Paradise Read online

  One of the Monkians touch the bone horn hanging from her belt.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Medicine.

  She touches her mouth again.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Do you have medicine?

  All the Monkians are around her now, two feeling the bow and arrows tied to her back.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Stop it.

  She shoves them with the soft end of the spear.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  I've come for help. I need medicine.

  The Monkians caress her skin.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Enough.

  She shoves them again, harder.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  I need your help!

  One of the Monkians GRABS the bone horn. Hope kicks him away. Another Monkian snatches one of her arrows. Hope swings the spear and slashes across the Monkian's belly.

  The Monkian SCREAMS, falling back.

  The others “hiss” and retreat.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Stupid animals!

  She tries to get the horn back but the Monkians turn and run.

  Hope drops the spear and fires an arrow, nailing one of them in the back.

  The other two Monkians disappear into the forest.

  Hope grabs the spear and runs after them.

  The Monkian on the ground howls in agony, unable to remove the arrow in its back.

  EXT. TREE - FOREST

  Sebastian hears the scream and wakes. He looks around. Hope is gone. He tries to stand but trips and falls.

  EXT. FOREST - OTHER SIDE

  BRANCHES ARE RIPPED ASIDE. Hope bursts through the thickets and sees one of the Monkians up ahead. She screams, throwing the spear.

  The Monkian is struck in the shoulder and falls. Hope rips the spear out and stabs him again.

  “Hiss”, she turns as another Monkian runs at her with a club, KNOCKING her to the ground. Hope grabs the Monkian's tail and pulls it back, jamming an arrow into its throat.

  A rock is thrown at her from above.

  She looks up and sees another Monkian is in the trees. She fires an arrow. The Monkian springs into another tree.

  Hope looks down, two more are ahead, one with her bone horn.

  She raises her spear and screams, charging at them.

  The Monkians run.

  Hope pursues, legs pumping, branches cutting into her face.

  The trees around her slowly thin out.

  She finally emerges onto a clearing and spins around.

  Dozens of Monkians are around her, large and small, young and old.

  She drops the spear and draws another arrow, eyes zipping around the mud hut village.

  The Monkians stare at her, their eyes almost doubling in size.

  Hope sees something and slowly lowers the bow.

  Sebastian stumbles out the forest, balancing against the trees.

  SEBASTIAN

  Hope!

  Hope continues to stare at something off-screen.

  Sebastian now also sees it and also stops.

  It's a pod. Open but empty.

  Sebastian looks down.

  The Monkians are all now on their knees, heads pressed to the ground, praying towards Hope.

  YOUNG MAN (O.S)

  (accented)

  “That's what life does.”

  CUT TO.

  INT. BRIEFING ROOM - BRIGHT LIT (FLASHBACK)

  Sebastian sips some coffee, dressed in a plain gray jumpsuit.

  YOUNG MAN (O.S)

  It spreads, it grows.

  The young man from the pod sits around the table.

  YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)

  It evolves.

  OLDER WOMAN

  Life has always adapted to its environment,

  not the other way round.

  YOUNG WOMAN

  (accented)

  But it's the nature of all life to ensure the

  survival of the next generation. What we're

  doing is no different.

  OLDER WOMAN

  How is a species growing if all it's doing is

  continuing to live by dominance and

  aggression. Taking whatever it desires.

  ALANA (O.S)

  That's what's asked of us.

  Sebastian looks up.

  Alana stands by a window, looking out at the stars.

  ALANA (CONT'D)

  The weak fall so the strong rise.

  Sebastian pauses. Alana makes eye contact with him and turns back to the window.

  YOUNG MAN (O.S)

  Morality is a human concept.

  Sebastian lowers his head.

  YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)

  Survival is evolution's.

  Through the window the curve of Mars slowly crosses, patches of clouds clearly visible...

  CUT TO.

  EXT. MONKIAN VILLAGE - DAY

  Hope leans forward and studies the pod. She turns around. Several of the Monkians are still bowing towards her.

  HOPE

  Did they kill him?

  Sebastian is knelt in front of the pod, looking down at something.

  SEBASTIAN

  I don't think so.

  He looks around at the huts.

  SEBASTIAN (CONT'D)

  I think the person who was in here showed

  them how to do all this.

  HOPE

  So where is this person?

