TEASER
EXT. – ROCKY FIELD – DAY
We open up on a brightly lit field that barely deserves the name, what with the broken terrain, sparse grass and numerous rocks laying here and there. Along the horizon are mountains with coverage that range between bare rock to sparse trees; a bright sun blazes down upon the whole scene.
In the midst of the field is one of the AH.Com’s shuttles. As we watch, the door opens and the ramp slides out as several figures approach from the distance.
The camera zooms in on them to show that it’s KITJED, DOCTOR WHAT, IRONYUPPIE and WEAPON M. Though the latter three are dressed normally, KITJED is decked out in full hoplite-like armor and carrying a pike in one hand. He, DOCTOR WHAT and IRONYUPPIE all have blissful expressions on their faces while WEAPON M is frowning and glancing around often, holding his Mossberg shotgun at the ready.
KITJED
Who would have thought I’d actually
like going through military training?
DOCTOR WHAT
(dryly)
A Spartiate’s military training, anyway.
KITJED
(grinning unabashedly)
A noble military tradition the
Spartans have there, I admit.
Besides, it doesn’t look as if you
had any problems during my…
extended tour of duty.
IRONYUPPIE
Those Spartan women are buff and
receive almost as much military training.
They could crush a man’s neck with one hand.
DOCTOR WHAT
…am I the only one who finds that arousing?
IRONYUPPIE
Nope.
(distant)
And they very rarely got to see their menfolk…
DOCTOR WHAT
(smiling in remembrance)
Yeah…
WEAPON M has kept glancing behind them as the other three have been speaking and DOCTOR WHAT finally notices.
DOCTOR WHAT
What are you looking for?
WEAPON M
For the angry mob or rampaging
army hellbent on revenge, of course!
It’s a world dominated by Sparta, for crying out loud!
DOCTOR WHAT
True, a caste system with a highly militarized upper
caste ruling the far more numerous lower ones
with loyalty to the state promoted above all.
(wryly)
We had to have Thande keep Straha distracted with
a new strain of weed or else he would have come
down here to try and get them to relocate to South Africa.
WEAPON M
Exactly! Something is bound to go wrong!
Something always goes wrong!
DOCTOR WHAT
Hey, we can piss off all the people some
of the time, and some people all of
the time, but we can’t piss off all the
people all the time, right?
DOCTOR WHAT, KITJED and IRONYUPPIE all board the shuttle while WEAPON M stares after them with a frown, then starts walking up the ramp dejectedly.
WEAPON M
(muttering)
And I just got some new ammunition too…
CUT TO OPENING CREDITS:
An Alternatehistory.com Presentation:
AH.COM: The Series
“THE DOME FACTOR”
Written By : GBW
ACT I
EXT. – SPACE – DAY
Shot of the exterior of the AH.COM as it floats in space.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
LANDSHARK is leaning against one of the stations, looking sharper than usual in a freshly drycleaned frock coat and shined short-heeled shoes with bright buckles; he’s drumming his fingers on the console impatiently. GREY WOLF is sprawled asleep in the captain’s chair, a stuffed unicorn laying on his chest and a bottle of absinthe hanging loosely from a hand.
LUAKEL wanders into the shot, wearing a Sherlock Holmes-type outfit and peering at the floor through a magnifying glass for what appears to be no apparent reason. He stops next to GREY WOLF and blinks at the bottle hanging from his hand; LUAKEL glances around furtively, then slowly moves a hand towards it. Suddenly, the head of the stuffed unicorn on GREY WOLF’s chest suddenly looks straight at LUAKEL and hisses. LUAKEL screams and runs out of the Control Room. GREY WOLF rouses only slightly at the scream, then shifts, muttering the names of obscure 12th Century monarchs, before going back to sleep. LANDSHARK barely notices the exchange.
The door to the Control Room opens and DOCTOR WHAT and KITJED walk in, KITJED still mostly in his Spartan armor with his helmet under an arm. LANDSHARK looks briefly startled to see them, then abruptly turns furious.
LANDSHARK
I told that little teleporter monkey
to call me when all of you got
back here from the planet!
DOCTOR WHAT
Er… we used a shuttle–
LANDSHARK
(as he walks out the door)
I’ll just have to give him a firm
talking-to after I go see IronYeeeeaaaarrghhh!
(sound of a clatter and thud outside)
DOCTOR WHAT
Not the first time he’s called
her that, strangely enough.
LANDSHARK
(from the floor outside)
Alright, who put a bloody pike out here?
KITJED
Right. That would be mine.
(sudden grin)
Big one, isn’t it?
KITJED heads into the corridor as DOCTOR WHAT wanders over to the captain’s chair; he glances at GREY WOLF, more specifically the unicorn on his chest, thinks better of it and looks towards the main screen as he remains standing.
DOCTOR WHAT
Alright, let’s get this show on the road.
EXT. – SPACE – DAY
The swirling red vortex forms in front of the AH.COM and it shoots in.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
DOCTOR WHAT is standing next to the captain’s chair as he was before when the ship lurches violently and he and GREY WOLF get thrown to the floor.
GREY WOLF
(aggrieved)
I spilled my drink!
DOCTOR WHAT
(as he staggers to his feet)
Leo, what’s going on?!
LEO CAESIUS
I… it appears that we haven’t
exited transdimensional space as
we should have. We hit some, for
lack of a better term, turbulence.
DOCTOR WHAT
Turbulence? What kind of–
The ship lurches again and DOCTOR WHAT manages to stay on his fleet by making a frantic grab for the arm of the captain’s chair. GREY WOLF’s unicorn rolls into a puddle of the absinthe as GREY WOLF looks on in horror.
GREY WOLF
It’s got the taste now!
Run! It’s going to do.. er…
something… fuck! Forgotten!
As the lurch subsides, the Control Room door opens and HENDRYK starts to walk in.
HENDRYK
Why is the ship shaking?
Is everything alright–
The stuffed unicorn suddenly lets out a surprisingly deep growl and flies at HENDRYK, reminiscent of a certain killer rabbit.
HENDRYK
Sacre bleu!
The unicorn lands on HENDRYK’s throat and he clutches it desperately as he falls back through the door with a howl; DOCTOR WHAT and GREY WOLF gape.
DOCTOR WHAT
Just what the hell is that thing?!
GREY WOLF
That’s the most foul, cruel, and
bad-tempered unicorn you ever set eyes on!
DOCTOR WHAT
But… it’s a stuffed unicorn!
GREY WOLF
Look, that unicorn’s got a vicious
streak a mile wide! It’s a killer!
DOCTOR WHAT looks as if that’s raised a lot more questions then answers, but is interrupted as the ship lurches yet again.
EXT. – SPACE – DAY
We see empty space until the AH.Com slowly emerges from no visible portal sideways and off-center, a glowing red edge along it as it emerges from the invisible event horizon.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
LEO CAESIUS
We have reentered normal space.
DOCTOR WHAT
Okay, but where are we?
Are we back in the Sparta world?
Are we somewhere different?
LEO CAESIUS
One moment while I make a sensor sweep…
DAVE HOWERY, MATT and PSYCHOMELTDOWN hurry into the Control Room during the lull in the conversation, MATT glancing over his shoulder.
MATT
Why’s Hendryk rolling around
on the floor hugging a unicorn?
GREY WOLF
Right, I’d better get it off of
Hendryk, for all that he’s a Frenchman.
