THE TOMORROW PEOPLE 21ST CENTURY "BREAK OUT" by Marla Kendal Based on "The Tomorrow People" by Roger Damon Price The Tomorrow People 21st Century is based on "The Tomorrow People" by Roger Damon Price. The "Tomorrow People" franchise is Copyright (c) 1991 Thames Television. Story & Teleplay Copyright (c) 2004 Marla Kendal. All rights reserved. No portion of this script may be performed, published, sold or distributed by any means, or quoted or published in any medium, including on any web site, without prior written consent. Disposal of this script copy does not alter any of the restrictions set forth above. Contact: screenplay (at) gopha (dot) net
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE 21ST CENTURY "BREAK OUT" ACT I FADE IN: EXT. LONDON, ENGLAND - ESTABLISHING - DAY EXT. CITY STREET - DAY SUPERIMPOSE: TWENTY-FOUR HOURS EARLIER A traffic light changes from red to green. A bus zooms by. A little box, with lots of buttons and lights, sits unattended on an iron dock rail. A pigeon lands beside it, head cocked. A metallic HISS emanates from the box. The pigeon startles and flies away. BILLY (O.S.) (American accent) That'll teach you, you dirty-- Scruffy, unshaven BILLY ANDERSON (18), laughs and takes a bite of a greasy breakfast burrito. He picks up the little box and shakes it. BILLY (CONT'D) I hate the eight hour time difference. (yawning) I should still be asleep. They got me up and out for a wild goose chase. Billy smacks the box. It BEEPS once, then again. BILLY (CONT'D) Got'cha! He points the box towards the street, and follows the sound. He crosses and heads in the opposite direction. The box emits a long CLANG and falls quiet. Billy stomps his foot and grumbles. He leans against a store window, remembers his burrito, and stuffs the last of it in his mouth. BILLY (CONT'D) (mouth full) This is so uncool. EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY A group of STUDENTS run across a playing field. Katie sits in a corner, and flips through a teen magazine. She skips articles on fashion and makeup. She pauses on a page titled "ARE YOU PSYCHIC?" She turns the page. Flips it back. KATIE (reading aloud) Question one. Do you know things your mates are going to say before they say them? She thinks about that. EXT. PARK - FLASHBACK VIA KATIE'S THOUGHTS - DAY Katie, SARAH (13), and JENNIFER (13) sit on a brick wall. Their legs dangle over the edge. SARAH I've never been to Newcastle. KATIE I loved it there. It's home. Not that I hate it here. It's nice. JENNIFER London is the best. Jennifer scratches the end of her nose. She turns her head, and picks out a booger. Sarah sees and pretends not to notice. SARAH (VO) That's so gross! KATIE What is? SARAH What? KATIE You said something was gross. Sarah kicks Katie in the shin. SARAH Did not. JENNIFER No she didn't. KATIE I heard you. JENNIFER (VO) She's off again. Balmy girl. KATIE That's not nice. SARAH What? KATIE She called me balmy. You got cotton in your ears? SARAH No, but you've got fairies in yours. They're the ones whispering to you all the time. (mocking) Katie? Katie! Sarah and Jennifer giggle. Katie jumps off the wall. KATIE You said it, I heard you. Why are you so horrible to me? SARAH (mocking) Why are you so horrible to me? Katie bursts into tears and runs away. EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY Katie goes back to the article. KATIE (reading aloud) Question two. Do you sometimes know who is on the phone before you pick it up? Of course I do. We got caller display. She shakes her head and turns the page. INT. THE LAB A dense, dimly lit room. Clean and modern. One wall is lined with shelves that are strewn with books, magazines and binders. Electronic equipment in various stages of disrepair are piled everywhere. In one corner is a platform. Behind it, a water sculpture is in constant swirling movement. To the right is a steel door, and behind it, a spiral staircase. Front and center is a round table, surrounded by four uncomfortable looking chairs. Above the table, floating on thin air, with no visible wires or attachments, is a circular object with three protruding domes. Billy pops up from behind a pile of equipment. BILLY I'm not getting any more signals, Tim. Are you sure that's where you heard him last? The voice of biotronic computer, TIM, echoes out out the floating object. TIM (VO) (Refined, detached, w/slight