INT. UNDERWORLD, SELF SERVICE RESTAURANT - DAY
Gustav accepts his food from the self service restaurant. He sees Ariadne seated alone and approaches her.
ARIADNE: I can’t talk to you. Please leave me alone.
Gustav sits down opposite her and she looks uncomfortable
GUSTAV: You’re not in the centre anymore. They can’t cut you up into tiny pieces. Geez, you even make me feel brave.
ARIADNE: I don’t want to talk to you.
GUSTAV: At least tell me your name.
ARIADNE: Ariadne. I can’t hardly remember anything else.
GUSTAV: Nothing? Not even your family?
ARIADNE: I am guilty of something that I cannot speak of. I cannot remember my family, only that they banished me. I did something wrong. That’s all I can remember.
GUSTAV: I was born into this. I find it hard to sleep. Every dream turns into a nightmare.
ARIADNE: I have nightmares too. But when I wake all I can remember is that they are sad. Only fragments remain.
A large burly man approaches
MARLON (addressing Ariadne) You don’t belong here
Ariadne becomes afraid. She stands up.
ARIADNE:I must go
GUSTAV: It’s only Marlon. He’s only messing with you. He doesn’t bite
Ariadne takes her tray and hurries away but Gustav follows her. He puts his hand on her arm
GUSTAV: There’s no need to be afraid. As long as you follow the rules you’re safe.
Ariadne is still worried but stops herself.
GUSTAV: It’s ok.
(he points to Marlon)
Look he’s harmless. He’s not going to arrest you. You’re already in the underworld. You can’t sink any lower. Talking isn’t a rule breaker.
INT. LORD PREFECT'S BUILDING - DAY
Harold enters Lord Prefects building. An infiltrator runs toward him. Security shoot the infiltrator in the back but he reaches Harold.
INFILTRATOR (whisper in pain): Ariadne..
HAROLD: What do you know about Ariadne?
INFILTRATOR: She was sent to the Underworld.
HAROLD: Who sent her there?
The infiltrator dies
INT. CONTROL TOWER, LORD PREFECT’S BUILDING - DAY
Harold storms into the control tower and approaches Lord Prefect.
HAROLD: How? How could you do this to me?
LORD PREFECT: What are you talking about?
HAROLD: You sent her to the Underworld.
LORD PREFECT: I don’t even know what you are talking about?
HAROLD: Ariadne, the girl I was seeing was sent to the Underworld
LORD PREFECT: Calridian, do you know anything about this?
CALRIDIAN: No sir. I will look into it right away.
HAROLD: Don’t play games with me. For years I have turned a blind eye to your actions but now I see you for what you are. I am no longer your son.
Harold storms away
LORD PREFECT: Guards, seize him.
Harold is surrounded.
HAROLD: You can’t do this to me.
LORD PREFECT: Take him to Doctor Sutcliffe.
CALRIDIAN: What are you doing sir?
LORD PREFECT: My son will love me again Calridian. You will see.
INT. SELF SERVICE RESTAURANT IN THE UNDERWORLD - DAY
Ariadne and Gustav are seated at their table once more
ARIADNE: You are very brave.
GUSTAV: Me? No. I’m afraid of riding a bicycle, but here, I’m used to it. It’s the unknown that scares me. Nightmares too.
ARIADNE: I guess I’m not very...
GUSTAV: Don’t knock yourself down. They brainwash you when you come here. You probably once were brave but they treated you. Can you remember anything else?
ARIADNE: Nothing.
GUSTAV: Friends? Family?
ARIADNE: Only my favourite colour and some images that I can see but can’t remember being there.
GUSTAV: It’s funny. Everyone who comes from the upperworld says the same thing.
INT. UNDERWORLD, GUSTAV’S FAMILY HOME, DINING ROOM - DAY
Gustav is seated around the table with his father, mother and baby brother.
GUSTAV’S FATHER: Are you still hanging around with that kid Tayo?
GUSTAV: Sometimes
GUSTAV’S FATHER: I don’t want you hanging around with him.
GUSTAV: Why?
GUSTAV’S FATHER: Because I say so. Because, he’s not like the rest of us. He’s different.
GUSTAV: You mean because he’s braver than everybody else.
GUSTAV’S FATHER: Stupider more like. You know what happened to that kid Barton? He was brave too. Look what happened to him. Destroyed into thousands of tiny pieces
GUSTAV: You don’t know that.
GUSTAV’S FATHER: Of course I do
GUSTAV: They never found his body
GUSTAV’S FATHER: Where did he go then?