  SEBASTIAN

  I don't know.

  Hope turns to the nearest Monkian.

  HOPE

  Hey.

  She jabs him with her spear.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Who was in here? Where's the person who

  was in here?

  The Monkian glances at her then lowers its head again.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Stupid, they're all stupid.

  She jabs the Monkian again, harder.

  Sebastian slowly stands, looking down at the ground.

  SEBASTIAN

  They're not stupid.

  He continues to look at the ground.

  A semi-circle has been drawn.

  CUT TO.

  EXT. MONKIAN VILLAGE - PREDAWN

  Hope and Sebastian are asleep under a tree. Hope snaps up, spear ready. All the Monkians are leaving. She quickly shakes Sebastian awake.

  HOPE

  Papa, papa get up.

  Sebastian turns his head and sees the Monkians moving in a single file.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Where are they going?

  Sebastian climbs to his feet, Hope helps him.

  SEBASTIAN

  Come on.

  CUT TO.

  EXT. HILL - EARLY MORNING

  The Monkians march on, making no sound. Hope and Sebastian following. Sebastian trips, Hope quickly helps him up.

  SEBASTIAN

  I'm all right.

  DISSOLVE TO.

  EXT. HILL - THICK FOREST - MORNING

  The Monkians proceed down a slope, climbing over a log. Sebastian looks up.

  A zebra-striped bird watches.

  HOPE (O.S)

  We're coming out.

  Sebastian sees light up ahead. The trees are thinning out. The sun is glimpsed, orange tinted in the morning sky.

  Sebastian focuses his eyes.

  There's a valley below, flanked by two more hills. In the distance, cleanly visible is something large and white.

  Sebastian and Hope stop. The Monkian continue on. Hope grips Sebastian's hand, frightened.

  HOPE (CONT'D)

  Papa.

  Sebastian squeezes her hand back.

  SEBASTIAN

  I know.

  Before them is an ENORMOUS WHITE DOME.

  CUT TO.

  EXT. GREAT DOME - VALLEY - MORNING

  The Monkians are spread out, bowing towards the dome. Sebastian and Hope slowly approach.

  Hope looks up, overwhelmed by the size.

  The Monkians clear a path for them, heads still low. S
ebastian stares forward.

  The surface of the dome is clean and smooth, around the sides vines and trees have grown.

  The two stop several meters away.

  Sebastian looks back at Monkians, all still in worship. He looks back at the white wall.

  SEBASTIAN

  (low)

  Wait here.

  Hope watches as he moves forward. He stops in front of the wall and slowly raises his hand, fingers spread.

  Hope grips her spear.

  Sebastian closes his eyes and touches the surface.

  Hope steps back as a “humming” rises from within the dome.

  Sebastian listens as the sound gets louder. He slowly lowers his hand and retreats a step.

  A section of the wall begins to part. White light seeps out, getting brighter.

  Hope freezes.

  The tall entrance gets wider, the light putting Sebastian in silhouette.

  HOPE

  Papa!

  Sebastian turns as Hope runs forward, stopping beside him.

  He looks down at her then across at the entrance.

  SEBASTIAN

  (low)

  We were meant to be here.

  He takes Hope's hand and leads them forward. The white light blinds us.

  FADE TO WHITE.

  ALANA (O.S)

  “It's time.”

  FADE IN.

  EXT. BALCONY - RED TINTED NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

  Rusty rail. Red sand. Sebastian runs his finger through it. He lifts some of the sand and grits it between his fingers.

  SEBASTIAN

  I know.

  Alana stands behind him, wearing a plain dress. She slowly approaches and stops behind him.

  SEBASTIAN (CONT'D)

  (beat)

  This is really happening, isn't it.

  Alana looks up, tears in her eyes.

  ALANA

  It isn't too late.

  Sebastian has tears in his eyes too.

  SEBASTIAN

  It is.

  Alana turns him around and lifts his face.

  ALANA

  This isn't the end. We will find each other

  again.

  Sebastian looks at her.

  SEBASTIAN

  We won't be the same.

  ALANA

  No.

  SEBASTIAN

  We won't remember.

  ALANA

  No.

  SEBASTIAN

  What will we be?

  Alana takes his hand, a ring on his finger.

  ALANA

  We'll be reborn.