reverb) My calculations are accurate. Tim's domes flicker on and off in a rainbow of color. BILLY Then the psionic vector trace is broken. TIM (VO) I calibrated it myself this morning. Billy shields his eyes, and rolls them. BILLY Something must've happened since then. TIM (VO) Are you having fun with me, Billy? Billy stifles a laugh. EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY Katie puts the magazine down. A gust of wind blows it open to the "ARE YOU PSYCHIC?" article. She picks the magazine up, crumples it, and tosses it into a trash bin. Spindly MR. BEECHER (40's) sneaks up behind her. MR. BEECHER That's no way to treat your property is it, Miss Watson? Katie whirls around. KATIE Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to-- Sarah and Jennifer walk past and titter. JENNIFER She has no respect for anyone or anything. She's off her nut. Nutty Geordie. They laugh and run away. Mr. Beecher looks down his nose at Katie. MR. BEECHER Are you off your nut Katie? KATIE I don't think so. MR. BEECHER So you're not sure, then? Should I have a chat with your parents? Katie shakes her head. They hear a commotion in the distance. Mr. Beecher hurries away. Katie picks up a carry-all bag and follows. A group of SCHOOLBOYS have gathered. They hoot and holler at something shielded inside their small circle. Mr. Beecher breaks through to find Aaron and JOHNNY (16) in the middle of a vicious fistfight. He puts himself between them. MR. BEECHER What in the bloody hell is going on here? The Schoolboys laugh behind their hands. JOHNNY He's crazy! The Schoolboys laugh and taunt Aaron, who throws wild punches into the air. MR. BEECHER (to the boys) All right. Nothing to see. Off with you. Off with you! The Schoolboys retreat. Several bump into Katie on purpose as they pass. Mr. Beecher glares at Aaron. AARON I didn't do nothing! Why you looking at me? MR. BEECHER Because you're always at the center of it, Mister Ogden. AARON But that's not fair. He started it! JOHNNY I didn't. He was walking around talking to himself. I told you, he's crazy. Johnny illustrates by twirling a finger at his temple. MR. BEECHER And that will be enough out of you. You have class right now? (off Johnny's look) Then you'd better get to it, then hadn't you? Johnny makes a rude gesture at Aaron, and dashes off. He approaches Katie. He grabs her purse, and rifles through it. KATIE Stop that! Aaron sees this, and bounds towards Johnny, fists outstretched. Mr. Beecher grabs his arms, and pulls him back. MR. BEECHER I'm going to have to keep you after for this Aaron. And I will be calling your father. AARON But-- Johnny holds Katie's bag above her head. She jumps to get it, but cannot. MR. BEECHER (to Johnny) Give the girl the bag, Mr. Raymond, or your father will get called as well. Johnny laughs. He pushes Katie. She lands hard on the ground. Johnny drops the bag. Aaron breaks free of Mr. Beecher's grasp. Eyes wild, he lunges at Johnny, who jumps out of the way. Aaron falls forward, and lands hard on the pavement in front of Katie. Their eyes meet. AARON You're like me. KATIE I don't know you. Aaron reaches out to take her hand. She shies away, whimpers, and drags herself across the pavement. She hits the grass and scrambles along on her knees. She reaches a clump of bushes, and crawls under them. Aaron gets to his feet. He connects a punch to Johnny's nose. Johnny goes down with a grunt and a moan. Two MALE TEACHERS exit the nearest building and head towards them. Aaron takes off running, and speeds out onto the street. Mr. Beecher hears Katie crying and crouches down in front of the bushes. MR. BEECHER Come on out, it's all over now. Are you hurt, Katie? I'll take you to see Nurse. Katie covers her ears, and curls up into a ball. INT. THE LAB Billy jumps up from the couch. BILLY Did you hear that? TIM (TVO) It was a young girl's cry. I am tracking it now. Billy picks up the psionic vector trace and smacks it. