation.
SOLDIER 1
(Into comm)
...we're coming up on the outpost right now. It looks empty.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Copy that. Move on in and secure it.
SOLDIER 1
(Into comm)
You got it.
They drive up to the perimeter. All of a sudden, an explosion erupts from underneath the rover with enough force to send the rover rolling onto its side. As it rolls, several more blasts come from underneath the rover, bouncing it around like a ragdoll before it finally comes to a stop. The soldiers clamber out of the rover, beaten up and bruised but neither with any injuries too serious. It would appear that the rover took most of the force from the explosions.
SOLDIER2
What was that?!
Soldier 1 looks around their surroundings to see they're surrounded by many small mounds of dirt. Soldier 1 motions for his comrade to stand still before turning on his comm.
SOLDIER1
(Into comm)
Terra Nova come in.
AMANDA
(From comm)
This is Terra Nova, what's going on?
SOLDIER1
(Into comm)
Our rover appears to have ended up in a field of sonic mines outside the outpost. We're stuck here.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Are you hurt?
SOLDIER1
(Into comm)
We're bruised but I don't think we're hurt too badly.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Okay, get inside the outpost, it'll be safer in-
Suddenly, a dart flies into Soldier 2's neck. He goes to pull it out but before he can even get his fingers around it, he drops to the ground, unconscious, or worse.
SOLDIER1
Shit!
Soldier 1 runs over to the rover and uses it for cover, popping off a few shots into the jungle with his rifle.
AMANDA
(From comm)
What's going on?!
SOLDIER1
(Into comm)
Someone's opened fire on us! Carl's been hit, I- I think he might be dead...
AMANDA
(From comm)
Can you see your attackers? Do you know how many there?
SOLDIER1
(Into comm)
Negative. I can't see-
A dart flies into his neck and he befalls the same fate as his partner.
P.O.V. OF ATTACKER
The attacker creeps towards the rover. Amanda can still be heard talking over the comm.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Broderick, are you there? What's going on? Please respond!
EXT. COLONY, 1 HOUR LATER
Greg and Sam are repairing a very dirty and beaten up rover. One of the wheels has been taken off and Sam is tinkering around where it would go while Greg is instructing him on what to do.
GREG
Make sure that bolt is in tight, you don't want the wheel to come off while driving.
SAM
Do you really need my help for this? Can't you just fix it yourself?
GREG
I could, but I'm not the one who stole it and broke it. You owe me. Besides, we need more people around here to help fix all of the broken vehicles scattered around the colony.
SAM
If you say so.
Greg's comm comes to life.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Fraser, come to my office. I need to talk to you about something.
GREG
(Into comm)
Can you be a little more specific? I'm busy right now.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Just get over here.
GREG
(Into comm)
Alright, alright. I'll be right over.
(Turns to Sam)
Wait here and don't break anything. I'll be back in a minute.
Greg walks off.
INT. TAYLOR'S OFFICE
Greg walks inside and finds Amanda sitting at the desk.
GREG
So what is it you called me here for?
AMANDA
A job.
GREG
What kind of job?
AMANDA
I can't go into too much detail about it but what I can tell you is that it will most likely be incredibly dangerous, even more so than your average trip into the jungle. I'm leading an expedition to outpost one, the power plant for Terra Nova, and I need an engineer such as yourself to asses the damage and maybe fix what's wrong over there. If all goes well, we might be able to restore power to the colony.
GREG
So what is it you're not telling me?
She ignores his question.
AMANDA
Are you willing to help me or not?
Greg thinks it over.
GREG
Alright, I suppose I could give you a hand. When do we leave?
AMANDA
In about an hour. Grab any supplies you need and meet me at the front gate.
GREG
Alright, well... I guess I'll get going.
Greg begins walking out of the room.
AMANDA
By the way, has Sam told you about anything... strange going on around here?
GREG
Huh?
AMANDA
Never mind, forget I said anything.
Amanda goes back to whatever she was working on. Greg leaves, a little confused.
EXT. COLONY
Greg walks back to the rover that Sam was working on. Sam is just sitting in the driver's seat, looking really bored.
GREG
Alright, you're free to go, for now. There's a fairly large job that Amanda gave me to do.
SAM
Really? What kind of job?
GREG
Well, let's just say if I'm successful at fixing what I'm supposed to fix, we won't be using chemlights anymore.
SAM
You mean you're going to restore power to the colony?
GREG
Hopefully. It all depends on just how damaged the power plant is.
SAM
Well, do you want me to come along and help out?
GREG
Well if you want to be slasher bait, I guess you can come. You'll have to clear it through Amanda first though.
SAM
Alright. Guess I'll go ask her.
CUT TO
EXT. COLONY GATE
AMANDA
No.
Several group members are loading up a rhino transport with supplies in the background while Amanda talks to Sam.
SAM
No? Why not?
AMANDA
There's really no way you can help us with this. We've already got everyone we need.
SAM
Can't I just come along anyways? I really don't feel like sitting around here and doing nothing.
AMANDA
No, you'd just be a liability. Besides, this mission is going especially dangerous.
Amanda looks around for a second to make sure no one's listening.
AMANDA
(Quietly)
Let's just say some scouts I sent out were attacked by our "friend" from the jungle two nights ago.
SAM
(Quiet)
Jesus. Are they dead?
AMANDA
I don't know for sure, but they haven't been responding. Listen, I'm grateful that you saved my life and all, but I can't repay you by putting you in a situation like this. If you want something to do around the colony, go talk to Dr. Carmichael. He's the only scientist we brought along and I'm sure he could use some help.
Sam sighs.
SAM
Alright, but you'd better be careful out there.
AMANDA
I'll try.
Sam turns and walks off. On the way out, he passes Greg, who's got a large backpack on.
SAM
(To Greg)
Good luck, you'll need it.
Sam leaves and Greg goes over and loads his pack into the rhino. He turns to Amanda.
