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[FINAL DRAFT]

PROTOCOL
AN ORIGINAL RADIO DRAMA BY
Will Collins

PRODUCTION SCRIPT
DECEMBER 13,2017
© 2017 MHM PRODUCTIONS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PROTOCOL:

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CAST
LAURA STAGGARD: GRACE DAVID

MASON LU. LUGO: WILL COLLINS

MEA KENT ROHSS: JEMIMAH NEWMAN-SMITH
WILLIAM VOSTRO: OLUWABONILARAJUASOLO G.A. CONNERY ADEMOKUN

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PROTOCOL

SCENE 1: INT . THE REACHER . SPACE

SOUND: A SOUND OF A BUTTON BEING PRESSED ON A TOUCH SCREEN PLAYS AS

LAURA STARTS HER NARRATION

NARRATOR: Captain’s Log, the Reacher has sustained critical hull damage
on the left wing, her engines are failing and we are flying
dead stick. An impact from incoming debris from a crippled
satellite is imminent. We have no way of contacting NASA or any
nearby satellite’s or fuelling points. Me and my Co Captain,
will attempt to repair the vitals and engine panels to try and
avert critical impact from this oncoming debris. Scanners have
picked up that this debris is travelling at 17,000mph and will
impact in 15 minutes. Due to my co captain’s injury sustained
in the first impact, I will make the walk.

SCENE 2: EXT . THE REACHER . SPACE

SOUND: A SOUND OF THE RADIO TURNING ON AS MASON GOES TO SPEAK.

WHENEVER MASON IS SPEAKING WE CUT BACK TO THE SHIPS PILOTTING
AREA, AND WHEN LAURA IS SPEAKING WE CAN ONLY HEAR THE BEEPING
AND BREATHING INSIDE LAURAS HELMET.

MASON: Ok, Laura, Oxygen levels are full, vitals are steady you are
good to go.

SOUND: LAURA OPENING THE AIR LOCK, TO THEN HEARING THE VACCUM OF
SPACE. WHENEVER LAURA IS TALKING WE HEAR HER THROUGH HER
HELMET, AND MASONS VOICE WILL BE HEARD THROUGH RADIO COMS.

LAURA: Ok (Breathing deeply) Ok, You can do this.

MASON: Yes you can. Ok I need you to head up to the left wing, I’ve
put a proximeter in your display unit, so the suit will start
beeping when you get close to it.

SOUND: THE BEEPING OF THE PROXIMETER STARTS, FAINT BUT NOTICIBLE

LAURA: Ok, thank you.

MASON: Don’t mention it ok, just keep your breaths slow and start to
move towards the first panel.
SOUND: A FAINT CLANKING OF LAURA MOVING ROUND THE SPACESHIPS, A FAINT
BEEPING AS WELL IN BACKGROUND SLOWLY INCREASING IN INTESITY.

LAURA: (Deep Breathing)

MASON: Ok, uh I’m looking at you Helmet camera, I can see that there’s
a lot of flying debris. It’s too dangerous, I’m going to have
to find another route

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LAURA: Its ok I can do it.

MASON: Hey Lau, I know you could, but we can’t risk it. I’m not losing
anymore of you, ok. There’s another route but it’s going to
take a little while longer.

LAURA: We’ve only got a little while, I can do this Mason.

MASON: No I won’t let you

LAURA: I AM YOUR CAPTAIN!

MASON: AND I AM YOUR FRIEND!, I already lost Dani and Liam, I think
you’ve lost your fair share as well, you wouldn’t let Mea do
this

LAURA: Don’t you dare, bring her into this (Angry)

MASON: HEY! Say I’m wrong, don’t think for one second that I’m doing
this to guilt trip you. Ok, I’m sorry for bringing her up but I
am not losing you as well. I can’t…

SOUND: ALL SORT OF BEEPING WITHIN THE HANGER FROM THE CONTROL PANELS
AND RADAR

LAURA: Ah crap… Ok, what’s is the time looking like?

MASON: Uhh you got around 8 minutes to fix that panel.

LAURA: How long will the route take? (Concerned and questioning)

MASON: 2 minutes. It means you’ll have to come round over the top fuel
bay and I can get the crane and manually control it from here
and swing you across to the proximity of the panel. Might save
time in the long run.

LAURA: Alright, give me a minute to reposition.

MASON: Affirmative.

SOUND: THE SOUND OF LAURA GOING IN THE NEW DIRECTION

LAURA: right, I’m in position.

MASON: Ok, give me a second to rotate

SOUND: MASON CLICKING BUTTONS AND SWITCHES AND PULLING SLOWLY A LEVER

MASON: Alight I’m in position, if you loop your harness through the
Boom, I’ll be able to move further along the ship.

LAURA: (Heavy Breathing) OK

SOUND: WE HAVE HER FUMBLING WITH THE HARNESS AND LOOPING IT INTO THE
BOOM

SOUND: WHITE NOISE OVERWHELMS THE BACKGROUND MUSICTHE CRANE CREEKS,

AND A THUD OF CLAMPS DETACHING FROM THE SHIP CAN BE HEARD FROM
INSIDE THE SHUTTLE

MASON: Shit, shit, shit.

LAURA: MASON! (SHE SCREAMS)

MASON: LAURA!

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SOUND: THE SOUND OF THE CRANE CREEKING CAN BE HEARD FROM THE SHUTTLE,
YOU CAN HEAR COIL SOUNDS AS SUPPORT STRUTS BEGIN TO SNAP

MASON: LAURA! LAURA! Do you copy? LAURA!!

