THE TOMORROW WAR
Written by
Zach Dean
Revs. Pgs 47, 48, 48aA, 49A, 50, 50aA, 51, 51A, 54, 55, 56, 56aA, 75, 76, 76A, 89, 92, 92A, 94, 95, 96, 96A, 101, 101A, 117, 117A, 117B
Blue Revised - 8/24/19 Yellow Revised - 11/10/19 Green Revised - 11/15/19 Buff Revised - 1/10/20
Boneyard Pictures LLC
THE TOMORROW WAR 1.
A cul-de-sac in Middle America. Fake deer graze neat lawns. Wreaths on doors. On one lawn a KRAMPUS. Christmas whimsy.
SUPERTITLE: 2022
A MINIVAN careens into frame. Flies down the main drag, pulls up to the mailbox and screeches to a stop. Out steps: DAN FORESTER (40), back from a liquor store run.
He heads into --
A NEIGHBORHOOD CHRISTMAS PARTY in full swing. People are mingling, drinking, half-watching the QATAR WORLD CUP. Kids are DANCING CUTE to AN INAPPROPRIATE SONG (“Magic Stick”).
Dan enters the party. Struggles to hold TWO BEER CASES AND TWO MEZCALS. He looks around for help.
He’s surrounded by kids who look eager to help.
Out pops MURIEL (MURI), his daughter, a serious, smart, 9- year-old.
THE TOMORROW WAR 2.
She salutes him badly and goes to take the bottles of Mezcal.
She salutes him again, better.
She takes the bottles of Mezcal, and marches thru the party bouncing Mezcal bottles up and down. AS Dan runs into --
PASTOR KYLE KATIE
Great party, Dan! Your place smells AH-mazing!
Dan is now surrounded by HUMAN LAND MINES.
FRANK, the bane of Dan’s existence, enters the conversation.
THE TOMORROW WAR 3.
Dan turns, sees: EMMY FORESTER (30’s) moving through the crowd TOWARD US. She’s smart, warm, and FULL OF LOVE. She swoops in, taking a case of beer from him --
Frank is already talking to Pastor Kyle.
Dan trails Emmy into --
Muri drops off the Mezcal and heads to the TV. Dan and Emmy go to the kitchen counter.
Dan holds his phone out to Emmy.
THE TOMORROW WAR 4.
We see Young Muri on the couch observing her Mom and Dad. She gives Dan their SECRET HANDSHAKE/WAVE thing.
He kisses her... and grabs one of the beers. Cracks it open. She immediately takes it from him.
He gives her a look.
She puts the beer down on the counter.
Red and green envelopes. Scrawled handwriting. One to MURI, and DAN, and EMMY.
THE TOMORROW WAR 5.
Dan tosses them in the trash --
Dan swiftly sneaks away. Emmy notices the wet ring where the beer just was. He took it. Unbelievable.
4a EXT. DRIVEWAY - MOMENTS LATER 4a
Dan walks back across the yard trying to close, holding a portfolio --
Dan remote unlocks the car.
Maybe a little harsher than it was intended. Dan stops.
THE TOMORROW WAR 6.
Dan deflates. All the energy, all the hope drains from his body. Shoulders slump. Hand with the phone falls to his side. He was SO CLOSE. He mutters to himself--
He throws his portfolio in the trash.
CRASH!! He KICKS the TRASH CAN. It falls over. The wheel breaks off. Rolls down the street as Dan watches.
4b INT. FORESTER HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - SECONDS LATER 4b
Dan zombies into THE LIVING ROOM. Emmy reads immediately what’s happened. She reaches out. Touches his hand. He’s not ready to look her in the eye. Shame. Disappointment.
He sits down. Young Muri pulls his arm around her. They both stare at the TV. Party happening all around them.
We see the book. THE GREATEST MEN AND WOMEN OF SCIENCE.
THE TOMORROW WAR 7.
Dan doesn’t look at her. He watches the TV --
Young Muri looks up at Dan.
Muri looks at her Dad, watching him zone out at the TV, depressed. She takes his hand. Traces something on his palm.
We see her draw it. It’s a heart. Awww.
THE TOMORROW WAR 8.
On TV: As the French Forward cuts through THE BRAZILIAN DEFENDERS, the TV Announcer excitedly describes the action...
The sea of SPECTATORS track the on-field action, rising as A CORNER KICK from the French turns into a BREAKAWAY by the Brazilians. Running downfield the BRAZILIAN FORWARD dribbles around a SERIES OF FRENCH DEFENDERS. The crowd is on their feet as he’s passing mid-field pumping his legs when --
A BLINDING FLASH OF VIOLET LIGHT. THE GROUND STARTS TO SHAKE.
5a INT. FORESTER HOUSE - KITCHEN/TV ROOM - NIGHT 5a
THE HOUSE SHAKES. Everyone holds on. And then... BANG!!
A MASSIVE SONIC BOOM. The TV CROWD screams. Frank and Traci scramble for their kids. Dan pulls Young Muri to him. They watch on the TV as, a CIRCULAR PULSE WAVE expands and --
5b INT. LUSAIL STADIUM (QATAR) - THAT MOMENT 5b
FIFTY COMMANDOS emerge from smoke that opens several feet above the pitch. They’re HEAVILY ARMED with futuristic weaponry, body armor. NOT ONE OF THEM LOOKS OLDER THAN 25.
Panic surges through the stadium. A FEMALE COMMANDO, LT. HART (24), removes a helmet and visor to reveal her SCARS.
The Commandos create a PERIMETER. Lt. Hart steps up to a LIVE CAMERA -- her face grim.
Dan holds Young Muri close. The party crowds the TV --
THE TOMORROW WAR 9.
The stadium is deathly silent as we PAN THEIR FACES...
...we PAN MORE FACES of the people in the crowd...
...landing back on Lt. Hart --
PANNING over shocked faces staring at the television, landing on Emmy and Dan and Young Muri --
CUT TO BLACK.
SUPER TITLE: THE TOMORROW WAR
8a OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE: 8a
A MINIATURE TV IMAGE OF: WILLIAM DODD (40s; Dept. of Defense suit) twists and turns across the screen.
THE TOMORROW WAR 10.
A series of SMALL RED DOTS appear across Earth.
The map morphs into a GLOBE. Red dots CASCADE DOWN and AROUND it. The Earth projection has turned SOLID BLOOD RED.
And NOW FAST MOVING IMAGES: War. Guns. Protests. Looting. War vets coming home. We hear the words GHOSTDRAFT, kill, alien. All the while charts and maps, locales being destroyed, population figures dropping.
SUPER: 12 MONTHS LATER
Dan’s sleeping on the couch. A Christmas tree slowly rotates. On TV: scrolls names/faces of “FALLEN HEROES.” Among the many faces of people who’ve died, we catch a glimpse of KATIE, PASTOR KYLE and OTHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Suddenly a TERRIFIED SCREAM --
Dan sits up on the couch. Emmy rushes out of the bedroom, hurries to Young Muri’s room. Dan gets up and follows --
NIGHT LIGHTS jam sockets. A PLASTIC HEDGEHOG lit from within.
A pajama-clad Muri (now 10) in Emmy’s arms hanging on for dear life. Dan enters --
THE TOMORROW WAR 11.
She holds her arms out. Emmy sits with her. Dan in the doorway. Emmy holds Young Muri tightly, locks eyes with Dan --
She starts squeezing.
They GROWL AT EACH OTHER. She smiles. Emmy watches, a hint of a smile, that slowly starts to fade...
NOW WE HEAR: CHOPPER ROTORS START TO BEAT in the distance...
Dan pads down the drive, feet bare. Chopper lights in the horizon, searchlights sweep. Far off SIRENS.
Dan approaches his trash can, lying on its side. He can see people in their homes awake, watching the news on TV. He jerks his trash can upright. It tilts, still messed up from a year ago when he kicked it and the wheel came off.
THE TOMORROW WAR 12.
He stops. Squints. At the end of the cul de sac, Frank and HIS FAMILY hurry from their dark house, silently pile into a car, SOFT-SHUT doors.
Frank sees Dan, freezes. But only for a moment. Frank quickly slides into his car, pulls out of the driveway. LIGHTS OFF. As the car glides by, Frank avoids looking at Dan. A CHILD looks at Dan through a rear window. Mouths “bye.”
Dan lifts a hand, waves, and watches them drive off.
Dan, shaken, pads in to find Emmy.
Silence.
They hold each other.
It’s nice. But she can feel that he’s a thousand miles away.
THE TOMORROW WAR 13.
EMMY DAN (CONT'D)
What’s not good for her is We don’t fight every day. watching her parents fight every day.
EMMY DAN (CONT'D)
What’s not good for her is You can’t put all this on me. having a remote father whose never around.
Emmy looks at him. Looks into his eyes.
She grabs his hands.
She releases his hands.
THE TOMORROW WAR 14.
He starts to answer, she cuts him off--
She looks at her husband.
Emmy turns and walks alone toward the master bedroom.
13a EXT. WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL - DAY 13a
Dan arrives in his minivan - pulls into his space. The next space is empty. A JANITOR is peeling the name MR. WENHAM off the Parking Sign. A makeshift memorial - flowers, cards, candles - like the kind people put on roadsides for accident victims, has been left at the base of the sign.
Wall posters. EARTH as the top of a MELTING ICE CREAM CONE. A POLAR BEAR swims in water with NO ICE.
Dan, tired, paces in a wrinkled white button-down shirt.
THE TOMORROW WAR 15.
A classroom full of distressed HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS stare. Few open their books and if they do they do it listlessly.
Silence. No eye contact. Then--
MARTIN, a sweet oddball, jacks a hand up.
The CLASS GROANS a unified reply--
Martin puts his hand down.
THE TOMORROW WAR 16.
Jayden motions to Tina.
Tina puts her head down.
EVERYONE’S PHONE PINGS with an incoming message, like an Amber Alert. HORROR as everyone sees what’s on their phones.
15-16 OMITTED 15-16
16a EXT. VA CENTER - DAY 16a
TIGHT ON - SIGNS: WE ARE PAYING FOR THEIR WAR! HOW MANY HAVE TO DIE? A group of PROTESTERS chant ‘NOT OUR WAR’ --
THE TOMORROW WAR 17.
16b INT. V.A. CENTER - MOMENTS LATER 16b
Rack focus from reflection of the protestors to: A sign on the door: NO CELL PHONES. Find Emmy, leading a VETERANS GROUP COUNSELING with FOUR MEN and TWO WOMEN.
Silence. No takers. SUSAN (50s; her scalp and one side of her face horribly burned) looks up, but doesn’t respond.
Emmy turns to TERRY (49), the man sitting beside her. Terry’s legs are MISSING -- he’s equipped with prosthetics.
Terry smiles distantly.
Terry shifts in his chair. Clock on the wall ticks.
Clock CLICKS.
Clock CLICKS. The others “hear” it.
She’s starting to lose control of the room.
AS a VA EMPLOYEE pokes her head in --
THE TOMORROW WAR 18.
16c INT. V.A. OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 16c
EMMY. Alone in a room, on HER PHONE.
16d INT. WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL - DAN’S CLASS - CONTINUOUS16d
Empty, but for Dan: it’s between classes. He closes the door to the hallway, packed with students rushing between classes.
CLOSE ON SCREEN: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE. Dan types in her SS number on the computer in his class.
He takes a deep breath, then hits ENTER. In YELLOW FONT: CONSCRIPTION STATUS: NOT ACTIVE
He types his SS number into the same site: In RED FONT: CONSCRIPTION STATUS: ACTIVE - 1.
Fear -- panic -- cloud his face. He sounds dazed.
THE TOMORROW WAR 19.
ARMED SOLDIERS front a long low-slung building:United States Military Entrance Processing Command. Dan walks up.
GUARDS armed with M4s stand stone-faced at the door.
Dan fidgets in a padded chair, cushioned braces to the side and above. TWO CONSCRIPTION OFFICERS (20s) in lab uniforms at standing desks, scan Dan’s papers, fire rapid questions --
CONSCRIPTION OFFICER LAUREN DAN You go by James or Jim? Middle name - Dan.
THE TOMORROW WAR 20.
CONSCRIPTION OFFICER TAYLOR DAN (CONT'D) I don’t see her birth I didn’t know I needed it. certificate.
The door opens. TECHNICAL OFFICER SAM in a similar uniform enters. He pushes a LARGE MACHINE on a WHEELED CART. Tech Officer Sam swivels the machine to face Dan. A padded CIRCULAR-OPENING fronts the device.
CONSCRIPTION OFFICER LAUREN TECHNICAL OFFICER SAM Your arm will be immobile for (CONT'D) the next few minutes-- You’re going to feel a cold
sensation in your wrist.
He pushes a sequence of buttons. A low HUM.
Tech Officer Sam lowers the overhead brace over Dan’s shoulders, it clicks locked.
A second brace swings at Dan’s flinching face, stops short.
