Anachronauts Pilot By Elliott Davidson

1 ACT I FADE IN: EXT. EARTH ORBIT - OUTER SPACE The big, beautiful, bulbous blue and green orb of the Earth rotates slowly, clouds moving lazily above its surface. And then, out of nowhere, a silver flying saucer zips by, heading down through the Earths atmosphere. EXT. SKY DAY The gleaming, spinning UFO races through the clouds. EXT. SPRAWLING METROPOLIS DAY The flying saucer whizzes towards an amazing cityscape of tall, shimmering, futuristic skyscrapers. EXT. LARGE PLAZA DAY The flying saucer zooms over a large plaza ringed by glass buildings, then slows, hovering above the courtyard. INT. PLAZA GALLERY DAY A group of wide-eyed elementary school students watches the flying saucer from a viewing gallery overlooking the plaza. EXT. LARGE PLAZA - DAY Three spindly metallic legs extend from the saucers underside, and it touches down on the courtyard. A door at the front of the saucer opens, light spilling out from inside, smoke creeping along the paved plaza. A silhouette steps out from the opening in the flying saucer, walking down from a ramp at the doorway ... And its BUZZ, a grizzled old pilot wearing a vintage bomber jacket and aviator sunglasses, chomping on a stubby cigar and rubbing his hands together.

2 BUZZ Yep, its a good day for a little time travel. INT. PLAZA GALLERY DAY This is, indeed, the future. The buildings, the clothing, the technology are all years beyond our time. The children look at Buzz, murmuring to one another. DEACON, a sly boy at the back of the pack, turns to GABE, another, larger boy beside him. DEACON Wonder which century they grabbed that guy from. Gabe snorts. MRS. WOODWORM - the childrens prim and proper teacher cranes her head and stares at Deacon and Gabe. The grins disappear from their faces, and they look forward. A door to the side slides open and an ATTENDANT steps through. He faces the children and smiles. ATTENDANT Good morning, children. Now if youll all follow me, its time to get you suited up. EXT. LARGE PLAZA DAY Mrs. Woodworm leads the students out onto the courtyard, filing out in slow motion, a la The Right Stuff. They all wear dark grey, nondescript jumpsuits, featureless except for a metal band on each of their forearms. The fabric has a dull sheen to it, like vinyl or plastic. MRS. WOODWORM Come along now children, the French Revolution awaits!

3 BERT - a relatively slight child with what one might think of as an abnormally large cranium fiddles with the metal band on the sleeve of his suit. DEACON Bert, what are you doing? BERT Just ... experimenting. Suddenly, Berts jumpsuit morphs into an outfit straight out of the Renaissance. Bert stops, picks at his clothes. BERT Hmm, interesting. GABE Nice threads, Poindexter. BERT Thank you, Gabe. And kudos on managing the whole one-leg-at-atime thing. Very impressed. Deacon laughs and slaps a grumbling Gabe on the back. JANIE and SARAH look over at Bert, notice his appearance. SARAH Bertrand, might I point out that we are headed to eighteenth century Paris, not fifteenth century Florence? Your clothes are, like, way inappropriate for the time period. Bert continues to tinker with the suit. BERT Yes Sarah, I am aware of that fact Berts clothing changes from Italian ruffles into an ancient Japanese robe.

4 BERT And Im working on it. The four other children laugh at the sight. BERT (muttering) Thats not even the right continent ... Deacon looks over at Janie, and their eyes meet. The two stare at one another, frozen ... then they both quickly, awkwardly, look away at nothing in particular. Mrs. Woodworm turns her attention to the laughing children, and spots Bert clothed in his unusual attire. MRS. WOODWORM Bert, turn that suit off right this minute! Youll wait until we arrive at our proper temporal destination, like the rest of us. BERT Yes, Mrs. Woodworm. Bert hits a button on the suits controls, and it reverts back to its original jumpsuit-like state. MRS. WOODWORM And Deacon, stop encouraging him. DEACON Me? What I do? Mrs. Woodworm turns and herds the students towards Buzz. Deacon shakes his head. JANIE Always to blame, arent you, Deacon? Janie smiles, then walks off with Sarah.