GUSTAV: How should I know?
GUSTAV’S MOTHER: Your Father just wants what is best for you. Non Conformers don’t end well. Next thing you know we’ll have the Reevers breaking down the door.
EXT. UNDERWORLD, RESTAURANT - DAY
Ariadne is waiting for Gustav when Sincro approaches in uniform. Holding a baton.
SINCRO: And who might you be?
ARIADNE: I’m just waiting for Gustav
SINCRO: Has he mentioned me? I’m much higher up the food chain.
Gustav ambles towards them.
ARIADNE: Why yes, he did say the chunky bits rise to the top.
SINCRO: What does she mean by that?
GUSTAV: I don’t have a clue. It’s something my grandfather used to say.
Sincro places his face right up against Gustav. Sincro is three inches shorter.
SINCRO: Are you mocking me boy?
GUSTAV: I wouldn’t dream of it.
SINCRO: I can make your life a horrible nightmare.
Sincro takes Ariadne by the hand.
SINCRO: Come with me.
Ariadne holds firm
ARIADNE: But I don’t want to.
SINCRO: You’d rather stay here with this loser?
ARIADNE: Yes.
Sincro hits Gustav a few belts of the baton.
SINCRO: Next time you’ll beg for mercy.
Sincro walks away.
Ariadne touches Gustav gently on the shoulder
ARIADNE: Oh, Gustav you are so brave.
GUSTAV: Scared senseless more like. He’s a Reever. There’s no telling what he’ll do.
EXT. THE UPPERWORLD, DAMARIA AREA STREET - NIGHT
Dieter knocks on a door of a terraced house in a less affluent area of the Upperworld. MELRIDIAN answers.
DIETER: Are you the man they call Melridian?
MELRIDIAN: I know who you are. There are patrols and purges in this area. You are nothing but trouble.
DIETER: I have nowhere to go.
MELRIDIAN: It’s over for you. Nobody will accept you. No one. It’s better that you go down and not the entire area.
DIETER: I’ve lost my job, my life, everything... Is there nobody who can help me?
EXT. UPPERWORLD, DAMARIA AREA, ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
The rain beats down. Dieter has nowhere to go. He sees some homeless men lying on the ground in an alleyway with cardboard for shelter. Dieter sits down near them with his back against the wall. FREDERICK who was lying on his back, sits beside him
FREDERICK: Male, late 30’s, slim, unshaven, worn clothing
FREDERICK: They’ll be here soon, to take us away. In a few days we won’t remember a thing. Our entire life gone.
DIETER: Have you been homeless long?
FREDERICK: The homeless don’t last long here, before they are whisked away. My jealous wife has been the end of me.
DIETER: Is there nothing we can do?
FREDERICK: Fight? But it’s futile. You’re only denying the inevitable
Two police officers approach them.
POLICE OFFICER NITFELD: Well well well. What do we have here?
Police officer Nitfeld scans Dieter’s face.
POLICE OFFICER NITFELD: Be careful with this one. He’s a fugitive. Shoot him if he moves.
Nitfeld scans, Frederick.
POLICE OFFICER THALBY:A nobody?
POLICE OFFICER NITFELD: How did you guess.
Frederick attacks Nitfeld with a punch to the stomach. Impulsively Dieter attacks Thalby. Both police officers are rendered unconscious. Dieter runs towards their police vehicle. He can hear police helicopters overhead. Dieter and
Frederick approach the police vehicle and climb in.
INT. POLICE VEHICLE (THE UPPERWORLD) - NIGHT
Dieter drives the vehicle at a fast pace. They are chased by other police vehicles with SIRENS BLARING and a
HELICOPTER WHIRRING overhead.
The hijacked vehicle speeds down a long street before veering left then right. It almost oollides with another vehicle.
DIETER: We’re never going to outrun them
Dieter brings the police vehicle to a stop. Helicopter lights are shining down on him and Frederick as they exit the vehicle. Frederick is shot in the back with a tranquiliser but struggles on. They find a manhole and enter the sewer.
INT. UPPPERWORLD UNDERGROUND SEWER - CONTINUOUS
Frederick falls from the ladder leading to the sewer. He is unconscious. Dieter props him against the wall of the sewer and runs to his left.
LOUD EXPLOSIONS can be heard above him. He continues running.
Dieter runs until he realises nobody is following him. He stops and looks back. He catches his breath. EXPLOSIONS can still be heard above him.
He reaches another entrance to the sewer and climbs up. He lifts the lid cautiously.