The CRINKLE of plastic as Tech Officer Sam removes sterile wrapping from a RUBBER BITE SPLINT, glances at her colleague.
THE TOMORROW WAR 21.
The color drains from Dan’s face, events moving too quickly.
Tech Officer Sam slides the bite splint into a metal holder directly in front of Dan’s mouth.
HUM. Dan on the lip of panic. The hum LOUDER. A RED light.
Dan chomps the splint, eyes wild. The HUM’s pitch goes from low to BRACINGLY HIGH. Dan’s left arm is seized with a sharp, white hot pain. He convulses, SCREAMS through clenched teeth.
STOP. RED light to GREEN. The hum stops. Dan swallows, catches his breath.
Slowly, Dan removes his arm from the machine: A BLACK, CARBON STEEL DEVICE encircles his wrist, thins to a strip of metal flush against his forearm, cupping his elbow.
Dan stares at his arm.
THE TOMORROW WAR 22.
DIGITAL DISPLAY: Dan’s name. GPS location. Vital signs.
The Officer slides an INFORMATION PACKET toward him.
Dan is wrecked. He zombies towards the door. CONSCRIPTION OFFICER TAYLOR notes something in Dan’s paperwork.
Conscription Officer Taylor expression softens --
Dan STAGGERS OUT --
19a INT. VA CENTER - HALLWAY - DAY 19a
And STAGGERS INTO -- Emmy talking to one of her VETS. We don’t hear them. Suddenly her eyes go WIDE:
Dan is standing in the doorway. His sleeve is rolled up, his JUMP-BAND exposed.
THE TOMORROW WAR 23.
Emmy and Dan. She STARES at the Jump-band. She doesn’t want to look at it. Can’t stop. Horrified.
Emmy stares at him, then --
She grabs his arms, hands.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 24.
Dan shakes his head.
Her resolve hardens.
Dan’s minivan heads north on Hwy 76. We see AIRPORT SIGNAGE.
Dan drives up the runway passing small single engine planes and an older, retired C-130 TRANSPORT.
His minivan reaches the hangar. Dan gets out. Eyes a BLACK POW/MIA FLAG blowing in the wind. He looks around. Peeks in through the open hangar door.
Dan walks into the DARK HANGAR. No sign of life.
A gun’s HAMMER CLICKS. Dan turns towards the sound of it. Out of the darkness, behind Dan, steps A MONSTER. We barely see his face but this is JAMES FORESTER (mid 60s). James’s hands are swollen and small blood vessels (angiomas) from years of alcohol abuse are present in his leathery skin. His eyes are wet - from sleep, from drinking or both - but they are hard. And his barrel chest and muscular arms lend the sense that even in his 60s, James is someone you shouldn’t EFF with...
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 25.
Dan just rolls his eyes.
As James puts the gun away, he notices Dan’s ARMBAND. Looks at Dan, who’s staring at him. Yeah. That’s why he’s here.
James grabs a mason jar of whiskey, heads off.
They walk past a MUSTANG. James catches Dan eyeing it.
James opens a ROLLER SHUTTER DOOR. A workbench swivel-lamp lights two .50 cal rounds, Zippo lighter with a 1st AIR CAVALRY INSIGNIA. James sits on one side of the bench, Dan sits across.
James motions for Dan’s arm. Dan lays his arm on the table. James turns it hard to one side to inspect the Jumpband. Dan shifts in his seat, annoyed.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 26.
James picks up his jar of Old Crow, swirls, FLINGS IT on Dan. Dan blinks. Wet, stunned.
Dan stands, unbuttons his wet shirt. James pulls a flap of his shirt back, inspects. Dan gets it, pulls away--
James throws him a towel.
James is already re-filling the mason jar.
Cold intensity rises in Dan’s voice. He leans in --
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 27.
James, unflinching, nods at the Jump-band.
He walks Dan back through the maze of his shop.
He opens the door. Inside: A SERVER ARRAY. LOOSE CABLES. COMPUTER MONITOR DISPLAYS diagnostic and GPS data. HIGH- PERFORMANCE HARD DRIVES work overtime. GENERATORS, SURGE PROTECTORS and redundant POWER SUPPLIES whirr and hum next to A DOZEN EMPTY ARMBANDS.
Dan’s heard it before. James taps voltage probes to the Jumpband. He sips from the mason jar.
James picks up the jar, swirls three fingers of Old Crow.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 28.
James probes for a folding Buck knife, thumbs it open, teases a panel with the blade point.
He gets lost in that memory for a second, then looks at Dan.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 29.
Dan rips off the voltage probes and storms out. James watches him go, a mix of hurt and anger in his eyes. He downs the whiskey.
25-26 OMITTED INCORPORATED IN SC. 23 25-26
27-28 OMITTED 27-28
28a INT. THE FORESTER HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER 28a
Emmy has stuff everywhere. She’s frantically packing a bag. She hears Dan enter.
Dan hugs her. She turns to hug him back.
She grabs his arm. Feels the jumpband.
He takes her hands. Voice thick with emotion.
THE TOMORROW WAR 30.
They stare at each other.
She breaks.
She grabs him, holds him... finally breaking down. He clutches her tight, fighting back tears as well.
Emmy finally looks up at him.
Dan nods.
28b-28cOMITTED 28b-28c
THE TOMORROW WAR 31.
28d EXT. THE FORESTER HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY 28d
Young Muri digs in the backyard. Dan walks up.
Young Muri looks at rough gouges in the ground.
Dan takes the shovel, twirls it, puts blade tip to ground.
He puts foot to blade, shoves, levers a chunk of dirt free. He stares into the hole. Damn. Young Muri looks from hole to dad.
He stabs the shovel into the ground.
Muri gives a sad little smile.
THE TOMORROW WAR 32.
Young Muri wraps her arms around Dan’s neck, her small voice GROWLING LIKE A LION as she hugs tightly.
She squeezes with all she’s got. Finally, he tries to pull away, but she holds onto him.
Dan’s eyes well as Muri squeezes him tighter.
Dan finally breaks away from Muri. As he walks away from his heartbroken daughter...
28dA INT. DAN’S CLOSET - MOMENTS LATER 28dA
Dan moves aside boxes to reveal --
A GUN SAFE. He opens it. Inside: His Army revolver.
Off Dan...
THE TOMORROW WAR 33.
The last two buses bounce out of a huge lot, join ten others in a twelve bus caravan.
Full. CLIPBOARD SOLDIER, clipboard in hand, moves down the aisle, past anxious faces -- all older, out of shape, MISFITS -- checking off names, handing out labeled zip-loc bags.
Dan sits mid-bus, looks around. A DAY TRADER LOUIE consoles TEARFUL JOE. A LAWYER PACIFIST JULIE prays. CHRISTIAN stares out a window. COWAN, 30s listens to Drowning Pool “Bodies”. Dan hears his name, his hand goes up. He’s given a zip-loc bag. The label: Forester, James Daniel. He drops his phone in. Zip.
A dozen buses disgorge confused luggage-toting Draftees. Two dozen SOLDIERS hand & herd with stockyard efficiency. Dan drops his zip-loc bag in the plastic bin labeled F-J. EMT SOLDIER jabs a SYRINGE into his shoulder, vaccinating. ANOTHER SOLDIER hands him a thin stack of clothes; on the stack, EARBUDS, PLIERS.
A THOUSAND DRAFTEES stand in rough formation. Suitcases, backpacks, duffel bags at their feet. Men, women, every ethnicity and body type. Most in their 40s, 50s, Jumpbands locked to arms. An ARMY OF THE ORDINARY. Dodd finishes --
THE TOMORROW WAR 34.
Dodd ‘thank you’s’ people on his way out. LT. KRISTEN HART (25) walks up. A SONIC BOOM goes off. The ground shakes.
Majority of Draftees in some stage of undress. Embarrassed faces, averted eyes. Fat rolls, slack skin, knobby knees.
Feet jam into boots, pants pulled up, shirts over heads. SOLDIERS push large rolling bins heavy with clothes, shoes.
Dan looks right. CHARLIE PURPURA, 37, smiles. He’s got kind eyes, a belly-stretched t-shirt: I SURVIVED JELLYFISH SEASON.
THE TOMORROW WAR 35.
Charlie turns to BUS DRIVER ROSE draftee (50s) who agrees then dons SAFETY GOGGLES.
Lt. Hart addresses the THOUSAND DRAFTEES now in a mix of civilian and Army clothing. Earbuds in.
Draftees check their Jump-bands. Dan looks at his: R-FORCE.
Charlie grins, twists his wrist for Dan’s view. R-FORCE.
Suddenly, a MAN’s LOW GROWL INTERRUPTS from behind them--
Dan turns to the cold stare of DORIAN DUNN (30’s) tall, fiercely muscular. THE NUMBER187 IS TATTOOED ACROSS HIS THROAT. Veiny forearms SCARRED with HASH MARKS. A powerful chest, t-shirt, sleeves cut off,HEADHUNTERS over a SKULL.
THE TOMORROW WAR 36.
An MK-toting SGT. DIAZ (20s) female. She lifts a FUTURISTIC ASSAULT RIFLE over her head.
A line of 8-foot high SEMI-ALIEN SHAPED TARGETS with NECK and BELLY BULLSEYES stand at attention 50 yards out.
Sgt. Diaz holds up a curved magazine, rounds visible.
Sgt. Diaz thumbs a switch. The mag drops. She jacks another in, slides the bolt, chambers a round. Super quick.
She turns and OBLITERATES the targets.
Leaving the hundreds of D-Force behind, Dan, Charlie, and 40 OTHER R-FORCE DRAFTEES enter the R-Force Briefing room.
THE TOMORROW WAR 37.
Through the window, they can see D Force at the Firing Range. Dorian, in sunglasses, is slouched in a folding chair. DORIAN’S CREW (30s, male: TANK, female: DIABLO) orbit him.
Diablo catches them staring and flips them off.
THE TOMORROW WAR 38.
Dan looks, sees Lt. Hart, Sgt. Diaz, others. It dawns on him.
Lt. Hart fronts the seated R-Force Draftees.
37 INTERCUT FIRING RANGE / R-FORCE MEETING 37
Bus Driver Rose stands in a line of TEN DRAFTEES, aims, fires, winces at the recoil.
Sgt. Diaz roams the line, fixing stances, SHOUTING advice.
Lawyer Draftee stands there with her gun slung over her back.
THE TOMORROW WAR 39.
Sgt. Diaz stares her down. Lawyer Julie fumblingly loads her MK. Aims it at the target and FIRES. TOTALLY MISSES. Cowan, sunglasses perched on a ball cap, SNEERS. Imitates her.
Norah RAISES HER HAND. Lt. Ikemba nods at Norah.
LT. CYRIL IKEMBA (24), a stiff science-officer, steps up.
Science Officer LT. TRAN (20s), explains--
THE TOMORROW WAR 40.
Lt. Ikemba pauses and looks at Lt. Hart.
Low light. A THOUSAND DRAFTEES in rows on mats across the concrete. Some sleep, some pray. ANALYST BARB sits on her mat, rocking back, forth, eyes blank. YOGA TEACHER ALEXIS leads a bunch of other TERRIFIED DRAFTEES in a breathing exercise. Dorian and crew BLAST HEAVY METAL on headphones, amping themselves up.
Dan stares into the distance, pausing to look at the WEDDING RING on his finger. He pulls it off, adds it to the chain around his neck. Charlie walks up glazed with sweat.
Charlie’s hands tremble. A hint of shame in his voice.
THE TOMORROW WAR 41.
Charlie stops. A lump forms in his throat. He pushes past it.
A heavy moment.
I’m sorry.
Norah on a nearby bunk, leans into the conversation --
They turn to see Rose.
THE TOMORROW WAR 42.
They all look at him.
WOOP-WOOP!WOOP-WOOP!! He’s cut off by JUMP ALARMS!
Everyone runs. Mass confusion. Chaos. PANIC. OFFICERS funnel freaked out DRAFTEES into ARMING STATIONS, each handed an MK, two magazines of ammo. Some protest. Others are too dazed.
Dan and Charlie hurry after her --
THE TOMORROW WAR 43.
Dan takes Hart aside:
You do?
One by one, the PERIMETER LIGHTS shut off.
A thousand Draftees stand, MK3s at their feet. Lt. Ikemba, Lt. Hart, Sgt. Diaz and Lt. Tran give last minute instruction.
THE TOMORROW WAR 44.
Dan wipes sweat, mouth dry. He snugs his earbud, scans. Ordinary people. Trembling, nervous, terrified.
As one, the Draftees pick up their rifles, chest high. Desperately trying to be brave...
Five JUMP ENGINEERS man monitors. Center of the room: a SAPPHIRE BLUE CYLINDER with a DIGITAL INTERFACE. Cool tech only engineers thirty years from the future can understand.
Draftees bend their knees, backs curve, chins tuck. Beside Dan, Charlie examines his own weapon, STRUGGLING TO INSERT AMMO INTO THE RIFLE’S RECEIVER, starting to PANIC --
Charlie has it upside down. Dan takes the magazine and flips it 180: bullets facing forward. Slides the mag. Racks.
