INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Niven watches the analysis of the sample on the science station monitor from his couch.

The data set is incomplete.

Niven closes his eyes to think.

He opens them, struggling to pull the auto-doc off.

It falls to the floor once again.

OMNI: “What are you doing?!”

NIVEN (trying to get up): “I heard Clarke. She’s going to restart the node.”

He collapses hard onto the floor.

NIVEN: “Gotta stop her… If she uploads the patch, it’ll spread through the system. We’ll never stop it.”

OMNI: “Kyle, I insist you return to bed!”

NIVEN: “No! Get rid of it. Gimme my bench.”

Niven pulls himself across the floor, dragging his numb legs.

OMNI: “The nano-procedure is only eighteen percent complete. You–”

NIVEN (interrupting): “This is more important, pal.”

Omni gives in to his friend. He removes the bed and deploys a stool and keyboard at the science station for Niven’s task.

Niven reaches the station. With a pained face, he grabs the seat as leverage, hauling himself halfway up.

NIVEN: “The geoglyph isn’t life as we know it… But… It’s alive.”

Niven manages his way into the seat and orients himself.

OMNI: “I agree.”

NIVEN: “We need proof.”

Niven starts tapping on the keyboard.

NIVEN: “It’s made of copper and iridium.”

OMNI: “Same as me. Same as any quantum computer.”

[beat.]

OMNI: “Yet, this one appears to be self- organized. Perhaps even self-aware.”

NIVEN: “And we were planning to build cities out of it.”

OMNI: “Regardless, I seriously doubt Astronaut Clarke will alter her course of action.”

NIVEN: “This is the greatest discovery in the history of science!”

OMNI: “Do you think she cares about that?”

NIVEN: “Actually, yes. She’s a friggin’ astronaut. Of course she cares!”

Niven: (weakening) “But, right now, she’s only thinking about the mission.”

Niven collapses against the station. His gyroscope falls.

OMNI: “Kyle!”

NIVEN: “I… I’m okay.”

Niven pulls himself together with determination.

NIVEN: “Call them back.”

OMNI: “Already on it.”

The ship’s radio crackles to life. Only static is heard.

OMNI: “The flare has jammed communications.”

NIVEN: “Shit.”

OMNI: “According to my calculations, you’re rapidly approaching the point of no return. You have to make a decision.”

NIVEN: (on the verge of tears) “I already have.”

He turns back to the science station to continue his work.

DISSOLVE TO:

She stands at the edge of the of the shadows cast by the rim of the crater, the soil-core is in her hands. Baxter takes the sample container filled with geoglyph material and slowly edges it into the reddish sunlight.

[Close up of the geophyph sample from Baxter’s point of view.]

The seemingly-inert crystalline material begins to MOVE and EXPAND slightly when exposed to the radioactive glare.

[Baxter watches the alien substance grow with horrified fascination.]

Amazed, she pulls it back into the dark where it immediately REFREEZES, as if it were always a simple, lifeless rock.

[Keeping the soil-core firmly within the shadow, Baxter takes a long look at it before heading back.]

EXT. CRATER

A dejected Clarke sits on top of the TerraCat, staring at the floor of the crater. Baxter walks back from the sunlight.

BAXTER: “It’s only active in sunlight. Which must be why it only on this side of the planet.”

Baxter leans the soil-core against one of the tires.

CLARKE: “This place is so bizarre.”

BAXTER: (leaning back, pained) “Just like Sandra said it would be.”

CLARKE: “Sandra?”

BAXTER: “My wife.”

CLARKE: “I didn’t know you were married.”

BAXTER: “Why would you?”

CLARKE: “Guess I wouldn’t. She on the ship?”

BAXTER: “No. Stayed on Earth.”

CLARKE: “Why?”

BAXTER: “She was afraid of hibernation. Thought she’d never wake up.” (sighs) “The idea freaked her out.”

[Stirring from her perch, Clarke prepares to disembark from the top of the rover.]

Clarke slides down and jumps off the rover.

BAXTER: “And I couldn’t leave my team. The shield was way too important.”