MATT and PSYCHOMELTDOWN shoot GREY WOLF confused looks as he heads out the door, while DAVE HOWERY has ignored the exchange and glares at DOCTOR WHAT.
DAVE HOWERY
What the hell have you been doing up here?!
The Transdimensional Shift Generator has been…
(confused look)
…doing stuff. But it’s stuff I haven’t seen before!
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
And the ship’s shaking has… er…
(shifts his eyes around nervously)
Interrupted me…
LEO CAESIUS
If you’ll hold your questions,
I believe we have a problem.
We hear the main screen activate and the four of them look over.
EXT. – EARTH ORBIT – DAY
The AH.Com is slowly approaching another Earth, roughly centered over the Atlantic. On the Earth below, what appear to be radically erratic political borders flash brightly at random every few seconds over the portions of the Americas, Europe and Africa we can see and less frequently over portions of the ocean itself. The terrain itself within the borders seems to change along with the flashes of light, ranging from blasted wastelands to pristine wilderness.
In orbit we see various satellites, space capsules, shuttles, spaceships, space stations, etc., flashing into being and out again, while a small number remain constant.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
The AH.Commers look both awed and bewildered.
DAVE HOWERY
What’s wrong with it?
LEO CAESIUS
From what I can ascertain from my
sensor sweep, it appears that this Earth
is fluctuating between portions of a wide
variety of different Earths. A veritable mosaic, if you will.
MATT
Holy crap, that’s awesome!
DOCTOR WHAT
How did we end up here though?
LEO CAESIUS
The rapid fluctuation of quantum realities
on the surface of the planet is generating
severe ripples through transdimensional space.
The AH.Commers stare blankly. LEO CAESIUS sighs.
LEO CAESIUS
Okay, say that planet’s a depth charge
and the place where we are between
universes is water. The AH.Com got
battered by the shockwaves and we’ve
been forced to the surface, or into
normal space around this world.
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
Okay.. I can kind of see that.
DOCTOR WHAT
Is there any chance of exploring this world?
The surface looks like it’s switching around a bit fast…
LEO CAESIUS
Not without anything significant to gain.
With all the possible universes that can
appear on any portion of Earth, the
surface is switching between universes
too rapidly with few exceptions.
MATT
(expression falls)
Damn…
DOCTOR WHAT
(sighing)
Can’t win them all, I guess.
Alright, let’s get ready to shift–
LEO CAESIUS
I wouldn’t recommend that, Bruno.
Being right next to the planet generating
the turbulence, if we enter transdimensional
space we’ll either get knocked right back out
again or the force of it will tear the ship apart.
And by my calculations, the quantum fluctuations
on the surface of the planet are only getting stronger.
Appalled silence.
DOCTOR WHAT
You mean we’re stuck here?
LEO CAESIUS
For the time being, yes.
I don’t think that’s the worst of it, however.
Wait a moment…
(long pause)
Very strange…
DAVE HOWERY
(losing his patience)
What’s strange, Leo?
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
We already know that, Dave.
DOCTOR WHAT
(looking hurt)
The decent thing to do would
be not to draw attention to it…
DAVE stares blankly a moment, then glares and starts to say something when he’s interrupted by LEO.
LEO CAESIUS
To answer your question, I’m
reading strange double quantum
signatures on these portions of Earths.
MATT
And that means…?
LEO CAESIUS
That it appears that most if not
all of these pieces we’re already
jumbled together with other portions
that were from different universes.
I’d call this a mosaic of mosaics, as it were.
Another silence.
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
Dude, my head hurts…
MATT
So… there were worlds that were
already jumbled together and now all
of them are getting jumbled together?
LEO CAESIUS
Indeed so. The strange thing is
that placed by themselves, these
Mosaic Earths, for lack of a more
sophisticated term, would be stable
enough, though I have no idea how
they could have been created in the
first place. It would have taken tremendous
power and a radically advanced understanding
of transdimensional space and the multiverse.
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
Stop talking like that!
You just like using all those big words!
DOCTOR WHAT
I have to agree with Psycho there.
Just tell us, is there any way to unmosaic
this mosaic of… er, mosaics, and be
able to shift out of this universe?
LEO CAESIUS
As I said, by themselves these Mosaic
Earths would be stable enough. However,
I can read an element that seems to be
constant throughout all of them. It has an
energy signature I’ve never seen before and
I think it’s the cause of all the quantum fluctuations.
I believe that if we were to deactivate it,
these mosaics would be unscrambled and
revert to their normal quantum state.
DOCTOR WHAT
So if we turn it off we can leave?
LEO CAESIUS
(after a pause)
To put it simply… yes.
MATT
I’m going on this one!
DOCTOR WHAT
So where is this energy signature, Leo?
LEO CAESIUS
Fortunately, it’s located at one
of the areas that is shifting between
universes the least: Antarctica.
Another appalled silence; after a few moments, everyone else smiles and looks at MATT. MATT notices and suddenly looks downcast.
MATT
Aw crap.
DOCTOR WHAT
Alright, you can lead the landing party.
All we have to do is get some others to join you.
DAVE HOWERY
Hang on, don’t we have somebody who had
something to do with an inhabited Antarctica?
Was its own country or something. Michael? DMA?
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
No, that’s Australia.
I think it was GBW.
DOCTOR WHAT
GBW? Really?
(shrugs)
Well, alright. Matt, see if you can
find him and then get him to go with–
GBW
(off camera)
I’m right here you know.
They look over as the camera itself seems to jump with surprise, then turns quickly to include the piloting console which has been out of the shot the entire time. Sitting there is a mildly annoyed GBW.
DOCTOR WHAT
(nonplussed)
Er, of course you are.
So will you–?
GBW
(with a sigh)
Yeah, I’ll go along.
My scans show that Yamania in
some form does exist down there.
MATT
Okay, so that’s one more
for the landing party. Who else?
DOCTOR WHAT
(with an evil smile)
Well, there is someone else
who’s been wanting to go on one…
INT. ñ TELEPORTATION TUBE ROOM ñ DAY
G.BONE
(appalled)
Dude, I’m from Hawai’i!
DOCTOR WHAT, MATT and GBW are standing there, facing the teleportation console where G.BONE has his feet propped up, looking positively thunderstruck at the news.
DOCTOR WHAT
But didn’t you want to go
on a landing party, G.Bone?
(shrugs)
Well, alright, if you’re fine here…
DOCTOR WHAT starts to turn away. G.BONE looks appalled all over again, then quickly pulls his feet down and stands.
G.BONE
No, dude, really, I’ll go. But…
(bleakly)
Can I, like, have a coat or something?
DOCTOR WHAT and MATT, out of G.BONE’s view, smile and nod to each other. GBW remains impassive.
INT. – MAIN SHUTTLE BAY – DAY
MATT, GBW, G.BONE and TORQUMADA are gathered around the ramp of one of the shuttles, GBW wearing some rather bulky but well-designed for movement winter gear while the others are holding similar outfits and looking at them dubiously.
GBW
I’d really suggest you put this Yamanian
winter gear on before we embark.
You don’t want to be caught out in
the open without it for even a short while.
MATT
(frowning)
Well, alright… means I can’t
bring my Power Armor though.
(shrugs)
I packed plenty of BFGs, anyway.
G.BONE
(eyeing Torq nervously)
And, um, why’s Torqumada coming along?
GBW
(looking a bit uneasy himself)
I asked him to come along because
of the extreme low temperatures we’ll face.
That, and because of the rapid quantum
fluctuations we’re going to need these.
