INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

FADE IN:

From darkness, the lights and sounds of a claustrophobic,
high-tech spacecraft fade into view. The POV of a groggy
TANYA BAXTER — a 50-something, systems engineer — clears as
she slowly awakens and takes in her surroundings.

Baxter slowly becomes aware that she’s strapped into a padded
crash couch. She fights to focus her vision as the rich voice
of OMNI, the ship’s computer, fills the cabin with authority.

OMNI
Two minutes to launch window. All
systems nominal.

Baxter looks through the window above her instrument-laden
console. Outside, a metallic surface obscures the view. It’s
emblazoned with a mission patch similar to those of NASA’s
Apollo-era. The graphic says: COLONY ONE – PROXIMA B – 2185.

Slowly turning her head, Baxter notices the two other
occupants of the futuristic cockpit — a youthful woman who
sits at a pilot’s station sixty degrees away from her and a
slightly-older young man who drifts by her side holding a
medical SCANNER. He passes it over her torso. Both astronauts
are dressed in the same, sleek gray and gold flight-suit.

OMNI (CONT’D)
Tank pressurization complete.

While featuring a color scheme similar to the other uniforms,
Baxter’s close-fitting unitard is quite different. The suit
is adorned with a large medical display on the chest and
muscle-stimulating electrodes placed across the body.

The individual floating by her side, KYLE NIVEN, is a 30-year
old medical tech. Bright-eyed and sheepish, Niven flashes
Baxter a warm grin. She barely comprehends his presence.

NIVEN
Doing okay, Ms. Baxter?

BAXTER
Am I supposed to be?

NIVEN
(smiling sadly)
Probably not.

BAXTER
Dude…
(coughing)
I never signed up to be thawed out
like this. We’re supposed to have
seven days. You gave me about seven
minutes.

Niven shuts down the scanner, placing it on his belt. From
beside it, he retrieves and opens a DISC filled with GLOBES
OF WATER. He plucks one, allowing it float as he closes the
container. Niven snags the globule, offering it to Baxter.

NIVEN
Thirsty?

BAXTER
What do you think?

Baxter opens her mouth as Niven taps the sphere toward her.

NIVEN
You know, aside from rebuilding
your muscles, that suit is supposed
to give you fluids as well.

Baxter chews the soft, edible outer shell of the sphere,
gulping the water within.

BAXTER
(talking with mouth full)
Well, it ain’t giving enough…

OMNI
Launch window has begun. We have
five minutes, fourteen seconds.

Niven pats Baxter on the shoulder.

NIVEN
Don’t worry. This’ll be quick.
(smiles)
Then, we’ll get you back to the
ship for some rest before the real
fun begins.

BAXTER
I’ll hold you to that.

As Niven descends to the lower section to return the scanner,
a frustrated female VOICE can be heard off-screen.

VOICE
We’ve been over this, like, four
times. I get it. Right now, you
need to let me focus.

Baxter looks beyond Niven toward a serious DARCY CLARKE — a
shuttle pilot in her 20’s. She grasps a joystick firmly in
one hand while confidently pressing buttons on her console
with the other. On her monitor is the bearded and tired-eyed
image of her father — the 60-something CAPTAIN PAUL CLARKE.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Yeah, but… It’s gonna be a rough
six days. Hell of a first mission.

CLARKE
Just stop! It’s under control.

Overhearing the chat, Baxter catches Niven’s attention. She
angrily mouths, ‘Six days?’. He smiles weakly and shrugs.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Wouldn’t be so sure, peanut. You
only get one shot at making orbit.
There’s no room for error.

CLARKE
I’m not worried about the burn. I’m
worried about the mission.

Clarke intersperses her launch prep with a concerned glance
in Baxter’s direction.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Baxter will get the shield up and
running in time. She has to. You
know what happens if we fail.

Clarke looks over at Niven and the sickly Baxter.

CLARKE
I do. But, if anyone can keep
Colony One together for another
week, it’s you.

Niven stows his equipment at a dispensary in the wall.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Between us, I just got some bad
news from the comms team.
(taps a button off-screen)
On the final orbit, the ship is
going to pass so close to the star
that the radiation will disrupt all
communications. We won’t be able to
talk to the shield — or to you.
(solemnly)
Which means you and I were right to
launch this repair mission.

As Niven takes his seat, Baxter stirs uncomfortably. Clarke
glances at a chronometer on her station. Nearby it is affixed
a trading card with the image a huge Easter Island statue.

CLARKE
Dad. It’ll be okay.
(impatiently)
The launch window’s closing.

The Captain takes a moment to praise his daughter.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Your mother would have been very
proud of you. I hope you know that.

Clarke fights to restrain her emotions with the reference.

CLARKE
I do…
(back to business)
Systems green across the board.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Hold up, Darcy. Someone else here
wants to say goodbye.

DYLAN, a handsome, 20-something man steps into frame. He
shares a wistful smile and gestures toward the Captain.

DYLAN (ON MONITOR)
I still say he’s sending the wrong
pilot.

A loving gleam fills Clarke’s eye. She retorts playfully.

CLARKE
Sorry. Top of the totem gets first
dibs.

DYLAN (ON MONITOR)
Nah, you don’t understand. You’re
our leader. Too important to lose.
Especially now.

CLARKE
Luckily, the team has you if
anything goes wrong.

Dylan laughs to cover his sadness.

DYLAN (ON MONITOR)
(covering his concern)
Just make sure it doesn’t. Good
luck, babe.

CLARKE
Luck is not a factor.
(lovingly, embarrassed)
Now, get outta here.

Dylan mouths a covert ‘I love you’. Clarke kisses her fingers
and touches the screen. Dylan smiles and exits the frame. The
Captain returns.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
One more thing… You’ll be the
first to see Proxima B up close.
When you reach orbit, I need you to
confirm the richest vein of copper.

Niven plays with a tiny, antique GYROSCOPE — vintage 1900s —
that floats in front of his face. He snags it out of the air.

CLARKE
Will do. We can use it to target
the first mining op as soon as the
colonists are down.

The Captain taps his temple signaling they’re in synch.

CAPTAIN
Great minds.

CLARKE
Permission to disembark, Captain?

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Roger, AeroFox Two. You’re cleared
for launch.

CLARKE
Copy that, Colony One.
(to the crew)
Separation on my mark.

Baxter grabs her safety harness and steels herself.

BAXTER
(muttering)
Goddamn it…

She shoots a glance toward Niven. The young man gives her a
thumbs up. Clarke holds her finger above a flashing button.

CLARKE
Disconnect in three, two, one.