BAXTER: (holding back tears) “If I’m truly honest, I was tired. I didn’t want to put up with anything anymore. Her fears. The Earth. Anything.” (bitter) “We had to say goodbye.”

CLARKE: “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”

BAXTER: “Don’t be. We did what we had to do. She has to be long dead now anyway.” (pulling herself together) “What about you?”

CLARKE: “Me?”

BAXTER: “You must have someone on that ship.”

CLARKE: “No. No time. I have the mission. That’s enough for now.”

[The pair fall silent and Baxter looks away, ruminating on Clarke’s attitude.]

The tone for the radio chimes into their O2 masks. The TerraCat speaks.

TERRACAT: “Attention, Astronaut Clarke. You are receiving an encrypted X-Band transmission.”

CLARKE: (shocked) “I am?!”

BAXTER: “X-band? That can’t be from Omni.”

CLARKE: “No… it can’t.”

[Wasting no further time, Clarke hops into the TerraCat. Baxter grabs the soil-core.]

[Holding the bulky soil-core, Baxter hauls herself into the TerraCat after Clarke. The rover’s doors whoosh closed behind her.]

INT. TERRACAT – MOMENTS LATER

A side monitor in the repressurized passenger section flares to life. Static obscures an incoming message.

Baxter waits as Clarke fiddles with the adjacent instrument panel, inputting a security code. Both women have removed their masks.

The static-filled screen reveals the Colony One mission patch which then jumps to an image of Captain Bova.

BOVA: “Darcy, I hope you’re receiving this. We ‘suped up’ the signal to cut through the radiation.”

Clarke smiles subtly at the sight of her adopted father.

BOVA: “If you’re reading me, you need to know that the, uh… problems… are getting worse. Much worse.”

Baxter glances at Clarke whose demeanor has quickly changed.

BOVA: (ON SCREEN) “We have to push up the timetable. We have days instead of weeks. The Popsicles are thawing as we speak. So, please tell me you got that shield up and running.”

Clarke looks at Baxter in anger. They can’t delay further.

BOVA: “We’ll be nearing orbit by eighteen-thirty hours tomorrow. You should be able to send me a transmission by then. I’ll be in range to receive it.”

BOVA: (smiles sadly) “Love you, peanut.”(determined) “See you soon.”

The transmission ends. Clarke sits in stunned silence. Baxter catches her attention.

BAXTER: “You gonna tell me now?”

CLARKE: (relenting) “Colony One is dying.”

BAXTER: “Since when?!”

CLARKE: “Since we left the Solar System. We took some serious micro-meteor hits in the Oort Cloud.”

BAXTER: “Comets are a bitch.”

CLARKE: “Yeah, well. She’s done.”

Baxter puts a parental hand on Clarke’s shoulder.

BAXTER: “I’m sorry, kiddo. You should have told me.”

CLARKE: (sharply) “Why? I don’t even know you.”

Offended, Baxter withdraws her hand. Before she can respond, Omni’s voice is heard over the radio.

OMNI: (COMM VOICE) “AeroFox to TerraCat. Do you read?”

CLARKE: “We’re receiving, AeroFox. If you’re calling about the message from Colony One, I got it.”

OMNI (COMM VOICE): “I’m not. I’m actually calling regarding Kyle.”

BAXTER: “Kyle? What’s wrong?!”

OMNI: (COMM VOICE) “He refused treatment and is non-responsive.”

Baxter shares a concerned exchange with Clarke then springs into action.

BAXTER: “We’re on our way.”

Baxter hops into the driver’s seat and powers up systems.

CLARKE: “TerraCat, at current rad-levels, how long until lethal exposure?”

TERRACAT: “Approximately forty-five minutes.”

Baxter (looking at Clarke): “It’ll take nearly hour to get back.”

Fearful, yet determined, Baxter grabs the wheel.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter swerves to avoid a boulder.

Clarke checks their rad-detectors. She closes her eyes after a brief bout of nausea.

CLARKE: “I’m not sure if I’m sick from radiation or your driving.”

BAXTER: “Probably a little of both.”

Up ahead, the beacon of the AeroFox flashes on the horizon.