GBW reaches into a bag, rustles around a bit, then pulls out four shiny metallic armbands with flashing lights. He starts stepping up to each of them and clipping them onto their arms.
GBW
These armbands should generate a
personal forcefield that will shield us from
the quantum fluctuations and keep us
within the same universe as the AH.Com.
MATT
(looking at his armband)
This thing can do that?
G.BONE
So, like, why do we need
Torqumada for these things?
GBW
(shrugging)
They’ve never been tested in
as… active an environment as we’re
going to. There might be side-effects.
TORQUMADA
(disturbing grin)
That should be fun.
MATT, GBW and G.BONE sidle away from TORQUMADA as the door to the Main Shuttle Bay opens and THANDE comes running in. He stops near them and tries to catch his breath while TORQUMADA eyes him suspiciously.
THANDE
(out of breath)
You guys… are going…
on a landing party?
MATT
That’s right.
THANDE
Can I come with you?
Ever since Doctor What had me
modify some weed for Straha,
he’s been hanging around my lab
and my quarters! Graffiti has
started popping up and there are
weird smells every time I go outside…
MATT glances around at the others; GBW and G.BONE shrug while TORQUMADA scowls.
MATT
Alright, I’ve got no problem with it.
TORQUMADA
(scoffing)
He’s a chemist.
He’ll have no intrinsic value whatsoever.
MATT
Hasn’t stopped us before, Torq.
GBW sighs and nods in agreement to that, then walks into the shuttle, rustles about in a locker, then comes back out with another set of winter gear and an armband for THANDE.
MATT
You have another one?
Where did you get these things, anyway?
GBW just smiles mysteriously and heads into the shuttle. MATT exchanges confused looks with the others, then leads them into the shuttle.
EXT. – SPACE – DAY
We see the shuttle streaking away from the AH.COM towards the camera’s viewpoint; it turns quickly as it flies past to show it entering this Earth’s atmpshere, it’s shields glowing with reentry.
INT. – AH.COM SHUTTLE – DAY
GBW is piloting the shuttle while MATT is contantly field-stripping and reassembling the many BFGs brought along, G.BONE is glued to one of the windows of the shuttle with a delighted grin, and THANDE and TORQUMADA sit across the shuttle from each other, TORQUMADA glaring and THANDE looking confused and just a bit wary.
GBW
We’re on course to the energy signature.
ETA is ten minutes.
THANDE
Right.
(glances back at Torq)
Is there something wrong?
TORQUMADA
(sarcastic)
Oh no, of course nothing is wrong.
(glares)
I just happened to notice that one
of the few times I get to leave the
Med Bay and you happen to come
running up to join us before we leave.
What’s the matter? The chemist
afraid that the doctor is going to
show that his science is better than his?
THANDE
(shocked)
What?! That’s not it at all!
I told everyone that Straha was–
TORQUMADA
(rolling his eyes)
Straha, sure. A likely excuse.
You’re just worried, that’s all.
After all, I was the one that developed
the regenerative virus that healed the
world that got blinded when you dumped all your
waste chemicals into space above their planet.
THANDE
(after a pause)
Oh, that one.
If you’ll recall, I was the one that
developed the chemical compound
that destroyed those plants created
by your Mutagenic Concoction XXXIII.
TORQUMADA
I wasn’t the one that watered those
marijuana plants with it! That was Straha!
THANDE
(grinning)
Straha, a likely excuse.
TORQUMADA looks as if he’s about to rebut that, but the interior of the shuttle is suddenly blinded by a flash of light that streams in through all the windows. A thin wall of light briefly intersects the middle of shuttle – as well as G.BONE, whose personal forcefield flares brightly until it disappears. A moment later, the light disappears completely and the rear section of the shuttle is suddenly missing; the sudden depressurization starts pulling all loose objects streaming through the hole. MATT grabs all the BFGs and holds onto them for dear life while GBW fights the controls of the shuttle.
G.BONE
(yelling above the roaring wind)
Dude! What happened?!
GBW
(yelling)
We got caught along one of the
border shifts over the South Pole!
I’m going to try and steer the shuttle
as far towards Antarctica as I can!
G.BONE
(yelling)
I thought you said we were
already above Antarctica!
GBW
(yelling)
We are! I’m heading for the
city of Antarctica, the capital!
G.BONE
(yelling)
There’s a city in Antarctica called Antarctica?
GBW
(yelling)
No! I mean– technically, yes!
It’s the capital of Yamania!
G.BONE
(yelling)
I thought we were over Antarctica?
GBW
(yelling, annoyed now)
We are! Yamania is Antarctica and–
Listen, I don’t think this is really the
time to be having this conversation!
Hold on!
EXT. – YAMANIAN AIRSPACE – DAY
The shuttle is streaking along above some dark cloud cover, smoke trailing from the rear. It soon disappears into the clouds.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
DMA is sitting in the captain’s chair, intently reading a book with sheep on the cover with a beer can in a cupholder that he’s attached to the arm. MICHAEL is at the piloting console, looking rather sullen. FLOCCULENCIO wanders into the Control Room, pauses a moment as he sees the occupants, then continues in.
FLOCCULENCIO
Here’s something new.
Is it Australia Day today?
MICHAEL
(morosely)
Oh, sod off already.
FLOCCULENCIO
There’s a dingo eating your baby.
MICHAEL pales and darts to his feet, then sits again after a moment, scowling. DMA doesn’t even look up from his book. FLOCCULENCIO smiles jauntily at MICHAEL and takes a nip from his appletini flask.
LEO CAESIUS
I’m reading increased quantum
fluctuations, including near the flight
path of the landing party’s shuttle.
DMA and MICHAEL grunt and wave it away. FLOCCULENCIO frowns at them, then happens to glance towards the main screen.
FLOCCULENCIO
Sweet Zombie Jesus!
The camera cuts to a view of the main screen where we see the speed of the flashing borders has increased somewhat. In space, several more space objects have appeared, including a strange grayish ship with what appear to be white and red lumps that don’t appear to part of the original design. It’s engines suddenly flare and the ship swerves around to fly directly towards the AH.COM.
LEO CAESIUS
I’m detecting a ship that’s set
a direct interception course.
MICHAEL
(rolling his eyes)
Yeah, thanks for the news, Leo.
The ship suddenly lets loose with a large beam of energy from its nose that impacts the shields and rocks the AH.COM. MICHAEL and FLOCCULENCIO grab onto the nearest handholds while DMA looks up, blinking in surprise.
DMA
What’s going on?
What interrupts my study of the
Holiest of the Holies and–
MICHAEL
(snapping)
We’re under attack, that’s what!
FLOCCULENCIO
(frowning)
There’s something about that ship
that doesn’t seem quite right…
EXT. – EARTH ORBIT – DAY
The shot cuts to a distant view of the enemy ship as it approaches the camera’s view. Just as we begin to see that the white and red lumps are definitely not part of the ship’s hull, they detach and their own engines kick in and they swarm ahead of the ship towards the AH.COM.
It soon becomes obvious that these fighters that look like advanced versions of carrier jets are quite familiar, though their white and red paintjobs have seen better days. As they near the AH.COM, their tails and wings transform into arms and legs hanging down from the cockpit, the arms holding a cannon; after a few moments, they transform fully into Mech forms.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
FLOCCULENCIO
Japanese Mechs.
(pause)
I hate these guys.
LEO CAESIUS
We are receiving a transmission.
VOICE
(from speaker)
This is the crosstime pirate vessel Hiryu!