GREG
So uh, when are we leaving?
AMANDA
As soon as you're ready.
GREG
Well, let's get going then.
AMANDA
Good. Before we leave though, take this.
She hands Greg a small computer chip.
AMANDA
That's a map of the whole facility.
Greg nods to her and gets into the back of the rhino. Also inside the back are Ramirez, Evans, and two guards. Amanda gets into the passenger seat.
EVANS
Alright, let's go turn the power back on.
AMANDA
Not yet. Before we leave, I need all of you to agree to my terms. If we encounter anything strange over at the outpost, I need you all to swear that you'll keep it quiet and not tell anyone.
EVANS
What qualifies as strange to you?
AMANDA
You'll know it if you see it.
Evans gives her a smug smile.
EVANS
(Smartass tone)
Alright, sure. I swear I can keep it a secret.
Everyone else swears too.
AMANDA
Very well. Keep your promise and we won't have any problems.
(Turns to driver)
Take us away, Broward.
Broward, the driver, puts the rhino in drive and they zoom out of the colony.
EXT. JUNGLE
After driving for a while, they start getting near their destination.
AMANDA
Alright, time to talk about procedure. Broward, I'm going to need you to drop us off a little ways out from the outpost. After we're all out, turn around and drive right back to the colony. As for everyone else, I don't know what we're going to find in and around the outpost, so don't wander off. Everyone stick together and we'll come out of this alive. Are we all ready?
Everyone says yes.
AMANDA
Good.
(To Broward)
Drop us off here.
The car comes to a stop and everyone grabs their stuff and gets out. As instructed, Broward drives away.
EVANS
So what's the reasoning behind instructing our only means of escape to leave without us?
Amanda ignores his question.
AMANDA
The outpost is a little ways North. Follow me everyone.
INT. RESEARCH LABORATORY
A lone man is sorting through a bunch of old jars, plex papers, and devices that have been left around. Sam walks in. The man notices.
SAM
Hi, my name is Sam, and you must be-
MAN
Doctor Carmichael. Yes, that's me.
SAM
Right. Anyways, I was told you might need some help around here.
CARMICHAEL
Yes, that would be correct.
(Points towards table that's covered in miscellaneous jars and plex papers)
Please, help me sort through all this stuff. I need this place to be clean if I'm going to get any work done.
Sam nods and begins walking towards the table.
CARMICHAEL
Don't worry, I'll pay you a couple terras for your work.
SAM
Terras?
Carmichael reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small bronze coin.
CARMICHAEL
The currency that the people of Terra Nova used. I found a whole bunch inside a broken safe that was in my house.
He tosses the coin to Sam, who fails to catch it. It clatters to the floor before Sam quickly picks it back up.
CARMICHAEL
Every civilization needs a currency, and once things get going here, that's what we'll be using.
Sam goes to toss the terra back.
CARMICHAEL
Don't bother, that kind of terra isn't worth much. Help me out though, and you'll get paid much more than that.
Sam nods and pockets the terra.
SAM
So how do you want this stuff sorted?
EXT. OUTPOST PERIMETER
Amanda runs over to a fallen tree and takes cover behind it. She looks around before gesturing for everyone else to come over. Everybody else comes over to the log and takes cover as well. Amanda pulls out her binoculars are looks over the other side of the log.
P.O.V. SHOT
She pans the binoculars around the yard. The overturned rover from earlier sits there, the damaged underside clearly visible. All around the yard are small mounds of dirt.
Amanda puts away her binoculars.
AMANDA
Alright, the perimeter is laced with sonic mines.
GREG
Wait, what? Did you just say mines?
AMANDA
We're going to walk single file towards that rover. Don't step anywhere near those mounds of dirt or else we'll all be dead. Follow me.
She gets up and climbs over the log before starting towards the rover. Everyone else kind of looks at each other in a "Is she serious?" kind of way. Everyone but Greg then gets up and follows Amanda.
GREG
Ah hell.
Greg finally gets up and does the same, joining up with the group as they walk slowly across the yard.
AMANDA
Don't get anywhere within three feet of each mine. You don't need to step right on it for it to go off.
Greg is about to put his foot down at a certain spot, but hesitates when he sees that it's a little too close to a mine. He steps somewhere else. They finally reach the overturned rover, only to find that the bodies of the two soldiers from earlier are missing.
AMANDA
Shit, we're too late.
EVANS
Too late for what?
AMANDA
I sent two soldiers out here to scout the area. Unfortunately, they ran over some of these sonic mines when they got here. Part of the reason we came up here was to rescue them, but it looks like the wildlife got to them before we could.
(Turns towards the door to the outpost)
Let's head inside the outpost.
They all begin walking towards the door, still single file. Once they reach it, they head inside.
INT. OUTPOST
The door creaks as they open it. The sound echoes all throughout the outpost. Everyone in the group steps inside. Amanda turns to Greg.
AMANDA
Any components to this facility that you want to check out first?
Greg looks at the map of the facility on his smartwatch.
GREG
Yeah, there should be a room for controlling the solar panels. We should start there.
Amanda nods and she motions for everyone to follow her and Greg.
INT. SOLAR CONTROL ROOM
The group walks inside. The walls of the room are all covered with wires and computer terminals. Greg walks over to one specific console and wipes the dust off the screen. Underneath the dust, the screen very visibly displays the words "Standby" in green text.
GREG
Looks like the problem isn't here. The solar panels seem to be getting power just fine.
AMANDA
So what do we need to do?
GREG
My guess is that something in the lower levels of the facility is broken. Luckily, these kinds of facilities usually have a dedicated storage room for spare parts. If we can find that, we shouldn't have too much of a problem. I think we should check the backup generator first.
AMANDA
Alright, let's split up. Fraser, Ramirez, you're with me. Everyone else, look for a storage room.
Everyone leaves the room.
