Owen and the Aliens Time to Show You the Neighborhood Written by Elliott Davidson

1 ACT I FADE IN: EXT. TERRA NOVA COLONY DAY OWEN a thirteen year-old boy with messy brown hair and tanned skin - watches the stars fade as the sun rises. He sits atop a storage container, alone. At his back stands an expansive space colony, made of a clean, white, pseudo-plastic material. Beyond the colony, its a sea of rock, isolated geological formations littering the landscape. Far off in the distance, massive towers stretch up into the sky, half white, half green. Owen, wearing a white jumpsuit decked out with techno doodads - no helmet or heavy space suit required - gets to his feet and walks towards the colony. INT. COLONY CORRIDOR DAY Owen shuffles along the cylindrical corridor, passing various men and women, a child in a world of adults. Most of the other people are engaged in conversation or study their equipment, but they look up to greet Owen. MEN / WOMEN Hey Owen. / Morning Owen. / Owen, hows it going? / etc. Owen nods in response, politely but absently. INT. COLONY LIVING QUARTERS DAY The living quarters are pristine, colorless. Owen enters via sliding door. He finds his parents, MR. and MRS. ADAMSON, jumpsuited up and preparing for the day.

2 MRS. ADAMSON Morning, honey. Youre up early. OWEN Couldnt sleep. MRS. ADAMSON Been anywhere in particular? OWEN Not really. MR. ADAMSON Want to help me with my rounds at the bio-gennies today? OWEN No, thats alright. Could I maybe ... take the rover out instead? Ive done all my homework. For the month. Mr. and Mrs. Adamson eye one another. MRS. ADAMSON Going to stay out of trouble? OWEN Im the only kid on this rock. Not much trouble to get into. Owens parents wait for the correct answer. OWEN But, yes, absolutely. Mr. Adamson scratches his chin, playfully wary of Owen. MR. ADAMSON I dunno ... Mr. Adamson taps a nearby touch panel. MR. ADAMSON Okay. You can take the rover out.

3 MRS. ADAMSON But be careful. OWEN Uh huh, I will. Owen hugs his parents briefly. OWEN Later. MRS. ADAMSON Sooner, rather than later, Owen. OWEN For sure. INT. ROVER HANGAR DAY Owen enters the hangar. Dozens of rovers sit waiting in the hangar. Theyre bulbous, stubby, wheelless vehicles with open cockpits, like futuristic Volkswagen Beetle convertibles. INT. ROVER DAY Owen hops into one of the rovers. It powers on automatically, displays lighting up, engine humming. The rover lifts off the ground, hovering two feet in the air. Owen taps at the controls, grips the steering sticks. OWEN Cool. EXT. ROVER HANGAR DAY The rover shoots out of the hangar, skimming above the ground. Owen hoots with excitement.

4 EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY Owen sweeps back and forth along the rocky surface of Terra Nova, rover banking side to side. INT. ROVER DAY The wind kicks Owens hair back, a smile ear to ear. EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY The rover hugs the ground, leaving the colony behind. Owen pushes the rover faster. EXT. TERRA NOVA ORBIT SPACE Terra Nova - blue oceans, caramel rocky wastelands, traces of green - spins lazily. A dark metallic object hurtles towards the planet, a blur, lightning fast. INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY A dozen people mind various displays. The communications officers all appear on the verge of boredom-induced comas. Then one of the displays begins to beep. EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY Owen speeds across the desert. INT. ROVER DAY Something catches Owens attention. He looks up. High above, a metallic streak heads towards the desert. INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY One of the officers cranes his neck towards the beeping and flashing display in front of him. OFFICER Wha ... ?