5 DEACON Dont I know it. EXT. FLYING SAUCER DAY Mrs. Woodworm and the children finally reach Buzz at the foot of the flying saucer. BUZZ Alright everybody, lets get on board. Its time to find out what the past has in store. INT. OBSERVATION TOWER DAY DIRECTOR KANE and DR. MICHAKU stand at the windows of an observation tower, looking down on the plaza below as the children file into the saucer. Director Kane is finely kept, his silver hair and goatee both short and neatly trimmed. Dr. Michaku, on the other hand, is adorned with a wild Einstein-like mop of hair that frames his wrinkled face. DR. MICHAKU There are days, my old friend, when even I marvel at what you and I have accomplished. All of time, waiting to be discovered. DIRECTOR KANE Yes. The possibilities are ... endless. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The children and Mrs. Woodworm enter the saucers circular seating cabin. Large bucket seats line the cabin wall, each facing the center of the room. Buzz hops into a larger piloting chair across from the entrance, and starts tapping, clicking, flipping, and toggling away at the controls.

6 BUZZ Okay children, take a seat and fasten your seat belts. Its time to get this bird off the ground. EXT. LARGE PLAZA DAY The saucers ramp pulls back and the door closes. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The children take their seats around the room. Safety straps extend out of the seats automatically, securing the children tightly. GABE Oooh, comfy. EXT. LARGE PLAZA DAY The saucer slowly lifts off of the ground, the landing gear folding back into the crafts underside. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Buzz inspects the control panels displays. BUZZ A little in-flight movie for your viewing pleasure ... Four large, super-thin monitors extend from the roof of the cabin, facing the ring of children. BUZZ And away we go! EXT. LARGE PLAZA DAY The saucer takes off, rocketing (figuratively speaking) into the sky. INT. OBSERVATION TOWER DAY Director Kane and Dr. Michaku follow the soaring saucer.

7 DR. MICHAKU Bon voyage, children. Bon voyage. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY As Buzz pilots the saucer, the monitors blink on and show: MONITOR INFORMATIONAL VIDEO A beautiful and slightly stereotypical spokeswoman smiles warmly, and speaks in a soothing voice. SPOKESWOMAN Hello, and welcome to your temporal displacement orientation video. EXT. SKY DAY The saucer continues to rise up through the sky. SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) By now you are ascending to a low Earth orbit, in order to achieve a safe and controlled journey through hyperspace. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Buzz pulls back on the ships dual control sticks. BUZZ Check. MONITOR INFORMATIONAL VIDEO A 1950s-esque cartoon figure appears on the screen, wearing one of the grey jumpsuits. He happily cycles through a variety of clothing styles: Medieval, feudal Japanese, Roman, African, Mayan, etc.

8 SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) The Chameleon Mark 3 nanosuits you wear will mimic the appropriate dress of any culture in any time period you might encounter. When in Rome, as they say. The smiling spokeswoman replaces the cartoon man. SPOKESWOMAN Though time travel is a safe and enjoyable experience, there is one simple rule that we ask you follow: INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The children watch the monitors attentively. SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) Please, do not attempt to change the past. GABE Well duh. MONITOR INFORMATIONAL VIDEO SPOKESWOMAN Minor alterations in the past will not have significant effects on the resulting timeline, allowing us to return to a probable present resembling our own. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) However, major actions in the past are likely to bring about noticeable changes to the present. Gabe leans over to Deacon. GABE Like monkey overlords.

