Anachronauts - "Pilot"

7/28/2019 Anachronauts - "Pilot"

1/37

Anachronauts

Pilot

By

Elliott Davidson


2/37

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.

1


3/37

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.

ATTENDANTGood morning, children. Now if

youll all follow me, its time to

get you suited up.


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. Thefabric has a dull sheen to it, like vinyl or plastic.

MRS. WOODWORM

Come along now children, the

French Revolution awaits!

2


4/37

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.

GABENice threads, Poindexter.

BERT

Thank you, Gabe. And kudos on

managing the whole one-leg-at-a-

time 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.

BERTYes Sarah, I am aware of that

fact

Berts clothing changes from Italian ruffles into an

ancient Japanese robe.

3


5/37

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.

4


6/37

DEACON

Dont I know it.

EXT. FLYING SAUCER DAY

Mrs. Woodworm and the children finally reach Buzz at thefoot 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 thechildren 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 andI 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, eachfacing 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.

5


7/37

BUZZ

Okay children, take a seat and

fasten your seat belts. Its time

to get this bird off the ground.


The saucers ramp pulls back and the door closes.


The children take their seats around the room. Safety

straps extend out of the seats automatically, securing the

children tightly.

GABE

Oooh, comfy.


The saucer slowly lifts off of the ground, the landing gear

folding back into the crafts underside.


Buzz inspects the control panels displays.

BUZZA 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!


The saucer takes off, rocketing (figuratively speaking)

into the sky.

INT. OBSERVATION TOWER DAY

Director Kane and Dr. Michaku follow the soaring saucer.

6


8/37

DR. MICHAKU

Bon voyage, children. Bon voyage.


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.


Buzz pulls back on the ships dual control sticks.

BUZZ

Check.


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.

7


9/37

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:


The children watch the monitors attentively.

SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.)

Please, do not attempt to change

the past.

GABE

Well duh.


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.


SPOKESWOMAN (V.O.)

However, major actions in the pastare likely to bring about

noticeable changes to the present.

Gabe leans over to Deacon.

GABE

Like monkey overlords.

8


10/37

DEACON

Or monkey teachers.


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.


SPOKESWOMAN

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the

ride as you explore the wonders of

the past.


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.

9


11/37

BUZZ

Alright boys and girls, here we

go.


The saucer begins to split in two, top and bottom

separating, revealing a glowing ring of blue-white light

that pulses from within.


The cabin begins to vibrate, the ship humming loudly.

BUZZ

Temporal coordinates set ...


Waves of lightning-like energy sweep over the saucer.


BUZZ

Jump drive is nominal ...


The entire ship is wrapped in blue-white bands of energy.


The kids grip their safety belts as the ship shakes.

BUZZ

And we - are - history!


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.

10


12/37


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 thesame time it seems muted, distant.


Then out of nowhere, the saucer appears.


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.


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.


The lights go out. The piloting displays begin to flash

red, accompanied by sirens and pre-recorded warnings.


The saucer begins to spiral down towards the Earth.


And the kids begin to scream.

FADE OUT.

11


13/37

ACT II

FADE IN:


The spinning saucer cuts through the atmosphere, surrounded

by the oranges and reds of air friction and igniting ozone.


The lights flicker off and on.

GABE

Dude, hold my hand!

DEACONHold 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.


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.

12


14/37


Buzz grits his teeth, almost chomping his cigar in half.

BUZZCome 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.


Everyone is still, speechless, stunned.

Buzz turns around, slowly, and removes his aviator glasses.

BUZZ

And thats why you wear your seatbelts.


The saucer rights itself, extends its landing gear, and

touches down atop the tilled soil.

13


15/37


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?

BUZZSomething 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 weget 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.

14


16/37


The saucer lifts off and flies away, leaving the

unconscious farmer behind.

EXT. PARIS DAY

The saucer reaches the edge of eighteenth century Paris.


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.

15


17/37

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 withyour 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. WOODWORMBuzz, 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.

16


18/37

EXT. SIDE ALLEY DAY

The handful of shifty gentlemen keep their eyes on the

children.

CALLAGHAN, a tall, strong-chinned man - if not slightlyrough 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. TheMiddle 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.

17


19/37

SARAH

The French Revolution is one of

the pivotal moments in European

history.

DEACON

Thank you, Sarah. You are an ever-

helpful 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.

DEACONIm 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?

18


20/37

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 staresback, 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 waydown 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.

19


21/37

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 ofdigital 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 reallystupid 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.

20


22/37


Theres a flash of blue in the center of the street.


Deacon stops, does a double take, steps towards the street.


Deacon, followed by the other kids, walks down the empty

side street the same path that Callaghans group took.

GABE

Deak, what is it?

DEACONI 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 ofblue crystal are woven throughout the dark stone.

DEACON

Told ya.

JANIE

Where did that come from?

21


23/37

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.


A shadowy figure watches the children from the market.

22


24/37

EXT. ALLEY DEAD END DAY

The side street comes to a dead end. No exits, no doors, no

one else besides the children.

JANIEDeacon, 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 ultimatedestination obscured in shadows.

The children stare into the impossible darkness beyond.

FADE OUT.

23


25/37

ACT III

FADE IN:


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 nottaking 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 smallbonsai-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 openthem if we need to.

Deacon walks away, satisfied, looking at the simple statue.

DEACON

Bert, what is this?

24


26/37

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.

25


27/37

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.


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.

26


28/37


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. Acacophony of whining drill bits fills the cavern.


The kids wince at the sound of the drills.

27


29/37


The raiders continue to work at the statue.

Callaghan watches eagerly from below.


Despite the sound of the drills, the kids creep closer.


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.


The kids lean in closer still, trying to see more ... andthe stalagmite Gabe presses up against breaks away.

The rocky growth tumbles down to the cavern floor.


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.


The kids scramble to their feet.

28


30/37

DEACON

Run! Run!

Deacon shoves the others back towards the tunnel.


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.


The raiders reach the opening to the rocky cavern.


The kids near the tunnel entrance, the doors closed.

INT. TUNNEL DAY

The raiders dash down the tunnel after the kids.


Sarah brings the small stone statue up to the glyph-covered

doors.

BERT

Hurry, Sarah!

The doors begin to rumble, opening agonizingly slowly.

29


31/37

JANIE

Come on! Come on!

Paris waits on the other side of the doors.


The stone doors open a little more.


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.


Bert pops through the doors, followed by Sarah. They stand

in the streets of Paris, waiting anxiously for their

friends.


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.


The five children are all through, and back in Paris.


The raiders are a dozen strides away from the entrance.

30


32/37


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.

31


33/37

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 hisequipment. 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.

32


34/37

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.

MICHAKUSchool 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 anyoneback, didnt even think of

hoppers. Im in zone, but whats

yours?

33


35/37

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.

MICHAKUWhere 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.

GABEWhat?

DEACON

Cant be. This cant be the

present. Theres nothing like

this, anywhere. Not even close.

34


36/37

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

KANEAnyone 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.

35


37/37

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.

36

Anachronauts - "Pilot"

Documents

Transcript of Anachronauts - "Pilot"