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY Aaron pushes his way through the crowds. The muted, muttering VOICES rumble through his head. AARON Stop it already. Leave me alone! He sees a sign for the underground and heads for it. INT. SCHOOL NURSE'S OFFICE Katie sits with a thermometer in her mouth. The SCHOOL NURSE takes it out and reads the display. SCHOOL NURSE You're not feverish, Katie. You just had a scare is all, I think. Katie slides off the chair, and huddles in the corner, her hands over her ears. KATIE (whispered) Go away. Stop yelling at me. Go away. Mr. Beecher appears in the doorway. He motions for the Nurse to join him in the corridor. INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR The School Nurse shakes the thermometer. SCHOOL NURSE You need yours taken, Mr. Beecher? MR. BEECHER No thank you. What's the girl saying? SCHOOL NURSE Rather odd, really. She keeps repeating the same thing over and over. Stop yelling at me. Go away. No one's so much as raised a voice to her. MR. BEECHER Who could she mean? SCHOOL NURSE I've no idea. I've got to try and get her out of that corner before her parents get here. I can't have them seeing her in that state. Mr. Beecher turns to leave. MR. BEECHER Be sure to make a note of this in her file. SCHOOL NURSE Of course. She walks back into her office. INT. THE LAB SUPERIMPOSE: THE NEXT DAY Billy tosses a ball into the air. It falls, he catches it, and repeats the action. He throws it up too far, and waits for it to come down. It does, but as a sharp cornered computer motherboard. He drops it. BILLY Ouch! What the-- A LAUGH comes from behind him. VERONICA ANGEL (19), all flaming-red hair, with a matching temperment, applauds. VERONICA (Irish accent) Good catch. BILLY That wasn't fair. VERONICA You're supposed to be working not playing around. It's important you know. To catch them before they break out. Or they end up all in pieces. Or have you forgotten already what it's like? BILLY Please, no lectures. I haven't forgotten. I'm as serious as a heart attack. Where've you been anyway? VERONICA I had my sister's wedding in Dublin. It only ended an hour ago. I didn't even stay for the reception. You said you had it handled. She gives Billy the hairy eyeball. BILLY I did. But you're back, so that's even better. I can go get some sleep. He throws an arm around her shoulders and gives her a little hug. He heads towards the corner platform. Veronica grabs him by the hem of his shirt. VERONICA Not so fast. A psionic vector trace appears in her other hand. EXT. WATSON RESIDENCE - DAY INT. DEN Katie sits on the floor and stares out a window. The television is tuned to an action program. A car chase is in progress. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY Aaron exits a fast food restaurant. He wanders down the street, aimless and confused. He drifts off the curb and into oncoming traffic. A car swerves and crosses lanes. A HORN blares. INT. DEN Tires SCREECH. Katie looks at the television. She watches Aaron, in the street, frozen in fear, while the car barrels towards him. Katie rubs her eyes in disbelief. The picture on the television is the same. Katie hears VOICES rising towards her. Some from the television, the others from all around her. She shuts her eyes tight. On screen, Aaron falls to the ground. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY The car closes in on Aaron's prone body. Billy appears on the sidewalk out of thin air. He holds up his hands, palms forward. The car disappears, and returns in the other lane. It screeches to a halt a safe distance from Aaron's prone body. Billy runs towards Aaron. The CROWD OF ONLOOKERS is thick. BILLY Let me through! I gotta' get over there. The crowd stays put. Billy throws a little tantrum in the middle of the sidewalk. VOICE FROM CROWD (OS) He's dying! Someone do something! BILLY (muttered) Jeez! What do I do? What do I-- He tucks his shirt into his jeans, and runs a hand through his messy hair. BILLY (CONT'D) (loud) Move out of the way. I'm a doctor! The crowd parts. Aaron lies in the road, his body wracked with seizures. Billy rushes to him, and kneels down. He lays Aaron's head on his knees, and places his fingers against the boy's temples. BILLY (TELEPATHIC VOICE-OVER) It's all right. You're going to be all right. Don't be scared. I'm here to help you. AARON (TVO) What's happening? VOICE FROM CROWD (OS) Doctor, do something! BILLY (TVO) Open your mind. Listen to my voice. Concentrate hard on my voice. Follow it back. AARON (TVO) I'm scared. BILLY Hang in there. Just a little further. (whispered) Trust me. Concentrate. An ambulance SIREN wails in the distance. Aaron opens his eyes and looks up at Billy, who smiles and waves. BILLY (CONT'D) Welcome back. Aaron jumps up, unharmed. A MURMUR of surprise comes from the