INT. DARK CORRIDOR
Greg lights a flare, which illuminates the otherwise pitch blackness in the corridor. In front of him, the corridor turns into a staircase, leading into even more darkness.
RAMIREZ
You sure we're going to have enough flares?
GREG
No.
He proceeds down the stairs. Amanda and Ramirez follow behind him.
INT. OTHER CORRIDOR
Evans and the two soldiers are also wandering around some corridors. The corridor they following forks in two different directions in front of them. On the wall between the two directions is a dirtied sign. Evans walks over to it and wipes the dirt away with his hand to reveal the directions.
EVANS
Looks like we've got to take the passage on the right.
SOLDIER1
Are you sure? This place is like a maze.
EVANS
Signs don't lie, kid.
Evans begins walking down the right-hand corridor. The two soldiers quickly follow him, not wanting to be left alone in the dark.
EVANS
So do you two have names?
FIRST SOLDIER
Yeah, I'm Matt,
(points to second soldier)
and he's Jake.
EVANS
So Amanda must trust you two quite a bit to bring you along on this huh?
MATT
Well actually she just-
Suddenly, a strange noise echoes from the darkness in front of them. It sounds like a constant barrage of leaves rustling in the wind. Evans shushes Matt before he can finish his sentence. The sound seems to get closer and closer but it's source remains unseen.
EVANS
(To Matt)
Here, hold the flare.
Matt takes it. Evans brings up his rifle and points it down the hall. He begins to cautiously step forward towards the sound and motions for Matt and Jake to follow him. As they head down the hall, the sound gets louder, until whatever is making it sounds as if it's right in front of them. The three of them brace for whatever is making the sound to appear from the shadows, but nothing comes. Suddenly, the sound stops, and the corridor goes completely quiet. The three of them look around, confused.
JAKE
What happened?
In an answer to his question, the sound starts up again right behind them. They quickly turn around, just to be met with nothing yet again. The sound trails off, as whatever caused it moves further away from them. Soon the corridor becomes silent again. Evans turns on his comm.
EVANS
(Into comm)
Uh guys, I think we might have a problem.
AMANDA
(From comm)
What do you mean?
EVANS
(Into comm)
We're hearing weird noises down here. You guys might want to be careful.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Chances are, it's nothing. We'll keep an eye out though. Have you found the storage room yet?
EVANS
(Into comm)
We're headed towards it now.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Alright, just get in there. We'll tell you which part we need after that.
EVANS
(Into comm)
You got it.
INT. RESEARCH LABORATORY
Carmichael is holding a plex with many things listed on it.
CARMICHAEL
Alright, what about microscopes? The supply manifest says there should be 7 of them.
SAM
I only counted four.
CARMICHAEL
Damn, there sure are a lot of missing supplies.
SAM
Well is it possible they all broke and the colonists just never updated the manifest?
CARMICHAEL
I'm afraid not. The rules in labs like this are very strict and the manifest is frequently checked to make sure the employees aren't stealing expensive equipment. Besides, even if they neglected that rule I find it hard to believe they stole and broke this much stuff. The one other logical explanation is that some people from our group came in and looted the place, but I don't think anyone else in this group has much of a hobby in science.
SAM
So what are you trying to say?
CARMICHAEL
Listen, I know this might be crazy, but I think we might not be as alone here as we previously thought. Maybe there's still some people from the original colony out there who have come back here at some point within the last few years and taken stuff from the colony.
Sam, knowing from experience that he's at least somewhat right, is shocked, but tries to keep it hidden.
SAM
H-how could that be possible though? I mean, I've been out in that jungle and I can tell you that the wildlife are less than friendly.
CARMICHAEL
Oh come on, with the number of people who were living in Terra Nova, at least some of them are bound to have found a way to survive. Plus, a lot of the higher ups and soldiers in the colony were extremely skilled in survival. The colony's leader survived months alone in the jungle for christsakes!
SAM
Alright, what if you're right? Why wouldn't they just come back to live here?
CARMICHAEL
Maybe they thought the colony was no longer safe? I don't know. I'm thinking about rounding up some people to go out and help me look for signs of people out there though.
SAM
That's not a good idea.
CARMICHAEL
Why not?
SAM
We're living in an abandoned, half destroyed colony with absolutely no power and next to no defense from any large dinosaurs that might decide they want a human snack. Everyone's unnerved, and Amanda won't be happy if you start spreading rumors about people out there that could be hell bent on robbing us of our supplies for all we know.
CARMICHAEL
(Sighs)
Alright, fine. But I'm not ignoring any evidence that might come up.
SAM
Fair enough.
Sam turns around and goes back to work.
INT. OUTPOST BASEMENT
The light of the flare reveals many conduits running along the walls. They all lead right to a central point, a large and complex looking electrical box. This, is the backup generator. Greg walks over to the generator and looks it over. He looks at several meters and dials on it. Amanda and Ramirez just watch him.
GREG
It appears to be receiving power but it's not outputting anything. Looks like we've found our problem.
He pops open a panel on it and pulls a small pen light out of his bag. He points the light inside the box and looks around.
GREG
The compression coil seems to be alright. I'm not sure exactly what's... wait a second. The blink converter is missing!
AMANDA
The what?
GREG
The thing that would require me to throw some technical jargon at you to explain what it does. That thing. It's an important part.
AMANDA
What if it just broke off? Maybe it's in the bottom of the generator somewhere.
GREG
No, it's just completely gone.
AMANDA
Alright, hold on.
Amanda turns in her comm.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Evans, have you made it to the supply room yet?
INT. CORRIDOR END
Evans, Matt, and Jake have finally reached the end of the corridor. On the wall in front of them is a door labeled as "Spare parts storage."
EVANS
(Into comm)
Yeah we just made it there. We're proceeding inside now.
They open the door and walk inside.
INT. STORAGE ROOM
The room is dark, but the faint light from the flare Matt is holding reveals some details. Shelves covered in tons of junk are lined all down the room.
JAKE
Hey, check it out.