THE TOMORROW WAR 45.
Tearful Joe VOMITS. Charlie and Dan sees this.
A VOICE YELLS from the crowd--
SILENCE. Dan sees the HAIR ON HIS ARMS STAND UP, Charlie blinks, slowly. A circular pulse of VIOLET LIGHT expands from the Jumplink -- CONTRACTS -- swallows the Draftees.
CUT TO BLACK.
Blackness. We hear the BEATING OF A HUMAN HEART...
Slow motion. Quiet. Dropping through a misty wet darkness, shadows of Draftees to our right, left. Silent streaks of red stream beneath us. White lights pulse, fade, beautiful.
Jump engineers work keyboards, in front of them: RED FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS.
45a EXT. ARMY BASE - FIELD - PRE-DAWN - SAME 45a
THE TOMORROW WAR 46.
The thousand draftees have disappeared in front of her.
The ground SHAKES. AND... KA-BOOOOOM!!
45b INT. FORESTER HOUSE - SAME 45b
EMMY watches her tea cup rattle on the saucer. She looks to Young Muri. They know what the sound and the shaking mean. Dan is headed to the future war.
LIGHTNING CRACKLES. The world appears in slo-mo terror--
Dan plummets 100 feet above the rooftops of a cratered urban war zone. 1000 Draftees around, above, below, all twisting, falling in wide-eyed horror.
Lightning gone -- REAL TIME -- Dan GASPS, flails --
SPLASH! Dan smacks brackish water, goes under, strikes the concrete bottom, multiple Draftees plunge in around and on top of him. Crushed on the bottom, he claws at the layers of bodies, fighting his way to the surface when he sees:
CHARLIE. Being dragged down as well. Dan breaks for Charlie, grabs him by the collar and pulls him up. They reach the surface together, suck air while all around them --
The sound of automatic weapons FIRING, bones BREAKING, flesh SMACKING concrete and SCREAMING. Draftees hit ledges, clawing for a hold, fall, rifles clatter. More land on adjacent roofs. Many more splash into flooded streets.
Dan drags Charlie to the side of the pool, shouts to those within earshot as they climb out --
Dan gets his bearings. He sees battered Draftees trip over the dead, dying. Charlie looks around in horrified bewilderment.
THE TOMORROW WAR 47.
Dan and a few others move to the edge of the building. They gaze dumbstruck at the devastated ruins of the oceanfront city that was once MIAMI BEACH...
GLOBAL WARMING has turned the streets of Miami into the waterways of Venice. Smoke plumes rise from the CHARRED SKELETONS of LUXURY HIGH RISE HOTELS.
BLEEP. Dan notices the TOUR CLOCK on his Jumpband has been ACTIVATED, COUNTING DOWN his TOUR OF DUTY. The timer reads:
Norah points to A BUILDING IN THE DISTANCE.
NORAH’S BINOCULARS POV: Soldiers fire at unseen targets.
CHARLIE’S BINOCULARS POV: Suddenly all of the soldiers are leveled by a wave of spikes. They fall to the ground. DEAD.
Norah can’t help but look through her binoculars again. The reflection in the binoculars shows out-of-focus monster- looking creatures MAULING THE SOLDIERS!!
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 48.
An AUTHORITATIVE FEMALE VOICE comes from Comm’s earpiece --
They all look at each other. Dan goes to grab the earpiece.
We see a FIGURE from behind -- walking between BATTLE MAPS of FLORIDA, the CARIBBEAN, and SATELLITE MONITORS of the BATTLE IN MIAMI where we see troops fire on creatures in flooded streets, blurred images of Dan’s crew on the rooftop.
A slight beat. From behind, she stares down at her TABLET --
Dan looks at his rag-tag group. Assesses their gun situation. * It looks comically NOT GREAT --
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 49.
COWAN * They’re gonna do that to here?! *
ROMIO COMMAND * The Research facility is eight * blocks from your location. Get to * the ground level. You’ll exit onto * 17th street. Head East, then turn * left onto Meridian Avenue and it’s * a straight shot from there. *
A few of the soldiers turn and head toward the access door but most have no idea what Dan’s talking about --
THE TOMORROW WAR 50.
They approach the access door in tactical formation.
Dorian comes up close to Dan, says in his ear --
Dorian heads out the access door, Tank and Diablo on his heels. Dan ushers the rest of their CREW to follow.
Cowan steals a gun from a dead body whose dead fingers won’t give up the gun.
Rifles half-raised, 19 DRAFTEES led by Dan advance down a flight of stairs. It’s PITCH BLACK. Dan shines a light into it. It is quiet except for the dripping of water. Then --
Reveal many DEAD SOLDIERS.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 51.
Dorian, ahead with Tank and Diablo, whisper-yells back --
Dorian keeps moving. Everyone follows.
They emerge into a dark hallway. Strewn furniture, mattresses, bloody sheets - walls and floors riddled with SPIKES. They move carefully, quietly, guns raised.
ROMIO COMMAND * The Whitespikes can smell blood * from miles away. Given the heavy * casualties on the roof, you need to * get out of that building ASAP. *
Then -- something runs up the side of the building. *
THUMP! In the ceiling. THUMP THUMP!
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. It sounds like something climbing just above them. The sound moves toward them. Faster and faster. It’s right above. Cowan raises his MK. THUMP THUMP THUMP!
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 52.
And BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! Cowan sprays the whole ceiling with bullets, OTHERS join him. The ceiling caves in and out drops:
A fat RAT. Still alive. Scurrying onto the floor.
Romio Command sighs, annoyed. *
ROMIO COMMAND * (into mic) * Jesus get your team under control. * What a bunch of dumb asses./Are You * serious? The Whitespikes aren’t * monsters. They’re hunters. They * have a feral intelligence. If you * hear them approaching, it’s * probably a trap. Stay alert, and * you’ll stay alive. *
Cowan keeps shooting at the rat, bullets flying -- *
Cowan stops firing.
NON-SCIENTISTS SCIENTISTS
Molecules?/Dust./Wind?/Carbon Oxygen./It’s oxygen./The Dioxide. answer is: Oxygen./Whoever
said “Wind” was close.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 53.
Everyone’s crouched against the wall leading outside. Dan turns back to everyone.
He waves them up the street.
NORAH’S POV: A boat lays on it’s side in the street.
ROMIO COMMAND * All the personnel was ordered to * evacuate. There’s nothing there * besides the research team. *
52a EXT. MIAMI BEACH - STREET - DAY 52a
Dan SIGNALS for GROUPS of FOUR. He sends them off, ducking as they go.
ROMIO COMMAND * Actual, proceed to the lab on 7. *
Charlie is walking with Norah and Cowan.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 54.
SOMETHING runs between the buildings behind them.
Dan, Charlie, Norah and the others flatten against the building, try to be invisible. Heads on swivel.
Dorian is near Dan, picking up ammo from dead bodies.
Dorian scoffs. Dan watches Dorian picking up ammo.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 55.
Dorian nods over to the army of the ordinary. Dan looks at them. They do look slightly helpless.
Dan looks back at Dorian. Clocks Tank and Diablo who are not just picking up ammo, but are picking wallets from dead bodies.
Dorian laughs.
Tank, Diablo and Dorian walk off. Dan watches them go. Cowan looks over from nearby.
The PERIMETER GATE is overrun. The former Mt. Sinai Medical Center beyond. It’s clear there’s been a vicious attack --
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 56.
He claps Cowan on the shoulder. Cowan nods, assuring himself.
Everyone follows Dan into the building, except for Norah and Cowan.
Norah and Cowan get in position, keeping watch. Norah notices Cowan is freaking out.
A beat. She keeps thinking about it. And then ever so slightly scoots away from Cowan just in case.
They move inside, passing ominous signs of battle; broken spikes, human limbs, and the burnt or destroyed HUSKS OF SOMETHING. It’s QUIET.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 57.
Diablo and Tank SHOUT to Dorian from the corridor --
Dan and Co. follow them into the corridor. It’s dark. Smells terrible. Their feet stick to the floor. Dorian, Diablo and Tank surround something on the ground.
Reveal: Dorian kneeling over burnt-out remains of A DEAD WHITESPIKE ARM. He violently saws its CLAW off.
They pass Dorian and Co., head into a STAIRWELL.
Dan and Co. EMERGE from the stairwell. Head quietly down the dark corridor. Dorian, Tank and Diablo come up behind them --
ROMIO COMMAND * Any sign of my team? *
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 58.
Dorian ignores Charlie, attaching the WHITESPIKE CLAW to a leather cord around his neck already packed with CLAWS.
Charlie is so distracted by their conversation that he walks into -- A DEAD LAB TECH, covered in spikes, standing watch like a demented scarecrow. He GASPS, recoiling.
Everyone stares. Horrified. Spikes in his face.
Dorian pulls one out.
Dorian BREAKS A SPIKE OPEN. Reveal gross eggs inside. Everyone SHIVERS.
Dan turns. A NEST. Of DEAD HUMANS. At least 20 of them. All the lab workers. Covered in spikes. On top of each other at the top of the glass atrium.
A beat. *
A small beat, Romio Command recovers herself --
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 59.
ROMIO COMMAND * You need to move. If they left * bodies behind... they’ll be back * soon. You need to get out of there * fast. *
They go inside --
A FORMER INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, repurposed. Work stations. Monitors. Cage-wire over room windows, gouged steel doors.
ROMIO COMMAND * The lab director’s office is on * your left, I need all the data. * Gather the hard drives and * biological material from Lab 1. * Proceed to Lab 2 for the blue * ampoules. *
ROMIO COMMAND * Along the South Wall. *
DAN * How many are we looking for? *
ROMIO COMMAND * Twelve. I need all of them! *
The team empties freezer drawers, disassemble computers, grab thumb drives. Dan searches for BLUE AMPOULES.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 60.
ROMIO COMMAND * Actual, be advised: blanket * bombardment commencing in ten * mikes. You have to hurry. *
57a EXT. R-FORCE FACILITY - SAME 57a
Cowan scans the horizon. HIS POV: Something moves very slightly in a building at the end of the street.
HIS POV: There’s somethingthere. Not moving.
57b INT. R-FORCE FACILITY - TEST LAB - THAT MOMENT 57b
Charlie glances at a broken monitor, dangling upside down, showing the lobby. It’s all shadows and snow.
57c EXT. RESEARCH CENTER - SAME TIME 57c
Norah and Cowan keep watch.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 61.
The firelight and rain gives the air a shimmering, haunted quality that plays tricks with the eyes --
Cowan sees the shadow moving. Maybe it’s more than one. There’s definitely something.
57d INT. FORWARD OPERATING BASE - COMMAND TENT - THAT MOMENT 57d
ON a SATELLITE MONITOR: Romio Command watches from an angle high above the research facility.
57da EXT. RESEARCH CENTER - SAME TIME 57da
Cowan and Norah start to leave.
They run off.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 62.
57e INT. R-FORCE FACILITY - TEST LAB - SAME TIME 57e
Dan finds the centrifuge. Inside is a series of BLUE AMPOULES that contain a thick, creepy BLUE FLUID that looks alive --
Cowan and Norah race into the lab --
Dorian eases to the railing, peers over the side. Floors and floors of darkness. Small fires, sparks falling. No movement.
He gives the all clear. Our crew files in, descending down the stairwell when they HEAR:
c...l...i...c...k...i...n...g....
Dan braces, holds up a fist. Everyone freezes.
A beat - then again ...c...l...i...c...k...i...n...g....
Norah anxiously looks to Dan who slowly inches toward the railing - points his weapon down the center of the stairwell... Dark abyss. Still nothing.
The team continue downward - but not Cowan - he stops, peers slowly up behind him: Nothing except flickering lights and fires illuminating the floors above them.
Wait! A head appears from the darkness.What is that? Cowan stares. Is it? - a pair of Whitespike tentacles come out. Then more heads...
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 63.
No one is listening. Behind the shape. More heads appear.
Dan looks up. So does Dorian --
Dan and Charlie look at each other.
The Whitespike shoots SPIKES out of its tentacles. One spike hits COWAN, throwing him into the wall.
Dorian unloads his weapon. Dan follows suit. The rest join, FIRING INTO THE BELFRY WHITESPIKE.
The Whitespikes FIRE - spikes raining down -- one piercing Jumplink Greg knocking him down. Dead.
Charlie fumbles with his gun as Norah unleashes a barrage of bullets.
A Whitespike is hit - blood everywhere as it tumbles into the stairwell and crashes past our heroes.
Our crew runs downstairs firing their weapons. The Whitespike creeps down the stairs, tentacles up, as bullets fly.
It turns the corner. Going straight for Rose. Dan FIRES at it next to Rose. BULLETS FLY EVERYWHERE.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 64.