crowd. They don't believe their eyes. AARON Who are you? BILLY (slightly annoyed) You know who I am. AARON You're Billy. You're like me. BILLY Got it in one kid. If you're ready, let's go. An ambulance and several police cars arrive on scene. AARON Didn't I just get hit by a car? BILLY (smugly) It missed. Come on. He takes Aaron by the arm and leads him into the crowd. Two POLICEMEN and a PARAMEDIC run into the street. They look around, confused. EXT. PARK - DAY Billy and Aaron walk a footpath among the trees. They arrive at a clearing with a pond. Billy picks up a rock and tosses it at the water. It skims a few inches across, sinks, rises up and skims the rest of the way to the other side. Billy smiles and walks away. Aaron, a look of wonder on his face, follows. AARON The Tomorrow People. And I'm one of them? BILLY Part of the third generation of Tomorrow People. It runs in cycles. There'll be a whole bunch of breakouts for a while, and then it stops. AARON So where are they? All these others like us? Billy chuckles. BILLY That's the rub. Earth is a great place to live and all, but it just isn't ready for us yet. So, most of us live elsewhere. He gestures, palms up, up to the sky. AARON You're joking. BILLY I kid you not. There's always a few left behind though. To act as mentors and teachers. Some volunteer, they want to stay on Earth. Others-- (mopey) We get drafted. They reach the end of the footpath. On the top of a nearby garbage bin is an aluminum can. Billy points at the can. It rises, floats to a recycle bin, hovers above, and drops in. INT. MOVIE THEATER Billy and Aaron wait on line at the concession stand. BILLY There's been times with none of us around. In nineteen ninety two, they put a telepathic beacon in orbit, to keep watch. Thing got shot down by Iraq. It ended up in the bottom of the sea. (muttered) Damn thing gives me a headache when I get too close. AARON Did it work? BILLY Yeah, it did. They got wet. And ended up being on their own for a good couple of years. They still complain about it. Billy grabs a super size bucket of popcorn and pops a heaping handful into his mouth. EXT. BATTERSEA, LONDON - ESTABLISHING - DAY EXT. BANKSIDE POWER STATION - DAY Billy and Aaron make their way towards the derelict, abandoned structure. Billy points towards a peeling, grafitti covered poster for lemon candies that hangs on the side of the building. BILLY There it is. AARON There's what? BILLY The lab. AARON In this old wreck? BILLY Yeah. Under it anyway. We don't need to enter from the street-- (grinning) But I figured I'd show you how to get in through the front door, just in case. Billy reaches up above the poster and yanks on a rusty metal rod. EXT. DOWN THE STREET - DAY A rusted motorcycle idles at the corner. The BIKER, his face shrouded by a helmet, watches Billy and Aaron enter the building. INT. THE LAB Veronica sits at the round table, her hands palms down, fingers splayed. The table surface is lit up underneath them. VERONICA (TVO) Hello? Hello? Is anyone there? A door to the left slides open. Billy and Aaron enter. Veronica's concentration breaks. She turns to glare at Billy. VERONICA Where have you been? She's been yelling for an hour, but I can't get through. BILLY Good afternoon to you too, Ronnie. I took young Aaron to the movies. We needed a break. He straddles a chair backwards, and lays his hands out onto the table top, with one pinky touching hers. BILLY (CONT'D) (to Aaron) Do like this. Aaron mimics Billy. Their hands make a triangle on the tabletop. The surface brightens. AARON What are we doing? BILLY Linking. Just listen with your mind, like I showed you. A soprano WHIMPER is heard, from nowhere, yet everywhere. AARON That's Katie. VERONICA Who? AARON Katie Watson. She goes to my school. I looked in her eyes, and I knew she was like me. BILLY Good call. He pats Aaron on the back. TIM (VO) I have the coordinates now. Aaron yelps and jumps from his chair. He scrambles towards the door. AARON Jeez! What's that? Veronica rolls her eyes. VERONICA (to Billy) You didn't tell him about Tim? (to Aaron) Look up. That's Tim. TIM (VO) Welcome Aaron! AARON Hello, eh, um, Tim. He throws a confused look at Billy. BILLY Don't worry. He doesn't bite. (to Veronica, smarmy) I got mine. It's your turn. And you'd better hurry before she jaunts off into oblivion. Or have you forgotten-- Veronica smacks Billy in the