EXT. COLONY ONE, DOCKING AREA

The AEROFOX — a sleek, conical-shaped spacecraft — ejects
from its berth on the central shaft of the larger vessel. The
vehicle fires its maneuvering thrusters and moves away.

EXT. SPACE, NEAR COLONY ONE

The ten-meter-long AeroFox is tiny compared to its kilometer
long mothership. The COLONY ONE Interstellar Transport
resembles a giant barbell comprised of two massive, shielded
hemispheres connected via a long and highly-detailed spine.
The AeroFox becomes a dot slowly lost in the background.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Clarke activates a series of commands.

CLARKE
Initiating deceleration burn.
(to Baxter and Niven)
Hang on. This is gonna suck.

Baxter squeezes her eyes shut while Niven tensely clutches
his gyroscope. The craft trembles violently. The sound of
engines roars through the cabin.

EXT. SPACE, NEAR AEROFOX AND COLONY ONE

A brilliant plume of exhaust lances outward from the
AeroFox’s tail. The ship slows noticeably as Colony One pulls
away — the distance between the two vehicles grows quickly.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT / EXT. SPACE, NEAR AEROFOX

The rumbling continues for what seems like an eternity. All
three crew members hold on for their lives. Straining against
the acceleration, Clarke reaches for a flashing red button on
her console.

CLARKE
Main engine cut off in three…
Two… One… Mark!

She presses a button on her joystick. The vibrations stop.

Outside, the AeroFox’s main engines cut out. Thrusters fire
to correct its course. The ship jets by in a graceful arc.

Back inside, a graphic indicates that the FAST-PACKS —
external fuel tanks — are empty.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
External tank separation… Now.

Clarke taps additional buttons on her console. The lights on
her monitor blink green in confirmation.

Outside, the tanks are discharged from the AeroFox. As they
clear the vehicle, windows into the cockpit are revealed.

EXT. SPACE, NEAR AEROFOX

Small jets fire on the fast packs, pushing them away.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Inside, the view from each of the three windows abruptly
clears revealing the awesome red glow of Proxima Centauri.
The three astronauts squint in the bright light.

OMNI
Separation complete.

Baxter watches as the fast packs dwindle in the distance.

BAXTER
Only been here five minutes and
we’re already dumping garbage.

Clarke overhears Baxter and responds facetiously.

CLARKE
They’re designed to be retrieved.

BAXTER
Yeah? But, will we?

Clarke ignores her. Her forward display indicates a long,
curving orbital path. She reestablishes radio contact.

CLARKE
Colony One, insertion burn nominal.
On course for Proxima B.

CAPTAIN (ON MONITOR)
Copy, AeroFox Two. See you soon.

CLARKE
Roger, Colony One. AeroFox Two out.

EXT. SPACE

The AeroFox leaves Colony One behind. Up ahead, the crescent
of a large, rocky planet can be seen. In the distance beyond
is the flaming orb and solar prominences of a red dwarf star.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT – EXT. SPACE

Clarke powers-down various flight systems. Her monitor shows
a graphic of the ship’s safe trajectory into orbit. She blows
a sigh of relief, then checks on her colleagues.

CLARKE
Everyone okay?

NIVEN
Still in one piece.

BAXTER
Let’s not do that again.

CLARKE
(surveying systems)
I can’t promise you that.

Baxter shifts uncomfortably. She wants answers.

BAXTER
(coughing)
Now that we got that out of the
way, what am I doing here?

CLARKE
We woke you before the other
colonists because you’re listed as
a leading member of the radiation
shield team.

BAXTER
‘Leading member’? I seem to recall
designing the damned thing.

Niven senses a growing tension and attempts to smooth things.

NIVEN
Which is why you were chosen. You
have the expertise to fix it.

BAXTER
What the hell’s wrong with it?

CLARKE
Omni, let me out.

Clarke’s chair moves away from her controls.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Reconfigure Baxter for the mission
briefing and begin playback.

OMNI
Certainly.

Baxter’s seat slides backward as well. Clarke removes her
restraints, exits, and drifts upward.

The screen above the science station reveals the seasoned and
handsome face of 50-something LANDON MURDOCH.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)
Hello, Tanya. I’m Colony
Administrator Landon Murdoch. We
met briefly during training all
those years ago.

Baxter inadvertently speaks to the video of Murdoch.

BAXTER
Yeah, man. You’re looking pretty
good for a hundred and five.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)
I understand how difficult this
must be. The crew woke me a few
weeks ago due to this very issue.
Took a while to get on my feet.
(smiling sympathetically)
I’m recording this while you’re
being prepped for the flight to
Proxima B. We have a serious
problem and we need your help.

Murdoch taps a button to engage a graphic animation which
replaces him on-screen. It shows a network of nodes spread
out across the face of a brownish-auburn planet.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)(CONT’D)
The issue is with your radiation
shield. Colony One sent the power
up signal two months ago when we
entered the Alpha Centauri system.
By now, the V-L-F field should have
been strong enough to protect the
sunward face of the planet from the
red dwarf’s radiation.

In the midst of listening, Niven looks up to see the red
dwarf star though the window.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)(CONT’D)
Unfortunately, it’s not. The system
appears to be active, but the nodes
aren’t radiating properly.

BAXTER
Weird.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)
We’ve tried for weeks. We can’t fix
it. The bottom line — I need you
to troubleshoot. Do what it takes
to get that shield online.
(with empathy)
Colony One is going to be out of
range soon. We don’t have time to
wake your team and get them up to
speed. You’re on your own.

Baxter is taken aback by the gravity of the situation.

MURDOCH (ON SCREEN)(CONT’D)
I’ve got twenty thousand people up
here counting on you. The U-N and
Heliospheric Industries spent
trillions on this mission.
(with an assuring smile)
No shield. No colony. Proxima B is
our foothold for human expansion
into the galaxy. Don’t let me down.

Murdoch’s message ends and is replaced by an Omni graphic.

BAXTER
(overwhelmed)
Well… No pressure there.

EXT – Seen from outside, the AeroFox is a tiny speck as it
approaches the crescent of Proxima B.

INT – Baxter ponders things. Niven waits for her assessment.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Murdoch’s right.

CLARKE
About what?

BAXTER
I could have used my entire team.
Fifty minds are better than one.

NIVEN
Persephone.

Clarke rolls her eyes.

BAXTER
What?

NIVEN
Mister Murdoch called it Proxima B.
The name’s Persephone.

BAXTER
Persephone?

NIVEN
Yeah. Goddess of the–

BAXTER
(interrupting)
I know my mythology. Who changed
the name?

Clarke interjects, laughing slightly. This is an old topic.

CLARKE
He did! He’s obsessed.

She grabs handholds and makes her way back to her seat.

