Scene 3.15 - Paradise By The Dashboard Light
EST: EXT. Eliza, shoreline - Early Afternoon
LS: Three men walking on grass, among reeds
(The men are walking from the ship. WELLS is in a slick, spy outfit with a medical symbol stamped into the cool, blue-rivet-studded leather jacket that carries his med kit. He breathes from a super-cool mask and has mirrored-blue, darkened, wrap-around shades molded to his pre-formed, latex mask. SIMAK is in a molded, futuristic military armament that is camoflagued perfectly to the alien landscape, except his mask is less-rounded and his glasses are mirrored-amber. CLARKE is still in his darker-than-day-glo-orange suit with a slightly-less ludicrous helmet, except, with the helmet, now he looks more like the Sta’-Puf Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. His chest still lights up when he speaks, as does WELLS’ stream-lined mask in dark blue, and SIMAK’S amber, mask-vent also lights dimly when SIMAK has something to say. All masks occasionally fill with smoke.)
CLARKE
We must be cautious. Even the most benign form of life on Earth may have evolved into a monstrosity here. See how the very blades of this grass secrete an acidic compound?
CU: Smoking soles of feet.
SIMAK
Aye, it would seem like this Garden of Eden is more like a Paradise Lost.
WELLS
Look! A ship!
(The saucer part of the water-slider is on land, the rest in the lagoon, just outside of The Eliza. They haven’t gotten very far at all. WELLS and the others get aboard, inspect it and eventually CLARKE steps off, and so does SIMAK. A drug-saturated WELLS is still staring at all the flashing lights and swirling holograms on the dash-board of the saucer, mesmerized.)
SIMAK
Aye, she’s got our markings, but I’ve never-a seen nothing like-a that!
(Gets down and steps back to observe her dimensions and engineering aspects.)
CLARKE
Captain Verne said he was sending Lady Azalea to meet us. This must be an advanced mode of transport. (Sees keys in ignition.) Typical, she left it running. It is operating even now.
(Gets down and starts looking at the hull, feeling for the gentle, cold-fusion hum.)
WELLS
Man, the lights on this dash-board are all crazy! It’s like the whole world is like blinking a message to me, telling me, like, the planet’s like, rotating. Like, even the compass has gone nuts, man.
SIMAK
Better come on back down, Doctor, there’s no tellin’ what that’s all about up there.
WELLS
Well, this button’s arrow seems to be matching a course to where the compass is pointing. Which probably means if it was pushed-
SIMAK
Dr. Wells, no!
(He pushes it, the ship roars to life and suddenly backs out, WELLS falls and bonks his head on the dashboard, hitting several buttons at once and knocking himself unconscious. The ship knocks CLARKE away, turns and blasts away to the horizon, thoroughly soaking the two men left behind on shore.)
CLARKE
Mr. Simak, once we have found Ensign Asimov, we will return to the ship and track Dr. Wells in The Eliza.
SIMAK
I should-a known the doctor was losing his head. He kept talking about burning his draft-card and fleeing to Canada. I should-a known something was up when he said the paradox was created by Washington just to cover up a Republican tax-break to big businesses. Aye, when a man gets that liberal, you know he’s on something.
CLARKE
Yes, the quartrazine must have affected him more than I initially thought. It is unfortunate that this malady should befall the one man who would know how to remedy it, my medical knowledge is limited. This makes it even more important that we drive on and find Ensign Asimov so we can retreive the doctor before Captain Verne returns to the ship. Two leftist, paranoid officers left without a chaperone can’t be good for anyone.
SIMAK
About Mr. Asimov, think we’ll find the laddie out here, sir?
CLARKE
A logical path would be... this way, where we came from, where the tail section must have fallen. We’ll find him, Mr. Simak, there are many possibilities, but one thing is certain; Ensign Asimov is out there!
SIMAK
Heh! I’ll say.
CLARKE
(Extending an arm to the direction they’re going, right side of frame.) I mean, he’s somewhere in that direction!
PAN LEFT:
TRUCK LEFT:
KEEP ROLLING