back of the head. LATER Aaron makes his way around, touching everything in sight. AARON This place is amazing. Did you do all this yourself? BILLY I wish. Most of this was built before I got here. TIM (VO) As Billy knows, this isn't the only lab. That was built by the first Tomorrow Person, John, back in the nineteen seventies. The lab was reconstructed here when the Wood Lane underground station was slated for demolition. Billy slaps his hands together. BILLY Well, as you Brits would say, I'm off. I've got school in an hour. AARON You have to go to school? BILLY (with obvious enjoyment) Uh huh. We all do. But I'm less than a month from graduation. So...asta! He salutes, bounds onto the platform, and disappears. Aaron, a stunned look on his face, sits down. TIM (VO) Do you have any questions? AARON Thousands! But I don't know where to start. I'm a little in bits. TIM (VO) That is understandable. AARON So, how do you, talk to me? TIM (VO) I am a biotronic computer, and have the functions of original thought and action. AARON Brilliant! TIM (VO) I have a vast base of knowledge, and what I do not know, I have the ability to research. If that equates to brilliance, then I accept your compliment. Tim's domes flash. EXT. BANKSIDE POWER STATION - NIGHT CHRISTOPHER "CHIP" HARDING JR. (20's), a prototype street tough in denim, sidles along the side of the building. He stops to lean against the wall. He takes long look from one end of the street to the other, pivots on his heels, casual- like, and reaches above his head. He pulls on the rod. The wall slides open. He takes one last look around, and steps inside. The wall slides closed behind him. INT. BANKSIDE POWER STATION Cobwebs hang from the rafters. The ceiling above sports a gaping hole, from which wires and metal beams hang precariously down. Chip proceeds to an elevator, and hits the ARROW DOWN button. The door creaks open. He steps inside. INT. THE LAB The room is empty of human life forms. Tim hovers above the table. The door to the left slides open. Chip enters, arms wide open, a goofy grin on his face. CHIP (Cockney accent) Greetings, space men! Take me to your icebox! Anyone home? Eh? I know you know I'm here. You wouldn't have opened the door if you didn't. Come on! He sheds his jacket, and hangs it over the back of a chair. TIM (VO) Good evening, Chip. How are you today? CHIP Hello, Tim! It's about time. I was starting to get a complex. TIM (VO) I apologize. We've been rather busy today, with two new Tomorrow People breaking out. And both in the London area, which was quite a stroke of luck. CHIP Crike! Have you found them yet? TIM (VO) Aaron is in the sleeping quarters. I shall have him come meet you. CHIP Fantastic! So, where's the rest of the ruffians? TIM (VO) They've gone to see about tracing the evanescent transmissions. Only after cross referencing the telepathic streams, can I properly generate a tracker matrix. CHIP (not really understanding) Oh, yeah. Right. Of course. Tim 'laughs'. Aaron arrives from the upper level, taking the stairs two at a time. CHIP Hello! You must be Aaron. Aaron smiles, and nods. Stares at Chip with great concentration. Chip smiles. CHIP (CONT'D) How are you feeling? Must be a bit of a surprise all this, eh? Aaron smiles and nods, still staring. Chip ponders this a second. Snaps his fingers. He 'gets it'. CHIP (loud) Hello. Aaron. My. Name. Is. Chip. He gestures in mishandled sign language. Waves to Aaron. Points to himself. AARON You don't have to yell. I'm not deaf. Are you daft or something? CHIP You talk? Aren't you mute? AARON Me, mute? CHIP Well, I was talking to you a minute ago, and you just stood there staring at me. You could have answered. I never-- AARON (dejected) I was trying to telepath to you. I guess I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. Chip lets out a snort and a belly laugh. He drops down into one of the chairs. CHIP Me? Telepathic. Well, that's a nice laugh. I'm just a plain old stupid Sap, aren't I Tim? TIM (VO) You are quite intelligent Chip. As was your father. Aaron, Chip is one of a few non telepaths that knows of our existence. His father and uncle were as well. The Harding family has been an ally of the Tomorrow People for many years. AARON That's good. I thought we'd been invaded. CHIP That only happens every third month with an R in it. He snorts and laughs. FADE OUT. END OF ACT I