NIVEN
(to Clarke)
Persephone sounds better than
Proxima B and you know it.

CLARKE
If you say so.

Omni speaks from his illuminated strip on the wall.

OMNI
Actually, the Captain has agreed to
a vote on the new moniker once the
colonists are awakened.

Clarke straps back in.

CLARKE
(to Omni)
So what?

BAXTER
(interrupting)
Uh, guys… Proxima. Persephone. I
could care less either way. Let’s
get to work. Omni, take me back up.
Put the node network on my screen.

OMNI
Of course.

Baxter’s seat moves back to her station. The shield grid pops
up on her monitor.

BAXTER
When we’re in range, we need to
link with the shield grid’s
computer. See if we can pick up
where Colony One left off.

Niven scans the primary Omni interface above his station.

OMNI
I agree. However, if remote
interface is unsuccessful, a
landing may be required for a
direct assessment.

NIVEN
Yeah, buddy, but unfortunately, we
didn’t bring along any of your
mobile units. However…
(to the women, enthused)
We did pack enviro-suits for the
three of us.

BAXTER
Um, yeah. No planet for me.

Baxter fights a new wave of nausea.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
I’m no where near up for gravity.
Barely handling zero-g as it is.

CLARKE
I’m with Baxter. No surface. I’ll
take us to geo-sync and align with
the primary node for link-up.

NIVEN
(bummed)
Fine.

Clarke senses Niven’s disappointment; he slumps in his seat.

CLARKE
Just chill out, Niven. We’ll be
down there soon enough.

Baxter has a sudden coughing fit. Empathetic, Niven slides
his chair out of flight position and unbuckles his seatbelt.
He floats to the cockpit’s lower level and pulls a med-kit
from the wall. Opening it, he grabs a HYPODERMIC dispenser.
He floats up to Baxter and administers a shot to her neck.

NIVEN
This should help with the nausea.

BAXTER
Thanks. They told us this would
happen before we went to sleep.
Didn’t think it would be this bad.

NIVEN
We call it ‘Popsicle Sickness’.
Learned about it during training.

BAXTER
I’m a ‘Popsicle’..?!

NIVEN
The crew was bored.

CLARKE
Fifty years on a spaceship is a
long time.

Baxter surveys them with a pleasant regard.

BAXTER
So, you’re the kids of the hundred
crew members who stayed awake?

NIVEN
They call us ‘Newborns’– me,
Darcy, and thirty others born
during the journey.

BAXTER
I wondered how I ended up with such
a young doctor and pilot.

Clarke is slightly annoyed by her age being noted.

CLARKE
Aside from flying shuttles, I also
help keep the ship operational.

BAXTER
Must be hard to maintain.

CLARKE
You have no idea.

Omni pipes in with urgency.

OMNI
Detecting an X-Class solar flare
eruption emanating from Proxima
Centauri. It will arrive in less
than ten minutes.

CLARKE
How long will it last?

Niven pops the needle onto his belt and heads to his seat.

OMNI
Approximately twenty-eight minutes.
Dangerous exposure within twenty
minutes.

BAXTER
Damn it. They needed to build these
things with better rad-shielding.

OMNI
Since the AeroFox primarily serves
as a lander, it was not designed
for long-duration spaceflight.

NIVEN
If I know Darcy, she has a plan.

CLARKE
Indeed, I do… Strap in. Get ready
for reverse orbit maneuver.

Clarke grabs her joysticks.

BAXTER
I guess this is what you meant by
‘no promises’…

Baxter steels herself.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The AeroFox fires its main engine again. In order to reverse
orbit, as well as slowdown, the ship decelerates while
thrusting sideways. It’s a hard burn — nearly as hard as the
deceleration burn from Colony One.

The blue glow diminishes as the ship dives toward Proxima B.
In the distance, the red dwarf disappears behind the planet.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The cockpit goes dark with the exception of internal lights.

CLARKE
Burn complete. Orbital altitude,
one thousand kilometers.

NIVEN
Nice. We’ll stay in Persephone’s
shadow until the flare passes.

Clarke checks her instruments and shudders uncomfortably.

CLARKE
God…

NIVEN
What?

CLARKE
I’ve never seen anything so black.

EXT – The dark side of Persephone is like a huge black hole
in space, obscuring the bright band of the Milky Way beyond.

INT – Niven points to the window.

NIVEN
They’re still watchin’ us, though.

Clarke strains to see what he’s looking at.

CLARKE
That makes it even more creepy.

BAXTER
Um… Who’s watching us?

NIVEN
Clarke, roll the AeroFox so Ms.
Baxter can check out the ‘eyes’.

CLARKE
Sure.

EXT. AEROFOX

Thrusters fire. In the distance, the twin stars of Alpha
Centauri A and B rotate into view opposite the ebony planet.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter smiles for the first time in the mission.

BAXTER
Wow. Beautiful.

NIVEN
And still super bright considering
how far away they are.

OMNI
Alpha Centauri A and B are now
thirteen-thousand astronomical
units away, or over a trillion–

CLARKE
(interrupting)
Thanks, Omni. We get it.

OMNI
(playful)
Good. There will be a quiz later.

The banter is indicative of a long history together.

CLARKE
Ha. Ha.

Clarke moves her controller to rotate the ship. The view
shifts. She notices flashing on the edge of the planet.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
What is that down there?

NIVEN
Lightning. Endless storms caused by
the temperature variance between
the perpetual day and night.

CLARKE
(slightly unnerved)
Ugh. Storms…

BAXTER
Honestly, from what I’m seeing,
that’s nothing compared to what it
was like when we left Earth. There
were thunderstorms that could cover
half a continent.

The crew grows silent as they observe the maelstrom below.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The red-orange light of Proxima Centauri grows on the horizon
as the AeroFox leaves the night side of the planet.

OMNI (V.O.)
All clear. Radiation levels normal.
The flare has subsided.

The AeroFox fires thrusters and flips into a new orientation.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The cabin is once again illuminated by the auburn light of
Proxima Centauri. An irritable Baxter reviews computer files
on the shield problem. Niven floats free at the ship’s
SCIENCE STATION located in the lower section of the craft. He
stares into the viewing hood of a telescope.

NIVEN
Hey, Ms. Baxter, you have a minute?

BAXTER
(restraining frustration)
Sure, Kyle… What do you need?

NIVEN
Want to see something?

BAXTER
Down there?!

NIVEN
(waving her over)
It’s worth it.

BAXTER
Omni…

OMNI
On it.

Baxter’s chair lowers and she unbuckles reluctantly. As she
drifts down, she grabs a nearby handle before knocking into
the wall. Niven reaches up and pulls her to his side.

NIVEN
Take a look.