Jake walks over to a small rack on the wall near the door that holds a few long cylindrical objects. He takes one of the objects off the wall and bends it. The object begins glowing a bright orange.
EVANS
Good, those chem lights will come in handy.
Evans turns on his comm.
EVANS
(Into comm)
Alright, now that we're here, is there something you need us to get?
INT. OUTPOST BASEMENT
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Yeah could you find a uh...
She looks to Greg for an answer.
GREG
Blink converter.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
...Blink converter. It's a part for the generator.
EVANS
(From comm)
What's that supposed to look like?
Greg just turns on his comm.
GREG
(Into comm)
It's a small metal cylinder that's three inches long. On the side of it there's a small window where you can see the blue liquid inside it.
EVANS
(From comm)
There's a lot of stuff in this room, but we'll look.
INT. STORAGE ROOM
Evans shoulders his rifle.
EVANS
Alright, split up and look for the part. It's gotta be somewhere around here.
They scour the room, and eventually, Evans comes across a shelf section labeled as "Generator power directors and converters." He looks all over the shelves but sees nothing. After not finding it, his head looks up at the top shelf, above his reach. He climbs up the shelf and looks around for the part at the top. Sure enough, there's a single blink converter sitting amongst some other parts on the very top shelf. He grabs it, but once it's in his hand, the shelf begins tipping over. With a loud screech, the shelf falls back on Evans, pinning him to the ground by his thighs. Evans yells in pain as the shelf and various parts crush down on his legs. Jake and Matt come over and pull him out.
EVANS
AGH, JESUS!
They drag him over to a wall.
MATT
Can you walk?
Evans regains his composure slightly.
EVANS
No, no way. My legs are definitely broken. I found the part though. Go run it down to Amanda. I'll just wait here.
JAKE
Hell no, you're not going to sit here alone with legs like that.
(To Matt)
Can you run that part over to the commander and get that medic up here?
MATT
No problem.
Matt takes the part and runs off.
INT. OUTPOST BASEMENT
Greg is looking at the cords leaving the generator while Amanda and Ramirez sit around looking bored out of their minds. Suddenly, their comms come to life.
JAKE
(From comm)
We've just sent Matt towards you guys with that part. Also, Evans is hurt and needs medical attention.
RAMIREZ
Guess that's my cue.
(Into Comm)
Alright, I'll head up there.
Ramirez gets up to leave.
AMANDA
Wait a minute, I've got a bad feeling about you going alone. You're the only medic we have. Just wait for Stoker to get here with that part first.
RAMIREZ
Well… if you say so.
INT. CORRIDOR
Matt runs through the dark with the blink converter in one hand and a chemlight in the other. All of a sudden, he hears it. The rustling noise once again fills the corridor. He stops in his tracks and brings up his chemlight to try and get a look at the source, but like last time, there's nothing. He turns on his comm and draws his pistol.
MATT
(Into comm)
Guys, I hear that sound from earlier again.
Suddenly, the sound picks up in speed and intensity. Matt panics and begins firing blindly into the dark. The sound halts to a stop. Matt cautiously begins walking forward. Eventually he comes to a spot where his bullets have hit the floor. He looks down at the bullet holes, and then pans his head around. A growling noise catches his attention, causing him to look up to the ceiling. Matt screams in horror and whatever was up there pounces on him. The blink converter falls to the floor.
INT. OUTPOST BASEMENT
Matt's screams can be heard over everyone's comms.
AMANDA
Stoker? What is it?! Stoker, are you there?! Please respond!
Matt's screaming stops and the room becomes silent. Greg, Ramirez, and Amanda all look horrified Amanda takes her rifle off her shoulder.
AMANDA
We have to get over there!
The three of them run off.
INT. STORAGE ROOM
Evans sits against a wall in the room, and Jake is just standing there with his hand on his comm. Both of them look horrified.
EVANS
What in god's name was that? Should we go help him?
JAKE
I- I think it might be too late...
The two of them both go silent and stare at the floor in defeat.
INT. CORRIDORS
Amanda, Ramirez, and Greg run through the corridors. Eventually, they see something on the ground in front of them. It looks to be Matt, lying face down on the floor with his arms and legs sprawled out without care. They slow down and cautiously approach him.
AMANDA
Stoker, is that you?
There's no answer. They finally come upon him and roll him over. His skin is pale, and his face is frozen in a look of extreme terror. Amanda and Greg step back in surprise.
GREG
What the hell happened to him?
Ramirez looks him over.
RAMIREZ
Whatever killed him didn't really seem to be very interested in eating him. There's no damage to him other than these two large punctures on his neck.
AMANDA
Punctures? That's strange.
RAMIREZ
It gets stranger. There's no blood, anywhere.
She feels the puncture wounds and a strange clear liquid comes off on her fingers.
RAMIREZ
There's some kind of saliva or something in the wounds though.
GREG
Jesus, now we've got to worry about Dracula or the chupacabra or something.
AMANDA
Dammit Fraser, now's not the time for jokes.
GREG
Can you think of something else that sucks blood?
Amanda turns on her comm.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Evans, are you there?
EVANS
(From comm)
Yeah. Did you find Matt?
AMANDA
(Into comm)
(Sighs)
Yeah. Let's just say he died of... strange circumstances. We're headed your way.
EVANS
(From comm)
Alright, hurry up though.
Greg looks around in the background.
GREG
Aha! There it is.
On the ground is the blink converter. He picks it up.
GREG
I found that part.
AMANDA
Good.
(Into comm)
Just sit tight, we'll be over in a minute.
Amanda walks over to Matt's body and picks up his legs.
AMANDA
Someone help me carry him.
INT. STORAGE ROOM
Amanda, Greg, and Ramirez enter the room carrying Matt's body. They put it down and Ramirez goes over to check on Evans' leg. Jake walks over to look at the corpse.
JAKE
I didn't know him too well... but I feel bad that we sent him out there alone.