5 INT. ROVER DAY Owen eases up on the rover. EXT. TERRA NOVA SKY DAY The silvery shape plummets towards the desert below. INT. ROVER DAY The rover comes to a stop, still hovering above the ground. Owen stares at the planet bound object, mouth slack. The object begins to change direction, arcing through the sky ... until its headed straight for Owen. INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY The officer studies the display. Others crowd around. The colonys ADMINISTRATOR - an older woman with tight, sharp features - leans in close, inspecting the screen. OFFICER Maam, we have a visitor. INT. ROVER DAY Owen sits motionless as the speeding object flies towards him, now only a few hundred feet away. EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT - DAY The metallic blur reaches the planet surface, kicking up a massive plume of dust that blows out in all directions. But theres no impact, no explosion. INT. ROVER DAY Owen coughs, waves the dust away from his face. Slowly, the sandy cloud begins to clear.

6 EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT - DAY Perched on the desert floor - dark silver, seamless, winged like a metallic manta ray - rests a very alien spaceship. Its adorned with faded markings and glyphs, dinged up, somewhat scorched, and impossibly technologically advanced. Owen gets out of the rover, takes a few tentative steps towards the spaceship. A hatch on the side of the ship opens. Stairs extend from the doorway to the ground below. A silhouette appears. Owen watches, anxious and spellbound. And JOE - a young, wiry green alien, two arms, two legs, yellow eyes, little dots for nostrils - steps out. A forest of sort-of-tentacles sits on the top of his head like a mop of hair. He wears an almost punk jumpsuit of his own. Joe spots Owen. He skips down the stairs, waves casually, and joins Owen on the ground. Joe speaks, uttering a strange language of clicks and hums. Owen stares at Joe, eyes wide and stupefied. Joe cocks his head and speaks again. More gibberish. Joe sighs heavily, rummages around the pockets of his jumpsuit. He pulls out a thin disk the size of a quarter and moves in towards Owen. Owen back pedals awkwardly, but Joe grabs Owen by the elbow and smacks the disk against Owens forehead. JOE There we go. OWEN You ... speak ... English? JOE Huh? No, not a word. But I understand you.

Joe taps the disk stuck to Owens forehead. JOE And now you can understand me. Joe flops a hand onto Owens shoulder. JOE Names Jotroxungachuu. But you can call me Joe, for short. Owen places a tentative hand on Joes shoulder. OWEN Owen. Owen Adamson. JOE Good to meet you, Owen Owen Adamson. OWEN No, its just Owen. JOE Whatever you say. Joe steps past Owen, takes in the desert. Owen rubs his eyes, looks at Joe stupidly. OWEN Wait, hold up. Youre an alien. JOE True. OWEN No, I mean, youre a real live alien. Like, really real. In front of me. And Im talking to you. JOE Am I missing something here?

8 OWEN I ... we ... you exist! Youre actually out there! Joe chews on this comment, the gears slow, but steady. JOE Wait, wait, you didnt know that? OWEN Well, no. JOE How could you not know that? OWEN We just figured we were alone. I mean, its not like we havent been looking or anything, but JOE You thought you were alone? Okay, okay, youve got to come with me for a moment. Joe races off toward his ship and climbs up the stairs. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DAY Joe, wildly excited and muttering to himself, taps at an assortment of buttons and switches. A little sphere drops out of the ceiling. JOE Now just stand over here ... Joe looks back and realizes that hes talking to himself. EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY Joe reappears at the hatch. Owen hasnt moved. JOE What are you doing?

9 OWEN I have no idea ... Joe hustles down the stairs, grabs Owen, and drags him into the spaceship. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DAY Joe positions an amazed Owen underneath the sphere. OWEN Whoa. JOE Just stand there. And dont move. Joe taps a button on a nearby console, and laser beams begin to shoot out of the orb, sweeping all over Owen. The boy yelps in surprise. JOE Stay still, stay still. The light show stops with Owen apparently unharmed and the orb retreats into the ceiling above. Joe scans a display that cycles through a variety of anatomical breakdowns of Owen. JOE No way. Youre an entirely new species. Never recorded. And I found you! How great is that? OWEN Pretty great? JOE You bet it is. Joe ushers Owen over to one of a handful of large seats near the ships controls. JOE Okay, just sit back ...