DEACON Or monkey teachers. MONITOR INFORMATIONAL VIDEO The 1950s cartoon man returns. He sneaks up to a cartoon European king sitting on a throne and swoops a burlap sack over the king. SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) Remember, you are a visitor in the past. Try not to do anything that changes the course of history. The cartoon man then places a crown atop his head and takes a seat in the now vacant thrown, smiling proudly. SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.) Your fellow travellers and anyone else that may exist in an undesirable alternate timeline appreciate it. EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The saucer slows, taking its place orbiting the Earth. MONITOR INFORMATIONAL VIDEO SPOKESWOMAN So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as you explore the wonders of the past. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The monitors blink off and retract into the ceiling. The kids look at one another nervously. BERT Nothing like a breezy romp through the fabric of time and space ... Buzz taps a few more buttons.

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BUZZ Alright boys and girls, here we go. EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The saucer begins to split in two, top and bottom separating, revealing a glowing ring of blue-white light that pulses from within. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The cabin begins to vibrate, the ship humming loudly. BUZZ Temporal coordinates set ... EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE Waves of lightning-like energy sweep over the saucer. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY BUZZ Jump drive is nominal ... EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The entire ship is wrapped in blue-white bands of energy. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The kids grip their safety belts as the ship shakes. BUZZ And we - are - history! EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE Energy envelops the saucer. A shockwave of blue-white light explodes from the center of the ship, spreading out in all directions. And the flying saucer blinks out of existence.

11 INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY We see flashes of the cabin, strobing: the children, Mrs. Woodworm, Buzz. The cabin no longer shakes - it undulates. The roar of the ship is as loud as ever, and yet at the same time it seems muted, distant. EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE Then out of nowhere, the saucer appears. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY And all is normal. No noise. No movement. You could hear crickets, if they were aboard the ship. Buzz turns to the kids, grinning. BUZZ I love that part. EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The ring of light between the saucers top and bottom dims. A few small blue-white arcs dance across the ships surface. And suddenly, the ship is surrounded by a violent burst of energy. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The lights go out. The piloting displays begin to flash red, accompanied by sirens and pre-recorded warnings. EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The saucer begins to spiral down towards the Earth. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY And the kids begin to scream. FADE OUT.

12 ACT II FADE IN: EXT. EARTH ORBIT OUTER SPACE The spinning saucer cuts through the atmosphere, surrounded by the oranges and reds of air friction and igniting ozone. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The lights flicker off and on. GABE Dude, hold my hand! DEACON Hold your own hand! Buzz struggles with the controls. MRS. WOODWORM Buzz?? Whats happening?! BUZZ What does it look like?! Were falling straight towards Earth! This insight ... it doesnt exactly calm the children. EXT. SKY DAY The saucer successfully past the edge of the Earths atmosphere flip-flops through the clouds. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Monitors at the control panel show dizzying and disorienting views of the skies outside the saucer. Buzz fights fiercely against the ships controls. EXT. SKY DAY The saucers spinning begins to lessen as the ship drops below the clouds.

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INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Buzz grits his teeth, almost chomping his cigar in half. BUZZ Come on, baby, come on! EXT. SKY DAY The saucer finally stops its terrifying spin, but it continues to streak through the sky towards the Earth. EXT. FRENCH FARMLAND DAY A simple farmer walks along his fields, sprinkling seeds. He looks up, spots the silver saucer hurtling towards him. The bag of seeds drops from his hands. The saucer flies straight for the farmer. But its slowing. The saucer comes closer, and closer, and closer and finally comes to a stop, nearly vertical, the edge of the saucers rim mere inches from the farmers nose. FARMER Mon dieu. The farmer faints. The saucer remains hovering in the air. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Everyone is still, speechless, stunned. Buzz turns around, slowly, and removes his aviator glasses. BUZZ And thats why you wear your seat belts. EXT. FRENCH FARMLAND DAY The saucer rights itself, extends its landing gear, and touches down atop the tilled soil.

