EXT. WEST COAST MOUNTAINS - EVENING
Marion sleeps on the deck surrounded by empty beer cans as
the boat lazes its way up the coast. Hal anxiously talks to
himself between gulps of beer and puffs on a joint as a
windup radio drones in the background.
HAL
Too easy. It's just her and me. An she's
sleepin like a baby. She wouldn't even
know. All I gotta do is roll her over
and...
RADIO NEWSCASTER - V.O.
...climate change continues to feed
global catastrophes costing millions of
lives in natural disasters and wars.
Major European cities are sinking beneath
rising seas as mega-droughts, famine and
rioting erupt across the globe. Poorer
nations are developing nuclear weapons to
defend dwindling food, water and energy
supplies from aggressor states, such as
the US, Britain and Aus...CLICK.
She wakes suddenly, scuttling his devilish designs.
MARION - O.S.
Brrrr.
Quickly turning off the radio, he grabs a blanket causing
SUPERHERO COMIC BOOKS to spill onto the deck. She looks at
them as she wraps herself up.
MARION
Cosmic Man? Bit big for comic books?
HAL
Hey, some think I'm important enough to
call The Captain.
She holds her head as if with a headache.
MARION
Yeah right. Captain what? Cannabis? Any
more beer?
HAL
Hmm, Captain Cannabis? Has a ring to it.
He retrieves and passes a beer.
MARION
Like, what's the big deal with that stuff
anyway?
HAL
Like, if god, not that sayin I believe
that shit, but if dare is a god and he
wanted to make a perfect plant, pot's it.
It grows anywhere. You can use it for
rope, clothes, paper, even to run your
car. Not to mention...
(takes a toke)
...its medicinal qualities.
MARION
Yeah right. Why's it illegal then?
HAL
Golden rule dude. People with the gold
makes the rules. People running the world
are the same dudes that own the paper
mills, oil wells, drug companies. If we
grew our own they'd be outa business.
Better yet, they'd lose control.
Marion stares at the setting sun casting a reddish glow on
mountains. Mount Baker smolders ominously in the distance.
MARION
And what makes you think god's a he?
Hal fidgets nervously, grabbing more cans from the cooler.
HAL
Duh, nother beer?
MARION
This is officially boring. Where the hell
is this place anyway? Another planet?
HAL
Close. Canada. If we don't get stopped by
any Coast Guard types, should be there
bout 3 in the morning.
MARION
Canada? Great. And me without my parka.
They still using dog sleds?
HAL
Duh, how bout a game? Truth or dare?
MARION
Oh no. Truth, maybe. Dare, forget it.
HAL
Alright, truth then. What turns your
crank? Sides dissing me.
MARION
Hah. You won't believe me.
HAL
Dare then...?
Marion thinks hard.
MARION
Not a word. Promise?
HAL
Dude, this is Hal you're talkin to.
MARION
That's why I'm asking.
HAL
Hey! Not fair.
MARION
I leave my body.
HAL
You what?
MARION
It started when I was a little girl. It's
like I can lie down, close my eyes and
start flying.
HAL
Where?
MARION
Oh, check up on friends; go to the past,
other dimensions, that kind of thing.
Hal takes a long drink on his beer.
HAL
Seriously?
MARION
There's this guy, at least I think it's a
guy.
He takes me around and shows me places.
Like once he took me underground. It was
sooo cool. We were like flying through
water and rocks. Anyway, we go to this
big underground place and it looks sort
of army, ya know? There were guards and
some really creepy alien-like things.
Then it got weird.
HAL
Got?
MARION
It was like the aliens could see us. Then
I came back.
There's a long, uncomfortable pause.
MARION (CONT'D)
Why did I tell you that? I never tell
anyone. People just think I'm crazy.
Totally weird.
HAL
It's okay; I don't believe any of that
shit anyway. If I can't touch it, smell
it, see it or, BURP, hear it, it don't
exist. My turn...you want truth or dare?
Marion cuddles with the blanket as a tear wells.
MARION
Just forget it. I knew you wouldn't
believe me. Nobody does.
HAL - O.S.
Marion? My turn. Come on, truth or dare?
Marion?
EXT. NEAR EARTH ORBIT
Steadily blinking lights betray a satellite array. It's
programmed in a multitude of frequencies to track and record,
in 3D space, everything the Sun does. Suddenly, the lights
flash at a quickening pace.
WIDER
on the Sun as a huge FLARE shoots toward Earth, stopping just
short of the array before returning to its source. An ALIEN
SHUTTLE POD materializes in its wake.
ANGLE ON SATELLITES
relaying these strange events to Earth-based receivers.
EXT. HAL'S BOAT - MORNING
Hal struggles to get his motorcycle onto a rickety dock. A
bang wakes Marion with a start.