You’re the ones who took us from our universe
and stranded us inside transdimensional space!
Now we have a stronger ship and we know
your tricks! Prepare to feel our wrath!
The AH.COM shakes again as another beam hits the shield; FLOCCULENCIO grabs the back of the captain’s chair to steady himself, then straightens and looks at the main screen with an expression that’s both grim and indignant.
FLOCCULENCIO
They turned into pirates?!
I can’t help but somehow feel as if
my honor has been insulted…
(smiles tightly)
At least I know how to deal with them.
(pushes a button)
Dave? Prepare my mech for–
DAVE HOWERY
(over speaker)
Yeah, I’ll get it up and
running in a couple weeks.
FLOCCULENCIO
(jaw dropping slightly)
What?! You said that a couple months ago!
MICHAEL
(laughing mockingly)
Like I said, useless!
FLOCCULENCIO
(glaring)
Laugh it up, Aussie.
We’re about to be overrun
by a horde of Japanese!
MICHAEL’s laughs slow then stop altogether. He, DMA and FLOCCULENCIO exchange looks and then, after a moment, DMA hits the intercom button.
DMA
Attention everyone!
Prepare to receive boarders!
END ACT I
ACT II
EXT. – YAMANIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – DAY
The AH.COM shuttle lies broken on the tarmac, surrounded by Yamanian National Guard vehicles reminiscent of Humvees. We can see that it’s lying at the end of a long scorched gash in the runway, obviously where it had been forced to land.
INT. – NATIONAL GUARD COMPLEX – DAY
MATT, GBW, G.BONE, TORQUMADA and THANDE are seated across a desk from an obviously high ranking military official; two National Guardsmen stand behind, assault rifles held in ready positions. The officer, whose nameplate reads ‘Brig. Gen. Charles Huntley’, removes some reading glasses and sighs.
HUNTLEY
You mean to tell me that the
five of you are from a spaceship
in orbit and have been pulled
here from another universe?
MATT
Yes, sir, that’s about the size of it.
HUNTLEY
(rueful smile)
If you had come to me with this
story a month ago, I’d have had
you all thrown in the lockup.
However, what with being thrown
into a whole other world ourselves…
(muttering)
Exploration expedition with Imperial Japan, indeed.
THANDE
Excuse me?
HUNTLEY
(waving it off)
Makes no difference.
We sent a small force to assist
an Imperial Japan with exploring
an empty Siberia. Put one of my best
men in charge, Colonel Coleman, but
we’ve lost contact with them since
these flashes started up again.
(leans forward)
Now… why did you decide to
arrive in Yamania in particular?
You don’t seem like tourists.
GBW
We have reason to believe that
there is an energy source that’s
causing these transitions within
Yamania. They’re at the coordinates…
(pulls out a piece of paper and reads them off)
HUNTLEY frowns and opens a drawer, then pulls out a folder and flips it open. His eyes widen slightly at what he sees inside, then looks back at the AH.Commers.
HUNTLEY
Can you stop these ‘transitions’,
as you call them, from continuing?
GBW
We believe so, yes.
HUNTLEY
(nodding slowly)
Alright then. We discovered some
sort of Dome at those coordinates.
It’s technology is… astounding, really.
It activated by itself a while ago,
frying any electric machinery and
electronics nearby in the process.
It’s been a national secret, until now.
If you can stop it, do it. Yamania doesn’t
produce much of anything itself, and with
countries constantly changing, we’re in
danger of a complete collapse of government
with no imports whatsoever coming in.
(scribbles on a notepad)
I know that vehicle of yours was
damaged during it’s landing, so I’ll
arrange a Guard helicopter right away.
MATT
(blinks)
Uh, thanks.
HUNTLEY
Corporal, Private, escort these men
to the helipad. I should have things
ready for you by the time you arrive.
Good luck, gentlemen.
The AH.Commers start to stand as the scene wipes to–
EXT. – YAMANIAN INTERIOR – DAY
Far shot of a Yamanian National Guard helicopter as it flies along over the snowy expanses below.
INT. – HELICOPTER – DAY
PILOT
We should reach our destination within the hour, sirs.
MATT
Thanks.
The AH.Commers are strapped in in the back of the helicopter with various bulky duffels at their feet that contain their BFGs and other equipment. A Yamanian pilot and co-pilot are in the cockpit, calmly checking various systems as they fly along. TORQUMADA and THANDE each have notebooks and are arguing as they scribble down various chemical equations, mathematical formulas and little stick figures in various states of mutation and dismemberment as they try to prove their points. G.BONE is looking out the window, seemingly enthralled at any view different from that of a teleportation room. GBW is skimming through some sort of technical manual that has a Yamanian logo on it while MATT reassembles a BFG one last time and sighs.
MATT
Are you sure we’re going to be
able to shut this Dome thing down, GBW?
GBW
(looking up from the manual)
Sure? Not completely, no. We won’t
know for sure until we have a look at it.
TORQUMADA
(voice rising)
–bio-neural joints could never be
harmed by a mutagen or–
THANDE
(loudly)
Nonsense! The increased hydrophobicity
of the environment could very well–
MATT and GBW look over for a moment, then shake their heads and go back to what they were doing. G.BONE, however, looks more and more annoyed until he finally turns to them.
G.BONE
Dudes! Could you, like, chill or something?
You’re, like, totally killing my groove.
As G.BONE is speaking, the light level through the windows has been steadily rising and, as it does, G.BONE’s armbands starts letting out a loud tone. GBW looks over quickly, eyes widening, then starts trying to unstrap himself.
G.BONE
(looking at the armband)
Hey, is it supposed to be doing that?
Like, why aren’t the rest of yours?
GBW
Your armband’s field is almost out of power!
It must have happened when we got caught in that shift!
G.BONE
(worried)
That sounds bad.
GBW
(unfastening the last buckles)
It is bad! If I don’t adjust the field
in time, the field will collapse and you’ll–
The light level suddenly flashes brightly as it did before and G.BONE’s field flashes brightly with it. Just as GBW gets to his feet and hurries over, the light disappears and, with it, G.BONE; his armband clatters onto the floor. The rest of the AH.Commers stare at it, appalled.
UNFAMILIAR VOICE
Hey, why are you unbuckled?
The AH.Commers look over towards the cockpit and then either stare or do a double take. The view shifts to show that not only is the co-pilot missing, the pilot is a different person altogether, has a few days worth of stubble on his face and looks exhausted.
GBW
Thought I’d stretch my legs, is all.
(coughs briefly)
PILOT
Well, you should get seated.
We’ll be entering the conflict zone
soon and Prime Minister Coleman
said not to let you guys get killed.
MATT
Conflict zone?!
GBW
Prime Minister Coleman?
(pause)
He wouldn’t happen to have
been a colonel, would he?
The Pilot cranes his head around to look at them strangely a moment, then faces forward again.
PILOT
He was, yeah, but he was ranking
military officer in the entire country
after the Government District got hit
so he’s the acting Commander-in-Chief.
THANDE
(bewildered)
Government District ‘got hit’?
PILOT
By the Tssagyris, or
Tasmanians, or whatever they are.
(looks back at them again briefly)
Are you all okay?
GBW
We’re fine, it just appears that latest
shift has… changed things somewhat.
Are we still heading for the Dome?
PILOT
Yeah, that’s right.
GBW
Okay, just keep going then.
GBW sits and starts buckling again as MATT, TORQUMADA and THANDE exchange looks.