14 INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY The harnesses withdraw into the seats. Everyone including Buzz breathes a sigh of relief. GABE Safe and controlled journey my butt. Mrs. Woodworm stands and marches over to Buzz. MRS. WOODWORM Buzz, would you mind telling just what exactly that was all about? BUZZ Something shorted out the engines right after we came through. Buzz points absently at a few of the monitors before him. BUZZ Major burst of chronotons. Never seen anything like it. MRS. WOODWORM Is everything okay? Can ... can we get back home? BUZZ Ship aint broke, far as I can tell. Systems are all fine. Just got sent on a little spin, is all. DEACON (under his breath) A little spin? MRS. WOODWORM Well then, lets continue on, shall we? To the Revolution! BUZZ ... if you say so.

15 EXT. FRENCH FARMLAND DAY The saucer lifts off and flies away, leaving the unconscious farmer behind. EXT. PARIS DAY The saucer reaches the edge of eighteenth century Paris. INT. SAUCER CABIN DAY Buzz flips a switch. BUZZ Activating camouflage. EXT. PARIS DAY The saucer turns near-transparent, like a ghost. EXT. PARISIAN SQUARE DAY The almost invisible saucer lands in an empty city square. The saucers door opens, the ramp lowers, and the students step out onto the streets of Paris - seemingly out of thin air - followed by Mrs. Woodworm. MRS. WOODWORM Children, welcome to Paris, 1789! SARAH Oh Janie, isnt it so wonderfully, deliciously neoclassical? JANIE Um, sure. Why not. Mrs. Woodworm touches a few buttons on her suits controls, and her jumpsuit shifts into more appropriate and contemporary French garb. MRS. WOODWORM Thats better.

16 A few more buttons, and all of the students suits begin to beep in unison, changing as well, until the group appears to be nothing more than common Parisians. MRS. WOODWORM Bert, I hope youre happy with your attire. BERT (mumbling) Yes, Mrs. Woodworm. Buzz steps out of the saucer, bomber jacket and all. BUZZ Mrs. Woodworm, a moment? Mrs. Woodworm walks over to Buzz. BUZZ Theres something real squirrelly out there. Chronotons are reading off the charts. You and the kids aint in any danger from em, but ... the less time out there, the better. MRS. WOODWORM Buzz, we will continue on with our learning activity as planned, and will notify you when we are ready to return home. Thank you. Mrs. Woodworm leaves Buzz, chewing his cigar, and shaking his head. MRS. WOODWORM Come along, children, the Bastille is due for quite a surprise ... Mrs. Woodworm leads the children away from the saucer. Deacons gaze wanders about. He spots a handful of men standing together at the entrance of a nearby alley, half hidden in the shadows. Watching the children.

17 EXT. SIDE ALLEY DAY The handful of shifty gentlemen keep their eyes on the children. CALLAGHAN, a tall, strong-chinned man - if not slightly rough around the edges grins at the sight of the kids. CALLAGHAN Right on time. EXT. STREETS OF PARIS DAY The children follow Mrs. Woodworm down a cobblestone street. Deacon lags behind, staggering around dramatically. DEACON Ugh, the French Revolution? We could have gone somewhere so much better than this! BERT You mean some-when. DEACON Sure, exactly! The Wild West. The Middle Ages. Mayans, Aztecs, Incans. SARAH Its In-ca, Deacon. DEACON (sighs) As I was saying: Ancient Greece, ancient Egypt. Atlantis! BERT Atlantis doesnt exist, Deacon. DEACON How do you know? Maybe we havent gone back far enough! Id rather go searching for it than be here.

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SARAH The French Revolution is one of the pivotal moments in European history. DEACON Thank you, Sarah. You are an everhelpful tome of knowledge. GABE Tomb of Knowledge? What, like, mummies? JANIE He said tome Gabe, not tomb. Like a book. DEACON An annoying book. SARAH Deacon, its still important that we understand what took place here, and appreciate the part it plays in the story of humanity. DEACON Im sure its important. And its bo-ring. Deacon rubs his face wearily, looks around the streets, and the liveliness of Paris. DEACON Fine. If were going to be stuck here, might as well make things interesting ... Deacon glances at Mrs. Woodworm, oblivious to the conversation, and steps off to the side. GABE Deak, where are you going?

