Scene 2.05 - Time After Time
EST: EXT. Warship Eliza, Docking Bay 42 - Night.
MS: INT. Eliza
(AZALEA 1, VERNE and company are on the bridge, lit with an eerie green glow. A still-framed VERNE sits in his captain’s chair, hitting the magic button, frozen in time.)
VERNE
It’s you.
VERNE 1
Yes. That’s the real accident. We were thrown into a time-loop during the terraformation and were all awakened by the ship. I foolishly used the green-room to solve it, all of us did. Every Verne in over fifteen billion parallel worlds used the green-room and was thrown into another lane of space and time. Every Verne except you, Zero. Instead, you were busy using the red room to save Azalea, a situation all of us considered hopeless and chose to ignore. Your exception allowed us to make an extension of our green room here, and eventually solve this paradox.
VERNE
Fifteen billion ships. It must have taken eons-
VERNE 1
You can’t imagine it. We’ve reassimilated the entire crew. One by one, we’ve got them all, and now we’re the only ones left here. Azalea and I must go.
VERNE
Go?
VERNE 1
To one, final rotation. Another million years; a matter of moments to you. Eventually, we’ll be free of the conundrum, and able to travel to your time and space at will, but for now, we cannot go there, we are limited to this. It would shatter The Universe if we imposed ourselves.
VERNE
This is along the lines of a theory I had at first, except the scale is wrong, and there's the time-barrier; the glove doesn't fit. What about your universe? Can’t you go back there?
AZALEA 1
Yes, we plan to, but our bodies won’t be there for us. We will discorporate for a fleeting second, and then-
VERNE 1
Once we go back, you will be all that will remain here, Zero. Just you and your crew.
VERNE
What is my paradox?
VERNE 1
It all depends on what you choose to do now.
AZALEA 1
Join me, Zero. Come back with me. Evolve with me in the blink of an eye.
VERNE
No, stay, and evolve with me, naturally.
VERNE 1
You could join us, but she can’t join you. One moment after we leave here, time will resume its former shape, and her body will be long gone and we will have evolved even farther, perhaps like gods bathed in light, perhaps something else entirely. It’s already begun in me, it's only a matter of time for her. Look at my true form, Zero. See how I have evolved.
(VERNE 1'S form is changed and is obviously making plans for his next reincarnation as a butterfly. He is dressed in a gray choir gown and his skull is huge with big, pulsating veins, terminating atop his head and stemming from the butt-cheek-looking back of his neck. He looks just like a Talosian from Star Trek: The Menagerie.)
VERNE
Whoa! Too much information! (He turns his head, throws up his hands and gestures a pushing-away movement:) Egads! That’s how we turn out?
AZALEA 1
(Happy, steps up to VERNE:) Not everybody does. Want to see what I really look like?
VERNE
No! You just stay lookin’ just like you are. (He cups his hand gently on the side of her head:) Let’s not mess up a good thing, sweetie.
(They move back to the turbolift and proceed out of the ship. We get a cool tour.)
VERNE 1
When we return to the moment of the accident, it will be as if we were never here. Everything will be put back into place. To you, it shall be but a moment, no longer. To us, an infinity. Everything you see around you will age billions upon billions of years in a single moment and will become nothing more than a cosmic spark, until a ball of dark matter reclaims it, to bring it back home.
VERNE
Home?
VERNE 1
(He smiles. His wide pupils stare from darkened, marginally-lit eyes:) To Oblivion.
VERNE
Heaven help me if I become so pessimistic.
(They walk down a hall toward the ground level exit.)
AZALEA 1
Oh Zero, you are the best. I will surely miss you forever. It won’t be long now before we have to go back. Kiss me.
VERNE
(He pecks her and embraces her closely.) What then?
VERNE 1
Another final rotation, where each of us shall be a step closer to our true evolution, our true powers.
VERNE
Is this what you want?
AZALEA 1
It’s not a question of desire. It’s what I must do. What we all must do. I've begun walking this path, I cannot turn back now. You have a choice; do as you will.
VERNE 1
Join us and evolve with us, or stay behind, fix your ship, and help your crew.
VERNE
(He releases AZALEA 1 from embrace, turns to VERNE 1:) My ship?
VERNE 1
Yes. Soon, they’ll have plenty of time to sort out their problems.
VERNE
(He palms VERNE 1'S ears and grabs him by the butt-cheecks on the back of his head and pulls him in close, face-to-face:) You inhuman, ill-bred, bag of bones, what have you done to my ship!? My crew? Tell me!
VERNE 1
(Calm:) Hmmmph, violent behavior noted... I see your dilemma, but the fire in your eyes tolls concern for your crew, not for the affairs of your heart. You’ve decided already, as I have predicted. (VERNE releases him:) Typical response. You will leave us. Say good-bye to Azalea, Captain.
VERNE
(He suddenly turns toward her:) Azalea, I want to go back with you-
AZALEA 1
I know you do, but you won’t.
VERNE
Why can’t you stay? Don’t go back-
AZALEA 1
It’s too late, I made my choice, long ago. I must go back, I must. There's no way to continue here, I'm trapped in another world, a world... long ago.
VERNE 1
Her body will be dust a moment from now, and we all will return. As they say out here on the terrain, tomorrow never happens, it’s all the same ... day, man. Get it while you can.
(VERNE 1 turns around like a chaperone, intentionally distracting himself, veins pulsating and all. VERNE and AZALEA walk-out-of the ship, and kiss again. After a few moments-)
MUSIC: Some 60s-sounding-free-love trash, then a sustained note, then more of it
VERNE
I love you, Azalea.
AZALEA 1
I love you too, Zero.
VERNE 1
(From the door of the ship, exiting.) We must go back, Azalea. Your body is waiting to be revived again. Zero, it’s been very enlightening to meet you. I, too, wish you would go back with us, but I know you. I once was you. Your devotion to your ship and crew will take you back to them.
AZALEA 1
I’ll always be here, Zero, waiting for you.
VERNE
Stay just another minute-
AZALEA 1
I can’t, I must go back. Then I’ll just be a thought, a dream. A spark of life. No limitations, no death. Nothing keeping me from you. I love you, Zero. I love you because you always keep your promises.
(She kisses him.)
VERNE
I never make one I can’t keep.
AZALEA 1
You still have time to change your mind... If you want to be immortal with me, join me. We’ll be as one. Forever. I can take you with me.
VERNE
I want to-
AZALEA 1
I know you do. If you- kiss me again, and I'll take you. Kiss me now.
(VERNE moves to kiss her just as he is about to, AZALEA 1 vanishes in a wisp of fine white powder that looks like grey smoke, along with VERNE 1. The air rushes from VERNE, he exhales and groans a little and kneels, then sits on the ground, breathing heavily. He slows his breathing and looks up. All evidence of the complex quickly dissolves around him, leaving only his two original spacecraft, unaffected by the time disturbances. The walls turn to ash and dissolve completely to fine powder, coating him lightly, like snowfall from a hundred-thousand tiny snow-globes. He slowly stands and walks across the breezy, dusty-grey courtyard toward The Archimedes, a few hundred yards away, indifferent to the dust on his uniform. Distant thunder is heard and it starts to rain on a vast terrain as barren as a California movie-studio ranch.)
MUSIC: The second long, sustained note dies off.
LS: VERNE walking to his ship, in very, very low spirits.
FTB