10 Joe plops into the central control chair beside Owen. His fingers skitter above the controls. The ship rumbles. EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY The spaceships stairs retract, and the hatch closes. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DAY Joe takes a hold of the ships control sticks. JOE ... and enjoy the ride. OWEN Ride? What ride? EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY The spaceship lifts off the ground and, without even a hint of acceleration, rockets spaceward. FADE OUT.

11 ACT II FADE IN: INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DAY Owen watches the tilted horizon of Terra Nova through the bridges viewscreen. OWEN Where are we going?! EXT. TERRA NOVA ORBIT SPACE The spaceship zooms away from Terra Nova. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE SPACE Joe glances at Owen, grinning. JOE Owen Adamson, it is time to show you the neighborhood. EXT. TERRA NOVA ORBIT SPACE The ship speeds up, its form stretching off infinitely into the cosmos. Then in a flash, its gone. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE HYPERSPACE Stars, stretched out like taffy, streak by the spaceship. Owen stands, stares at the viewscreen, eyes bulging. OWEN What are you doing? Youve got to take me back! JOE I will. Of course I will. OWEN No, I mean now! Right now!

12 JOE Now? Why? We just left. OWEN Because ... Joe waits for an answer, but Owen doesnt have one. JOE Owen, relax. Take a seat. Its a quick trip. Close by. OWEN Close by?! JOE Relatively speaking. Owen holds his face in his hands, groaning, then slumps back into his seat. OWEN Joe ... where are you taking me? JOE Thats a good question. Joe works the controls. On the viewscreen, the stars begin to compress into their normal spherical shape. JOE Owen, this EXT. JUMP RING SPACE The Jump Ring, a massive cylindrical space station a dozen miles across, rotates in the dead of space. Joes ship comes out of hyperspace. JOE (V.O.) - is a Jump Ring. The hollow center of the Jump Ring shimmers like hot air above pavement. Its a wormhole, a window into another point in the universe. Countless ships flow through it.

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There are no nearby planets or stars, but a vast, vibrant red-purple cloud of cosmic dust lingers around the station. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE SPACE Owen stares at the Jump Ring, once again amazed. OWEN What is it? JOE I just told you, Jump Ring. Holds the wormhole open. OWEN Wormhole? JOE Well youre not going intergalactic if you stick to hyperspace, yeah? OWEN If you say so. EXT. JUMP RING SPACE Joes silvery ship heads for the Ring. Another ship, closer to the station, turns and makes a beeline for Joes vessel. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE SPACE The second spacecraft rockets straight towards Joes ship. Owen shields his eyes, curling up in terror. OWEN Ahhh!! The second ship peels off, narrowly avoiding an epic collision. Joe shakes his head, chuckling.

14 ARALLA - a young alien girl with large eyes framed by feathers and downy fur that fades from violet to white appears in a communication window on the viewscreen. JOE Thank you so, so much for such a warm welcome, Aralla. The second ship comes back into view, now facing the boys. ARALLA My pleasure. JOE Couldve just commed, you know. ARALLA Wouldnt have been as much fun. Aralla spots Owen, gives Joe an inquisitive look. ARALLA Whos your friend? JOE All in good time. Headed to the Ring? ARALLA Of course. JOE Then well see you there. ARALLA Alright. Dont keep us waiting. The comm window blinks off. Arallas ship turns and zooms towards the Jump Ring. JOE (to Owen) Youre going to love this.