Baxter squints into the viewing hood while Niven observes.

BAXTER
What exactly is that?

NIVEN
The reason I wanted to join this
mission — aside from helping you.

BAXTER
They only exist on the day side?

NIVEN
Yep. I’ve dreamt of seeing them up
close all my life.

Clarke looks down with frustration from the pilot’s seat.

CLARKE
What are you guys talking about?!

BAXTER
(turning to Clarke)
The Proxima Patterns.

An excited Niven smiles and flicks a couple of switches.

NIVEN
Geoglyphs, baby…

The sunward-face of Persephone pops up on screens throughout
the craft. The brownish-gray planet is crisscrossed with a
series of dark, straight lines. They stand out against the
arid landscape. Some areas are less prominent than others.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
It’s odd though. It looks like some
of them have changed. Shriveled up.

BAXTER
Wow. I guess you have been studying
them since you were a kid.

NIVEN
Yeah. Enough to know they’ve
altered since the old Starshot
probe. I want to know why.

CLARKE
As long as there’s enough of that
stuff down there for us to build a
civilization, who cares what it
looks like?

NIVEN
We should! Jesus, Darcy. Can we do
a little science before you go
digging up the place?

CLARKE
(facetious)
Why don’t you snap a few geo-scans
for me? That’s science, right?

NIVEN
(not amused)
Sure… I’ll shoot some pics, but
not for you. Those patterns are
more than just mineral deposits.

BAXTER
What do you think they are?

NIVEN
First signs of intelligent life
beyond Earth.

Baxter backs away from the console.

BAXTER
Come on…

Niven toggles the telescope instruments, zooming in.

NIVEN
Look at them. They’re perfect.
There for eons — right next to
shield volcanoes — and somehow
completely free of ash and dust.
What could cause that?

A panel on the wall lights up as Omni joins the discussion.

OMNI
The Phase One landers indicated
they were naturally-occurring
crystalline lattices. They’re in
essence electrostatically-charged
ores of copper and iridium. Thus,
the lack of dust.

CLARKE
I-E — Not aliens!

BAXTER
It is a tidally-locked exo-planet.
Who knows what bizarre geology is
at work?

NIVEN (O.S.)
Come on. They’re like the Nazca
Lines in Peru on a planetary scale!

Clarke turns away from her controls to share her thoughts.

CLARKE
Niven, you know our geology teacher
said they’re somehow connected to
the planet’s volcanism.
(pointing)
They conduct solar radiation via
those veins to magma below the
surface. The eruptions produce
Proxima B’s atmosphere.

Baxter is amazed at the insight. Clarke notes her amusement.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
(raising her hand)
Hey, I paid attention in class.

The exchange is making Niven increasingly livid.

NIVEN
Seriously?! You can’t tell me you
don’t see giant artwork.

BAXTER
There’s no life down there at all
except for the algae we seeded.

NIVEN
I didn’t say anyone lived down
there. Maybe they… stopped by
and… I don’t know… Just did it.

Baxter returns to her seat.

CLARKE
Billions of years ago?

NIVEN
Yeah! Like… cosmic graffiti.

BAXTER
Lowell thought there were canals on
Mars, too. We all know how that
turned out. Omni, take me back.

Baxter begins to rise as Niven refuses to give up.

NIVEN
Guys… From what I’ve read, half
the science team agrees with me.
When they wake up–

CLARKE
(interrupting)
They can join you in your fantasy.

A disappointed Niven gives up. He taps a button to shut off
the telescope feed, and heads back to his seat.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The AeroFox cruises above the geoglyphs. The network of giant
rocky veins loosely resembles geometrically-shaped neurons.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT / EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

Baxter coordinates with Clarke as she activates systems.

BAXTER
Looking good. Hold this orbit.
Omni, establish a computer link
with the primary node.

A schematic of the node rotates on-screen.

OMNI
Link established. Accessing data.

Baxter zooms in to area of flashing red. The code shows
numerous random errors.

BAXTER
What the hell? The subroutines that
regulate power flow are disabled.

CLARKE
How is that possible?

BAXTER
The back-ups are non-functional as
well. We’re talking complete
software failure. I’ll have to re
install the O-S from the archive.

OMNI
While you do that, I will analyze–

Omni suddenly rages with a bizarre outburst.

OMNI (CONT’D)
No… This is not… NO!

NIVEN
Omni! What’s wrong?

OMNI
Pulse… Electromagnetic… Pulse!
Frag… Fragmentation!

The lights of the Omni interface begin flashing randomly.
Instrumentation follows suit — including loud alert tones.
The crew watch in stunned fascination. Then, the main cabin
illumination dims and is replaced with red emergency lights.

NIVEN
Omni? Omni, respond!

Silence. Outside the AeroFox’s exterior lights flash in
Distress Mode. Inside the cabin, with Omni out of order,
Niven pulls a manual release and pushes from his seat. He
drifts to the science station. The computer remains silent.

BAXTER
(to Niven)
What’s going on?!

NIVEN
Omni’s offline. Everything’s gone
except life support!

Without warning, the ship bucks wildly! Niven attempts to
grab a handhold and fails. Above him, Clarke flies into
action, checking her glitchy instrumentation.

CLARKE
What the hell? The thrusters are
firing!

Unable to grab a handle, Niven drifts uncontrollably and
slams into the side of the ship’s lavatory.

EXT – The thrusters fire wildly sending the ship into a spin.

INT – Niven is tossed away from the bulkhead and rammed into
the central column! His painful cry catches Baxter’s
attention. She moves to help.

BAXTER
Kyle!

CLARKE
Stay in your seat!

EXT. AEROFOX

The jets continue to discharge randomly. The ship rolls.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Clarke wrenches on the controls.

CLARKE
I can’t null this out!

Below, Niven clutches his abdomen. Clarke scans her controls
and thinks of a possible solution.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Firing the main engine! Only way to
override the maneuvering systems!

Fighting the spin, Clarke activates the propulsion system.

EXT. AEROFOX

The main engine flares to life. The thrusters cease firing.
The ship shoots forward at an odd angle toward the planet!

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Clarke slowly gains ground against the malfunction.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The AeroFox’s flight pattern smooths out. Yet, its orbit has
clearly shifted as the engines shut down.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT / EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

Clarke checks the ship’s trajectory and blows a quick sigh of
relief. Niven drifts below in pain.

BAXTER
Nice flying, Clarke.
(down to Niven)
You okay?

NIVEN
(clutching his back)
Wow. That hurt…
(up at Baxter)
But, I’m good.

Niven slowly makes his way back to his seat.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
We should try a hard reboot.

CLARKE
Already on it.

