OP/DEVELOPMENT/Script v.3

SCRIPT V.3

This now includes descriptions of scene 5 –

SCENE 1

A black screen, a man’s voice, sounds of paper shuffling.

MAN

It is advised, by the board of general health and their associated partners in the department science, that researchers undertaking long distance and/or isolated tasks take part in psychologically constructive measures to ensure mental stability. In the situation of a one man to one outpost ratio, such measures are considered essential to your mission. To facilitate this aim and enhance the effectiveness of any such measures the company has integrated systems into the outpost’s video log software. Combined with the symbiotic link this software enables users to create and participate in interactive audiovisual installments. It is advised that this be done for a period of up to one hour per day and contain a combination of scientific and personal reflection

During this a video image starts to bleed into view, some text can be seen but is shown backwards, as if we’re looking through the screen.

A man looks into the screen, he looks tired, scruffy and old before his years but a wry smile spreads across his face.

MAN

Well talking myself is no longer a problem.

The man looks down and flicks through some pages of instructions, scanning and reading bits.

MAN

…when connection is activated and symbiotic link strength at 80 or higher it is possible to begin visualisation…blah blah blah…begin by imagining something simple, like a – banana? huh? I hate banana’s.

The man looks back up at the screen.

MAN

Right, banana, think.

Nothing happens, he frowns at the screen and tries again, this time with his eyes closed. A small glow of light starts to amass at the centre of the screen but quickly dissipates before he opens one of his eyes to sneak a look. The man scoffs, looks down at the page and mumbles. In annoyance he slides the pages away.

MAN

I hate banana’s; the smell, the way they taste. I hate the way everyone loves them.

Suddenly on the screen the basic shape of a banana appears, it flickering, fuzzy and unstable but the man looks up on it in amazement.

MAN

Haha..can you..

He half looks over his shoulder, as if talking to someone. Of course no ones there, he just continues and looks back at the screen. Off screen an alarm goes off and a flashing red light. The man looks over and then back to the screen before turning it off

FLASHBACK 5

The image is desaturated, the man looks warn out, ground down. His tone is one of despair and tired desperation.

MAN

No update. No monitoring. No sensor equipment. Still unable to fix. STILL UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING.

The man has his head in his hands, fingers through his hair.

MAN

I came here to…I came here to do help, I can’t carry on like this. There must be some procedure or fucking protocol.

He lifts his head up, stares right into the screen now.

MAN

These years, all years of nothing.

He grabs a ream of files and starts rummaging through, muttering to himself.

MAN

What do I do when there’s nothing left to do?

Looking around his vision eventually settles onto something to the left of the screen. His face’s drops and heart sinks.

MAN

Oh no. How’s it come to this.

The man reaches past the screen and plonks a huge book onto the desk before holding it up to the screen and speaking aloud the title.

MAN

You and Your Outpost: User manuel.

On the cover is a crude black and white cartoon of a scientist in a lab coat leaning against an Outpost doing the thumbs up. The man skims the contents before turning to a chapter that’s caught his eye.

MAN

Hold on why didn’t I know about this…Interactive Audiovisual installments…It is advised, by the board of general health and their associated partners…

SCENE 2

The man sits down in front of the screen, he looks tired out, is dripping with sweat and water and has grease smeared on his face.

MAN

I don’t even know how long it’s been you know? Exactly. I stopped checking after a while…

On the screen a clock appears, the hands clunk round to the sound of tick tocking. He sits side on, looking up to the screen intermittently. He is trying to unscrew a bolt but is unsuccessful and gets frustrated as his hands slip.

MAN

…didn’t seem much point in continuing after I worked out no one would come

On the screen some words form – ‘You’re wet’.

MAN

Yeah it started raining so…huh, ur…what?

The man is completely confused

MAN

You can respond…?Hello? Talk to me?Are you the software…the outpost?

Nothing happens, the words just stay there. His disappointment at a lack of response slowly turns to anger  as the man studies the words further, mouthing them.

MAN

I swear Oscar if this is you, screwing with me I’ll rip the link. For good.

The man glares at the screen. The words start to disappear to be replaced with what looks like drops of water hitting the screen and running down. The rain gets heavier and heavier until his image is obscured.

FLASHBACK 4

The man has his elbows on the desk and rubs his eyes with his hands. His beard is shorter.

MAN

I have no update. Key monitoring and sensor equipment is still degrading. My link with Oscar, sorry I mean the outpost, is still functioning I continue to find it increasingly influential, or…distracting to my decision making. I feel like its pulling me, in certain directions, always towards those fields, the anomaly. Thats what I’m here for but what about getting all this data home? Its not letting me work in any meaningful way. He…he’s stopping me on getting this back. I’m sure of it.

SCENE 3

MAN

It’s getting stronger, corrupting communications, I think it’s messing with the symbiotic link I share with the Oscar. It’s..it’s you know in here…

The man tenses his hands brings them up to his head to indicate.

MAN

It should be out here!

He clasps at the air in front of him.

MAN

Not inside my head.

On the screen there are flashes of him close up, echoing his movements. One image of eyes, a woman’s eyes, she slowly blinks as it fades away and he begins to calm down.