EXT. UPPERWORLD CITY STREET - CONTINUOUS
The police have disappeared. Their vehicles have been abandoned. A crashed helicopter is only a few yards from Dieter. In the air, he can hear the SOUND OF ADVANCED AIRCRAFT. Dieter climbs up.
INT. UPPERWORLD PRISON, LABORATORY - EVENING
Barbella enters a small laboratory flanked by two guards. DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE has his back to her as he prepares an injection.
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: Late 40’s, male, slim, glasses, wearing a lab coat, shallow.
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: Glad you could join us.
BARBELLA: I’d rather rot in hell than be here you contemptable conformist.
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: Don’t worry, a few treatments of my potion and you won’t remember a thing. We’ll be best buddies.
BARBELLA: You make my skin crawl.
Doctor Sutcliffe approaches her with the needle in his hand. Barbella struggles.
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: Keep her still.
EXPLOSIONS are heard overhead
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: What was that?
BARBELLA: Payback, I hope.
Sirens start to go off in the prison. Doctor Sutcliffe puts down the needle and opens the door. Debris is falling from the roof. Prison officers are fleeing to safety as prisoners bid to escape.
He closes the door.
DOCTOR SUTCLIFFE: I don’t like what is going on out there but lets not let it distract us.
He picks up the needle again. Barbella struggles but the guards hold her down
Always the professional I am.
Doctor Sutcliffe injects Barbella.
Take her back. A few more doses and she won’t know who she is or where she came from.
Barbella is dazed and dizzy. The two guards drag her out the door
INT. UPPERWORLD PRISON, CORRIDOR - EVENING
Prisoners are running to the exits. Some of them attack the guards. Barbella - left unconscious on the ground
INT. UPPERWORLD PRISON, CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Barbella awakes but she doesn’t remember where she is. She looks around. The jail appears to be deserted. She climbs to her feet.
INT. UPPERWORLD, LORD PREFECT’S BUILDING, CONTROL TOWER - EVENING
Lord Prefect stares outside the large glass windows of his control tower at a large spaceship. Out of the spaceship dozens of smaller craft are emerging.
LORD PREFECT:Who are these people?
CALRIDIAN: They appear to be an alien life form sir.
LORD PREFECT: Tell me something that I don’t know.
He pauses
Can we take them down?
CALRIDIAN: Not without destroying the upperworld. We also don’t know how strong their shields are. They appear to be able to shirk off everything we throw at them.
LORD PREFECT: Where is our military? Where is our police?
CALRIDIAN: They are out there fighting sir and we are losing. They have technology far ahead of ours.
LORD PREFECT: Is there nothing we can do?
A corporal enters the control tower.
CORPORAL NOVACHEK: Sir, the alien life forms are already entering the building.
LORD PREFECT: The safety of the Lord Prefect is paramount soldier. Well, what are you doing here? Go down and fight.
INT. UPPERWORLD PRISON - NIGHT
Dieter searches through the badly damaged Upperworld prison. He comes across a badly injured prison guard.
DIETER: Do you know where Barbella is?
INJURED PRISON GUARD: Who?
DIETER: Has she been sent to the underworld?
INJURED PRISON GUARD: I don’t know who you are talking about.
Dieter starts to move on.
INJURED PRISON GUARD: Please help me.
DIETER: I’m not a doctor
INJURED PRISON GUARD: I can help you.
DIETER: How?
INJURED PRISON GUARD: I know who you are. I can help you.
Dieter walks away
INJURED PRISON GUARD (calls out in desperation) Help me.
INT. UPPERWORLD, LORD PREFECT'S BUILDING, CONTROL TOWER - NIGHT
The alien life forms enter the control tower. Their shields are superior to those of the upperworld soldiers. The aliens use their guns to vaporise their opposition.
LORD PREFECT: Now, now, I think we can come to a deal on this. What is it that you want?
ALIEN FORCES LEADER: You.
The leader of the alien forces points a gun at the Lord Prefect and makes him disappear.
EXT. UPPERWORLD CITY STREET - NIGHT
A dazed Barbella is wandering a city street. A passerby addresses her.
PASSERBY: Hey lady are you ok
BARBELLA: I’ve felt better
She continues walking
Dieter calls out to her.
DIETER: Barbella
She continues walking but Dieter catches up with her.
DIETER: Barbella
BARBELLA: Wait. Is that my name?
DIETER: How many doses did they give you?
BARBELLA: Doses?
DIETER: Don’t you remember?
BARBELLA: Who are you?
DIETER: Let’s go somewhere and I can explain.