AMANDA
It's not your fault. If you went with him you might've died too.
JAKE
(Pause)
There's an infirmary right near us.
(Shows her the map on his smartwatch)
We should probably get over there.
AMANDA
Right.
As Ramirez and Jake carry Evans out of the room, he notices the puncture wounds on Matt's neck.
INT. OUTPOST MED LAB
Jake and Ramirez carry Evans into the room. They set him down on a medical table. The room is dark but Jake has a chemlight tucked under his arm that provides some light. On the wall there is a window that looks into another room that's filled with various tables and science equipment. Greg and Amanda enter the other room and set Matt's body down on a medical table. After putting him down, Greg and Amanda go to the room where Evans is.
AMANDA
We're going back down to the generator. Ramirez, Holt, will you guys be alright staying here with Evans?
RAMIREZ
Yeah.
JAKE
Yeah, just get the power back on.
Amanda nods and she leaves with Greg. Ramirez grabs a chem light from an emergency shelf on the wall and begins searching various cabinets in the room. Eventually, she finds a bottle full of little pills. She pours some into her hand and walks over to Evans.
EVANS
What are those?
RAMIREZ
Pills that'll help your broken bones mend.
She grabs his hand and drops the pills into it. She then hands him a water flask. He takes the pills and Ramirez walks back over to the cabinets and begins searching for something else. She comes back with a syringe and a small jar containing a clear liquid. She fills the syringe with said liquid.
RAMIREZ
Hold still.
She injects it into Evans' arm.
EVANS
And what was that?
RAMIREZ
Sedative.
Evans passes out.
JAKE
Wow, that was quick. How long's he going to be out?
RAMIREZ
A while.
Ramirez leaves the room and goes to the room on the other side of the window. Jake follows her out.
INT. GENERATOR ROOM
Greg snaps the blink converter into it's place in the generator and then flips a switch on the exterior of the generator. The generator sputters to life, and for a brief moment the lights in the room actually come on. Unfortunately, a loud spark noise is heard and everything in the room goes dark once again.
AMANDA
What just happened?
GREG
Well, if I had to guess I'd say there's a damaged circuit somewhere around here. There should be diagnosis console not too far from here. We should probably head over there. Follow me.
AMANDA
No, I'll go first. We still have some kind of hostile creature here.
INT. MED LAB
Evans begins waking up, and groans as he lifts his head off the medical stretcher. He looks through the window into the laboratory adjacent to the room, only to see that Ramirez is gone, and so is Matt's body.
EVANS
Ramirez? Are you there?
Evans gets confused, but before he can think about what happened, the rustling noise he heard from the corridor earlier begins to echo throughout the room. Evans frantically scans the room searching for the source of the sounds. His vision finally rests upon an open vent on the ceiling. Suddenly, a pale hand grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him to face what's connected to it. Standing over Evans is Matt, roaring in his face with glowing red eyes and vampire fangs. Evans screams in terror.
RAMIREZ
(Muffled)
Evans! Wake up Evans!
Evans wakes up from the nightmare with a jolt.
EVANS
Jesus Christ, what just happened?
RAMIREZ
You were screaming in your sleep. I forgot to mention that those tablets I gave you have some minor hallucinogenic effects.
EVANS
Minor?!
Evans looks down at his legs.
EVANS
So what about my broken bones? Are they healed yet?
RAMIREZ
Of course not, it's only been about an hour. You seem to have a resistance to the sedative. It's probably going to take all day until your legs are healed to the point where you can walk again.
Evans' head cranes to the side to check the ceiling vent that was open in his dream. It's closed just like it was when he was dragged into the room.
EVANS
Alright, you got crutches?
RAMIREZ
Oh no you don't. You've gotta sit here until your legs are healed more.
EVANS
I don't think we're safe here. Please, just get them.
RAMIREZ
(Sighs)
Alright, fine, but only because this place gives me the creeps.
She goes over to a nearby supply closet to look for some crutches. Evans turns on his comm.
INT. CIRCUIT CONTROL ROOM
The room is seemingly like any other in this facility dark, dirty, and full of complex pipes and wiring. Greg and Amanda stand over a computer console reading various diagrams and text boxes on screen. The room is silent, until Amanda's comm turns on.
EVANS
(From comm)
Can you guys hear me?
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Yeah, loud and clear. What do you need?
EVANS
(From comm)
Listen, stay away from vents and grates, especially ones that are on the ceiling.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
What do you mean?
EVANS
(From comm)
Whatever killed Matt, I think it might have attacked from above. You've got to-
Evans doesn't stop talking, but Amanda doesn't hear what he has to say, she's focused on something else, the rustling sound. It echoes all throughout the room, getting closer and closer. Amanda looks up to the ceiling, to find that they're right under an open vent.
AMANDA
Oh Jesus... MOVE!
She shoves Greg away from the computer console and then dives out from under the vent. She hits the ground and twists to look back at the open vent. Nothing jumps out of it like she expected.
GREG
What the hell was that fo-
AMANDA
Quiet!
She starts to get up off the ground, still looking at the vent. Just when she thought that the coast might be clear, something starts coming down from the open vent. At first, it looks like two snakes, hanging down, writhing uncontrollably, seemingly smelling the air in the room. Amanda looks at them in confusion at first, but that confusion would soon turn into horror. As more comes out of the vent, Amanda realizes that those two "snakes" are actually two massive antennae. The creature they belong to begins to fully descend into the room. The green glow of the computer console paints a terrifying silhouette only a few feet away from Greg and Amanda. The many legs of the creature paddle their way through the air as it descends towards the ground. This creature is a gigantic centipede, probably around ten feet long. Amanda hastily grabs Greg and drags him towards the exit to the room before the nightmarish creature fully exits the vent. It hisses at them, acknowledging them that it can see them. Greg gets to his feet and bolts out of the room with Amanda. The centipede pursues them.