Draftee #2 Kelly KILLED. April KILLED.(location of death TBD)
The Whitespike, completely unfazed, shoots TWO SPIKES right at Dan! One hits Bus Driver Rose in the chest, sending her flying into Dan, knocking Dan down and dislodging his gun from his grip.
Dan reaches for his gun -- the Whitespike fires two MORE spikes at him! Dan recoils, the spikes barely missing him. With quick hands, Dan reaches for his gun just as the Whitespike SCREECHES and stands: 8 foot tall.
Dan fires at the Whitespike. It quickly crawls back upstairs, away from the spray of bullets.
Our crew runs for the door. Dorian, at the front of the pack KICKS it OPEN-- everyone files through. Christian SLAMS the door shut just as a Whitespike barnstorms into it--
BAMMM!!! The door FLIES clear off it’s hinges --
-- and squashes CHRISTIAN behind it.
Our heroes run - splitting up as the Whitespike chase them. Another Whitespike emerges from the stairwell and drags CHRISTIAN’S dead body away by his head.
The TEAM runs flat out toward the REAR EXIT -
INTERCUT:
Dan & Co. run fast down the hall, shooting at fast- approaching Whitespikes.
A WHITESPIKE reverses direction heading directly towards our team - climbing the walls to avoid the onslaught of bullets.
On Dan - the Whitespike too close now - he smashes an EMERGENCY BOX grabbing its AXE.
Swinging hard the Whitespike DODGES - Dan embedding the Axe in the floor. As the Whitespike REARS UP - Dan dislodges the axe uppercutting the Whitespike in its jaw. Alien blood bursting everywhere.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 65.
The Creature thrashing in pain - Dan is tossed from wall to wall as the team jump in pinning the injured Whitespike behind a door.
60aaA INT. R-FORCE HALLWAY - SAME TIME 60aaA
Dan struggles to kill the Whitespike. Dorian, Tank and Diablo run in. Dorian slides under the Whitespike, shoots it, kills it. They run off.
60aaB INT. COMMAND CENTER - CONTINUOUS 60aaB
Romio Command watches the monitor.
60a EXT. LOADING DOCK RAMP - MORNING 60a
Our group scurrying down the ramp - out of breath - collecting ammo as they go-
Charlie notices the spike in Cowan’s shoulder.
Cowan grabs the spike, psyches himself up, then RIPS IT OUT and SCREAMS IN AGONY.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 66.
Suddenly: DOZENS OF WHITESPIKES behind them - climbing cars, walls -
Our group charges toward an open parking garage, guns drawn, ready to fire-- Whitespikes close in --
Whitespikes SHOOT! PFT! PFT! YOGA TEACHER ALEXIS is KILLED. They return FIRE!!! A few Whitespikes KILLED - starting to get the hang of it.
The team heads toward the parking garage, continuing to FIRE!
60c EXT. PARKING GARAGE - MORNING 60c
A WHITESPIKE - clicking - another joins - then another - they are COMMUNICATING!! As if on cue they all split up - we FOLLOW one as a few climb the walls of the garage.
60d INT. COMMAND CENTER - DAY 60d
Greenwood and Romio Command looking at the grid on the monitor:
61a INT. STAIRWELL - PARKING GARAGE 61a
-- our team - scrambling up the stairs - heading to daylight -
He bursts through the door --
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 67.
61b EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS 61b
Dan, exits, looks up and FIRES on Whitespikes crawling down the parking garage!
The team runs out door onto the street.
Our team doesn’t look back - Louie’s KILLED.
61c INT. COMMAND CENTER - DAY 61c
61d EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS 61d
Dan and the team are firing away--
61e INT. COMMAND CENTER - DAY 61e
Charlie and Diablo on a dead run, firing at Whitespikes. Charlie TRIPS and falls-- a huge weapon falls out of his bag-- What is that?
Charlie, on the ground, keeps firing!
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 68.
63a EXT. STREET - MOVING 63a
Dan and team are on the move. Whitespikes gallop down the street towards us.
Dorian runs ahead. Spikes and bullets FLY.
63d EXT. STREET - DAY 63d
It looks like all hope is lost! They’re sprinting down the street when suddenly, THE SMOKE UP AHEAD PARTS to reveal CHARLIE WITH THE ROCKET LAUNCHER! He lifts the rocket launcher to his shoulder-- looking for the perfect shot.
On Dan:
Team takes cover.
CHARLIE FIRES! The rocket flies past Dan into the swarm of Whitespikes and KA-BOOM! A massive ball of fire.
Dan reaches Charlie, they look back at the aftermath.
A moment of relief. And then --
WHITESPIKES EMERGE OUT OF THE FLAMES ON FIRE! One, two, five, twenty! CLICKING. HISSING.HOLY SHIT!
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 69.
The team sprints! Barb KILLED. Draftee #1 (Royce) KILLED.
63f EXT./INT. COMMAND CENTER/MARTA STREETS (INTERCUT) - MOVING63f
The team run down a street. Whitespikes not far behind--
Truck Driver Palmer KILLED.
They find themselves engulfed in red smoke.
Our team doesn’t look back - running at top speed.
A palm tree ABLAZE, a HELO fires a rocket at a building - KABOOM.
Romio Command looking at the monitor:
At the other end, THREE HUMVEES swerve around a corner. The cavalry is here!
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 70.
Our team walks forward, suddenly hopeful! A GUNNER emerges at the top of the lead Humvee, ready to blast Whitespikes--
Out of nowhere - WHITESPIKES careen into the Humvees tossing the three end over end - exploding them in a mass of debris and fire. When -- Spikes rain down-
They look up and see WHITESPIKES ABOVE THEM!
All move forward, take cover behind cars. Everyone fires wildly at Whitespikes. They’re everywhere!
At the Monitor:
Major Greenwood and Romio Command watch the monitors.
Dan firing away in both directions -- takes cover behind next car. Reloads-- Then gets up and FIRES AWAY! Others move forward behind more cars.
Behind a car- Dorian shoots with a SHOTGUN! Taking as many out as he can when - A Whitespike leaps at him on top of a car -- he runs out of ammo.
Then Dorian picks up the automatic weapon and finishes it off.
The team continues to fire! They’re all surrounded.
Dan shoots at the Whitespike. It shoots a spike, hitting Dan in the shoulder, he falls to the ground. Charlie continues to fire! The Whitespike retreats-- bleeding and hurt. Julie KILLED-- Jodie KILLED.
Dan see’s two women killed then sits up against car-- Dan pulls out the SPIKE!
Over the hood of the car Dan looks around wildly for an escape-- spots a HOTEL.
THE TOMORROW WAR 71.
63i EXT. HOTEL - DAY 63i
Dan runs toward a building firing at the windows - EXPLODING them out - The team dive inside.
63j INT. HOTEL - DAY 63j
They run through -- heading towards--
63k EXT. PARKING GARAGE - DAY 63k
Our remaining seven - running - firing - grab onto the parking structure fencing - catapult themselves to the ground.
63l EXT. MIAMI FIELD 63l
The team sprint across an open field and jump/hurdle/climb over a fence - Dan pauses - a quick look behind him - they may have lost them.
63m EXT. SLATTED TUNNEL 63m
The team run across a tunnel. Jumping precariously slat to slat.
As they keep moving, suddenly Cowan mis-judges - slips - falling!!
THE TOMORROW WAR 72.
63n INT. TUNNEL 63n
-- crashing to the ground SNAPPING his leg. He YELLS as he collapses.
63na EXT. SLATTED TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS 63na
Norah looks down at Cowan --
Norah jumps down into the tunnel. Dan follows. Dorian turns to keep moving, but looks back-- Whitespikes are behind them! Dorian, Tank, and Diablo jump down into the tunnel.
63nb INT. TUNNEL - SAME TIME 63nb
Dan and Norah run to Cowan - he’s in immense pain - the others jump down.
THE HORIZON - a herd of Whitespikes charging into the tunnel -
Dan and Norah try to help Cowan.
63o INT. COMMAND CENTER 63o
Romio Command leans into the mike - staring at the aerial view of their position. Can’t see them anywhere.
63p INT. TUNNEL 63p
Cowan won’t take their help.
THE TOMORROW WAR 73.
Charlie runs over. He and Dan struggle to help Cowan up.
They hoist Cowan up, he screams in agony, falls back down.
She gets SPIKED IN THE BACK RIGHT HIP. She looks down at the spike in shock, drops to her knees. Dan looks at her.
Looks at Cowan. He can’t save both. Norah sees it on his face.
Dan sees Whitespikes getting closer. Spikes fly past him. Tank and Diablo are SPIKED.
THE TOMORROW WAR 74.
Dan runs. Norah and Cowan, with all their strength, spray gunfire at the charging Whitespikes.
63q EXT. AERIAL TUNNEL - DAY 63q
Whitespikes charging ever closer.
63r INT. TUNNEL 63r
The team full out crazy sprints to the mouth of the tunnel.
Norah and Cowan, still shooting as the Whitespikes are closing in on them --
KABOOM! The tunnel, Norah, Cowan, and the Whitespikes EXPLODE.
63s EXT. TUNNEL 63s
The EXPLOSION rockets out of the tunnel - Dan, Charlie, Dorian and the others enveloped in the concussion and flames as they are thrown violently in the air -- and we--
CUT TO BLACK.
64-66 OMITTED 64-66
66a INT. FORWARD OPERATING BASE - MEDICAL TENT - DAY 66a
A BLURRY POV EMERGES OUT OF DARKNESS: Injured soldiers on cots in a makeshift medical tent. POV comes into focus AS -
DAN blinks. Sits himself up. Everything hurts. His shoulder has been bandaged, along with part of his head. He sees Charlie a few cots away from him --
66b EXT. FORWARD OPERATING BASE - MEDICAL TENT - THAT MOMENT 66b
Dan and Charlie emerge from the tent into an ACTIVE MILITARY BASE, tents and temporary structures deposited in the MIDDLE of some kinda VAST WILDERNESS --
THE TOMORROW WAR 75.
Dan sees DORIAN, on the other side of the base where the dead are stored. He’s pulling claws and spikes out of the bodies. Cleaning them. Pocketing them.
THE TOMORROW WAR 76.
Dorian shakes his head “no.”
Reveal Tank and Diablo are dead.
An ARMY OFFICER flanked by TWO ARMED COMMANDOS walks up.
Commandos step forward to lead Dan away.
Dan turns to Charlie. Feels guilty for leaving him.
THE TOMORROW WAR 77.
Dan watches as they march off... Knowing he may never see them again.
Dan is led to the FAR SIDE OF THE FOB. He sees the BACKLIT SILHOUETTES of a small group waiting for him. A WOMAN (40), wearing a filthy command uniform, stands at the center of the group. This is ROMIO COMMAND.
As Dan nears, he notes others around her offering congratulations. MAJOR PAUL GREENWOOD (33), normally all business RANGER UNIT COMMANDER, is incredulous --
Dan approaches ROMIO COMMAND.
She holds up the BLUE AMPOULES.
THE TOMORROW WAR 78.
A SOLDIER runs up.
Dan stands there, bewildered.
He’s stopped cold. Stares ROMIO COMMAND in the face. Squints.
Dan’s jaw drops. Her whole approach to him is cool. Not cruel, but definitely not warm. Dan’s brain is crashing.
He leans forward to hug her. But she steps back.
THE TOMORROW WAR 79.
Muri, already hardened, hardens a little more. Dan notices.
THE TOMORROW WAR 80.
Dan’s smile fades as he absorbs her words.
Dan nods --
69a INT. FORWARD OPERATING BASE - COMMAND TENT - THAT MOMENT 69a
Dan and Muri study a series of drone/satellite feeds displayed on monitors.
ON ONE MONITOR: Low rez captured footage of a FEMALE WHITESPIKE. It’s huge. And its face: cunning. The Whitespike raises her head. It doesn’t just CLICK, it HISSES...
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 81.
DAN * Jesus! They get bigger? *
MURI * No. The ones you fought in Miami * were males. This is a female. *
ON THE MONITOR: It raises up on its HIND LEGS, revealing a blood-red ABDOMEN.
On a military-grade IPAD-LIKE DEVICE - Muri shows him a A BURNT-OUT UNDERGROUND NEST where they think the Whitespike is hiding. SOLDIERS use FLAMETHROWERS to burn it out.
Dan watches the female Whitespike thrash wildly on the * screen. She’s terrifying. *
Muri ignores that. She holds up one of the BLUE AMPOULES. *
She looks at the FEMALE WHITESPIKE on the iPad. *
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 82.
She hands him the military grade IPAD-LIKE DEVICE.
Crane up to reveal FOB is on the border of a Whitespike Nest.
Exhausted, Dan lies on a cot in a TENT lit by candles. He glances at the TOUR CLOCK on his JUMPBAND:
He swipes on the tablet through DIAGRAMS of WHITESPIKES.
Keeps scrolling. Stops as he sees -- WHITESPIKE ATTACK AFTERMATH PHOTOS. The GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, cables snapped, road perpendicular to the Bay. KREMLIN burned, gutted, onion domes in ashes.