Clarke presses buttons on her console. The cabin lights and
instrumentation are restored to their original configuration.

Outside, the ship’s running lights return to normal.

Back inside, Niven looks at the science station with concern.

NIVEN
Where’s Omni?

In a beat, a warning klaxon emanates from Clarke’s console.

CLARKE
Oh, shit…

BAXTER
‘Oh, shit’, what?

CLARKE
Our orbit is decaying. Like,
decaying really fast…

A graphic shows a path that intersects with the surface.

NIVEN
The burn sent us in the wrong
direction. We have to compensate.

CLARKE
Thrusters are offline.

NIVEN
Engage main engines again.
(points to his screen)
Use our trajectory to bounce off
the atmosphere and delay our
descent.

CLARKE
That’s insane!

NIVEN
You have a better idea?

Clarke realizes it’s the only way. She makes the call, and
presses the main engine control. Nothing happens.

CLARKE
The main engine just went offline.

BAXTER
What the hell is going on?

Clarke plays with the control stick. Muffled popping sounds
reverberate through the cabin.

CLARKE
Wait, I just got back limited
thruster control.

NIVEN
If the thrusters are online, we can
get back into orbit.

Clarke looks around, then checks her instruments.

CLARKE
Too late. Reverse orbit burned too
much fuel.

Baxter knows where this is heading. She mutters to herself.

BAXTER
Goddamn it.

CLARKE
I’m flipping us over. Aligning the
heat shield for powered descent.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The maneuvering jets fire on the AeroFox. The craft flips so
its rear faces the surface as it continues its arcing dive.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Clarke is reluctant but driven as she monitors systems.

CLARKE
Atmosphere interface in one minute.

Niven scans for a landing site.

NIVEN
Bring us up two degrees. Angle for
the dark side.

CLARKE
Why?!

NIVEN
Flares! With the shield offline,
it’s the only way to stay out of
the radiation.

CLARKE
Fine! Find us a spot to set down.

NIVEN
I’m looking.

As Clarke tweaks the controls to alter course, Baxter can do
nothing aside from hold on and wait for the inevitable.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ORBIT

The AeroFox slams into the upper atmosphere, leaving the
dayside of the planet behind. The craft creates a trail of
superheated gas in its wake as Proxima Centauri sinks on the
horizon, creating a crimson sunset.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The crew is buffeted as the glow of entry enters the windows.
A loud roar fills the cabin. Niven observes a wireframe
landscape on his monitor, calling out over the cacophony.

NIVEN
Stay on this heading!

Clarke tracks a trajectory on her console.

CLARKE
Got it! She’s right on the line.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ATMOSPHERE – SUNSET

The AeroFox slows as the glow of the heat shield diminishes.
Up ahead, an ominous wall of mountains line the horizon. Just
beyond them, lightning flashes as the terminator storm rages.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The turbulence smooths out. The team breathes a sigh of
relief. Screens indicate they’re almost on the ground.

CLARKE
Retro burn in ten seconds…

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ATMOSPHERE – SUNSET

The ship arcs just above the mountains and enters the
electric maelstrom. It disappears into the black clouds.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Lightning flashes outside the windows. The ship is slammed
even harder than during atmospheric entry.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, ATMOSPHERE

Rockets along the upper section of the AeroFox fire, slowing
the craft even further. Simultaneously, the onslaught of the
storm increases. A huge bolt of lightning strikes the ship!

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Arcs of blue fire jump around the cabin. The startled crew
pull away from their instruments to avoid being electrocuted!
As the sparks fade, internal power fails at the same time.
Wisps of smoke drift where the lightning impacted the most.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – NIGHT

The retros momentarily cease firing. The ship drops rapidly
and skirts the edge of a cliff. A loud scraping is heard as
the lower section is damaged. Metallic debris is left behind
as the retros suddenly kick back in. The craft exits the
storm and straightens its course! A dry valley is up ahead.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Numerous warning sounds fill the space. A fire breaks out
where the lightning struck. Baxter looks down in horror as
smoke fills the cabin.

BAXTER
Hey! We have a fire!

CLARKE
Stay put! We’re almost down!

The screens indicate they are nearing touchdown. Clarke hits
a series of buttons.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Deploying gear. Secure for landing!

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE – NIGHT

Panels open on the base of the AeroFox. Sturdy landing struts
emerge and lock in place. The ship’s rockets blast away dust
as it finally settles on the cracked, alien surface.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Clarke disconnects her restraints. With the ease of a
superhero, she jumps out her seat. She snatches a fire
extinguisher from the wall. Baxter and Niven look on as she
brandishes it like a weapon, dousing the flames. Clarke makes
her way to the science station and hits a switch to shut down
the alarms. Everyone is stunned by the sequence of events.

A bizarre silence fills the cabin, occasionally interrupted
by the sound of howling wind and distant thunder. Clarke
leans back against the console and closes her eyes for a
moment to simply relax and listen. She reopens them and looks
up at Niven. Lightning flashes in the window above him.

CLARKE
Niven, do you have access to
primary flight systems?

Niven scans his station, and throws up his hands.

NIVEN
Barely.

CLARKE
Shut her down.

He flicks a sequence of switches. The whine of engine pumps
can be heard powering down.

NIVEN
Engines off. Drive safe.

The crew can finally take a minute to breathe. Baxter slowly
stirs. She has difficulty raising her arms.

BAXTER
Someone parked a Zamboni on me.

Niven is in a similar boat. He clutches his stomach hard.

NIVEN
It’s… It’s the gravity. About
twelve percent more than Earth.

BAXTER
I know. Someone was supposed to
give my popsicle-ass a couple of
months to train for this crap.

An angry Clarke attempts to run a diagnostic of the AeroFox.

CLARKE
Baxter, I guarantee none of us want
to be here yet either. Disengage
flight mode and get down here.
(to Baxter)
Both of you.

A frustrated Baxter and a shaken Niven trigger their manual
releases. Their chairs disengage and drop to the lower level.

EXT – The AeroFox has settled on a windy plain. Lighting
flashes in the distance.

INT – Clarke stands tall in the high gravity. Baxter observes
with contempt. She rises, placing shaky feet on the floor.

BAXTER
Am I crazy, or did we hit something
on the way down?

NIVEN
You’re not crazy.

CLARKE
Whatever it was knocked the mains
offline. I need a damage
assessment.

NIVEN
Hard to do without a computer.

Niven remains in his seat, clearly in severe pain. His jovial
mood is gone. Through the fog of her fatigue, Baxter notices.

BAXTER
You okay?

Before Niven can answer, Omni’s voice catches them off guard.

OMNI
I’m here… At least part of me is.

Clarke walks to the computer interface. She accesses it.

