Scene 6.23 - Smoke On The Water, Fire In The Lungs
INT. TRAINING ROOM - TREE SABRE - DAY
(Large room with a low ceiling. A drummer playing makes a low echoing musical hit. A big block of wood is moved across coarse sawdust -- back-and-forth -- fast. A rhythm is started -- powerful. PORSCHE enters, pauses and looks to JEZEBEL - he stands in front of 69 Brew-men men. JEZEBEL sits behind him alongside VAN HAGAR. A large wood obelisk has been placed near PORSCHE for this demonstration.)
PORSCHE
The weirdo way is a long-kept secret of the Been Lez-a-bit order. With my mother's help, my father isolated an element of the weirdo way and externalized it.
PORSCHE (Cont'd)
Because of the Narc-On-Em treachery, my father's armies were never able to fully develop this new form. This is what I will teach you. You will be the fiercest and most feared fighters in The Universe. Our way of battle is built on rhythm. You understand rhythm like this but you do not yet understand the rhythm of the higher sounds, sounds that heal and build... sounds that destroy. Motion is the base. You understand the motion... but you do not yet understand the motion that heals and builds... motions that destroy... Fellatio! (A Brew-man moves forward) This obelisk of petrified wood is of your hardest, most flame-resistant material. Kick it... (He does -- the wood doesn't move.) Hit it... (He does -- the wood doesn't move.) Yell at it...
FELLATIO
Burn!
(The Brew-men laugh -- the wood doesn't burn. A Brew-men soldier with a plasgun tries to spark it. PORSCHE motions him back, slightly.)
PORSCHE
Back up, y'all!
(PORSCHE also moves back. He switches on his weirdo module. He opens his mouth and makes a small sound, which the module amplifies.)
PORSCHE (Cont'd)
Nag-Champa!
(The sound briefly ignites the wood and shatters the obelisk to pieces. The Brew-men yell with surprise and awe.)
69 FREMEN
Patchouli!
PORSCHE
This is part of the weirdo way that we will teach you. Some thoughts have a certain sound... that being the equivalent to a form. Through sound and motion you will be able to spark blunts, over-stone or remote-toke an enemy or even burst his lungs.... We will kill until no Narc-On-Em breathes Darukkeen air.
69 FREMEN
Poop-A-Doob!
PORSCHE
(Inner voice:) To avenge my father, I will turn you into killing machines.
(VAN HAGAR turns to JEZEBEL.)
VAN HAGAR
Say-yadda-yadda-yadda. Our Reverend Mother tells me she is too old... She has been celling through spece and time for you to come and let her rest, doncha'-know. She esks thet you pess within, eh?
JEZEBEL
(Inner voice:) They want me to smoke the Resin Of Fruitful Life... the Truthsayer drug... so dangerous, yet... we must move swiftly if we're to secure our place among these Brew-men. (Out loud:) I will try to pass within.
VAN HAGAR
Uff-da! Death may be the result, doncha'-know... Are you sure?
JEZEBEL
(Inner voice:) I must do this for Porsche, but what of my unborn child?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(Brew-men carry the Brew-men REVEREND MOTHER PALIN VON ROLLO in on a litter. The old Reverend Mother is old and frail yet extremely beautiful and mysterious. She turns to PORSCHE and JEZEBEL with a strange look.)
REVEREND MOTHER PALIN VON ROLLO
(To JEZEBEL, in an ancient voice:) So you are the ones, eh?
(She turns away towards the monks who are very busy blowing horns and waving pots of smoking spice, purifying the area of the rite. Several Brew-men blow on dip sticks and a FEMALE CHOIR begins a haunting chorale as the giant hash-pipe organ blows beautiful low notes below. PORSCHE looks to his mother. He then sees STONI.)
CU: STONI
CU: PORSCHE -- he cannot stop looking at her.
(VAN HAGAR motions to PORSCHE.)
VAN HAGAR
(Whispering to PORSCHE:) Do you know the Resin Of Fruitful Life?... Come... Watch... the mystery of mysteries... the end and the beginning, doncha'-know.
(He shows PORSCHE through a narrow passageway -- almost a slot through the wooden wall to a small room. Through an opening in the wooden wall, PORSCHE is shown a very strange-and-somewhat-horrifying scene.)
INT. BABY GLOWWORM - BAKER ROOM - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(A thirty-foot baby worm is being lowered into a wood chamber. The chamber is then covered with a wire top. Valves are turned and boiling resin rushes into the chamber. The worm begins to writhe violently and leap and bang against the bars above. The worm begins to turn inside out from the mouth back and it begins to gag. Some monks and resinmasters quickly drain the wood chamber and wrench the worm out using large steel hooks. They hold the worm above a large tub. A resinmaster-reed man runs a long reed in to the worm, causing it to spasm and gag up a beautiful, glowing, fiery, deep green bile as it dies.)
INT. BAKER ROOM - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(The bile and leaf sap-resin are combined in ceremonial containers. PORSCHE turns to VAN HAGAR.)