INT. CORRIDOR
Amanda and Greg run through the corridors of the facility as fast as they can. The rustling noise caused by the movement of the many legs of the centipede isn't far behind.
GREG
What the hell is that thing?!
AMANDA
Shut up and keep running!
Greg and Amanda reach a door at the end of the corridor that appears to lead to a stairwell. Greg opens it and runs through it. Amanda gets to the open doorway, turns around, and brings up her rifle, aiming it down the corridor. The rustling gets closer and closer and eventually the centipede comes into view, crawling towards them from the ceiling. Amanda fires several shots but none of the bullets manage to break through the creature's exoskeleton. She brings her rifle down in surprise and backs away through the door. Greg slams the door shut and locks it once she's inside. The two of them step back as the creature bangs against the door, attempting to break it down. Amanda grabs Greg and drags him up the stairwell. As they make it a few floors up, they can very clearly hear the door they came in from get busted off its hinges. Greg and Amanda try to pick up the pace as they run up the stairs. The creature crawls up after them. Greg and Amanda finally reach the top floor, which leads them to yet another corridor. Greg sees a door labeled as "Bridge to Sector 2" and he and Amanda open it and run through it.
EXT. TURBINE BRIDGE, EVENING
The door leads Amanda and Greg outside to a metal bridge that goes over a river 15 feet below it. The sunlight causes Greg and Amanda to squint, having been in the dark for so long. In the river below them are several hydroelectric turbines, spinning as the river rushes through them. Surrounding the bridge is a tube of rusted chain link fencing, covered in vines from years of neglect. The two endpoints of the bridge are doors jutting out of the side of two rock formations that the river cuts between. Greg and Amanda stop to catch their breath.
GREG
(Exhausted)
...what... the... hell... The last thing I expected to happen today was get chased by a giant bug. Is this a nightmare or something? You shot it but the bullets didn't seem to do anything! How are we supposed to kill it?
AMANDA
The colony records make no mention of a creature like this. We might be the first people to have seen something like it. If we're going to kill this thing, we need to come up with a way to do it ourselves.
GREG
You got any ideas on how to do that? I don't think we can exactly squash a bug this large.
AMANDA
Not yet, but-
Their conversation is cut short when a window on the side of the rock wall they came from shatters. Sure enough, the centipede comes out of it. It begins crawling along the wall towards the bridge. Amanda and Greg take off and run to the door on the opposite side. Greg tries turning the handle but it won't budge. He frantically jiggles it, trying to get it to open anyways. The centipede reaches the bridge and starts crawling on the fencing that surrounds the bridge. Amanda pulls Greg aside and gives the door a good kick. It opens right up and the two of them exit through it.
INT. MORE CORRIDORS
Just as before, Amanda and Greg find themselves running through a corridor. They reach a corner and make the turn, only to run into an ovasaur chewing on a cable that's running against the wall. Amanda and Greg jump back in surprise. The ovasaur turns in their direction and hisses at them. Greg and Amanda slowly step backwards. It doesn't take long for the sound of the centipede to show up behind them, prompting them to turn around. The centipede comes around the corner and the ovasaur notices it, hissing even louder at it. The centipede's attention switches from Greg and Amanda to the ovasaur, and it rears up in an act of intimidation. Greg and Amanda, knowing that they're going to get caught between a brutal fight between two prehistoric creatures, look for a way out. To their right is a door with a window on it that appears to lead into a small office room. Having nowhere else to go, Amanda and Greg run into the small room and slam the door behind them. The ovasaur and the centipede take no notice of it however, and continue staring each other down. Finally, the ovasaur decides to charge the centipede. The two beasts get locked in a intense fight, but it doesn't take long for the centipede to bat the ovasaur to the ground. The dinosaur tries to get up but before it can, the centipede torpedoes its head right towards the downed ovasaur and sinks its fangs into it. Amanda and Greg watch the ovasaur attempt to break free from the hold the centipede, before just going limp. The centipede, it's fangs still in the now dead dinosaur, is very clearly draining its victim of its blood.
GREG
(Watching in horror through the window)
Looks like we know without a shadow of a doubt what our Chupacabra is.
Amanda pushes Greg to the side so she can get a look for herself. Once the ovasaur is noticeably more pale than it had been before, the centipede retracts its fangs back into its mouth and crawls away, leaving the carcass of the ovasaur to rot. Once the bug is out of sight, Amanda reaches for the door knob.
GREG
What are you doing?!
Amanda opens the door and pokes her head out.
AMANDA
The coast is clear, let's go.
GREG
Oh no, no way am I going back out there with that thing crawling around.
AMANDA
(Sarcastic)
You're welcome to stay here if you want.
Greg says nothing.
AMANDA
That's what I thought.
She opens the door fully and the two of them exit the small office room.
INT. RESEARCH LABORATORY, NIGHT
Sam places down a chemlight. Behind him are several more, all placed around the room.
SAM
Is that enough light for you?
CARMICHAEL
No, it's still a little too dark.
SAM
Well, that was the last of the chemlights.
CARMICHAEL
Do you mind checking the infirmary? There might be some more in there.
SAM
Yeah, sure.
Sam exits the building.
CUT
INT. INFIRMARY, NIGHT
Sam walks around the dark room holding a single chemlight, scanning all the junk on the tables and floor. Suddenly, he notices some light at the far end of the room and goes to investigate. The screen of the synthesizer from the last episode is on. It casts a bright white-blue glow on Sam as he walks up to it. Sam stares at the screen, perplexed. He hears something behind him. As soon as he turns around, he sees someone lunging at him with a knife! Sam, not having time to think, stumbles backwards and brings up the chemlight to block it. The knife slices right through the chemlight, getting covered with the glowing orange syrup like chemical that was housed inside it. Sam falls to the floor as the attacker, once again a dark silhouette, brings down his glowing knife onto Sam. Sam tries to roll out of the way but isn't quick enough. The knife plunges into Sam's side as he's in the middle of rolling away. Sam screams in pain.