  She looks at him, trying to smile.

  ALANA (CONT'D)

  We'll fall in love all over again.

  Sebastian closes his eyes and nods.

  Alana lowers her head and looks at the ring.

  ALANA (CONT'D)

  And this will all just be a dream.

  She removes the ring.

  Sebastian looks away, unable to watch.

  Alana places his hand over hers. A ring on her finger.

  Sebastian is unable to move.

  Alana touches his face.

  ALANA (CONT'D)

  (softly)

  Please. You have to do this.

  Sebastian forces himself to removes the ring. He closes it in his hand, tight, and looks back at her.

  SEBASTIAN

  (low)

  I love you, and you love me.

  He places the ring in her hand.

  SEBASTIAN (CONT'D)

  That can't be forgotten.

  Alana nods, tears running down her face.

  Sebastian rests his forehead against hers, both closing their eyes... We hear music. A piano. Chopin's Nocturne...

  FADE TO WHITE.

  FADE IN.

  INT. WHITE ROOM

  We're an brightly lit room. Sebastian turns his head. Four walls surround them, no entrance or exit.

  On the walls are framed paintings.

  Sebastian approaches the first painting and stops.

  It's a lush forest with five moons in the sky, a zebra-striped bird sitting on a branch.

  Sebastian slowly raises his hand, almost touching the picture.

  EXT. COUNTRY GARDEN - SUMMER DAY (FLASHBACK / MUTE)

  The same painting. A thin brush. Alana focusing.

  She steps back and strokes some hair behind her ear. She looks aside, wearing a yellow summer dress, and smiles at someone.

  INT. WHITE ROOM

  Hope stops beside him. She glances back, confused.

  HOPE

  What is all this?

  Sebastian lowers his hand and looks at the next painting. Another forest, another alien sky, variations of tigers, elephants, giraffes.

  He slowly turns around. There's more paintings on the other side of the room. Some have human figures, men and women, naked in the wild, smiling and laughing, some holding children.

  SEBASTIAN

  (smiles)

  These were our dreams... Her dreams.

  Hope doesn't understand. She turns around and stops.

  HOPE

  Papa.

  Sebastian looks aside.

  The wall opposite has changed. There's now an opening.

  He moves toward it. There's a corridor, white and bright.

  No end can be seen.

  DISSOLVE TO.

  INT. WHITE CORRIDOR

  Sebastian and Hope slowly walk down, their bare feet making no sound. Sebastian looks at the walls. There's no doors or markings.

  They reach a a T-junction, the corridors to their left and right curving off.

  Sebastian pauses, looking to the wall in front of them.

  It begins to part.

  It's pitch black inside.

  Sebastian waits. Hope squints her eyes.

  INT. BRIEFING HALL

  Overhead lights flicker on. Sebastian enters, Hope behind him.

  The hall is bowl-shaped with a hundred empty seats surrounding a flat center stage.

  Sebastian looks up at the ceiling then down at one of the chairs.

  He stops.

  INT. BRIEFING HALL (FLASHBACK / MUTE)

  A man in his late 40s sits. Other men and women are beside him, some in white lab coats, all looking to the stage. The man scratches his wrist. We see a bar code.

  INT. BRIEFING HALL

  Sebastian draws back, eyes still on the chair.

  SEBASTIAN

  I know this place.

  Hope looks up as the overhead lights dim down.

  Sebastian turns to the stage.

  It's warming up.

  Hope spins around. The entrance they came through has now sealed off.

  ALANA'S VOICE

  “Don't be afraid.”

  Hope jumps, startled, spear raised.

  A white glow radiates from the stage.

  ALANA'S VOICE (CONT'D)

  “Please sit.”

  Sebastian steps forward.

  ALANA'S VOICE (CONT'D)

  “You all have many questions. Myself

  amongst you. I will answer as much as I

  can... As much as we have agreed.”

  An image materializes on the stage, a high resolution 3D hologram of the planet Earth.

  ALANA'S VOICE (CONT'D)

  “This was our home. The place of our birth.

  A place now gone.”

  Images of animals appear, all in the wild.

  ALANA'S VOICE (CONT'D)

  “It was a place rich with life.”

  A tiger attacks a deer, ripping at its flesh.

  ALANA'S VOICE (CONT'D)