THE TOMORROW WAR 83.
He sees another photo folder labelled “PERSONAL.” He clicks on it. A new set of PHOTOS are revealed. Dan scrolls to the earliest ones. Emmy asleep with a BABY MURI. A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MURI grins at him. His smile broad.That’s the little girl he knows. A PRE-TEEN MURI, spark fading from her eyes, smile small, also with Emmy.
Dan’s smile fades as he swipes further and further in the photos: He’s barely in any of them.Where is he? Then he sees a selfie Muri took of herself and Dan in a strange, dilapidated apartment.
He zooms in on himself and Muri. There’s a birthday cupcake in front of him. It’s clearly his birthday. But it looks lonely. His face looks worn out. Tired.
Dan quickly shoves the tablet aside. Stares at the candle flickering in the tent.
A bell RINGS as PILOTS/SOLDIERS rush past Dan to a nearby clearing where FOUR HELICOPTERS have just landed. Dan sees Muri walking with Major Greenwood. He catches up to them.
They enter an ARMORY room where 16 HIGHLY ELITE SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDOS gear up. Everyone defers to Muri as she BARKS orders. A wicked ARSENAL OF FUTURISTIC WEAPONS, thirty years ahead of what we have now, hang on the walls.
She looks at Major Greenwood, answering him with a look.
THE TOMORROW WAR 84.
Major Greenwood, Rangers, professional killers all nod.
In the light of the rising sun -- Dan, Muri, and the RANGER TEAM (all with HIGH-TECH BODY ARMOR, HELMETS, and FUTURISTIC MZ-51 AUTOMATICS) run to their waiting HELICOPTERS.
The four Black Hawks LIFT OFF from the clearing, fly SOUTH.
The Black Hawks ROAR over the sea, fly low in battle formation.
Silence as the RANGERS perform a weapons check. Lt. Valentine pilots, SCANNING THE SEA for signs of WHITESPIKES.
Via Com-links in their helmets, Dan and Muri talk in the rear of the chopper.
THE TOMORROW WAR 85.
She looks at him.
Muri looks off, haunted. Vacant. Dan looks at Muri, lowering his voice...
Muri looks at him, taking in her father’s face.
THE TOMORROW WAR 86.
Wow. There’s so many things she wants to say. Too many.
Viper 1 comes in low on the St. Croix coastline.
Viper One banks inland toward the far side of the island.
79-83 OMITTED 79-83
83a EXT. BLACK HAWK - SECONDS LATER 83a
The four CHOPPERS careen down over a blood red reservoir - heading towards their target.
RANGERS with flame throwers spray fire into the small mouth of a NEST. Humvees parked outside. The helos soar overhead.
83aa INT. VIPER ONE - DAY 83aa
83ab EXT. NEST QUARRY - DAY 83ab
RANGER 1 rappels down to Cave one - disappearing into the cavern.
ANGLE ON - Dan and Muri listening - still hovering
THE TOMORROW WAR 87.
Then -- GUNFIRE - SCREAMS. The Cable into the cave starts pulling - Viper one rocks violently - still attached.
83ac INT. VIPER ONE - DAY 83ac
And before Dan can say a thing - Muri is out the door - rappelling below.
83ad EXT. VIPER ONE - DAY 83ad
Muri rappels down - disappearing inside the nest.
83ae INT. VIPER ONE - DAY 83ae
Greenwood bullies past Dan - hooks onto the line. And he jumps. Dan can only watch the two as they disappear.
83b INT. WHITESPIKE CAVE - NEST - THAT MOMENT 83b
Muri, Major Greenwood and the RANGERS trudge through the litter of human skulls and bones.
THE TOMORROW WAR 88.
RANGERS emerge from a tunnel - three lines pulling - SOMETHING - into the opening. Digging in hard - the Rangers drag to reveal:
A FEMALE WHITESPIKE - huge - screaming - this alien has NO ANTERIOR SPIKE, STOMACH A CRIMSON HUE. Muri is stunned.
The Whitespike reacts now in the open cave - RIPPING at her ties - firing spikes - killing Rangers - freeing herself.
Panic - they surround her - guns, flamethrowers at the ready - - she’s backed into a corner and she doesn’t like it--
The creatures TENTACLE rears up - we can see a spike at the mouth of it - ready to fire...
Muri wields her vest one-handed like a shield.
The female Whitespike SHRIEKS.
83c I/E. BLACK HAWK - SECONDS LATER 83c
Dan scans the ground. CLICK CLICK CLICK. Then looks up. WHITESPIKES scurry on the rocky ledges. FLYING.
The Whitespikes spot Viper 2 and charge.
The Whitespikes launch themselves right for Viper 2! The pilot looks up --
THE TOMORROW WAR 89.
Too late - Viper 2 spirals - CRASHES - overrun with Whitespikes.
Dan looks up to the hillside - dozens more coming - bolting through the woods --
Dan peers down the line to the cave - Whitespikes now crawling their way up.
83ca INT. WHITESPIKE CAVE 83ca
83cb INT. VIPER ONE - SAME TIME 83cb
Dan hears the melee below on his comms.
Dan grabs a gun.
Dan IGNORES HIM - steps to the open door and jumps.
83cc EXT. VIPER ONE - DAY 83cc
Dan sliding down the line - firing at the upcoming Whitespikes. They fall to their deaths.
83d INT. WHITESPIKE CAVE - THAT MOMENT 83d
Landing - Dan sees lines wrapped around the giant creature- and it’s jaws just inches from Muri’s head.
Major Greenwood has a steel cable around the Whitespike’s throat. Trying to guide her toward AN IRON CAGE.
THE TOMORROW WAR 90.
Dan charges the Whitespike, bashing into it - but doing little damage.
The female fights back, flips it’s Tentacle around - ready to fire at Muri - Dan grabs it just as it fires and directs the spike right at the Female herself.
Direct hit - SCREEECH - in pain it recoils - letting it’s defenses down -
The team takes advantage of her momentary lapse - drag/pull the beast into the cage - slamming the door shut.
Muri looks toward the opening of the cavern. The cable line goes taut. Rangers and Viper 1 standby.
As the cage is dragged out past Dan it REVEALS A MALE WHITESPIKE right next to him - it ROARS!!
BLAMBLAMBLAM - the Whitespike falls.
Muri’s there - gun smoking. Dan looks back in thanks - WHITESPIKE BLOOD dripping down his face.
She runs. He follows.
83f EXT. NEST QUARRY 83f
KARAACK - THE CAGE explodes out - BLASTING the nest opening apart. The FEMALE screeching to all the males below.
Dan and Muri surface out of the cave.
THE TOMORROW WAR 91.
Whitespikes screech. They look up:
Whitespikes, launching themselves off the ridge and onto Viper 4 -- shredded by the rotors of the Blackhawk, sending it into a tailspin. Dan and Muri watch as Viper 4 goes down.
They charge across the nest field - Dan unloading on a Whitespike perched on top the Hummer. Muri dives into the Drivers seat - Dan right behind her.
Muri scrambles back - steps up to the roof gunner position. She unloads the 50 cal mounted on top at oncoming Whitespikes - obliterating many of them as Dan fires up the engine and jams his foot to the floor.
Bouncing BAJA style the Humvee tears off away from the nest and gains ground on the Whitespikes - trailing off into the woods - and from an AERIAL we see Muri climb back inside as they drive off safely away from the hordes.
84-87 OMITTED 84-87
Muri drives straight up onto the sand. Skids to a stop. QUICKLY pulls out a FLARE, sends it up. WHOOOSSSH! Dan falls out of the Hummer, onto the sand, all smiles. He gives her their SECRET HANDSHAKE/WAVE from when she was a kid--
Muri looks at Dan --
THE TOMORROW WAR 92.
Muri relaxes a bit, still kind of annoyed. But he’s right.
She looks out the water. Haltingly:
She holds his gaze.
Muri shakes her head. There’s pain here.
Muri struggles a second to maintain control, wins.
THE TOMORROW WAR 93.
She lets that sink in.
Dan is speechless.
Dan is crushed, horrified, filled with guilt --
He looks off, ashamed.
WHOMP. WHOMP. WHOMP. WHOMP. WHOMP. A CHOPPER APPEARS. VIPER THREE comes to rescue them.
THE TOMORROW WAR 94.
The interior lit by the glow of Muri’s computer, the Black Hawk flies deep into the night sky.
With the red hue of dawn on their faces, Muri nudges Dan awake. She hasn’t slept. We can hear the APPROACH OF A LOW RESONANT BUZZING SOUND. Dan’s eyes open --
We see:
A repurposed DEEP WATER OIL RIG, outfitted with ROCKET BATTERIES, PHALANX CANNONS... A SQUADRON of solar-electric AERIAL COMBAT DRONES patrol the sky above.
A CARAVAN OF BOATS drive towards Deepswell. Civilians crowd the decks, looking up to the helicopters.
Civilians crowd the decks to get a look at the three helicopters approaching, one of them with the CAGED FEMALE WHITESPIKE underneath.
Muri leans out of the helicopter and raises a fist triumphantly. The crowds below CHEER!
The Deepswell wall parts as the three helicopters fly in. We see the converted oil rig. As they fly past the drone container ship...
THE TOMORROW WAR 95.
We see the JUMPLINK on the tower.
92-94 OMITTED 92-94
From the helo we see an elaborate UNDERWATER WALL raises behind the cruise ship, creating a secure perimeter.
The FEMALE WHITESPIKE, inside a 12-foot diameter BALLISTIC GLASS SPHERE. LIMBS and TENTACLES SHACKLED by TITANIUM CUFFS, A GIANT MUZZLE over her face. She’s IMMOBILE. However, her EYES can still SPY the pulse visible in Muri’s neck.
Muri taps on her computer making final checks as Dan enters. Both still aware of the intensity of their last talk.
She turns to him holding A TEN-INCH NEEDLE --
TIGHT ON - THE NEEDLE. Going in the abdomen of the Spike. Muri’s working through GLOVES on the POD that let her access the inner chamber and the Whitespike. The needle’s effects are quick, TENSION leaves the Whitespike’s BODY --
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 96.
Dan’s HANDS WORK a set of GLOVES on the other side of the pod preparing NEEDLES and SAMPLE TUBES that he pushes towards Muri through a SAFETY TRAY --
Muri takes up a needle and specimen tube, looks to Dan --
She jabs the needle in the Whitespike’s leg, they wait as the tube fills, Dan carefully monitoring her vitals -- Muri pulls out ONE TUBE - filled with FLUID. Dan takes it from her, hands her another EMPTY. As he does --
DAN * So if you just find what she uses * to attack the toxin, you can design * an enzyme inhibitor to neutralize * it. And then... *
MURI * Kill her. *
Muri nods. She loads TWO TEST TUBES OF BLOOD into a CENTRIFUGE. As she does, Dan studies the SEDATED FEMALE WHITESPIKE.
THE TOMORROW WAR 97.
The second tube is full. Muri removes it, Dan takes it. While he’s putting the tube away, WE PAN from the WHITESPIKE’S LEG up its TORSO, reaching her muzzled HEAD where we NOTE: ONE of ITS EYES HAS OPENED.
SHIT. Muri starts to pull the needle out of her leg and --
The Whitespike LURCHES TOWARD HER, TESTING her RESTRAINTS and SHRIEKING through her gagged mouth --
Dan sees what’s happening, grabs another needle of Hydromorphone, slides it to Muri through the tray. Muri stabs it into the Whitespike. Her body goes slack. As they catch their breath.
96a INT. LAB - LATER 96a
The lab is COOKING. SAMPLES, TEST TUBES. Bunsen Burners. DAN and MURI process the Whitespikes’s DNA, blood, tissues.
Muri pulls a TARGET PLATE from an ultrasonic bath. It’s a small metal plate with rows of circles.
Muri dries the plate under a stream of INERT GAS, places it on a mat Dan has just sterilized. He hands her an eppendorf tube containing the Matrix Solution --
It’s painstaking and close. Muri, places one tiny droplet of the Matrix Solution into the small circle. Dan follows with a droplet of the Analyte Solution. Then, using a pipet, Dan mixes the solution in the circle --
We zip through. Catching snippets of them - focused, determined. Each loving the work. Each feeling the pressure but still noting the ease - the pleasure - of working together. They LOAD PLATE after PLATE with droplets.
Dan’s stomach growls, Muri stifles a yawn, Dan’s hands cramps.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 98.
Finally, the trays are finished. They look at each other. No time to celebrate. But Dan does give her their special WAVE.
96b INT. LAB - LATER (3AM) 96b
Muri puts the final TARGET PLATE in the LC-MS. Dan enters, holding a couple of MRE FIELD RATIONS. She sees them --
He puts the MREs down, pushes one towards her -- They open the packets.
DING! The machine stops. A MICROSCOPIC IMAGE OF AN ENZYME enlarges on the screen. Muri smirks, invigorated.
She presses a button. The machine WHIRS to life again, spinning, testing. Rapid-scanning images on the hologram. Dan watches it, kind of amazed.