CLARKE
What happened?

OMNI
Whatever caused the data corruption
in the primary V-L-F node jumped to
my systems during the interface.

NIVEN
And you were tied into everything?

OMNI
Yes. A cascading discharge severely
affected navigation. I apologize
for any inconvenience I may have
caused. I was, however, able to
keep life support online.

Leaning against the bulkhead, Baxter laughs out loud.

BAXTER
We appreciate that.

CLARKE
What did you mean by ‘part of you’?

OMNI
I was forced to bifurcate my C-P-U
between my core memory and
personality interface. I’m able to
speak and share information. I will
attempt to do a full diagnostic.
However, my systems are unreliable.

CLARKE
No problem. Baxter and I will go
outside to check the damage.

BAXTER
I haven’t seen an atmospheric
briefing since before we left. It’s
still mostly C-O-Two, right?

Niven gestures toward a hatch in the floor.

NIVEN
Yeah. But, we packed an enviro-suit
for you in your locker.

BAXTER
Right.
(looking at Niven)
But, before anyone goes E-V-A,
maybe we should–

Clarke has had enough of the discussion.

CLARKE
Come on, Baxter… Suck it up and
quit whining. We have work to do!

A slight, very dark smile spreads across Baxter’s face.

BAXTER
You need to watch your tone, kiddo.
You don’t even know what I was
going to say.

CLARKE
Sorry.

Baxter ignores Clarke and turns to Niven.

BAXTER
I was going to suggest we give you
a once-over with the auto-doc.

Niven rolls to his side, attempting to sit up straight.
Clarke notices the damaged medical station. A black scar cuts
across its face. She walks over to check it out.

CLARKE
Not gonna happen.

Niven stirs in pain, but tries to remain optimistic.

NIVEN
Seriously, guys, I’m fine. I just
got banged around a bit.

Baxter can tell he’s lying, but decides to let it go.

OMNI
I’ve just rerouted primary systems
to the backup power supply.

The lighting returns to normal.

OMNI (CONT’D)
I’m unable to do the diagnostic.
Astronaut Clarke is right. Extra
Vehicular Activity is required.

Clarke touches Niven’s arm.

CLARKE
Can you to stand up?

NIVEN
Sure…

Niven slowly stands.

CLARKE
Omni, return couches to flight.

The chairs quickly rise.

BAXTER
(turning to Clarke)
You’re really dragging me outside?

In the background, Clarke accesses a clear panel in the floor
that contains a sleek spacesuit.

CLARKE
No choice.

Clarke pulls out the suit and places it on the deck and goes
to remove a companion oxygen mask.

BAXTER
(to Niven)
I assume these fancy ‘medical
jammies’ won’t fit under an
envirosuit?

Niven smiles weakly and shakes his head reluctantly. Baxter
bristles. He clutches his side as he moves to assist Baxter.

NIVEN
Let me help you out.

Baxter swivels allowing Niven to unzip the hibernation suit.

EXT. AEROFOX / PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE – NIGHT

A large body of partially frozen water spans the horizon in
the distance. Small patches of ice can be seen near the
landing gear of the AeroFox.

On the side of the vehicle, a door pops open and the ship’s
AIRLOCK deploys like an accordion.

The hatch opens. The two women wear O2 BACKPACKS and HEADGEAR
with clear faceplates. Clarke climbs down first and gives a
tentative look around the area. Baxter watches from above
inside the vestibule.

BAXTER
Hey…
(irritable)
I thought we were in a hurry.

Irritated, Clarke goes down the ladder. She jumps the final
meter, landing hard on the crunchy surface. She clicks on a
flashlight. Climbing out behind her, Baxter slips and falls
the final few rungs. With sympathy, Clarke helps her up.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
One small step for woman, huh?

CLARKE
(smiling weakly)
Pretty much.

Baxter leans on Clarke as they hike a small distance from the
AeroFox. In the far distance, a volcano spews lava and smoke
into the black sky. The wind blows snow flurries around them
in the light of the double stars.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
What is this stuff in the air? Is
it snow?

BAXTER
(looking around)
Maybe? I have no idea. There hasn’t
been snow on Earth for a long time.

Clarke kneels and takes a handful of ice and dust in her
glove. Baxter understands the magnitude of the moment.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Is this how you envisioned it?

CLARKE
(tearing up)
I… I didn’t know what to expect.

Baxter observes with empathy.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
It’s just that I’ve never…

Baxter reaches to touch Clarke’s shoulder, but pulls back.

BAXTER
It’s okay. I get it.

Clarke regains composure, shakes off her emotions and stands.

CLARKE
(standing)
Let’s check out the damage.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

From a wall unit, Niven retrieves the burned med-kit. Its
insides are intact and he removes a portable scanner.

NIVEN
Omni, full recline please.

OMNI
Absolutely.

Niven’s chair extends to a flatter position. He slumps hard.

OMNI (CONT’D)
Are you alright?

NIVEN
We’re about to find out, buddy…

He deploys the scanner and passes it over his abdomen. After
a beat, he reviews the findings via an image of his body. Red
lights flash throughout his midsection.

OMNI
Kyle, this isn’t good. You need
serious medical attention.

Niven closes the scanner and leans back to ponder his fate.

EXT. AEROFOX, ENGINE SECTION – NIGHT

The two women walk around the ship. Clarke switches on a
laser-guided scanner for an internal view, scanning various
components. She stops at one of the landing pads.

CLARKE
Dammit.

BAXTER
What?

CLARKE
Came down too hard. Gear B has a
hydraulics issue. I don’t think
it’ll retract when we take off.

BAXTER
Is that a big deal?

CLARKE
(sarcastic)
Ah, yeah…
It’ll cause too much atmospheric
drag. Then, we crash for good. We
have to fix it.

Baxter and Clarke move to survey the area of the ship that
impacted the cliff. Baxter runs her hand over the hull.

BAXTER
Damn thing is barely even
scratched.

CLARKE
It’s all internal. According to
this scanner, the fuel lines, the
valves… Hell, the whole
propulsion system’s fried.

Baxter tries to remove a dented maintenance access panel on
the side of an aft attitude thruster blocks. Unable to make
it budge, she staggers backward and gestures to Clarke.

BAXTER
Your turn, Hercules.

Clarke stalks forward. Handing her flashlight to Baxter, she
grabs the panel, opening it easily. Smoke and sparks fly from
the aperture.

Baxter moves in and surveys the damage. Baxter enables her O2
mask’s augmented reality display. Maintenance and diagnostic
information appears on top of the wreckage.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
(pointing)
It looks like a busted L-R-U.

CLARKE
Yeah. I’m reading the same thing.