15 EXT. JUMP RING SPACE The two spaceships make their way towards the Jump Ring as space traffic continues to courses through the wormhole. EXT. JUMP RING - OUTER SURFACE - SPACE Elevator shafts extend from the Jump Ring out to other vessels that have docked underneath the station. The two ships manoeuvre towards a pair of free lifts. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE SPACE Joe eyes the displays, plunks away at the controls. Satisfied, he stands and marches away from the bridge. JOE Follow me. Owen pushes himself out of his seat. OWEN Have I been abducted by an alien? JOE What? OWEN Nothing. EXT. JUMP RING SPACE A dark, angular, patched-up spaceship heads for the underside of the Jump Ring and the other docked ships. INT. PIRATE SCOUT SHIP COCKPIT - SPACE The PIRATE SCOUT - a lanky, weaselly alien - pilots the small space ship, shifty eyes on the Jump Ring. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - UPPER HATCH SPACE Joe guides Owen into an airlock.

16 JOE Hold on. Joe knocks on Owens head, knuckles surveying skull. JOE You got brain all in there, right? OWEN Yes, why? Joe keeps knocking. Owen tries to shoo him off. OWEN Stop it! Joe relocates Owens translator patch from his forehead to behind an ear, hidden underneath Owens hair. JOE Still work? OWEN Yeah. Sort of itches though. JOE Youll live. Joe taps a control panel, and the airlock begins to close. OWEN Wait, Joe, should I know about anything? Is it safe? Am I going to be able to breathe in there? JOE If I can, you can. INT. JUMP RING - LOWER LEVEL SPACE The Jump Ring is dark, smoky, dingy, busy, loud and alive, crowded with a cornucopia of aliens. Shops, services, entertainment, bars and restaurants are crammed together in the Jump Ring.

17 A door connecting one of the Jump Rings outer lifts to the bowels of the station opens, revealing Owen and Joe. Owen holds his breath, cheeks bulging, eyes shut. JOE Owen, relax. This place is built for double-O breathers like us. Joe slaps Owen on the back. The boy inhales roughly. Joe grabs Owen by the jumpsuit and drags him forward. JOE Come on, come on. Joe walks past other lift doors, searching the crowds. Aralla appears from behind a cluster of aliens. Joe and Aralla spot each other and embrace one another jovially. ARALLA Hey Joe. JOE Aralla, good to see you, as always. Three other young aliens join Aralla. KOBOR is a big, burly, gruff, hunched combination of armadillo, rhino, and elephant. TESSARACTA is an insectoid with four arms and four legs, a cross between mantis and black widow, with a shiny, almost bejewelled carapace and a regal crest of horns on her head. And finally, LOOTHU is a nervous, shifting mass of tentacles, standing somewhat upright, his squid limbs tangled together, imitating the shape of a biped. Joe and the three other alien teens share typical hugs, handshakes, greetings, chest bumps, etc. Owen stands a few feet back from the rest of the group.

18 ARALLA So Joe, you going to introduce this one or what? JOE Yeah, yeah, of course. Guys, this is Owen Adamson. Hes a (to Owen) - wait, what are you, anyway? OWEN Human. JOE Hew-man? OWEN Human. JOE Thanks. (to others) Hes a KOBOR Human, yeah, we heard him Joe. JOE Right, right. Owen, this (points to Kobor) - is Kobor Kobor offers a grunt in acknowledgement. JOE (gestures to Tessaracta) - Tessaracta TESSARACTA Charmed. JOE (nods at Loothu) And Loothu.

19 LOOTHU Huh-huh-hello, Owen. Owen rubs the back of his head and smiles sheepishly. OWEN Um ... hi. ARALLA Good to meet you, Owen. Kobor walks over to Owen, looks him up and down, pokes him in the forehead, arms, chest. KOBOR Seems kind of squishy. LOOTHU Theres nothing wrong with squishy. ARALLA I think hes cute. Sort of plain looking, but cute. A sly grin spreads across Arallas face before she turns and heads further into the station. Owen blushes tremendously. LOOTHU Oh, look, adaptive coloring. Loothus own skin shifts through a stunning array of colors, patterns, and even textures. Owen stares dumbly. LOOTHU Advantageous, isnt it? Kobor, Tessaracta, and Loothu join Aralla. Joe pushes Owen forward. JOE Lets go. FADE OUT.