19 DEACON No idea. You coming? GABE For sure! Gabe joins Deacon. DEACON What about you, Bert? Care to deviate from Woodworms planned curriculum? BERT Eh, might be fascinating. Sarah and Janie watch the boys. DEACON Well catch up with the group. Eventually. Sarah, do you really want to experience all this through the guided tour? Sarah cocks an eyebrow and shakes her head. She moves over to Deacon, Gabe, and Bert. Janie stands alone. Deacon stares at her, and she stares back, a wordless conversation between the two of them. JANIE Okay. Janie completes the group, and they leave the rest of the students to continue on their path. EXT. SIDE STREET DAY The unsavoury group of men from the square make their way down a side street, carrying large wooden crates. CALLAGHAN Roscoe, check the scanner. ROSCOE, a round little man, rummages through a bag slung across his shoulder.

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He withdraws some sort of device thats years beyond the eighteenth century, oddly juxtaposed with the groups seemingly contemporary appearance. Roscoe points the device around, receives a variety of digital beeps and boops. ROSCOE Yep, chronotons like crazy. This is where itll be, alright. This is where theyll find it. Were on the right track, Boss. CALLAGHAN Good. Lets keep moving. Roscoe shoves the device clumsily back into his bag, and in the process, drops something onto the cobblestone. The group hustles down the street, leaving the item behind. EXT. PARISIAN MARKET DAY The kids make their way through a busy, noisy marketplace. JANIE Deacon, you know this is a really stupid idea, right? DEACON Absolutely. JANIE What if we get lost? DEACON Then we ask for directions. The kids continue on, walking amongst the lively crowd of merchants, artisans, farmers, servants history books made flesh and blood. Deacon looks down a side street.

21 EXT. SIDE STREET DAY Theres a flash of blue in the center of the street. EXT. PARISIAN MARKET DAY Deacon stops, does a double take, steps towards the street. EXT. SIDE STREET DAY Deacon, followed by the other kids, walks down the empty side street the same path that Callaghans group took. GABE Deak, what is it? DEACON I saw something. A blue light ... Another flash of blue, ahead, on the cobblestone. DEACON There! Did you see it? GABE See what? Deacon moves forward, step by step. Gabe glances at the others, circles his ear: cuckoo. Another flash, and then Deacon pounces at the street. When he turns to face the others, he holds a small, carved stone statue in his hands. It fades in and out of existence. But its slowly becoming more corporeal. Barely anthropomorphic, less than a foot tall, the statue is a simple figure with its hands held together. Ribbons of blue crystal are woven throughout the dark stone. DEACON Told ya. JANIE Where did that come from?

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Deacon grins, shrugs. BERT Guys? Theres something else, over there. The kids look down the street. Indeed, something else lies on the ground. The item that Roscoe dropped. The kids make their way to the end of the street. Deacon reaches down, and picks up a pair goggles, the sort of thing miners would wear. Centuries in the future. DEACON You all see these, right? JANIE Yes. BERT Those are not from around here. SARAH No, Bert, they are not. Deacon hands Bert the goggles. GABE Deak, this is weirding me out, man. SARAH Sure were not lost yet? Sure we shouldnt be asking for directions and getting out of here, like, yesterday? Deacon shakes his head and continues down the street. EXT. PARISIAN MARKET DAY A shadowy figure watches the children from the market.