MARION
Wha, where am I?
HAL
North of Vancouver. We were lucky. No
coast guards types. Hope our luck holds
on the way back.
With noticeable signs of a hangover, she grabs a nearby beer
can and drinks the remaining liquid. Hal smiles.
HAL (CONT'D)
A girl after my own heart.
He straps a backpack on the sissy bar and dons a WW1 flyer's
helmet while Marion stumbles onto dry land.
MARION
This is it?
HAL
We're not there yet.
She registers the motorcycle.
MARION
Oh no. A convertible, maybe; that thing?
HAL
Where's your sense of adventure?
MARION
With my virginity.
Hal straddles the bike and gives the kick-start a jump but it
doesn't show the slightest signs of life. He fiddles with the
engine, and then tries a few more times.
HAL
Takes a bit to get her warmed up.
MARION
Wanna match? I need a coffee bad.
He jumps a 1/2 dozen times in rapid succession. Finally it
coughs a bit, almost kicks in, and then dies.
HAL
Just about there.
After a few more kicks it reluctantly comes to life belching
out a haze of blue smoke. The noise exacerbates her pounding
headache but she reluctantly gets on, making as little
contact with Hal as is physically possible on a motorcycle.
MARION
Don't make me regret this.
HAL
Chill, you're with the Captain. Put your
arms around me to hold on.
She struggles, holding the sissy bar behind instead.
MARION
No thanks. I'm fine.
MOVING SHOTS
Hal drives up the beautiful windy mountain road to
Steppenwolf's 'Born to be Wild'. Marion slowly gets with the
program, enjoying the wind in her face.
After establishing, the bike lurches violently. Almost
throwing them off - it's clearly intent on dying. Hal
frantically fiddles with the engine, key and throttle. Marion
is tossed about like a rag doll. Hal shouts.
HAL
Hang on.
He stands on the left peg and comes down hard with the kick
start. A belch of blue smoke and he's back in black. A few
BEATS later, he turns onto a small, bumpy
GRAVEL ROAD
Marion has to put her arms around his waist to keep from
falling off. The road narrows to the point where they can't
go any further. She quickly disengages once the bike stops.
HAL
Wasn't so bad?
MARION
That's a matter of opinion. What's next?
Mud wrestling?
HAL
Hmm, good idea, but this is as far as we
go by road. Gotta hike the rest.
She looks at the TRAIL WINDING STEEPLY up the side of the
mountain, then to her HIGH HEELS.
MARION
You can't be, like, serious?
HAL
Wait here if you want.
She closes her eyes and bathes her face in the warm sun.
MARION
I can use some tan time. Going to be
long?
HAL
Couple of days, tops.
MARION
D-days? That's nights too?
HAL
Hmm, not that blonde after all.
MARION
And what do you mean by that?
HAL
Duh, I think it fair to warn you I'm an
expert hiker. Do try to keep up.
EXT. MIKEY'S MOUNTAIN TRAIL - LATER
Marion emerges from a cave into a sunny mountaintop clearing
looking fit and refreshed. After a deep breath,
MARION
Come on get the lead out.
A very out-of-breath Hal drags himself into the clearing.
HAL
Pant, pant, what's the rush?
MARION
Expert hiker my ass.
He plops himself on a rock trying desperately to catch his
breath.
HAL
Pant, almost there, pant. Don't remember
those weird-ass rocks though, pant.
He points to 7, 12-FOOT STONE COLUMNS covered in vines and
foliage. Marion notices their sculpted surface as she nears.
MARION
Like, totally weird.
She reaches out to touch one, and then jumps back with a
start. With a MECHANICAL WHIRL the column springs to life,
it's SINGLE STONE EYE glows BRIGHT BLUE.
MARION (CONT'D)
Shriek!
HAL
Pant, I don't think, pant, you were
supposed to do that.
They try for the cave, but another HUMBABA SENTINEL springs
to life and moves, as if floating on air, to block their way.
One by one, all the stone sentinels come to life.
HAL (CONT'D)
This way! Quick!
An eye goes BRILLIANT WHITE then blasts a laser hastening
their departure as it burns the ground behind them. Rounding
a corner, they're stopped by another. A third direction ends
at a steep cliff falling to the murky ocean far below. They
are caught between six blazing laser eyes cutting off their
escape and certain peril on the rocks below.
HAL (CONT'D)
We can swim?
MARION
No. I can't.
HAL
You can't swim? You live beside an ocean
and...
MARION
We're about to, like, die...can we not go
there right now?
HAL
Duh, sure, later's fine.
As certain doom nears, Hal's taken aback when she grabs
tightly onto his arm.
MARION
Ohmygod...before we die there's something
I...
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