LAURA: Yes, I copy (Heavy Breathing).

MASON SAYS: Oh thank God.

AS LAURA : What the HELL happened!

MASON: It seems that the cranes main support strut was damaged during
the first impact.

LAURA: Why didn’t this come up in the damage report?

MASON: I don’t know, it must have worsened over time.

LAURA: Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious.

MASON: Laura calm ok, vitals have spiked, slow your breathing.

LAURA: You wanna try dangling from a crane in the middle of space,
when you know you got about 6 minutes to fix Goddam panel to
reboot a system to restart our engines so that my last
remaining friend can get us back home, so yeah for God’s sake
I’m panicking

SOUND: WE HEAR THE CRANE BEGIN TO CREAK MORE AND MORE AS LAURA IS
MOVING ONTO THE CRANE.

MASON: Laura wait, wait, stop moving

LAURA: (Deep Breathing) what’s going

SOUND: CRITICAL WARNING BEEPING ALARMS GO OFF

MASON: Structural integrity of the crane is critical, any movement is

going to completely compromise the structure

LAURA: This day keeps getting better, what do I do.

MASON: Just breath, for god’s sake just breath.

SOUND: ANOTHER BEEP COMES FROM THE SUIT

MASON: OK OK… Don’t move

LAURA: Mason!!! What the hell is going on

MASON: No don’t worry, I can fix this

LAURA: No what is going on

MASON: Uh no no problem here, I’ve tried funnelling more power into

your suit, and its overloading but it’s ok cause we are good.

SOUND: A SOUND OF THE SUIT STABILIZING

LAURA: Why were you putting more power into my suit?

MASON: Because you’re not going to make it to the panel.

LAURA: What do you mean I’m not going to make it?

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MASON: When the crane fell, you were out for 3 minutes. Your vital
went and spiked, you weren’t responding to coms so I managed to
feed power into your suit and I filled up your oxygen.
SOUND: HEAVY SAD MUSIC BEGINS TO BUILD AS THE REALISATION OF THEIR
FATES BEGINS TO UNRAVEL

LAURA: Mason, no, no I was gone for like 4 seconds…

MASON: No you weren’t, you were out cold, for 185 seconds… that debris
is going to hit and I’m not going to be able to survive that, I
knew it was going to happen

LAURA: What do you mean?

MASON: I knew I had to give my life to give you a better chance of

being rescued

LAURA: No Mason… sbut up now … ok listen to me we are going to be fine

MASON: Stop… just stop… don’t, you don’t think this is hard… ok Lau
cause I am petrified and I don’t want to die knowing that I
couldn’t save any of you so, I’m going
LAURA: No come on Mason please… I can do this

MASON: Yeah I know you could Lau… But it’s too dangerous… I took the
time to hack your suit … I set a distress beacon in it…
hopefully someone will hear it… they already know there’s been
a collision and that there will be people that need retrieving
they’ll be looking for you, that increases your chances
significantly.. you’re going to be just fine. I found a clip
for you as well, as a goodbye present.

LAURA: No I ain’t going no

SOUND: JETS IN THE SUIT BEGIN TO FIRE UP AS MASON BEGINS CONTROLLING

THE SUIT FROM THE PILOT BAY.

MASON: You don’t have a choice in the matter

LAURA: Mason stop give me back control of my suit, turn the jets off
now.

MASON: Goodbye Laura

LAURA: No please mason please stopppp, don’t… Massssssoooonnn!

MASON: Im Sor..

SOUND: WHITE NOISE FILLS THE SOUND AS THE IMPACT DESTROYS THE COURSE

LAURA: NO no no Massssoooon! No

(HEAVY BREATHING)

NARRATOR: I probably floated in space for around 4 days, nothing, my suit

was running on fumes. I was sure I would die out there and then
just as I’m beginning to lose all hope, this video pops on my
screen.

SOUND: SOUND OF THE CAMERA TURNING ON TO THE VIDEO

MEA: Is it on

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MASON: Yes it’s on.

MEA: Ok ok.. where’s will.

WILL: I’m here, I’m here.

MASON: Right Come on then, before she gets back.

LAURA: Mea, Will, Mason

MEA: Hey Laura

WILL: SUP Laura

MASON: Hey Lau

WILL: We are just here to wish you a happy 26th birthday on Mars

MASON: We didn’t think you’d want any of these really orange rocks we
found so Mea thought you might like this instead.

MEA: Yeah, we all love you to pieces

WILL: Well she does, I just got dragged into this

MASON: He’s joking… I think

WILL: Love ya babes.

MASON: Yeah he’s joking. Anyway I believe that’s you that is outside
so we have to go. Happy Birthday Lau

MEA: Love you to pieces.

SOUND: THE CLIP SHUTS OFF, A SMALL BEEP INDICATING THE VIDEO HAS BEEN
TURNED OFF

NARRATOR: That video saved my life, gave me something to hold onto.

Mason saved my life, they all did. That video is the only
memory I have left of them, the crew of “The Reacher”. Our
journey back from Mars was a complete disaster, and there is no
denying that. But my time that I spent with them, was maybe the
greatest 4 years of my life, with the greatest people I have
ever had the privileged to meet, I am glad that we are all
gathered here today to celebrate the lives of my best friends:
Mason Lugo, William Vostro, Liam Carder, Danielle Solar and Mea
Rohhs. May they all rest in peace, knowing that we will all
remember them, and that I will always be here to tell their
story. Thankyou.

Will Collins – willcollins4work@gmail.com