23 EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY The side street comes to a dead end. No exits, no doors, no one else besides the children. JANIE Deacon, look. Janie points at the statue in Deacons hand. The crystals in the stone pulse blue-white light. Deacon examines the statue. He takes a few more steps, and the statue glows brighter. Deacon looks back at the others, briefly, then holds the statue out at arms length. He walks forward. The ribbons of blue in the statue continue to pulse, like a heartbeat within the stone. And at the end of the alley, the dirty brick wall ahead begins to ripple, like liquid. Undulating. As Deacon approaches, a pair of stone doors push through the brick wall, push through reality. The stone doors are adorned with crystalline glyphs and iconography. They throb blue, in rhythm with the statue. The kids stand in front of the mysterious doors. Deacon takes another step forward, and holds the statue up to the doors, next to the glyphs. SARAH Deacon, what are you doing? The doors begin to rumble, shaking the street. They open, slowly, and reveal a dark tunnel, cave-like, its ultimate destination obscured in shadows. The children stare into the impossible darkness beyond. FADE OUT.

24 ACT III FADE IN: EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY Deacon takes a step towards the tunnel entrance. GABE I dont know if thats such a hot idea, Deak. DEACON Gabe ... are you serious? This is, by far, the most amazing thing that I have ever seen in my entire life. There is no way that Im not taking a look. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY The tunnel appears natural, merely the winding entrance of a cave that leads ... somewhere. The surrounding tunnel rock has the same blue crystalline threads as the doors and the statue, which provides a dim, steady light. The children step into the tunnel. They inspect the tunnel walls: the blue light, the glyphs and designs, the small bonsai-like plants that cling to the rock. Then the doors begin to rumble, closing the children in. The kids rush over to the doors, panicked. Deacon holds the statue next to the doors. They begin to shake again. A crack appears between the doors, the French alley visible on the other side. DEACON Its okay. Its okay. We can open them if we need to. Deacon walks away, satisfied, looking at the simple statue. DEACON Bert, what is this?

25 BERT How would I know? Ask the historian. Deacon passes the statue to Sarah. SARAH It looks super old. Like, Stone Age old, by the way its carved. DEACON You ever heard of a Stone Age statue that opens up magic doors that appear out of nowhere? SARAH Not recently. DEACON Just checking. Deacon grins devilishly. DEACON Shall we? The kids continue, cautiously, down the tunnel. INT. TUNNEL DAY The children walk along the tunnel. GABE Theres no way were still in the city, right? I mean, hidden, or underground, or something? DEACON Not a chance. JANIE Toto, Ive a feeling were not in eighteenth century Paris anymore. Bert tinkers with his suit, and it switches back to its grey jumpsuit form.

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The others look back, shrug, then hold out their arms one by one for Bert to do the same for theirs. The children continue on. Ahead, the light grows brighter. The tunnel opens up. INT. CAVERN OPENING - DAY The children make their way to the end of the tunnel. They look down and see: INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY It is a massive open space fifty feet high illuminated by the glowing blue crystal in the rock. Stalactites hang from above, greeted by their stalagmite kin below. In the center of the space is a twenty-foot tall statue carved out of the rock itself a larger version of the statue that the children possess. Callaghan and his men archaeological raiders - swarm around the site, setting up floodlights and scaffolding. Held high in the statues hands is a mask, made of some sort of metal that shines in the light, refracting colour like a pool of oil. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The children creep closer, hiding behind a group of fat stalagmites as they watch the raiders. INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY Callaghan stands back, overseeing the raiders. The wooden crates that the raiders carried are open, housing a myriad of futuristic tools and equipment. Beside the crates, housed in a transparent canister, is a small stone statue identical to that of the children.

27 INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The children try to get a better look. GABE What are they doing? The others just shake their heads, equally clueless. INT. LARGE CAVERN - DAY The raiders pick through the open crates, grabbing various pieces of equipment. ROSCOE Hey, anyone seen my goggles? CALLAGHAN Dont worry about the goggles, Roscoe. Just get up there. ROSCOE Right, boss. Properly equipped with their drill-like tools, the raiders move from the crates to the scaffolding, climbing up the walkways that surround the central rock statue. They check and adjust their gear - some putting on their goggles in an exaggerated manner, much to the annoyance of Roscoe - before directing their attention to the metallic mask held by the statue. CALLAGHAN Careful. Damage the artifact, and Kane will have you running from T. Rexes for the rest of your lives. The raiders bring their tools to the hands of the statue. A cacophony of whining drill bits fills the cavern. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The kids wince at the sound of the drills.