Clarke reaches for the damaged LRU (Line Replaceable Unit).

BAXTER
How often did you train to set foot
on this planet?

CLARKE
All Newborns were conditioned from
birth. I ran in the centrifuge
every day to prep for the gravity.
Colony One even simulated Proxima’s
constant red sunlight.

BAXTER
What about on the dark side?

CLARKE
Why?

Clarke is freaked out by the notion as lightning catches her
eye in the distance. She pulls the component and turns.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
There was no reason to train for
living here.

Baxter bristles.

BAXTER
There might be if we can’t get that
shield working.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The women enter the cockpit and seal the hatch. Niven waves
weakly to the two women with his right hand. He holds the
medical scanner in his left.

OMNI
Airlock secure.

They both remove their masks.

OMNI (CONT’D)
How did it look out there?

CLARKE
(holding up the LRU)
Well, for starters, we’re going to
need a replacement for this unit.

OMNI
The manifest indicates we have
several in the ship’s stores.

CLARKE
Good. I’ll grab one and go back out
in a few minutes.
(catching her breath)
That was intense. I wanna chill for
bit first.

Clarke drops the LRU in a storage bin and checks the science
station. Baxter is concerned about Niven. She sulks over to
observe him. He grabs her hand and smiles.

NIVEN
Welcome back.

BAXTER
Relaxing, huh? At least someone has
the right idea around here.

OMNI
Considering your hibernation
sickness, you should rest as well.

Baxter’s chair lowers.

BAXTER
Thanks, Omni.

She shares a tired smile, pats Niven on the shoulder and
plops down. Meanwhile, Clarke finishes storing her gear.

CLARKE
I’m going to contact Colony One.

OMNI
Negative. Whatever caused the
corruption in the primary V-L-F
node has affected the survey-sats
as well. I’m still able to link
with the satellites. However, deep
space communications are out.

CLARKE
Well… I’m still gonna try.

Clarke hops in and elevates herself to the pilot’s position.

BAXTER
(glancing at Niven)
What’s the word in here?

NIVEN
There’s good news, weird news, and
bad news. Which one you want first?

Clarke chimes in while activating the ship’s comm system.

CLARKE
How about the ‘good’?

NIVEN
I think I sorted out Omni. I
rebooted his O-S from a back-up I
made before we left the ship. I
also created a firmware patch that
will block out additional E-M-Ps.

Clarke tries to pull up the ship’s radio system. She turns.

CLARKE
I wonder if we could do something
similar with the shield nodes?

NIVEN
I don’t see why not.

A map graphic appears on the science station screen. Red dots
indicate the positions of the nearest nodes.

OMNI
The nearest one is Node Two-Twelve.
It’s sixty one kilometers from our
present location.

Niven attempts to sit up. He’s in increasing pain.

NIVEN
We’ll want to understand the ‘weird
news’ though.

OMNI
Astro-Tech Niven and I have
isolated the E-M remnant in my
system and the shield nodes.

NIVEN
Odd part is that it seems to have
come from outside the system.

CLARKE
How is that even possible?

OMNI
It shouldn’t be.

BAXTER
How the hell do you even define
outside? There’s no one else here!

NIVEN
That’s what I want to know.

CLARKE
Hold up… There’s ‘worse’ news?

NIVEN
Yeah.
(pained)
I might not be around long enough
to help you guys sort it all out.

BAXTER
What do you mean?

Niven leans back, offering the medical scanner to Baxter.

NIVEN
My liver. It was ruptured when I
was slammed into the bulkhead.

Baxter grimaces as she reviews the digital diagnosis.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
I have eight hours at most.

Clarke is horrified at the news.

CLARKE
Come on… You couldn’t have
bounced around that hard!

Niven shrugs with muted defeat as Omni offers an opinion.

OMNI
I believe this is due to a genetic
defect caused by long-term exposure
to cosmic rays. All Newborns,
including yourself, have the
potential for this type of injury.

BAXTER
Jesus.

Regardless of how she feels about Niven, Clarke has a history
with him. She masks sadness and concern with anger.

CLARKE
We have to do something.

Niven glances between Baxter and the wrecked medical station.

NIVEN
Maybe you could fix the auto-doc…

Baxter makes her way past Niven to the damaged wall unit.

BAXTER
I’m good, but not that good.

She pokes through the auto-doc’s remains, examining it as
Clarke lowers her seat in the background.

CLARKE
(wracking her brain)
We need a replacement.

Clarke stands and walks to the science station. She pulls up
a map of the planet’s surface. Then she zooms in on their
location, correlating it with another dot.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
We have to find a TerraCat.

BAXTER
A rover? You’re crazy. The closest
Hab is nowhere near here.

Clarke pulls up a map of the dayside of Persephone. She
locates a hab module just over the terminator.

CLARKE
Forty-Seven is about thirty
kilometers away. Just over the
mountains to the west. Omni can
remote pilot it back.

OMNI
With communications degraded, I’m
unable to upload a clone of myself
to the rover to bring it to these
coordinates. Plus, my replica would
have the same data corruption
issues.

Clarke goes to a wall dispenser and yanks out a CONTAINER.

BAXTER
What are you doing?

Clarke places the container on the floor.

CLARKE
Our drone could be there in twenty
five minutes.

She opens it, revealing a futuristic DRONE.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

Clarke walks with determination to a spot where she plans to
launch the drone. Baxter stumbles behind her. Catching up,
she notices the distant terminator storm as Clarke kneels.

BAXTER
That’s a big-ass mountain range.
Are we sure the rover can make it
here in time?

CLARKE
If we programmed the drone right,
it shouldn’t be a problem. It’ll
take the TerraCat through a dry
riverbed east of here.

BAXTER
Clarke, I’m not so sure. That drone
looks tough. But…

CLARKE
But, what?!

BAXTER
(gesturing to the horizon)
That.

Clarke looks up and notices the massive flashes of lightning.

CLARKE
What do we do?

BAXTER
How far away are those mountains?

Clarke stands and pulls her LASER RANGER — a pair of
futuristic binoculars — from a utility belt. She activates
it and scans the distance.

CLARKE
About two klicks. The map says the
range is about five clicks across.

BAXTER
Five clicks? Gimme that…

Baxter snatches the ranger from an irritated Clarke.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
(looking and pointing)
There’s a crevasse there. We could
use it to get to the day side.

Clarke looks at the foreboding storm. She makes a decision.

CLARKE
We..? Don’t you mean, me?
(looking at the mountains)
I hope there’s no live volcano in
that ridge.

A sympathetic Baxter lowers the ranger from her faceplate.

BAXTER
Map says they’re extinct.