20 ACT III FADE IN: INT. DR. VROONS LABORATORY - SPACE Monitors, cables, robotic arms and precision instruments dangle from the walls and ceiling of the expansive room. The lab is half auto body garage, half electronics plant. DR. VROON - a diminutive, aged humanoid alien with wispy white hair and a wrinkled face - hums to himself. He moves to the center of the room, where a large metallic box is in the process of sealing itself shut. COMPUTER (V.O.) Dr. Vroon, you have an incoming communication from the Admiral. DR. VROON Ill take it in here, thank you. The GALACTIC SECURITY FORCE ADMIRAL appears on one of the larger lab monitors, dressed in an authoritative black uniform with red and blue stripes. He is a regal, angular creature with determined, intelligent, but not unkind eyes. ADMIRAL Hello, Dr. Vroon. DR. VROON Admiral. ADMIRAL Is the prototype ready? Dr. Vroon pats the metallic box. DR. VROON I believe so. But then you and I both know not to get our hopes up before a test run, dont we now? A nod and a knowing smile from the Admiral.

21 DR. VROON Ill see you in a short while, Admiral. The Admirals image blinks off. INT. JUMP RING - LOWER LEVEL SPACE The Pirate Scout steps out of one of the lifts. His eyes, sly and half-lidded, skip around the Jump Ring. Though shifty, no one pays him any attention. The Scout moves through the crowds, casing the joint. A pair of slovenly Security officers walk by, dressed in black uniforms similar to the Admirals. The Scout watches the officers from the corner of his eye. The officers stumble along, spending more time slapping each other on the back than watching the crowds. The Scout continues on. INT. JUMP RING - MARKETPLACE - SPACE The kids wind their way through a slightly more respectable section of the Jump Ring. Owen lags behind the others, his eyes everywhere, absorbing the aliens, shops, architecture, cultures. JOE Still in a hurry to get back home? OWEN I ... wow. Owen tries to stay clear of pretty much everything, sidestepping lumbering creatures as they near. OFFICER URKFURK - a pig-like alien in Security garb, uniform straining at the seams - stumbles towards the kids. KIDS Hello, Officer Urkfurk!

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Urkfurk spots the kids and groans. OFFICER URKFURK Shouldnt you kids be in school? Or working? Or stuck in a Nunalium mine somewhere? Far away from here, from me, forever? JOE You dont sound happy to see us, Urkie. OFFICER URKFURK Dont call me Urkie. ARALLA Still upset about that thing with the bongledons? OFFICER URKFURK Do you have any idea how long it took me to clean that mess up? The kids collectively shake their heads, all trying their hardest not to smile or break into laughter. OFFICER URKFURK Im not going have any trouble with you kids today, am I? KIDS No, Officer Urkfurk. OFFICER URKFURK Going to have a nice, relaxing shift for a change? KIDS Yes, Officer Urkfurk. OFFICER URKFURK Good. Get a move on. Go make someone elses life miserable.

23 Officer Urkfurk points at his eyes, then at Joe - Im watching you - before he shuffles off. The kids return to their march. OWEN Who was he? JOE Officer Urkfurk? Galactic Security Force. But the guys out here patrolling the Ring arent exactly top of their class, if you know what I mean. LOOTHU I like Officer Urkfurk. KOBOR You like everyone, squirmy. INT. JUMP RING - CONCOURSE - SPACE Dr. Vroon pushes the metallic box, hovering above the ground, through the throngs of alien creatures. Ten feet away, the Scout continues his reconnaissance. INT. JUMP RING - MARKETPLACE - SPACE The kids walk by rows of painted and polished hoverjets, half motorcycles, half jet airplanes. Owen is drawn to them, shuffling over like a zombie. OWEN Awesome. An alien SALESMAN saunters up. SALESMAN Pretty hot, huh son? And shes the easiest thing the world to ride. The Salesman lifts Owen off his feet and plops him onto one of the nearby hoverjets.