28 INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY The raiders continue to work at the statue. Callaghan watches eagerly from below. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY Despite the sound of the drills, the kids creep closer. INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY The drills stop. All of the raiders move aside and make room for Roscoe as he reaches for the metallic mask. Slowly, carefully, Roscoe frees the mask from the hands of the large statue. Roscoe walks down the scaffolding, one cautious step after another. He hands the mask over to Callaghan. Callaghan blows the dust off of the mask, almost lovingly. He holds the mask up above his head, taking in the wonder of the object, excited, triumphant. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The kids lean in closer still, trying to see more ... and the stalagmite Gabe presses up against breaks away. The rocky growth tumbles down to the cavern floor. INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY Callaghan and the raider turn to the source of the noise, and spot the children hiding behind the stalagmites. CALLAGHAN Its the kids. Get them! The raiders drop their gear and race towards the kids. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The kids scramble to their feet.

29 DEACON Run! Run! Deacon shoves the others back towards the tunnel. INT. LARGE CAVERN DAY The raiders manoeuvre around the wide stalagmites on the cavern floor, heading towards the entrance. Callaghan, meanwhile, places the mask in a foam-padded metal case. He closes the lid and snaps it closed. Then he looks back to the entrance. CALLAGHAN (muttering) But they never found the cave ... He follows the other raiders. INT. TUNNEL DAY The kids hurry down the tunnel. INT. CAVERN OPENING DAY The raiders reach the opening to the rocky cavern. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY The kids near the tunnel entrance, the doors closed. INT. TUNNEL DAY The raiders dash down the tunnel after the kids. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY Sarah brings the small stone statue up to the glyph-covered doors. BERT Hurry, Sarah! The doors begin to rumble, opening agonizingly slowly.

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JANIE Come on! Come on! Paris waits on the other side of the doors. EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY The stone doors open a little more. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY The kids look back down the tunnel, panicked. Theres no sign of the raiders. Yet. Finally, the opening is wide enough to pass through, and Bert leads the way. EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY Bert pops through the doors, followed by Sarah. They stand in the streets of Paris, waiting anxiously for their friends. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY Janie pushes her way through the doors. ROSCOE (O.S.) (echoing) Theyre up ahead! Gabe looks down the tunnel, but Deacon shoves him forward. DEACON Go! Gabe lurches through the stone doors, followed by Deacon. EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY The five children are all through, and back in Paris. INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE DAY The raiders are a dozen strides away from the entrance.

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EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY The kids turn away from the doors ... and standing in the middle of the street, all alone, is Dr. Michaku. Michaku wears his own unique jumpsuit: black, rough, covered in wires, small blue lights, metal bands, and various high-tech apparatuses. But this is a different Michaku than the man who watched the kids depart from the Plaza. He is gaunt, anxious, his hair even wilder (if thats possible). The raiders emerge from the doors and stop dead in their tracks, spotting the kids halfway between the entrance and Michaku. Its a strange stand off between Michaku and the raiders, with the children stuck in the middle. Callaghan exits the tunnel. CALLAGHAN Dont hurt them. They have to make it back unharmed. Callaghan sees Michaku, and slows, dumbstruck. Michaku looks back and forth between the kids and the raiders. Then he jabs at a few buttons on his suit and runs towards the children. The raiders jump forward, charging towards the kids. Michaku draws closer, but the raiders arent far off. The blue-white lights on Michakus suit grow brighter. The kids are still, like deer caught in the headlights. Michaku nears the kids, reaches out, and wraps his arms around them. The raiders are almost on top of them.