P.O.V.
Sam, with his vision beginning to blur, turns back towards his attacker and sees them quickly pull the battery from the synthesizer and escape through the front door.
CUT
Carmichael walks into the room, finding Sam bleeding on the ground with a glowing knife stuck in his side.
CARMICHAEL
Jesus christ, what happened to you?!
Carmichael runs over to Sam.
SAM
Intruder... with knife...
Carmichael pulls the knife out of Sam, causing him to wail in pain. Carmichael then gets some bandages from a nearby drawer and puts them on Sam's wound. Carmichael then turns on his comm.
INT. CORRIDOR
Greg and Amanda cautiously navigate the corridors once again. All is quiet. Suddenly, Amanda's comm beeps, startling the both of them. Amanda answers. The room is quiet enough to where Greg can hear the person talking to Amanda.
CARMICHAEL
(From comm)
Amanda, are you there?
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Yeah? What's going on?
CARMICHAEL
(From comm)
We've got a bit of a situation over here. This kid named Sam who was helping me out, I found him in the medical department with a knife in his side. He's saying something about having been attacked by an intruder. I'm not exactly sure what he's talking about but he's in pretty bad shape. It looks like some chemfluid got inside his wound, if we don't get that out of his blood stream, it's going to be bad news.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Oh god... Ar-Are there any batteries nearby? Medical equipment should be able to run off batteries... and-and there should some medics around the colony that can...
CARMICHAEL
(From comm)
I can call over one of the medics but I don't know if there are any fully charged batteries around here. It's probably not a good idea to be in the middle of a blood transfusion and have the table's life support go out.
Greg, upon hearing that his friend is in danger begins to run off.
AMANDA
(To Greg)
Hey! Where are you going?
GREG
I can still get the power back on!
AMANDA
Dammit, Fraser.
(Into comm)
Just... keep him alive.
CARMICHAEL
(From comm)
I'll try, but I'm a science doctor, not a medical doctor.
Amanda turns her comm off and runs after Greg.
CUT
Ramirez, Jake, and Evans are also headed through some corridors. Ramirez's comm comes on.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Ramirez, are you there?
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
Yeah, we're here.
AMANDA
(From comm)
Where are you guys?
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
Headed back towards the entrance of the outpost. Evans seems to think we're in danger if we stay put.
AMANDA
(From comm)
He's right. Listen, I'm going to call someone to come and pick you guys up.
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
Alright, you headed back here?
AMANDA
(From comm)
Not now. Leave without us if we don't show up in time.
Ramirez looks at Evans and Jake.
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
If you say so...
CUT
INT. CIRCUIT CONTROL ROOM
The computer monitor is still on, just as Greg had left it. He walks over to it and furiously begins typing.
GREG
This will only take me a few more seconds. Just watch the vent above me.
AMANDA
You better hope that thing is full from draining that ovasaur.
She points her rifle up at the vent. After a few seconds, the computer beeps and Greg stops typing.
GREG
Alright, the diagnostic data is coming in.
The screen of the monitor changes to a display of the facility. The maze of corridors and rooms on screen are mostly green, except for a few red spots. Greg begins typing again and the screen selects one of the red spots, making the spot flash.
GREG
Alright, if we fix this particular circuit, we'll be able to bring basic power to the colony.
AMANDA
Are you sure?
GREG
Yeah, but we have to hurry. C'mon.
They exit the room.
INT. CORRIDOR
This corridor is once again the same as the others, except for one difference, there's a cable running along the wall with the end of it cut off from the rest of the cable. Sparks pop off of the cut end every few seconds. Sam and Amanda walk in.
GREG
Oh thank god, this'll be an easy fix.
He takes his pack off of his back and begins rummaging through it. He pulls out a pair of rubber gloves, puts them on, and then pulls out two more things from the pack: a welder type device and two semi-cylinder shaped objects. Greg proceeds to grab the two broken cable ends, put them together, and clip the two semi-cylinders together around them. He then grabs the welder device and uses it around the cracks of the objects and cords. After properly connecting the cables, the lights in the room come on and stay on. Greg turns towards Amanda with a triumphant grin on his face.
INT. MED BAY, NIGHT
Sam sits on a medical table, only semi-conscious. Standing around him is a group of medics, who are manually checking his pulse and applying pressure around his wound. Also standing next to Sam is Carmichael, who is assisting the medics.
CARMICHAEL
Don't die on me, kid.
Suddenly, the lights in the room come on, and all the medical equipment whirrs to life. Everyone looks around, somewhat amazed, before focusing back on Sam.
RANDOM MEDIC
Power's back on,
(gestures towards Sam)
hook him up to the table.
The other medics do so and hook Sam up. The table displays a hologram of Sam' s anatomy, as well as his vitals.
TABLE VOICE
Dangerous blood toxicity levels detected! Would you like to run the blood cleansing procedure?
A "yes" and "no" box appears on the hologram. One medic taps "yes".
CARMICHAEL
(Down to Sam)
Hang in there, kid, we'll have you back in shape in no time.
Sam mumbles incoherently, before fading into complete unconsciousness.
FADE INTO:
INT. DIMLY LIT OFFICE, FLASHBACK TO 5 YEARS AGO
The office is very messy. Against a wall is a desk with a very futuristic hologram projector on it, being the only thing able to stay above an ocean of papers and other junk. Sitting at the desk is Sam's father, looking very healthy compared to how he was before dying. He is looking intently at the holograms displayed by the computer, which show a blueprint of some kind of complex piece of machinery. There's lots of text labeling various things on the blueprints. One thing about the blueprints stands out though: none of the text on it is English, only Russian and Chinese.
Sam enters the room, but his father does not notice. Sam catches a quick glimpse of the holograms.
SAM
What're those blueprints for?
Sam's dad, startled from unexpectedly hearing his son's voice, quickly closes the blueprints.