MATT
Okay, what’s going on?
Where’s did G.Bone go?
And what the hell are ‘Tssagyris’?
GBW
That shift has changed the Yamania
that we’re in, apparently. As I said before,
these armbands maintain our presence
in the same universe as the AH.Com in orbit.
In this universe, it appears that Yamania is at
war with some version of Tasmania and the war
has spread to the vicinity of the Dome. Coleman,
the guy who was leading that Siberian expedition,
is in charge here after some sort of attack on Yamania’s capital.
TORQUMADA
And what happened to G.Bone?
GBW
(sighs)
His armband ran out of power much sooner
than it was supposed to. He got swept up
in the latest quantum fluctuation and is in
some other reality now. He might still be in
the previous one or, for all we know,
somewhere else altogether.
EXT. – THE OUTPUT – DAY
A scene of a savanna interspersed with light forest cover.
The view zooms in to show G.BONE appear in a flash of light amongst some trees. Having been in a sitting position when he disappeared, he promptly falls flat on his back. He scrambles to his feet and looks around, then hastily removes his Yamanian winter coat.
G.BONE
This is not cool.
G.BONE wanders along for a bit until he comes to some thick grass at the side of a dirt road with two obvious ruts from vehicles. He starts to step out onto it when a hand bursts out from the grass and grabs him, pulling him down with a squawk.
G.BONE
Dude! What the–?!
VOICE
(whispering)
Shhh! Are you insane?
The column is about the come through!
G.BONE manages to get up to a crouch. We see a young man dressed in jeans and a khaki jacket with numerous pockets over a t-shirt. He’s eyeing the road intently and looks as if he’s had a rough time of it.
G.BONE
(whispering)
Hey man, who are you?
What’s going on?
DARKEST90
(whispering)
I’m Darkest90. I’m a missionary
here in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
G.BONE
The Congo?!
DARKEST90
(whispering)
Shhh! The Luba fighters will
hear you. They’re about to
ambush a tank column headed
for Lubumbashi. I’d rather they
not discover us. Things have
gotten even more chaotic ever
since the world outside of the
equatorial nations disappeared.
G.BONE
(whispering)
Say wha–?!
DARKEST90
(whispering)
Quiet, here it comes!
There’s a distant rumbling that quickly grows as a column of what looks like Leopard 1 tanks along with armored cars and APCs start to roll past. When they get close enough, it’s plain that they have Brazilian markings.
G.BONE
(whispering)
Brazilians in the Cong–?
Suddenly, automatic rifles and machine guns open up on the armored column while a few RPGs hiss in and impact various vehicles with loud explosions; a few of the vehicles brew up themselves after the impacts. G.BONE and DARKEST90 hit the dirt as shrapnel flies overhead. The APCs open and Brazilian soldiers pour out and start firing into the undergrowth, using their vehicles as cover.
G.BONE
Let’s get the hell out of here!
G.BONE and DARKEST90 start crawling away frantically, bullets and shrapnel zipping past all around them.
EXT. – EARTH ORBIT – DAY
The Japanese pirate vessel is floating right next to the AH.COM and Japanese Mechs are on the hull, some of them with tubes attached to holes cut into the hull while a few are still cutting into it with their cannons.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CORRIDOR – DAY
A group of AH.Commers are assembled in a corridor facing a hatch, ducked into doorways and improvised barriers like beer kegs, old magazine racks, etc. HEDNRYK, who has a bandage on his throat is holding his Chinese M-1896 Mauser at the ready while FLOCCULENCIO, PSYCHOMELTDOWN and DMA hold other firearms; DAVE HOWERY is towards the rear with his adamantium chainsaw while DIAMOND and OTHNIEL are even further back wearing olive-drab helmets, DIAMOND’s with a red cross in white circle on the front while OTHNIEL’s just has a white cross. DIAMOND is watching the hatch while OTHNIEL nervously prods STRAHA, who’s sprawled on the floor in the middle of the corridor, unconscious.
OTHNIEL
Is he alright?
Did he get attacked?
DAVE HOWERY
Nah, he was like that when we got here.
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
(muttering)
Matt had to take every BFG with him, didn’t he?
Conversation abruptly cuts off when there are loud metallic clangs from outside the ship. The AH.Commers glance around nervously, the tension mounting.
DIAMOND
(muttering)
Just when Torq leaves the ship.
DIAMOND shakes his head, then motions OTHNIEL over.
DIAMOND
Alright, Oth, things will move fast,
so you’re going to have to be johnny
on the spot with the medical supplies, okay?
OTHNIEL nods firmly and hefts a medical kit.
The metallic clangs suddenly get louder; the AH.Commers aim their weapons at the hatch, faces set in grim lines. A sudden blast opens a hole in the hatch and sends smoke billowing into the corridor. The forwardmost AH.Commers duck the flying debris as men in battleworn armor, which looks like a stylized flightsuit and pilot’s helmet with a white and red color color scheme similar to the mechs, come storming in, futuristic pistols and submachine guns blazing from some while those who are taking up the rear are wielding katanas with electricity lancing out along the blade.
AH.Commers scurry for doorways as the fire tears up their improvised barricades, while STRAHA, still unconscious on the floor, remains miraculously unhit, much to the annoyance of other nearby AH.Commers. Except OTHNIEL, of course.
HENDRYK
Take this, wokou!
(opens fire)
Bullets from the AH.Commers’ guns spark off the armor, doing no visible damage. Just as it looks as if their position is about to be overrun, DAVE HOWERY rushes forward into the breach, adamantium chainsaw snarling. His first swipe with it slices through a few of the pirates’ guns and cuts grooves into their armor. They beckpedal frantically as DAVE starts to step forward after them, grinning triumphantly.
DAVE HOWERY
Ha! Wait til that damn Canuck hears about th–
DAVE is cut off as one of the pirates with a katana works his way to the front and slashes at him. DAVE brings up his chainsaw to block it and sparks fly. DAVE looks equal measures of outraged and horrified.
DAVE HOWERY
Damn it! Not these things again!
More and more of the pirates with the katanas work their way forward and slash at DAVE, forcing him steadily back as he’s forced to try and block more and more blades slicing at him. The other AH.Commers start firing at the pirates past DAVE, a few of the bullets coming uncomfortably close. One bullet actually hits the blade of his chainsaw and ricochets past his head.
DAVE HOWERY
Will you Stop That?!
The AH.Commers continue to ignore him until it becomes visible behind the vanguard of the pirate boarding party that more pirates’, these ranging from feudal samurai in armor, Chinese, Koreans, and even some alt-versions of Europeans and Americans with patches of flags from Burgundy and a Republic of California visible, are pouring forward into the corridor, wielding a motley collection of weapons from various eras and timelines.
FLOCCULENCIO
Looks like they’ve been recruiting!
Fall back! Everyone, fall back!
The AH.Commers begin a steady retreat, OTHNIEL dragging STRAHA with them, as more and more pirates’ swarm into the AH.COM.
EXT. – YAMANIAN INTERIOR – DAY
A dark blue snowcrawler, a nearly tank sized, fully enclosed vehicle with treads, motors alongside a line of metal poles sticking up through the snow with lights, currently off, atop them.
INT. – SNOWCRAWLER – DAY
MATT, GBW, TORQUMADA and THANDE are once again in the back of a vehicle while a Yamanian soldier, this one looking even more worn than the helicopter pilot, drives the snowcrawler along. TORQUMADA and THANDE are continuing to argue and scribble in notebooks, the fate of G.BONE apparently forgotten for the moment. GBW is glancing between them and a book titled ‘Advanced Practical Organic Chemistry’, flipping pages and nodding in understanding at certain points. MATT, undistracted for the moment, looks miserably cold despite the winter gear and the crawler’s heater.