32 Then blue-white sparks fly out of Michakus suit in all directions, like a plasma lamp, creating a transparent sphere around him and the kids. The raiders shield their eyes. The sphere explodes outward. And with that, Michaku and the children are gone. The raiders stare at the empty street, stupefied. Callaghan walks over to them, eyes narrow, mouth tight. ROSCOE Boss ... was that supposed to happen? INT. ABANDONED WAREHOUSE DAY Its a shadow-filled warehouse, windows boarded up. Computers, monitors, various other pieces of equipment fill the room, barely operational, jimmy-rigged together. A speck of blue-white light appears, floating above the ground. It expands quickly into another large sphere of energy, Michaku and the children expanding within it. The sphere fades away, and Michaku rushes over to his equipment. He scans the monitors frantically, one after another, nodding to himself. MICHAKU Good. I think were safe. Michaku turns to the kids, eyes wide, excited. MICHAKU When are you all from? DEACON What? MICHAKU What year? What year are you from? The kids share wary glances.

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JANIE ... 2113. Michaku does a double take. MICHAKU I thought I was the only one. He runs his fingers through his wild hair, agitated. MICHAKU How did you go back? You couldnt have done it on your own. Were you test subjects? Where have you been hiding? How did you go back?! BERT We ... we were on a school trip. MICHAKU What? SARAH History class. Were studying the French Revolution. MICHAKU School trip? A dark shape moves past the warehouse on the other side of the mostly covered windows - hovering - spot lights sweeping side to side. Michaku pulls the kids into the shadows. No one makes a sound as the thing outside flies by. MICHAKU I didnt plan on bringing anyone back, didnt even think of hoppers. Im in zone, but whats yours?

34 DEACON Okay, hold up, hold up. What are you talking about? What is going on here, what was that thing, and where are we? Michaku turns and stumbles away from the kids. MICHAKU A trip? A school trip ... ? Michaku leans against a heavy door. EXT. SPRAWLING METROPOLIS DAY The world is bleak, oppressive, Orwellian. Dark metal towers reach up into a cloudy, sunless sky. Searchlights bask the city in their roaming beams. EXT. WAREHOUSE DAY The door slides open, and Michaku steps outside, followed by the children. Michaku looks out at the desolate cityscape. MICHAKU Where do you think you are? The kids are stunned, amazed and disturbed at the sights. DEACON What year is this? MICHAKU 2113. The same year you left. GABE What? DEACON Cant be. This cant be the present. Theres nothing like this, anywhere. Not even close.

35 A cold smile spreads across Michakus face, accompanying sad eyes. MICHAKU He changed it. He changed it. JANIE What are you talking about? Huge video monitors attached to the skyscrapers and towers, looming down over the city below, blink on. A familiar old face with silvery hair smiles from the other side of the screens: Director Kane. MICHAKU (V.O.) Kane. MONITOR VIDEO BROADCAST Kane addresses the camera warmly. KANE For your protection, daytime curfew is still in effect. EXT. SPRAWLING METROPOLIS - DAY KANE Anyone found in an unauthorized zone will be escorted to the nearest monitoring facility. EXT. WAREHOUSE DAY Michaku and the children look up at the horrifying screens. KANE (V.O.) Its important to report anyone that you observe breaking curfew. MONITOR VIDEO BROADCAST One last snakes smile.

36 KANE Remember: your Director will keep you safe. Always. EXT. WAREHOUSE DAY The children take in the nightmarish world before them. MICHAKU Ive always had my suspicions, but ... Kane changed the past. Your past. Your world is gone. This is what is left in its place. DEACON (absently) Its not supposed to be this way. MICHAKU For you, maybe. DEACON No. No, this isnt right. This cant be. It cant. MICHAKU Im sorry. Welcome ... home. FADE OUT.