SAM'S DAD
It's nothing important. What's going on with you?
SAM
My plex is acting up and my boss needs me to email the final draft of my article to him tomorrow. Would you mind if I used your computer for a sec?
SAM'S DAD
Yeah, go right ahead. Just let me-
Sam's dad breaks into a violent fit of coughing before he can finish his sentence. Sam goes over to him to see what's wrong.
SAM
Are you alright?
The coughing comes to a stop.
SAM'S DAD
I'm... fine... I've just had a scratchy throat since this morning.
SAM
You sure?
SAM'S DAD
I said I'm fine.
FADE OUT.
INT. OUTPOST, NIGHT
Greg and Amanda walk up a staircase. Greg is zipping up his backpack, while Amanda holds a chemlight, even though it's not necessary since the lights are on.
AMANDA
Just got confirmation that the power at the colony is on. Our job here is done. This staircase is the way to the entrance right?
GREG
Yep.
The staircase deposits them at the upper floor, but the lights are out at this floor for some reason.
AMANDA
Ugh, why are all the lights off up here?
GREG
Circuitry of the outpost must be weird on this floor.
The two of them proceed forward, cautiously. As they walk, some glass cracks underneath Amanda's boots. She stops and looks down at the shards glass littered all over the floor. She then looks upwards to see where the glass came from. On the ceiling is a smashed light fixture. Before she can question it, Amanda notices a dark shape clinging to the ceiling next to it: the centipede.
AMANDA
Oh god... RUN!
Amanda and Greg bolt underneath the creature while it snaps it's head at them, trying to sink it's fangs into them.
EXT. OUTPOST, NIGHT
Ramirez, Jake, and Evans sit outside on the steps leading to the outposts front door. The sounds of the prehistoric jungle on the other side of the yard is very loud.
EVANS
The sounds here sure are different than what I'm used to back in the city.
RAMIREZ
You got that right.
Suddenly, a different noise can be heard, a quick stomping, coming from inside the outpost.
EVANS
Do you hear that?
Ramirez and Jake get up and help Evans to his feet as well. The sound gets louder and louder until finally, the front door busts outwards. Out runs Greg and Amanda, with the centipede right behind them. Jake and Ramirez dodge out of the way with Evans in tow. Amanda jumps off the steps and hits the ground running. Greg tries to do the same but trips and tumbles down the steps. He hits the ground on his back, giving him a good view of the centipede as it comes upon him. Before it can sink it's fangs into him, Amanda un-shoulders her rifle and begins firing at the creature. Her bullets hit it in the head but they just bounce off its exoskeleton like last time. The centipede gets pissed off and decides to kill Amanda instead. It's front half plops back to the ground and begins crawling towards her. With nowhere else to go, Amanda runs out into the minefield. With just the chemlight to illuminate the mounds on the ground, she moves as quickly as she can while still being careful. The centipede runs out onto the field, weaving around the mines. Amanda twists around to see it gaining on her. She tries to shoot one of the mines near it but her gun is out of bullets. She tries to reload while still navigating the field. She loads the gun about ten feet away from the downed rover, when she spins back towards the centipede, it's only eight feet away. Now or never. She brings up her rifle.
GREG
AMANDA NO!
She fires the shot, hitting a mine right between the centipede and her. Her and the creature are sent flying in two opposite directions. Amanda is thrown at the base of the destroyed rover, while the creature is thrown onto more mines. The resulting explosions bounce centipede around like a volleyball until it eventually is tossed back to Greg's side of the field. It's lands belly up. Jake and Greg both go over to it, with guns drawn.
JAKE
Is it dead?
In an answer to his question, a gratuitous amount of blood begins to leak and sputter from the creature's mouth. Everyone sighs in relief, before noticing Amanda laying face down at the destroyed rover. With a path cleared through the mines, everyone runs over to her.
GREG
Amanda!?
She begins to pick herself off the ground.
AMANDA
I'm alright.
Everyone begins to ease down. Greg helps her up off the ground.
FADE
A few minutes later, two lights appear from the jungle, belonging to a rhino. The driver pulls it over to a stop.
BROWARD
You called for an evac?
AMANDA
Yes, thank you.
Everyone begins to load into the back. After everyone's in, the rhino gets going.
EVANS
(To Amanda)
So, what was it that you wanted us to keep quiet about?
Amanda quickly thinks up an answer.
AMANDA
The existence of such a big bug. We've got a couple people in our group with big bug phobias.
Amanda cringes a bit from not being able to come up with a better lie.
EVANS
(Disappointed)
Really? That's it?
(Pauses)
So are you going to pay us to keep quiet about it?
AMANDA
Sure, Evans. Sure.
EXT. COLONY PERIMETER
Broward drives the rhino up towards the colony, and for the first time in years, the front gates open, ready to greet them.
INT. MED BAY
Amanda, Greg, and Ramirez walk into the med bay to see several medics working on Sam. They approach him, only to see him unconscious.
AMANDA
(To a medic)
How's he holding up?
MEDIC
So far so good. We'll have to wait a while to be 100% sure though.
AMANDA
Very well.
Ramirez goes to help the medics. Greg approaches Amanda.
GREG
Are we going back?
AMANDA
What?
GREG
All we turned on was the reserve generator. There's still other stuff over there that needs fixing.
AMANDA
That won't be necessary. I can get another team to go over there. They'll fix that place up, retrieve the carcass of that bug for Carmichael to look at, and do whatever else needs to be done over there.
GREG
I thought you said you wanted to keep that bug a secret?
AMANDA
(Pause)
You've done some good work today, Greg. Go get some rest, you deserve it.
GREG
Well... alright.
Greg leaves. Amanda looks back towards Sam, with a worried expression on her face.
EXT. COLONY PERIMETER, NIGHT
P.O.V. SHOT
From the cover of the jungle outside the colony, someone watches the guards through a pair of nightvision binoculars; a stolen pair of binoculars.