DRIVER
We’re nearly there, sirs.
You can see it just ahead.
MATT
(relieved)
Thanks, private.
The AH.Commers stop what they’ve been doing and peer ahead through the windshield. After a moment, all of them look astonished.
EXT. – THE DOME – DAY
The view opens on the rear of the snowcrawler, then widens and pulls back to show it approaching a vast city of prefrabricated arctic research buildings and, just outside them, a shantytown of Yamanian refugees whose buildings are built out of anything they could scrounge, including charred pieces of other snowcrawlers and pieces of wood, plastic, loose bricks, etc. And just beyond them, which the AH.Commers’ snowcrawler is driving through, are extensive fortifications with tank obstacles, trenches and steel blockhouses. Dominating it all, in the very center, is the massive alien-looking Dome with a ragged edges along the top where a portion of the dome itself apparently shattered, fell in upon itself, or whatever.
The shot cuts back to a nearby view of the snowcrawler as it pulls up outside of one of the research buildings near the Dome, this one with a Yamanian flag, the Southern Cross on a dark blue background, flying from one corner and another flag, rendered indistinct by distance, from the opposite corner. The AH.Commers get out and quickly head for the door to the building.
INT. – ALLIED HQ – DAY
A Scandinavian-looking man wearing arctic camouflage and a Lieutenant Colonel’s insignia, similar in style to that of the UK and Australia, is leaning over a table looking at a map, an assault rifle slung across his back and his expression grim. Also gathered around are other officers both Yamanian and obviously some other foreign country.
The AH.Commers walk into view and, as they approach the table, the Lieutenant Colonel looks up and nods to them.
OFFICER
Hello, gentleman. Welcome to the Dome.
I’m Lieutenant Colonel John Ludvigsen,
Republic of Yamania National Guard.
Around me here are my immediate subordinates…
(introduces them)
As well as my colleagues from the
Dominion of the Falkland Islands.
LUDVIGSEN looks as if he’s about to continue, but stops and eyes GBW curiously.
LUDVIGSEN
Excuse me, but have we met before?
You look familiar for some reason…
GBW
(frowning)
I don’t think we have.
LUDVIGSEN
Hmm. Well, no matter.
Coleman called and told me
that you four could shut down
the energy that the Dome is giving
out and that’s brought the Tssagyris all this way.
MATT
Right, about that, who are these
Tssagyris exactly and why are
they after this Dome and it’s energy?
LUDVIGSEN
(shrugging)
I don’t understand it completely
myself, but apparently these dinosaurs
have much higher technology than we
do and the Dome just happens to give
off the right kind of energy that it runs on.
(clenches jaw)
Never mind the fact that it destroys
human technology. If they turn up the
energy output like they’re looking to do,
it’s going to destroy all technology in Yamania.
MATT, TORQUMADA and THANDE frown while GBW looks alarmed.
GBW
Wait, these Tssagyris – evolved
dinosaurs you said?
(waits for Ludvigsen’s nod)
They’re looking to increase the energy?!
LUDVIGSEN
(frowning)
That’s right. And wipe out Yamania in the process.
GBW
There’s more than just Yamania
at stake if that’s the case. If they
increase the energy output, the
quantum fluctuations will only get
worse and there’s only so much stress
regular matter can take before…
(shakes his head)
THANDE
(clears throat)
Before…?
GBW
Before these fluctations stress
this planet enough that it will
crumble under the strain. Maybe
even other planets in other universes
where this same thing could be happening.
AH.Commers, Yamanians and Falklanders alike look appalled at that revelation.
LUDVIGSEN
Why didn’t you mention that to Coleman?
Before any of them can reply, a radio bleeps and then a voice partially obscured by static starts speaking. The soldier tending the radio scribbles down the message on a piece of paper, then hurries over and hands it to LUDVIGSEN. He reads through it, then sighs.
LUDVIGSEN
Our scouts have spotted the Tssagyri
force approaching the outer defenses.
Start evacuating the refugees into the
Dome and get the fortifications manned.
And call the YE airfield and tell them to
ready the Droppers. This is it.
LUDVIGSEN eyes the AH.Commers as the Allied officers hurry out.
LUDVIGSEN
If the four of you can help out in
any way, we’d appreciate it.
MATT
(nodding firmly)
Right. I have some weapons,
more advanced than yours,
that might help out against them.
TORQUMADA
Perhaps the three of us should
take a look at this Dome. Maybe
between the three of us, we can
figure out how to shut it down.
LUDVIGSEN
Alright. Let’s go.
LUDVIGSEN and the AH.Commers hurry out.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CORRIDOR – DAY
DAVE HOWERY, FLOCCULENCIO and DMA are crouched behind a more substantial looking barricade, an array of firearms and other weaponry, including DAVE’s second adamantium chainsaw, gathered around them. DIAMOND, with OTHNIEL’s help, is bandaging wounds that HENDRYK and PSYCHOMELTDOWN have taken while STRAHA is sitting against a wall near them, gradually regaining consciousness. From the nearby door, it’s obvious they’re making their final stand just outside the Temple of the Holy Sheep.
LEO CAESIUS
I have rerouted all Control Room
functions to the Engineering section.
DOCTOR WHAT
(over speaker)
Good job, Leo. We’ve moved
all the porn down here too.
What about you guys?
Have you moved all the booze?
DMA
All the booze has been moved into
the Temple. The pirates will have
to claw their way over our broken
and bloodied corpses to get into
the Great Temple of the Holy Sheep!
A stretch of silence in which everyone else avoids looking at DMA’s exalted expression.
DOCTOR WHAT
(over speaker)
Er, right. The rest of us are
down here, except for those
who’ve been isolated in other parts
of the ship by the pirates. We’ll try
to hold out as long as we can.
Doctor What, out.
Preparations for the upcoming defense continue but, after a while, FLOCCULENCIO glares at DAVE HOWERY.
FLOCCULENCIO
If you’d repaired my mech,
I might have stopped these
Japanese from even boarding the ship!
DAVE HOWERY
(indignant)
Hey, I’ve got a constant workload
going on down there! I go and fix
the, uh… well, there’s the…
(trails off)
FLOCCULENCIO glares a little longer, then shakes his head and takes a nip from his flask.
HENDRYK and PSYCHOMELTDOWN, however, seem to be in good spirits.
HENDRYK
You know, I think this is the first
time I’ve been treated on this ship
where the doctor’s work isn’t hurting
me more than what I came in for.
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
Yeah, this is actually good work!
DIAMOND
(weary smile)
Well, thanks guys, I–
PSYCHOMELTDOWN
Let’s hear it for Othniel!
The AH.Commers raise a cheer; OTHNIEL is obviously astonished while DIAMOND’s smile disappears and he turns away, scowling.
DIAMOND
(mumbling)
Those damn bastards…
They’ll pay… they’ll all pay…
OTHNIEL
What’d you say?
DIAMOND
Oh, nothing. Let’s get back to work.
DIAMOND starts to sullenly continue his work on HENDRYK and PSYCHOMELTDOWN when a the usual noises of a mob starts floating down the corridor towards them. The ones at the barricade ready themselves.