MAN

I…I’ve urrm been going back to check some of the external camera footage, but it’s not right, I think he’s been hiding things, manipulating. I found things in the compression, you know? Digital artifacts of figures I think. What if it’s them – like – help, it could be her, who knows. Look, look you can see.

As he says this camera footage of the external area comes up, it becomes greatly scaled up – blocky and blurry. Some pixels and objects in the image move but it is nothing conclusive

FLASHBACK 3

The man looks confused, he taps his finger on the surface, turning over thoughts in his mind.

MAN

Something has been bothering me. I’ve been here such a long time. I don’t want another ration, I want some, well, meat. I tried to go hunt some, I tried. But I couldn’t get far, not even over the perimeter. Unlike the rest of this tin shed my legs actually work. It was more like I was…sad and afraid. I know, sounds ridiculous but it was like…well the best way I can describe it was homesick or heartbreak…I had to come back to this bloody can. I don’t think it’s just me thats suffering. I think after all this time the unique properties of this environment is having a detrimental affect on Oscars monitoring equipment.

He looks up and around, In the background we can hear the sounds of metal creaking and wind buffeting the structure’s panals.

MAN

I’m currently working on a way to reverse this trend.

SCENE 4

The man looks into the screen. He looks awful. Words are displayed, ‘Coward.’

He stares forward breathing heavily, holding his neck lightly.

MAN

You know I cant. And you know why. I don’t, I don’t know what the fuck’s happening, every time I try, the harder I try, the more it hurts. I’ve tried to just calmly walk away, but even then…every time, you yank the chain. Choke everything inside me

On the screen, overlaid we see him run and then stagger to kneeling, before dropping to all fours and breathing heavily.

MAN

Draining me ’till I’m back here, gasping.

The screen clears to leave the words, ‘Coward. Just leave’.

The man goes to say something but quickly gives up, he hasn’t the energy. Instead he lowers his head into his hands and slowly settles on the desk. Calmly and gradually his breathing becomes consistent and gentle. He falls asleep with the link still active. Images of small drops of rain start to hit the screen, running down whilst sounds of distant rioting and shouting become audible. The tube and filter box at the end of a gas mask drags through a puddle. Light glistens off the wet metal of a weapon. Ripples trace across water. Close up, a woman’s lips move as she speaks, but we hear no sound.

The man wakes up with a start, a bit disoriented but stares at the screen as the image dissolves.

FLASHBACK 2

He looks healthier, with just stubble and less messy hair.

MAN

I’m the only person to ever see, let alone study this place. The properties could really help us, improve the signal clarity and dispersion of our attacks….it’s, it’s just….

He looks down and swallows hard, a strange fear seems spread over his face.

MAN

It’s been so long. It could be over, they could have destroyed everything by now. Maybe all the rain and dust is already falling and I’m just wasting my time. I could go back, stand there and wait.  See the bones that are left as the wind blows the ashes…..No. Better to wait. Wait here.

SCENE 5

The screen ripples as drops of water fall into a puddle in slow motion. A boot briefly leaves it’s tread marks before the water flows back into place. In the dark patches of image it is possible to see the man, looking at the screen.

A black mass of silhouetted bodies heaves in soft focus as the image pans to reveal, in the foreground, a soldier from the shoulders up. His face is completely covered by a gas mask and helmet. In the dark glass that covers the eyes is a reflection of a women, she is looking over her shoulder back at him. From inside his mask we see her through the two eye holes before moving through the scratched, dirty glass. Rain falls persistently all around, her gas mask is pushed up and off her face. The womans hair is wet and tangled and her expression is hard to read, a mix of disappointment, anger and determination. The camera moves in further to a close up of her lips as they move to form words.

WOMAN

You’re wet, coward. Just leave.

In the reflection of his gas mask we now see her further away, full figure with her back to us. She has one arm raised, rifle in hand as if to invite others to follow. In close up, a still image of her gas mask now trailing in her other hand. Another image  of the  gun barrel wet and glistening in the light.

We see the whole image, wide, from his p.o.v and then from side where she is silhouetted black against a bright background. A thin black horizontal line traces in from the left, halfway up her torso and disappears into her before exploding out her back. A bullet. Everything goes black. The man stares at the screen in horror and sadness.

As the image pans out the the black part of the screen becomes the iris of her eyes. She blinks slowly, it’s the same eye’s he saw before, only this time the image starts to spin round and track back so her eyes are now upside down but actually the right way up – her head is tilted back as her body lies on the floor. Out of focus, her arms and legs spasm slightly.

FLASHBACK 1

The man’s face is up close to screen, the lens distortion make his eye’s look bigger than they are. He smiles. He has no facial hair, no bags under his eyes and looks untroubled.

MAN

Is this working? OK, reporting for duty…date 12-15-72.

The man shuffles awkwardly in his seat, his speech is a little stunted.

MAN

It’s taken a week to unpack and build after the drop.

He looks around smiling.

MAN

This…this here is what I need – space, air, time and room to breath you know…? Oh urr sorry, out of context. Right, detection and sensor systems are functioning at 90% efficiency, some parameters still need tweaking. The symbiotic link between me and the outpost is, well, exceptional. In all the training I never experienced such clarity of thought transfer, the data rate is thriving!

He straightens himself after getting carried away slightly.

MAN

The main issue is communications, with well, you. I hope these get back to you in one piece.