MURI * Yep. Running through thousands of * tests, trying to figure out how to * break that sucker down. *
Muri watches the screen nervously. Dan looks at her. *
DAN * Muri. This is going to work. *
Muri allows a small smile. Her dad’s proud of her. They’re * interrupted by a DING. They look at the screen -- the * enzyme’s structure is destroyed. *
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 99.
Muri looks at the chemical make-up of the INHIBITOR MOLECULE * and the DENATURED ENZYME, side by side. *
MURI * That’s not a great bond. It’s going * to have to be a lot stronger to * keep her from breaking down the * toxin. But it’s a start. *
Muri immediately gets to work on her tablet. *
Dan glances at the TOUR CLOCK on his JUMP-BAND. It reads:
It makes her sad, she hides it.
She smiles. Slightly. He starts to walk off.
But Muri is already back in her work....
97-98 OMITTED 97-98
THE TOMORROW WAR 100.
Ocean waves, CREAKING steel joints. Humanity’s last outpost sleeps. Except Dan. He looks at his PHOTO OF EMMY AND MURI.
Dan sees Greenwood coming beside him --
On DAN. Indeed.
THE TOMORROW WAR 101.
Dan thumbs his picture, Greenwood glances at it --
Dan looks at him --
Greenwood goes. Dan looks off. A lot for him to think about.
Wind WHIPS an American flag; the sun peaks over the horizon.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 102.
Muri puts drops of a CLEAR SOLUTION into a test tube of WHITESPIKE BLOOD. She feels eyes on her. Turns to--
The FEMALE WHITESPIKE - staring at her with WHITE HOT HATE. Blood lust in its narrowed eyes. Its teeth gnash. It wants to tear her apart. Muri looks back at it, holds up the test tube.
She loads it into the LC-MS. Presses a button. It whirs to life.
Dan enters. The LC-MS slows, then BUZZES. A digital FAIL/MATCH readout on Circle ONE: FAIL. Resumes spinning.
DAN * How’s it going? *
Muri rubs her eyes, exhausted. *
MURI * (sarcastic) * Great. I’ve discovered roughly ten * thousand ways to not achieve * sufficient potency. *
Dan sits next to her. *
DAN * Why don’t you take a break? I can * handle the rest. *
MURI * I’m fine, really. *
She’s buried in her work, not looking at him. He recognizes * himself in her, realizes what Emmy must have felt. He reaches * out and takes her hand. *
Muri looks off, hesitates. The LC-MS slows -- FAIL -- two * down. *
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 103.
MURI * If this toxin works, I need you to * take it back. We can’t make more * here. But you have the resources * and ability in your time to mass * produce it and send it back. *
Dan studies her for a beat. *
DAN * And you want it sent back in these. *
Dan holds up his jumband. Muri looks at him, shocked he * figured it out. *
The LC-MS slows -- FAIL -- three down. The female Whitespike * STIRS in its restraints. *
MURI * The jumpbands will only inject the * toxin into the bloodstream when it * registers a cardiac arrest. *
Muri sees the female’s vitals rising. FAIL. Four tubes down. *
FAIL. Five. The FEMALE WHITESPIKE starts to CLICK. *
The FEMALE’S CLICKING grows ever LOUDER --
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 104.
FAIL. Six tubes down. *
MURI * We’re going to send the soldiers into the Nests. Straight in. It’s a suicide mission.
Dan sees his fractured child and it breaks his heart. DING. * “MATCH” glows GREEN. They look at the screen. Muri looks at * it, not thrilled. Almost dreading it. Dan looks at her, sees * she’s conflicted. *
DAN * You did it. You figured out how to * save the world. Now you just have * to do it. *
But before she can respond -- The FEMALE WHITESPIKE lets out A DEAFENING, PAINFUL, HIGH-FREQUENCY SCREAM. Dan and Muri cover their ears, the scream cutting through the walls, unsecured objects vibrate. ALARMS SOUND.
WARNING SIGNS flash on one screen then two, three, four.
THE TOMORROW WAR 105.
Dan’s tension rises, watches the ALARM lights strobe when suddenly the building ROCKS violently--
ON THE LAB MONITOR: WE SEE DEEPSWELL SURROUNDED BY A SEA OF WHITESPIKES.
104a EXT. DEEPSWELL - GREENWOOD AREA - DAY 104a
Greenwood stares aghast out to the perimeter.
104b EXT. DEEPSWELL - GREENWOOD POV 104b
EXPLOSIONS - in the water - moving closer and closer.
104c EXT. DEEPSWELL - GREENWOOD AREA - DAY 104c
Rapidly moving shadows of tens of thousands of Whitespikes swimming beneath the surface of the sea, boxing in Deepswell.
THE TOMORROW WAR 106.
105a EXT. DEEPSWELL - DAY 105a
Rising shot - soldiers charging to their stations - we see the attack has started - GUNNERS start unloading their 50 calibers.
105b EXT. DEEPSWELL - DAY 105b
WHITESPIKES - swimming ferociously towards Deepswell. Rocket launchers fire missiles into the water - EXPLOSIONS - we see the creatures scale the Deepswell supports by the hundreds.
105c INT. DEEPSWELL - LAB - INTERCUT DAN/MURI/WHITESPIKE 105c
CLOSE - Female Whitespike screeches as it stares down Muri.
The centrifuge spins. ALARMS blaring. The female continuing to SCREAM. “MATCH” glows GREEN.
But there’s no smile. A burden shouldered. Dan clocks this.
The centrifuge arm offers the TOXIN -- the liquid glows an IRRADIATED GREEN. Muri grabs THE VIAL.
THE TOMORROW WAR 107.
105d EXT. JUMPLINK TOWER - DAY 105d
REVEAL: Greenwood at the highest position on Deepswell. Already protecting the Jumplink - armed to the teeth.
105e INT. - DEEPSWELL - LAB - DAY 105e
Muri opens a weapons cabinet --
They charge to the exit. The WHITESPIKE SCREAMS defiantly--
105f EXT. DEEPSWELL-9 - MOMENTS LATER 105f
Muri and Dan burst out of the lab. SIRENS ECHO. WORKERS and ARMED TACTICAL TEAMS rush across the open-air platforms.
Running -- leaping - Muri and Dan make the run of their lives through the complex maze of Deepswell. We ARC up to see the platforms being overwhelmed.
106-107OMITTED 106-107
MAYHEM is audible from every direction. Constant POP of automatic FIRE. ALARMS. CLICKING close by.
Muri puts on her pair of SPECIAL GLASSES - calls out:
THE TOMORROW WAR 108.
108a EXT. DEEPSWELL - DRONES - DAY 108a
DRONES wake up and veer on Muri’s command. We FOLLOW them as they traverse and find a wide look at Muri and Dan running.
DRONE POV - Dan/Muri and below them on the stairwell...
108b INT. DEEPSWELL - OPEN AREA - DAY 108b
Dan and Muri - full sprint. Muri gives commands.
We INTERCUT - between Muri’s commands and the Drones carrying out the action.
WIDE - lower stairwell.
The Drones destroy all Whitespikes.
CLOSE - DRONE - opening fire on Level two.
108c EXT. DEEPSWELL - TOP OF STAIRS - DAY 108c
Dan and Muri on a sprint - Whitespikes rise out of the stairwell ahead blocking their exit!!
BLAM - the WHITESPIKE is SPLIT IN HALF - revealing the drone behind - Muri and Dan dive between the parting halves.
THE TOMORROW WAR 109.
108d EXT. DEEPSWELL STAIRWELL - DAY 108d
Dan and Muri - skip-jump down the stairwell.
KILL TEAM #1 (O.S.) Commander Forester. This is the kill team.
108e INT. DEEPSWELL LAB - DAY 108e
Foreground - the cage - destroyed. The Kill team stunned.
KILL TEAM #1 The female has escaped!! Repeat - the female has escaped.
108f EXT. DEEPSWELL - CORRIDOR - DAY 108f
Muri wheels around a corner.
Dan hot on her heels, bobbing and weaving past pipes and girders.
108g EXT. DEEPSWELL - SOMEWHERE ELSE - DAY 108g
Female Whitespike - running - focused - clearly on a mission. Two Whitespike Henchman at her side - a quick CLICK CLICK to both of them and they split off.
Dan and Muri turn a corner past massive boilers --
A SOLDIER is attacked violently right in front of them - they retreat the way they came.
109aaA EXT. DEEPSWELL-9 - CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 109aaA
Dan and Muri run alongside the engine room. The FEMALE WHITESPIKE sees them from a parallel walkway and leaps over the railing, landing just behind them. Dan and Muri sprint, the female whitespike chasing after them!
THE TOMORROW WAR 110.
109aaB INT. DEEPSWELL-9 - ENGINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 109aaB
Dan and Muri run into the engine room, just as a SOLDIER is ATTACKED - dragged away screaming by one of the female’s henchmen.
109aaC EXT. DEEPSWELL-9 - CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS 109aaC
Hugging the wall now - they watch as they see the FEMALE walking away from them. As it heads off to their left - they silently escape to the right.
As they exit our frame - a beat and the FEMALE comes CHARGING around the corner in hot pursuit.
ANGLE ON - Dan and Muri exiting the Engine room - another soldier is ATTACKED - dragged screaming away by one of the Females henchman - forcing Dan and Muri to change paths.
Putting them FACE TO FACE - WITH THE FEMALE.
Muri unloads on one of the boilers - it explodes in A BURST OF SCALDING STEAM. But the FEMALE charges right through --
109a INT. DEEPSWELLL HALLWAY - DAY 109a
-- Then FREEZES - where are they?
ANOTHER ANGLE - Dan and Muri - sweating, leaning against a wall - holding their breaths. A beat - they realize the female has left.
They bolt to the open doorway.
109b EXT. DEEPSWELL GIRDERS - DAY 109b
Dan and Muri precariously balance their way across the steel girders of Deepswell. They can see the drone pad ahead.
FFFFTT - SPIKES whiz through the air - hitting Muri in the stomach. She screams, topples off the girders.
Dan jumps down to where she has fallen.
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 111.
He looks up - sees the Female above them - staring down with pride. A tentacle comes up - poised - the other follows - ready for the kill shot -
GUNFIRE! - whack - the Female takes it in the head - and topples from it’s perch - hitting the side of the platform as it plummets into the ocean.
Dan looks up - Greenwood - from his perch. A nod of thanks.
Dan picks up Muri - starts running.
Dan helps a pale, bleeding Muri up the stairs.
Dan and Muri race across the bridge. She’s still holding the * TOXIN. The world around them is ON FIRE. *
111a EXT. GANTRY PLATFORM - THAT MOMENT 111a *
Muri falls to the ground - exhausted and in pain.
Dan finally gets a real look at her wound; deep, arterial, fatal. He blinks. Eyes fill.
Dan tries to apply pressure to her wound--
DAN * You’re gonna be okay. *
MURI * I’m not going to make it. *
THE TOMORROW WAR Buff Revisions 1/10/20 112.
He looks in her eyes. *
He’s still the Dad she remembers. *
He moves hair from her eyes. *
DAN * You don’t.... *
MURI * No. I shouldn’t have said all of * those things to you. *
DAN * It’s okay... *
Tears stream down her face. With the last of her strength, * she EMBRACES HIM. Her head on his chest. *
Just then: The hair on Dan’s arms stands up, he looks down - * 59 seconds. time slows...
The platform rocks. Dan turns - revealing-- *
The FEMALE WHITESPIKE!!
111b EXT. DRONE PAD - DAY 111b
Explosions, fire - Whitespikes crawling on every structure - and the Drone Container tilted drastically being weighted down by the FEMALE hanging off the back -
THE TOMORROW WAR 113.
111c INT. DRONE CONTAINER - DAY 111c
Dan leaps - sliding down - reaching out - GRABBING HER HAND.
Muri fights - holding onto THE TOXIN.
Dan - trying to pull Muri back in - holding onto his child for dear life - he catches a glimpse of his jump band - 21,20,19 -
Muri sees it as well. She’s panting. Each breath agony. Eyes going glassy. She realizes what she has to do--
-- she lets go -- and as she slips away - her eyes on her Dad - she tosses him THE TOXIN.
Dan catches it - his jumpband down to the last seconds - he watches his daughter fall slowly into a sea of Whitespikes -
111d EXT. DRONE PAD - DAY 111d
CUT AROUND TO SEE:
Passengers leap from overwhelmed Cruise Ships. A Black Hawk covered with Whitespikes takes off, banks sharply, arcs into the ocean. An EXPLOSION rocks the rig, a platform leg buckles, the structure collapsing. Underwater mines EXPLODE, rip a hole in the fleeing Cruise ship.
A bloody Major Greenwood FIRES protecting the Jumplink until he’s out of ammo. He is OVERRUN.
We circle around the Drone Container - Dan hanging out the open door - Muri being swallowed up. The end of humanity as we know it.