DAVE HOWERY
Here they come…
The pirates, or wokou, led by those in the armor, round the corner and stop as they see the barricade with the AH.Commers behind it. The mill around for a bit as one of those in armor raises a katana and yells out something indistinct in Japanese that causes all of them to let out a bloodthirsty roar. After more of the speech, answered each time by a roar, the wokou let out one last roar, louder than the previous ones, and charge.
DMA looks to the door of the Temple of the Holy Sheep, then back to the wokou and suddenly grabs DAVE HOWERY’s spare adamantium chainsaw and leaps over the barricade. DAVE, startled, climbs over the barricade and runs after him.
DAVE HOWERY
Hey, this wasn’t the plan!
And that chainsaw is mine!
DMA
A Jihad on their Arses!
DMA and DAVE HOWERY heft their chainsaws as the lead wokou heft their katanas. With a snarl of the chainsaws, the two sides meet with the clash of metal.
EXT. – THE DOME – DAY
The camera is following the AH.Commers and LUDVIGSEN as they run through the streets of the shantytown. They turn a final corner and the view zooms past them to show the battle raging at the fortifications. Approaching the lines manned with self-propelled artillery, Falklander tanks and soldiers firing rockets, assault rifles and machine guns are massive machines reminiscent of German A7V tanks from WW1 that are moving slowly forward one one huge base divided into four treads; they’re firing with heavy automatic cannons that are based all around their exteriors and main guns that fire pulses of energy. Advancing with and behind the ‘tanks’ are infantry over twice the size of a human wearing powered suits, which have an extension to allow for tails, that fire thin beams of energy from their wrists.
The view shifts back to show the AH.Commers with stunned expressions. GBW reaches into a pocket of his coat and pulls out his slingshot. He looks at it, back to the Tssagyri force, back to the slingshot.
GBW
Forget that.
GBW throws the slingshot over his shoulder and grabs a BFG from MATT, slinging it over his shoulder. That seems to break MATT out of his own reverie and he shakes his head and looks at LUDVIGSEN.
MATT
You’ve actually been fighting those?
LUDVIGSEN
(smiling thinly)
Not altogether successfully, I assure you.
Those big ones – behemoths, we call them -
are nigh invulnerable. Their treads are their
weak points. The only time we destroyed
one was when a Montgomery ’58, one of
those tanks the Falklanders sent along,
self-destructed as a behemoth was driving
over it. We’ve tried setting up mines and such,
but they seem to detect those before they
drive over them. These things definitely learn fast.
THANDE
I thought Lizards were supposed
to be extremely conservative…
TORQUMADA
(wisely)
Well, it’s because they’re dinosaurs.
THANDE looks at TORQUMADA strangely. MATT readies a BFG.
MATT
Well, we’ll see how those tin
boxes stand up to these.
GBW, you, Torq and Thande head
for the Dome and try to shut it down.
GBW
(nods)
Right.
GBW, TORQUMADA and THANDE starts back through the shantytown. MATT hands LUDVIGSEN a BFG.
MATT
Alright, let’s rock and roll.
The two of them head towards the fighting, BFGs blazing.
The view cuts to the other three as they hurry along past the shantytown and amongst the arctic research buildings. GBW is in the lead while, behind him, TORQUMADA and THANDE start talking and slow their pace, then eventually stop. GBW moves on for a few more feet before he looks over his shoulder and notices.
GBW
Hey guys!
What’re you doing?
We have to shut that thing down!
TORQUMADA
Actually, I think we’ve come
up with an interesting solution
to the dinosaur force attacking us.
THANDE
Combining our strengths, as it were.
You go on ahead, we’ll set it up and
be along in a minute or two.
GBW
Are you sure?
TORQUMADA
Yes, go ahead.
GBW shrugs and continues hurrying on. TORQUMADA and THANDE set large bags they were carrying down and unzip them. THANDE pulls out a box with a logo that says ‘Thande’s Wacky Chemistry Lab’ (Shameless Product Placement) while TORQUMADA pulls out a bulky glass jar that holds a much-scarred brain floating in a strangely colored liquid.
TORQUMADA
Time to come out and play, Bobo!
THANDE
(hands blurring as he mixes chemicals)
I can’t believe you still have that thing
after all this time and all it’s been through.
TORQUMADA
(smiling proudly)
I always knew Bobo was meant for
great things despite everyone’s
attempts to drag him down.
You done mixing that yet?
THANDE
One more moment…
(flames abruptly shoot up)
…er, done. There goes another set of eyebrows.
(sighs)
TORQUMADA opens the jar and THANDE quickly pours his concoction into the liquid with Bobo.
TORQUMADA
And now… we run.
TORQUMADA and THANDE grab their bags and quickly scurry off. The view stays on Bobo, though, as the liquid starts to bubble and the jar shakes.
The view suddenly cuts to a panoramic view of the Dome and the buildings around it. Suddenly, we see Bobo grow to massive proportions with two nerve-ending looking tentacles hanging from either side. Bobo rises to float in midair with an ethereal hum and, after a dramatic pause, two glowing eyes appear on his frontal lobes.
BOBO
(deep rumbling voice)
Bobo.
Angry.
Bobo.
DESTROY.
With the snap and pop of energy bolts coursing over him in addition to the hum, BOBO starts floating towards the fighting.
The shot cuts to MATT and LUDVIGSEN as they gape skyward, the shadow of the approaching BOBO slowly covering them.
LUDVIGSEN
What the hell is that thing?
MATT
Um… Bobo?
LUDVIGSEN
(raising radio to his mouth)
Rear positions, prepare to fire upon–
MATT grabs his arm and lowers the radio quickly.
MATT
I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Besides, I think he’s on our side.
The shot moves back to another panoramic view as BOBO approaches the now silent Allied and Tssagyri forces. BOBO, after contemplating the armies below, raises one of his tentacles and fires a bolt of energy with a loud pop.
Cut to ground level where the bolt hits the ground in the midst of a group of Tsaagyri infantry; they get sent flying as a fireball explodes upwards.
Back to the panoramic view as we hear the distant cheering of the Allied force as BOBO begins firing more bolts. The Tssagyri force begins concentrating it’s autocannon and energy fire upwards at BOBO.
The shot cuts back to GBW as he hurries along the snowswept streets of the interior of the Dome, littered with rubble and with strangely designed skyscrapers rearing up on either side, some leaning drunkenly to one side and some collapsed against others. Eventually, GBW reaches a snow covered plaza with a building set in it’s center. He reaches the doorway, stops a moment for a breather, then heads inside.
INT. – DOME GENERATOR – DAY
GBW hurries over to a gaping hole in the metallic floor and descends the ladder set there. The shot cuts to GBW’s back as he reaches the bottom of the ladder, bright light playing against him. When he turns around, he pauses and stares.
Set in the center of the room is a device that is surrounded by a sphere of flashing lights that look to form a solid shield around. Atop the device is a three-tiered cone that is visibly pulsing with energy. GBW cautiously approaches the field around the device and examines it, frowning. Behind him, TORQUMADA and THANDE descend the ladder themselves and then also stop dead when they see the device.
TORQUMADA
Well, that’s… impressive.
THANDE
Can we get past that shield?
GBW
I don’t think it’s technically a shield.
It appears to be a focal point for
quantum energy, sort of a
transdimensional tuning fork.
When these quantum fluctuations
started happening that placed countries
from different universes on the same
planet, including this Dome apparently,
it set this thing ‘humming’. When the
Yamanians added energy to it, this
thing must have started shaking the very
transdimensional space surrounding this entire Earth.