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SALESMAN Grab a control stick and youre locked in. Push to dive, pull to climb, twist to turn. Right foots go, left foots stop. Simple as that. So how you payin? JOE Were not. Get off him, get off him! Joe pulls Owens hands off the control sticks before grabbing his jumpsuit and yanking Owen off the hoverjet. The Salesman snorts at Joe as the kids shuffle on. JOE Cant let em rope you in like that, Owen. OWEN So shiny ... ARALLA Alright, enough. What are we doing? LOOTHU A little mecha-cade? If anyone else is up for it? TESSARACTA How barbaric. Well I dont know about the rest of you, but my wardrobe is in desperate need of an update. Kobor shoots Tessaracta a look of disapproval, and she shrugs. He pats his stomach. KOBOR Food. Tessaracta rolls her eyes.

25 KOBOR Wonder if the new kid has a taste for a little Gerungle mash. The kids laugh. Owen joins in. The others stop laughing. KOBOR Joe, where did you find this guy, anyway? JOE Some dustbowl I was surveying. Hes a whole new species, never recorded. And get this, get this: they thought they were alone. TESSARACTA Alone where? JOE I dunno, the universe? Theres a moment of silence, then the five aliens burst into laughter. Owen looks amongst them, smiles weakly. ARALLA We should show him the Inner Deck. Thatll blow his mind. Aralla waits for any disagreement, and receiving none, leads the way. OWEN Wait, Joe, surveying? Are you supposed to be working right now? JOE Details, Owen, details. INT. JUMP RING - TEST CHAMBER - SPACE The room is a massive cube, bare metal walls. Makeshift platforms and cage-like enclosures fill the space.

26 What looks to be an alien test pilot stands waiting. The Admiral nears a dozen alien technicians that hover over a bank of monitors. ADMIRAL How are we looking, gentlemen? TECHNICIAN Good to go here, sir. INT. JUMP RING - INNER DECK - SPACE The Inner Deck of the Jump Ring encircles the innermost part of the station, closest to its hollow, tubular center. The ceiling of the Inner Deck is a transparent material that wraps around the inside of the Ring. Ribbons of electricity wind around the inner circumference, maintaining the wavering mouth of the wormhole. Countless ships, big and small, freighters and personal crafts, pass through the wormhole above. The kids shuffle through the Inner Deck. This time, Owens in the lead, and hes the one setting the pace. Owens eyes are glued to the sights above, unblinking. OWEN So many ships. JOE Well its a big place out there. OWEN Its amazing. Owen starts to laugh, cant contain himself. He looks at the others, and they grin back. Including Kobor. INT. JUMP RING - CONCOURSE - SPACE The Scout gives his surroundings one last scan, then holds a slender metallic device to his ear.

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PIRATE SCOUT Come on through. INT. JUMP RING - INNER DECK - SPACE Owen continues to stare spaceward at the incoming ships. For the others, the moment has run its course. ARALLA Alright, lets go. All but Owen start to leave. OWEN Huh. Look at those ones. EXT. JUMP RING WORMHOLE - SPACE Scores of dark, imposing ships come through the wormhole. Some are small fighter ships, zipping around erratically. Others are hulking raider ships, steadily pushing forward. A large, ominous command ship is at the center of the pack. INT. JUMP RING - INNER DECK - SPACE The shadowy ships fill the view above. JOE Oh no. LOOTHU Thuh-thuh-this is bad. Other aliens look up. Panic fills the Inner Deck. ARALLA Back to the ships! The kids are already running. Owens clueless. KOBOR Move it, new guy!

28 OWEN Whats going on? JOE Pirates! This doesnt sink in. Joe gives Owen a frantic shove. JOE Go! The Inner Deck has already become absolute chaos, aliens pushing, shoving, fleeing in terror. JOE Owen, run! FADE OUT.