111e INT. DRONE CONTAINER - DAY 111e
DAN’S LIMBS WON’T MOVE. NO SOUND COMES FROM HIS THROAT AS THE LAST IMAGE HIS EYES SEE IS A MASS OF WHITESPIKES FALLING ON HIS CHILD. AND HIS JUMPBAND GOES TO ZERO--
HE VANISHES.
CUT TO BLACK.
Blackness. The rising SOUND of a BEATING HUMAN HEART.
THE TOMORROW WAR 114.
Still for a moment, then: DAN APPEARS feet above the ground, body-slams into the field.
Forty-seven other Draftees materialize. Thud into the grass. Dan fights to stay conscious.
They pick him up. Drop him on a GURNEY. Dan’s eyes jerk open.
Dan’s eyes go from vacant to focused.
Hart opens Dan’s closed hand. In it; VIAL OF GREEN TOXIN.
There’s a silence as Dan’s eyes drift to meet hers. He shakes his head.
Hart backs up, loss curdling inside her. It all hits her. She can’t face Dan or anyone. She exits. ANOTHER DRAFTEE is next to Dan. It’s Charlie. He turns to Dan.
THE TOMORROW WAR 115.
They are both vegetables.
112a INT. COACH BUS (MOVING) - DAY 112a
Dan sits mid-bus, window seat, outline of the Jump-band on his arm. Numb. Around him forty seven survivors; bandaged, scarred, traumatized. One Draftee mumbles to himself, rocks.
112b EXT. V.A. - THAT MOMENT 112b
The one-bus caravan pulls into a receiving lot. FAMILIES hold WELCOME signs, cry, shout, wave.
Dan walks off the bus. Through the crowd he sees Emmy.
She smiles, waves, in a pretty I-made-an-effort dress.
Dan staggers towards her, hands start to tremble. Emmy recognizes what she’s seeing, her smile fading. Dan’s eyes reach hers, she forces a happy face.
112c EXT. THE FORESTER HOUSE - DAY 112c
The minivan pulls up. Emmy driving, Dan riding shotgun, looking dazed. They get out of the car.
They enter. He’s not ready for this: Muri, holding a welcome home sign, comes running --
Dan STARES at her as she runs to him. Little Muri. His HEART THUMPS. His breath goes shallow. His head starts to RING as she jumps into his arms. She squeezes him, makes PLAYFUL LION SOUNDS made nightmarish with his head’s awful RINGING.
Emmy looks at him, mouths SILENT words, concern on her face.
THE TOMORROW WAR 116.
Dan closes his eyes. THE RINGING GROWS UNBEARABLE AS DAN HOLDS MURI’S BODY TIGHTER AND TIGHTER, AS IF PROTECTING HER FROM THE APPROACH OF SOMETHING HORRIBLE, AS IF TO NEVER LET HER GO.
Suddenly, Muri’s small voice cuts through the ringing SOUND.
Dan’s eyes SUDDENLY JERK OPEN as Emmy stands over him, PULLING MURI FROM DAN’S ARMS. The RINGING in Dan’s ears suddenly STOPS. He releases his grip. Emmy scoops up Muri.
Emmy looks at Dan, motionless, her eyes brimming.
115-117OMITTED 115-117
115a INT. THE FORESTER HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT 115a
Emmy stirs in bed. She reaches for Dan but he’s gone. She sits upright, looking around the dark bedroom. The DIGITAL CLOCK on the nightstand reads:3:23am
116b INT. THE FORESTER HOUSE - SECONDS LATER 116b
Wearing a long white tee-shirt, Emmy walks down the dark hallway, looking for Dan. She checks the BATHROOM, the LIVING ROOM, then slowly opens the interior door into Muri’s room.
Dan sits on the floor, stares at his sleeping daughter.
117c INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE MURI’S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER 117c
Dan and Emmy stand, far apart, in the hallway outside Muri’s bedroom. Dan looks off, tortured.
THE TOMORROW WAR 117.
Dan nods. She’s right. He sits down on the floor, back against the wall. He buries his face in his hands, deep in his own head. Emmy knows what this means, and turns to go back to the bedroom when --
Emmy, a little taken aback, joins him on the floor. They sit in silence for a beat, until finally...-
Dan turns to Emmy, really looks at her, for the first time in a long time, eyes filling --
Emmy grabs his near arm, shocked --
DAN
You know how she is now, gets an idea in her head and can’t let go --
Emmy smiles, eyes shining, imagines a grown Muri.
Emmy is blown away.
He has the TOXIN.
THE TOMORROW WAR 118.
He looks at the toxin. Frustration sets in.
He looks to Emmy, needing her.
Emmy looks off at the peacefully sleeping Muri. Above Muri’s bed, the drawing of Selman Waxman. Emmy notices it, gets an idea... wheels turning...
She turns back to Dan.
THE TOMORROW WAR Yellow Revisions 11/10/19 119.
Wow. Dan sits up. Can it be that simple?
They look at each other. Holy shit!
117d OMITTED MOVED TO SC. 130AB 117d
118 OMITTED MOVED TO SC. 130AD 118
119-120OMITTED 119-120
Dan comes in. Charlie is at his desk, staring into the middle distance, tears in his eyes. He has earbuds in. He doesn’t see Dan.
Dan slowly approaches, puts a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie jumps.
He takes the earbuds out, holds them up, a bit sheepish.
THE TOMORROW WAR Yellow Revisions 11/10/19 120.
Charlie looks at a FRAMED PHOTO of him and his wife.
Charlie and Dan get the same idea at the same time and look at each other. Dorian.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 121.
122a INT. UPSCALE HIPSTER BAR - DAY 122a
Dorian sits at a TRENDY UPSCALE BAR, drinking vodka. The bar is pretty empty, seems closed. Dan and Charlie walk in. Dorian is not happy to see them.
Dorian finishes his drink, reaches over the bar to grab a bottle. Dan notices there’s no bartender.
Dorian refills his glass.
Dorian nods to a TV playing news footage of riots.
Dorian drops the bottle back behind the bar. Dan studies him for a beat. Watches Dorian drinking.
Dorian spits on the floor in disgust. A beat as Charlie and Dan exchange a look - the reality slowly dawning on them.
Dorian hesitates, then...
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 122.
Dorian can’t help but laugh a little. Eases the tension.
Charlie laughs. Dorian shoots him a look and he turns it into a cough.
Dorian throws back a shot - studying Dan.
Dorian shoots him a death stare. Charlie backs down.
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 123.
Dorian looks at Dan, starting to believe him.
Dorian smiles. Then puts the claw down on the bar.
A kaleidoscopic star burst of blacks and whites.
Charlie dials in a petrographic microscope. Dan and Dorian crowd him.
THE TOMORROW WAR Yellow Revisions 11/10/19 124.
PRE-LAP SFX: School bell RINGS.
124-130OMITTED 124-130
130a INT. CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER 130a
All eyes ON: MARTIN. Dan grabs an empty desk, drags it, swivels in front of Martin, sits. Students, Charlie, Dorian, etc... all gather.
Martin swallows, eyes dart. Dan signals for calm, focus.
Martin and Dan breathe in, out. All eyes on him. Settles.
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A silent plea written on the faces of Charlie, Dorian... Students hold their breath. A geek-based Hail Mary prayer-- please Martin, anything--
ON MARTIN. He’s got this. It’s a joke how easy it is --
Ta da. The class is pretty impressed. Dan is thrilled.
He pauses for dramatic effect. His big moment.
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It finally dawns on Dan.
DAN CHARLIE (CONT'D)
They’ve been here the whole They’ve been here the whole time. time.
Pictures of global warming surround them.
Martin pops his keyboard, the whole of Russia. We zero in to where the ice dramatically thins. Northern Russia.
130ab INT. DEFENSE DEPT OFFICE - DAY 130ab
Dodd at his desk, hands kneading weary eyes, window at his back. Across from him, Dan, Charlie and Dorian --
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They don’t.
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Off Dan, pissed that Dodd won’t listen...
130ac INT. OUTSIDE DODD’S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 130ac
Dorian, Dan, and Charlie leave Dodd’s office.
Off Dan...
130ad EXT./INT. HANGAR - DAY 130ad
Dan drives up. Marches into his father’s hangar.
James stands in the doorway. His aging barrel chest is covered in old combat tattoos. A beat of silence.
// Alt:
THE TOMORROW WAR Green Revisions 11/15/19 129.
James stands in the doorway. His aging barrel chest is covered in old combat tattoos. A beat of silence.
A beat, then James puts a quick hand on Dan’s shoulder. He’s happy his son is alive but this is how he’ll say it.
James looks at him. Deadpan.
Dan lets this sink in. James watches him.
Dan looks off, seeing the memory fresh in his mind. James looks at Dan. Sees how broken he is.
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Pause. Looks at his father.
James studies Dan, then...
130b EXT. OLD ABANDONED AIRFIELD - DAY 130b
Dan’s minivan, containing James and Charlie, pulls up in front of an old C130 Hercules. Waiting there, armed to the TEETH: DORIAN, LT. HART, SGT. DIAZ, LT. TRAN and LT. IKEMBA.
Hart looks at Dan, Greenwood’s name has softened her --
Lt. Hart smiles sadly, remembering Greenwood. *
LT. HART * Colonel Forester. She was your * daughter, right? *
DAN * Yeah. *
LT. HART * It was an honor to have known her. *
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JAMES * That little kid of yours grew up to * be a Colonel? You must’ve raised * her right. *
Dan looks off. *
DAN * She got it all from her mother. *
Hart looks up at the plane. *
Lt. Hart smiles at him, then walks past him, onto the plane.
JAMES * It’s a fifteen hour flight. We’ll * take turns. *
LT. HART * Great. I’ll take first shift. *
130c EXT. OLD ABANDONED AIRFIELD - DAY 130c
As James and Hart start the engine: VROOOOOOMMM! A deafening ROAR. And we see the tail lights of the C-130 Hercules soaring into the sunset --
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Flies over snow caps and glaciers, descending. Wheels down.
131a INT. C-130 (FLYING) - COCKPIT - SAME 131a
Lt. Hart flies the plane. *
C-130 (FLYING) - CARGO HOLD - SAME *
CHARLIE, DORIAN, TRAN, IKEMBA and DIAZ. Everyone is looking a bit grim and nervous. Charlie pulls handguns from a bag, shoves them into holsters, pockets. Loading up. Dorian and Diaz watch him, a bit amused.
Charlie looks at him.
Lt. Diaz and Dorian laugh as Charlie keeps stockpiling guns. *
The C-130 in the bg, rear door down. A line of snowmobiles motors away, across the white landscape.
Dan & Co. slow their snowmobiles, stop. The A.S.G looms.
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Pull out wide. A MILLION fissures. They all groan.
Dan turns to the others.
On snowmobiles, Dan & Co. spread out. They lean into the wind, creating a grid. Hunting.
Dan buries an ice axe in a fissure, levers. Nothing. Charlie shines a light into an opening, squints. Nothing.
Back on snowmobiles. Needle hunting in a million haystacks.
The team motors into a heavy wind, ice forming around their goggles. Dan clocks his speedometer, sees the needle dip. He signals stop, they all brake. Dan climbs off, roams.
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They dismount, feel... something. Dan flips his parka hood back, what is that? Charlie eyes him, then everyone else. Dan feels his HAIR RISE. Charlie extends a curious hand--
He smiles, so pleased with his corny joke. He looks to see if anyone’s laughing. No one’s even listening. He quickly stops smiling and pretends to be looking at something important.
He pulls out a COMPASS. Watches the needle TURN AWAY FROM NORTH. Dan looks at the direction it’s pointing.
They walk a few feet. James stands next to Dan and watches as the wobbling needle on the compass grows STEADIER. He stops. Looks up.
A TINY FISSURE IN THE ICE WALL. Almost impossible to see.
The ICE FACE curves up into the whiteout sky. AN EXPLOSION below the fissure, five more charges EXPLODE IN SEQUENCE.
Dan & Co. stare. Then: An audible CRACK--
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A HALF-MILE SECTION zippers open across the glacier. A CLOUD of fine snow powder WASHES OVER THE TEAM. The powder settles, they squint. Dan SEES IT--
A RIFT IN THE ICE, opening into a cave, descending.
A breathtaking, CRYSTALLINE BLUE WORLD of never-before-seen ICE CAVES. The cave leads inward, carved by sub-surface summer melting. Captivated by the sight, the Unit hikes deeper, descending.
The cave darkens. The team switch on their HEADLAMPS. James follows the team in. Dan follows James.
Dan & Co enter. Boot spikes on ice ECHO in the huge closed space. Their head lamp beams barely reach the ceiling.
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Dan rubs weary eyes, a dark shape in the ice stops him. He swings his axe, SPARKS, metal. The unit joins, eyes down, the metal a small square.
Lt. Tran and Sgt. Diaz SPARK flares. The blue ice chamber lit in an eerie red light. Everyone looks down. A beat, then Dan slowly looks up:
The long dark shadow of A MASSIVE SPACECRAFT ENTOMBED IN ICE. Lt. Hart follows his eye line, sees it. The rest follow suit.