GBW pauses and notices that TORQUMADA and THANDE are staring at him.
GBW
(coughs)
Ah… that’s my theory, anyway.
TORQUMADA
Riiight.
(steps toward the shield)
Let’s try to see if we can get through this–
TORQUMADA touches the shield and it flares for a moment and making a snapping sound at the point of contact. TORQUMADA flinches and pulls his hand away, cradling it.
TORQUMADA
Damn thing shocked me…
THANDE
So how do we get past it?
GBW frowns.
EXT. – THE DOME – DAY
We see the panoramic view of BOBO above the two forces again, firing bolts down at the Tssagyri force as he gets plastered with autocannon and energy fire. Gradually, but it soon becomes noticeable, BOBO begins to list to one side as the damage accumulates.
The shot cuts to MATT and LUDVIGSEN in one of the trenches, firing their BFGs towards the Tssagyris. MATT looks up squints against the flashes of the energy bolts.
MATT
I don’t think he’s going to hold out much longer.
The view cuts back to BOBO as he stops firing bolts and starts drifting off towards open ground, the humming deepeining in tone as the list continues to grow and as he descends towards the ground.
BOBO
Torqumada.
Help.
Torqumada.
Heal.
Bobo.
BOBO crashes into the snow, kicking up huge clouds of it to either side of him.
The view shifts to the Tssagyri force as the behemoths, with BOBO no longer overhead, start rumbling forward over the trenches, the infantry firing their wristbeams from behind them.
INT. – DOME GENERATOR – DAY
TORQUMADA looks towards the ladder as we hear BOBO’s last rumbling cries.
TORQUMADA
Bobo! No! He’s been hurt!
THANDE
That means that dinosaur army
is going to be here soon. Matt and
those other soldiers won’t be able
to hold them off for long. We have to
shut this generator off now!
GBW’s frown deepens as he considers the situation, looks at the shield, then listens to the gradually growing sound of fighting. He sighs.
GBW
Ever have one of those days?
Oh well. Here goes.
GBW stretches his hands out in front of himself and jumps into and through the field surrounding the device. It immediately brightens to a near blinding level, TORQUMADA and THANDE squinting and bringing their hands up to shield their eyes. GBW, within the field, clenches his jaw against the corona of light surrounding him as he sets a hand on either side of the three-tiered cone. He twists the cones back and forth in what appears to be some sort of combination. Suddenly, the chamber is engulfed in light.
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CORRIDOR – DAY
DMA, bleeding from numerous cuts, is behind the barricade, frantically slashing with the adamantium chainsaw back and forth to hold the wokou back. DIAMOND is firing HENDRYK’s M-1896 Mauser into the crowd while OTHNIEL works on bandaging the rest of the AH.Commers sprawled on the floor, all wounded themselves. DMA seems to be staying upright and fighting through sheer fanaticism alone. As we watch, however, a clever slash from one of the wokou knocks the chainsaw out of his hands; DMA quickly steps back and trips, falling in a heap onto FLOCCULENCIO. The wokou swarm over the barricade but, as they raise their katanas for the killing blows, the corridor is engulfed in light.
EXT. – THE OUTPUT – DAY
G.BONE and DARKEST90 are holed up inside a mission that’s seen better days. They’re both sitting against a wall under a window, looking terrified. Beyond the window, we can see Brazilian Leopards and soldiers with their weapons all aimed at the building.
G.BONE
Dude, this is so how I
didn’t see myself going out,
surrounded by the Brazilian Army.
Outside, a Brazilian officer raises a megaphone to his mouth.
OFFICER
You have no choice but to surrender!
The both of you, come out at the
same time and you will be treated well!
If only the one of you comes out, we’ll
assume a trick and open fire!
DARKEST90
Well, sounds like the best chance we have, right?
G.BONE suddenly disappears in a flash of light. DARKEST90 stares at where he used to be, jaw dropped.
DARKEST90
Oh crap.
EXT. – THE DOME – DAY
MATT and LUDVIGSEN are falling back before a behemoth that’s lumbering straight towards them. They manage to dive out of the way as an energy pulse obliterates the ground where they were standing. As MATT gets to his feet, a bright light starts building from behind him and he looks back.
We see the panoramic view of the Dome again as the entire Dome itself pulses with light. A ball of light seems to form up around the entire Dome as the form of the Dome within it disappears completely.
The shot goes back to MATT and LUDVIGSEN as they stare at the sight. Meanwhile, the sound of fighting slowly dies away. Before long, the two of them notice and they look forward to see that the behemoth has ground to a halt. A longer view along the lines shows that every behemoth has stopped advancing. After a moment, a few Allied soldiers pop up from their trenches. The Tssagyri infantry point their wristbeams at them, but nothing happens and they soon let their arms drop.
LUDVIGSEN
They’ve stopped…
(realization)
They’re out of power.
They’re out of power!
A cheer rises from the Allied soldiers as the Tssagyri infantry start putting their hands up. The ball of light has started to grow brighter and expand. LUDVIGSEN looks over to MATT and nods to him as the entire scene is engulfed in light.
END ACT II
TAG
INT. – AH.COM SHIP – CONTROL ROOM – DAY
The light vanishes and we see GBW, singed but whole, sitting at the piloting console. GREY WOLF is sitting in the captain’s chair while DOCTOR WHAT is standing next to it, the both of them looking as if they were in heavy fighting themselves. The scene, in fact, is much as it was before they entered transdimensional space. Everyone looks around in astonishment.
DOCTOR WHAT
Leo… where are we?
LEO CAESIUS
We appear to be in orbit around
the Sparta-dominated Earth we
were visiting before we got pulled
to that Mosaic Earth.
DOCTOR WHAT and GBW stare at the screen showing the planet. GREY WOLF abruptly gets to his feet and starts walking out.
GREY WOLF
I need a drink…
As GREY WOLF walks out, WEAPON M, MATT and FLOCCULENCIO hurry in.
MATT
Hey GBW, you made it!
GBW
Yeah, I guess I did.
DOCTOR WHAT
Hold on, weren’t you guys
down on the planet?
Leo, is everyone on board?
LEO CAESIUS
Everyone except one person.
The wreckage of the shuttle
the landing party took down is
back in the Main Shuttle Bay as well.
FLOCCULENCIO
What about those Japanese,
or wokou, or whatever they are?
LEO CAESIUS
The wokou, their Mechs
and their crosstime ship are
all gone. From our own situation,
I would guess they were all returned
to their positions prior to their arrival
at the Mosaic Earth themselves.
FLOCCULENCIO
(sighing)
So they’re still out there.
DOCTOR WHAT
(rolling his eyes)
Like we need more trouble.
As if the CF.Net and the Fallen weren’t enough.
WEAPON M
Hold on, Leo, you said everyone
except one person. Who’s that?
LEO CAESIUS
That would be G.Bone.
I’m reading him on the planet’s
surface. I can pull up an image if you like.
The main screen’s view changes and everyone looks up towards it.
EXT. – ROCKY FIELD – DAY
We see the same brightly lit field as before. This time, however, we see G.BONE running towards the camera, terrified. Behind him, we see a plume of dust being raised and, as they draw closer, we see it’s an angry mob of pike-wielding Spartan soldiers.
G.BONE
(as he runs past the camera)
AHHHHHH!
FADE TO BLACK
WEAPON M (over black)
(approvingly)
Now that’s what I’m talking about.
ROLL END CREDITS