VAN HAGAR
The Resin Of Fruitful Life.
PORSCHE
(Inner voice:) Not very fruitful for that maggot. I hear it's the most lethal poison in The Universe.
(Then we hear from PORSCHE'S memory his conversation with the Reverend Mother:)
REVEREND MOTHER V.O.
... Many men have tried.
PORSCHE V.O.
Did they try and fail?
REVEREND MOTHER V.O.
Oh no, they tried and died.
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(VAN HAGAR and PORSCHE return to the ledge above the Hall of Rites. A MONK PRIEST steps forward, addresses the crowd, silencing them. The other monks move back carrying their smoking cleansing bags.)
MONK #1
One among us hez consented to enter the rite, doncha'-know. She will attempt to pess within that we not lose the strength of our Reverend Mother, eh?
PORSCHE
(Inner voice:) What if she should fail?
(The monk brings the jug close to JEZEBEL.)
MONK #1
Smoke!
(JEZEBEL smokes.)
JEZEBEL
(Inner voice:) Whew! Totally tastes like ass! The ultimate awareness spectrum narcotic. I must transform the poison configuration within my body... the green must be made clean.
(She inhales deeply. Her body contorts and spasms violently. She cries and pounds her chest, holding it in. The Reverend Mother cries and pounds her own chest right along with her.)
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(We see JEZEBEL sitting, shoulders tight and spasming -- straining, her eyelids half-closed and flickering.)
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(The old Reverend Mother slowly extends a hand toward JEZEBEL'S shoulder.)
JEZEBEL - MENTAL IMAGE
(Inside JEZEBEL, we see the Reverend Mother's hand descend through the dark void. Shimmering water starts to ripple, lightly stirring an image of JEZEBEL. As the hand penetrates, something deep within her starts to glow. It is a fetus, a female. The Reverend Mother's hand flinches as it touches the fetus. The fetus sparks to life - screaming and rapidly spasming upwards on its umbilical cord.)
INT. WOOD LEDGE - WALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
REVEREND MOTHER PALIN VON ROLLO V.O.
(Whispering urgently into JEZEBEL'S ear:) Uff-da! You should have told us, eh!?!
JEZEBEL'S MENTAL IMAGE - FETUS
REVEREND MOTHER ROLLO V.O. (Cont'd)
(Gasping:) Uff-da! Great Mother! This changes both, doncha'-know! U-betcha! What have we done, eh?
INT. THE TUNNEL - NIGHT
(JEZEBEL and the fetus rush mentally through a dark strangely worm-like tunnel until suddenly, a gaping black hole appears. A horrible wind, sparks and circles of expanding light issues from it.)
JEZEBEL (V.O)
(Inner voice, fearful:) No! This is the place where we cannot look, the weed we dare not toke! The place only for the eyes of the Nick-knack-paddy-whack.
CU: THE FETUS
(The fetus twists down the tunnel to join JEZEBEL, her umbilical cord trailing behind. She screams as she looks into the hole.)
MS: THE NAVIGATOR
(She and JEZEBEL see a shape moving deep within the windy hole. It is a Boston Third Stage Navigator, roaring.)
JEZEBEL (V.O.)
What is this?... Is this what over-stones the men who enter here?
(She quickly takes the fetus back up the tunnel. As they move:)
JEZEBEL V.O. (Cont'd)
(Inner voice:) Now my daughter and I are both Reverend Mothers.
REVEREND MOTHER PALIN VON ROLLO (V.O.)
(Distant:) I've been a long time waiting for you, doncha'-know. Here is my life, eh?
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(The old Reverend Mother slumps forward onto the wood planks, dead. The crowd waits. The corpse is tenderly removed. JEZEBEL very slowly opens her eyes and looks about her. The monk holds the bong to her lips.)
MONK
Change it that we may all smoke of it, eh?
(JEZEBEL blows white smoke into the mouthpiece. The monk swirls the bong, sniffs at the mouthpiece and then tokes.)
MONK (Cont'd)
(Light green smoke:) It is changed, doncha'-know!
PORSCHE
(Inner voice:) She did it!
INT. HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(The Brew-men suddenly turn their attention to PORSCHE.... They whisper "It is the prophecy!" They soon begin to chant... "Poop-A-Doob.... Poop-A-Doob" over and over again. The chanting sounds fill the hall along with the ghostly wind organ.)
INT. HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(Down below, the crowds continue chanting "Poop-A-Doob, Poop-A-Doob.")
INT. WOOD LEDGE - HALL OF RITES - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(PORSCHE continues to stare at STONI. He moves to her. STONI turns. PORSCHE is at her side. Their eyes meet and lock.)
STONI
(Whispering:) Come with me, eh?
INT. PASSAGEWAY ON WOOD LEDGE - TREE SABRE - NIGHT
(At the end of the dark black corridor, STONI turns and she and PORSCHE fall together in a long kiss filled with love.)
PORSCHE
Stoni.... I love you... I've always loved you....
FTB