James looks at Dan, blown away. So proud.
Charlie smiles, so proud and pleased.
Dan looks up at the ship.
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Scans all of them.
A beat as Dan takes this in.
He looks off into the distance and takes a deep breath - he knows what he has to do.
Dan looks at the faces staring back at him-
Diaz, Ikemba, and Tran nod. Dan looks up at James.
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A WASH OF ORANGE SPARKS. Dan muscles a RESCUE SAW, its diamond carbide blade slicing through the forward section of the spacecraft fuselage.
As the saw blade breaks through into the interior of the fuselage, a RUSH OF PRESSURIZED AIR RELEASES from inside. Registering the depressurization, RUNNING LIGHTS suddenly ILLUMINATE as a DORMANT POWER SOURCE COMES ONLINE.
Dan, Charlie and Dorian swivel M4s off their back, get ready. Soldiers pull their MK3s. Dorian racks his gun.
James unzips his gun case.
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Lt. Hart shows Dan a HEAVY DEMOLITION CHARGE. Says quietly --
Dan looks to Charlie and James --
Charlie looks bummed.
Charlie and James watch the others disappear into the ship.
THE TOMORROW WAR 140.
MITTENS OFF, weapons in hand, ready, they tactically advance toward the front of the spacecraft.
The Unit keeps moving, the fuselage exhibits extensive damage.
Dan wipes sweat from his forehead, Lt. Hart unzips her parka. The igloo effect, collective body heat warming the air.
Lights on SIDE PANELS GLOW, rise, follow their heat.
Team enters, the nose of the craft has been crushed inward.
The Unit turns, aiming their weapons at the DECAYED, FROZEN CORPSES of TWO REPTILIAN-LIKE PILOTS.
The Unit slowly makes their way toward A GLOWING DOOR.
Dan leads the Team in. The walls are lined with MEMBRANOUS PODS linked together, stretching throughout the cargo hold. Inside? Hibernating Whitespikes. 20 OF THEM --
Dan pulls Muri’s toxin from an insulated case, drops it in a HIGH TECH SYRINGE WITH A SUPER LONG NEEDLE.
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Dan shoots the GREEN TOXIN into the first Whitespike. The team pull syringes, do likewise. Whitespikes spasm, melt.
Dan feels a flush of pride, smiles. He notices a bead of sweat drip from Lt. Ikemba’s forehead, hit the floor. Dan exhales, doesn’t see his breath.
Dan sees Lt. Ikemba approach the far pods, Whitespikes untouched by toxin. As Lt. Ikemba nears, the slit eyes of the creatures-- OPEN.
The CLAW OF THE MALE WHITESPIKE PUNCHES THROUGH THE POD MEMBRANE GRASPING FOR LT. IKEMBA’S THROAT.
LT. IKEMBA PLUNGES HIS TWIN SYRINGES INTO THE ALIEN’S NECK. WHITE PUS POURS FROM THE SPIKE’S FACE AS IT MELTS.
CLOSE ON MORE PODS: WHITESPIKE EYES OPEN, nostrils flare. All regain consciousness. Dan, the team surrounded.
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The hold ERUPTS IN SCREAMS, as they each DOUBLE PLUNGE SYRINGES, EXECUTING THE WHITESPIKES IN RAPID SUCCESSION.
A CLICKING SOUND FROM ACROSS THE ROOM.
MORE WHITESPIKE are waking up. Faster than the toxin can kill them.
Breathing hard, Dan’s team tries to work faster but the furthest Whitespikes start to break out!
OUR TEAM SCRAMBLES FOR THEIR GUNS. Start shooting. BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!
Some WHITESPIKES GO DOWN! But others make it out. Escaping the route our Team came in --
149-150OMITTED 149-150
Red FLARES continue to burn, lighting the deep ice chamber.
Slowly, behind James and Charlie, the SILHOUETTES OF FOUR WHITESPIKES RISE FROM THE HOLE in the spacecraft fuselage.
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THREE MALES and ONE FEMALE. Charlie goes to fire but his gun is empty!
Charlie checks his pockets, holsters -- all guns, no ammo.
The Whitespikes are advancing on them. Charlie picks up the RESCUE SAW. REVS it. A deep breath, and THEN SCREW IT:
He runs at the Whitespikes. YELLING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS! James starts BLASTING AT THEM!
A Whitespike rushes in, tentacles stabbing, James FIRING. The Whitespike stabs, pins James’s shoulder, trapped! A SAW BLADE hums, Charlie amputates the tentacle. The Whitespike SCREAMS.
A FIREFIGHT. Everyone using both MKs and TOXIN to kill the waking Whitespikes. They can hear the RESCUE SAW action from outside on their mics. A Whitespike SCREAMS, the Barrett booms. HART looks to Dan --
Dorian grabs the HEAVY DEMOLITION CHARGE, looks at Dan.
Dorian smiles at him.
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Dan meets his eyes. Dorian takes his Whitespike claw off his necklace, hands it to Dan --
Dan nods. Dorian nods back. Dan takes off running.
Hart sees Whitespikes on THERMAL MONITORS hiding in the cockpit. Diaz looks on.
Lt. Hart turns back to her team.
Ikemba, Tran, and Diaz nod.
Lt. Hart, Dorian and her future crew descend, their shadows long on the wall, MKs up. They look at each other. RACK their guns. FIRE at OS Whitespikes.
Dan flies out of the opening of the ship, hits the ground. Blood is everywhere.
He runs out of the chamber.
Dan sprints through the ice cave. Just as he reaches the opening --
KABOOM!!
THE SPACESHIP BLOWS. He gets thrown clear of the cave opening.
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Dan rushes to Charlie and James, who are on the ground, exhausted, wounded, next to multiply severed bodies of three Whitespikes.
Charlie smiles, proud, covered in goo and Whitespike bits.
He reloads his gun.
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Dan runs off. Jumps on a snowmobile. Peels out. James watches him go. Then looks over at ANOTHER SNOWMOBILE NEARBY.
155-156OMITTED 155-156
Dan rides a snowmobile across a VAST GLACIER. Snow swirls.
Dan gets off the snowmobile. Shielding his face from the icy wind and snow, he follows the Whitespike tracks. But suddenly, the tracks stop. Dan swivels, gun up, searching for the Whitespike, when --
Dan turns, sees JAMES in the distance, waving his arms.
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ELSEWHERE ON THE GLACIER: A mound of snow shifts. The Female Whitespike emerges from it. She was hiding. She runs off.
Dan hears the galloping Whitespike. He looks over, sees it’s running towards James! Dan pulls up his gun.
SCOPE POV: Just as the crosshairs center on the Whitespike, the snowy wind completely obscures her. Dan can’t see her. Shit. He runs for his snowmobile, jumps on, and peels out after her.
The Whitespike runs across the glacier, gallops over a ridge.
WHITESPIKE POV: James, with his back to her.
The Whitespike attacks James! As she rips him apart, we see... it was a SNOWMAN! The Whitespike pauses, confused.
BAM! BAM! She’s shot TWICE in the head. She turns to see --
JAMES lying on a ridge nearby, shooting. The Whitespike charges at him. He keeps firing, but she’s getting closer.
VROOOOOOM! DAN APPEARS ON A SNOWMOBILE.
He’s heading straight for the Whitespike, gaining speed. Faster and faster, and just as he hits a small ledge and goes airborne, Dan jumps and rolls off the snowmobile and sends it CRASHING into the Whitespike!
The Whitespike gets back up. Dan and James advance on her, firing, dodging spikes. Dan’s shooting more conservatively.
James peels off from Dan, going around the side of the Whitespike, drawing her attention. She turns towards James and Dan gets a GOOD SHOT in her abdomen. Dan looks at his Dad. This can work. They start alternating fire, dodging and rolling to their next positions taking aim firing, moving, never stopping. Throwing the alien off its game. Getting in their shots in fast. One shot: particular close to the alien’s vitals....
The Whitespike shrieks and quickly disappears backwards into the blowing snow.
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Dan and James train their guns on where they last saw her. These men are hunters. They know: She’s still around. They go back-to-back as they move along hunting her as she hunts them. They lost her.
Behind them, the Whitespike JUMPS OUT OF THE SNOW.
The Whitespike swings at Dan. He blocks with the machine gun. The gun is ripped in half. Quickly Dan switches to the pistol until he runs out of ammo. The Whitespike wraps its tentacle around Dan’s leg and throws him back. James gets a few shots in on the Whitespike. The Whitespike uppercuts James sending him flying back.
The Whitespike shoots spikes. PFT! PFT! One hits Dan in the THIGH. He falls back. The Whitespike picks Dan up in the air. Dan takes the spike out of his THIGH and sticks it in the Whitespike’s mouth, the spike comes out through the Whitespike’s left orbital, destroying its left eye.
James comes running in with the pick axe and JAMS it into the Whitespike’s right eye, blinding it completely.
Dan uses his feet to push off the Whitespike, falling backwards and separating them. Blinded, the Whitespike flails wildly moving toward Dan. James runs in. The Whitespike is about to lunge at Dan when James stabs her tail with his pick.
Dan pulls out THE TOXIN. But the Whitespike grazes him and the Toxin goes flying. The toxin lands on the ground. Dan tries to grab it but the Whitespike is moving around it, threatening to crush the toxin. A near miss, then Dan rolls and grabs it. He stabs it into the Whitespike’s arm.
Then-- CRACK! She CLOCKS him, sending him barreling backwards.
The Whitespike watches the toxin SIZZLE and BUBBLE down her arm. She start grasping at her throat, her head, her face. She’s dying in a glorious hideous fashion. But then: She finds the spike in her mouth. Grips it. And with a gut- wrenching scream pulls the spike out through her head and out of her mouth. Then, she opens her jaw wide and BITES OFF HER OWN ARM BEFORE THE POISON CAN SPREAD ANY FURTHER. Her dead arm falls to the ground - still bubbling...
Dan and James are besides themselves. Out of breath. Out of ammo. Out of toxin. Out of time.
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The Whitespike hears Dan. She moves through the snow on four legs, mouth open, teeth dripping. She’s heading right at him.
Dan backs up. Suddenly he realizes he’s on the edge of the cliff. Shit, he’s got nowhere to go. Every move he makes attracts her to him. He tries to remain still. But she keeps coming. We see the CLAW NECKLACE coming out of his shirt.
James, several feet away, sees Dan on the edge of the cliff. The Whitespike feet away. He’s got to do something.
The Whitespike CLOCKS the sound and turns to James. He takes out a knife and cuts his own hand. Holds it up. The alien sniffs. The blood. It draws her to him and away from Dan.
James moves closer and closer towards THE CLIFF.
Dan sees that James is about to sacrifice himself. Dan struggles to get to his feet.
James looks at Dan.
His face changes. The anger fades -- it’s just remorse.
James stands at the edge of the cliff. He looks towards the Whitespike, running towards him. Ready for it to take him over the edge.
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Dan, holding THE CLAW, runs up from behind the Whitespike and jumps on its back! He jams the claw into its cervical vertebrae at the top of its neck/base of its skull. The Whitespike STOPS, SHRIEKS IN PAIN. Dan flies off.
The Whitespike clumsily stumbles forward, losing control of its movements. Dan, using the claw, in rapid strikes like a master samurai cuts its throat, its belly all the way down its body.
She looks at him, wheezing, barely alive. It roars one last roar... And Dan kicks it off the cliff.
She falls, in pieces, to her death. IT’S OVER.
Dan collapses in the snow, exhausted. James sits next to him, also exhausted.
They are in too much pain to laugh or do anything but lie buried in the snow, exhausted.
WE PULL WAY BACK. See a limping Charlie moving to join them.
THE TOMORROW WAR 151.
160-161OMITTED INCORPORATED IN SC. 159 160-161
161a OMITTED INCORPORATED IN SC. 159 161a
TV NEWS on. Young Muri sits at the table, worried, blue.
Emmy watches in horror.
Emmy doesn’t know what to say. Young Muri looks so scared. Then...
Scraaaaaaape. They both hear it. Plastic on concrete. That freaking garbage can --
A battered Dan bump-drags his trash can up the driveway, parka open, unlaced boots flopping. Chin up, smile on.
Young Muri barrels down the drive, leaps into her father’s arms. Emmy follows her. Emmy wants to know one hard thing--
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything, eyes full of emotion. Finally, he nods.
Emmy’s eyes fill with tears, so relieved.
THE TOMORROW WAR 152.
He turns to James Forester, standing nearby, a bit sheepish.
Young Muri's eyes widen. She squares up to James.
Young Muri looks at James, then back at Dan. He nods. It’s okay. She turns back to James, studies him for a beat.
James considers the question, the girl for a half beat.
James takes her out of Dan’s arms. Smiles. We see our parents in a different light when they hold their grandchildren.
Emmy turns Dan to her. She looks into his eyes. He’s here.