Clarke snatches back the device and clips it on her utility
belt. Calming her fears, she takes the drone and tosses it on
her back. It snaps into place with a magnetic groan. She then
takes a circular device — a FLASH-SCANNER — from her belt
and slaps it on her right wrist. Clarke activates it,
projecting a bright beam that she pans across the desert.

CLARKE
(turning to Baxter)
Work with Niven on the V-L-F issue.
I’ll be right back.

Baxter nods with encouragement. Clarke takes off in a jog.

BAXTER
Wait! Turn on your homing beacon!

Clarke stops in her tracks without turning around and taps a
button on her wrist. A strobe flashes on her O2 backpack.
With her flash-scanner guiding the way, she takes off again.

In the background, a worried Baxter starts back toward the
AeroFox as Clarke becomes a pulsating dot in the distance.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT – EXT. AEROFOX

A loud beep fills the cabin. Niven is oblivious as he works
at the science station. The hatch opens. Baxter enters. Niven
glances over weakly as she rips the O2 mask from her head.
She drops it on the floor as the hatch closes.

NIVEN
You okay?

Baxter pulls the other stool from the science station and
plops down on it. She catches her breath, then surveys Niven
with concern.

BAXTER
I’m the least of our worries. How
are you holding up?

NIVEN
Could be better. Where’s Clarke?

BAXTER
She’ll be back soon.
(turning to the Omni strip)
Omni, can you switch on the spire?

OMNI
Of course.

EXT – A light blasts skyward from the top of the ship.

INT – Baxter smiles weakly at Niven.

BAXTER
Think we could figure out what’s
messing with my shield?

Niven pulls back from the station, giving her full attention.

NIVEN
Yeah… Better do it while I’m
still upright.
(looking around)
Hey, have you seen my gyroscope? It
helps me think.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – NIGHT

Clarke jogs at a brisk pace as she enters the rubble-strewn
range. Lightning and wind fill the air. A wintry mix of snow
and rain obscures her view. The SUIT VOICE — a built-in
assistant with a stern female voice — issues a warning.

SUIT VOICE
Severe electro-static discharges
detected. Find shelter immediately!

CLARKE
(scoffing)
Yeah, right… Where?

Panning with her flash-scanner, Clarke reaches an impasse —
a ROCK SLIDE — that blocks the chasm.

A frustrated Clarke surveys the rubble and then backs up to
take a running start. She lands on the rock face and begins
climbing with ease.

As she nears the top, a massive bolt of lightning strikes the
upper rim of the canyon to her left. A clap of thunder
startles Clarke, causing her to lose her concentration! Her
grip fails and she slips and falls hard on her back at the
bottom of the ravine — landing hard on the drone!

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Ow!

Clarke looks over her shoulder with a worried look.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Oh no…

She taps a button on her wrist. Her HUD indicates that the
drone is still intact.

SUIT VOICE
Your drone remains functional.

Clarke regains her bearings, then stands, ignoring the pain
of impact. She dusts herself off. More determined, Clarke
starts climbing again. She takes the storm into account,
moving with an extra-cautious resolve.

Unbeknownst to her, the retaining clip on the left hose
connecting the backpack to her oxygen mask has been broken
and dangles precariously. She continues on unaware.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT – EXT. AEROFOX

The beacon of the AeroFox pierces the eternal night.

Inside the ship, Niven plays with his gyroscope, spinning it
on the console. He reviews a map of the Very Low Frequency
(VLF) shield nodes spread out across the planet’s face. He
overlaps them with a plot of the microwave power receivers.

NIVEN
The grid’s being fed power. But,
individual nodes are offline.

Baxter leans back against the central column. Looking nearly
as ill as he does, she forces herself to pay attention.

BAXTER
Which ones?

Niven causes the map to flash with the affected locations.

NIVEN
These, specifically.

BAXTER
Could it be a software error? Bad
code written back on Earth?

The image on-screen reveals a schematic of Omni’s systems.

OMNI
I don’t think so. My core was
infiltrated by an electromagnetic
pulse of some kind.

BAXTER
But, how? And, from where? Both you
and the shield nodes are hardened
against that sort of thing.

OMNI
Not at this frequency.

NIVEN
We’re missing something.
(gesturing)
Bring back the map of the nodes.

Niven shuts down the map of the human tech on Persephone,
leaving behind only the natural formations.

Suddenly, he coughs and winces — crying out in pain. Baxter
places a kind hand on his back. Niven pulls himself together.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
I’m okay. I’m good.
(returning to work)
If… I highlight the glyphs…

Niven brings up an image that outlines the huge impressions.
He then reinstates the map of the shield grid, focusing only
on the non-functioning nodes. The result is astounding.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
See what I’m seeing?

There is a clear similarity to the pattern.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
The corrupted nodes. Every single
one is on top of a geoglyph.

Baxter leans in. It’s a startling coincidence.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – SUNRISE

With the storm abating above her, Clarke clambers onto the
crest of the ridge she was targeting. The snow has changed to
light rain. Climbing up, she takes a knee to absorb the view.

Before her is a bizarre expanse that stretches for many
kilometers. Peaking just above the horizon of the vast
depression, below the thinning span of the terminator storm,
is the blood-red lantern of Proxima Centauri. The inky-black
plume of an active shield volcano mars the horizon.

The scene is terrifying and awe-inspiring as Clarke breathes
it in. After a beat, she pulls the drone from her shoulder.
Activating it, she sets it on the ground before her. Its
turbines kick in. It slowly rises and then takes off into the
distance. Clarke stands and quickly checks her radiation
monitor. It indicates that she’s just inside safe tolerances.

Clarke pulls a pair of binoculars from her belt and watches
the drone dwindle to the point of near invisibility. She
takes them from her helmet and wrinkles her brow in thought.

CLARKE
Find Hab Module Forty-Seven.

The flash-scanner on her wrist lights up as it searches. The
map on the circular display shifts and re-centers itself. It
blinks near the icon of a hab module.

Clarke returns to the binoculars. Inside its display an arrow
points her in the correct direction to look. It blinks as the
HAB MODULE comes into frame. Clarke pans to her left to see a
dry river bed that extends far to the south and eventually up
to the edge of the range she’s standing on.

She smiles. This is going to work.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter and a weakening Niven are in a heated discussion.

NIVEN
It was right there, staring us in
the face the whole time.

BAXTER
If this coincidence is such a big
deal, then how come the Colony One
crew didn’t notice it?

NIVEN
They thought the formations were
simply ore deposits. Why care? Why
would they make the correlation?

BAXTER
(tired of arguing)
Kyle, you need to lie down.

Omni lowers Niven’s chair into the bed position. Niven stands
reluctantly and staggers to the chair.

NIVEN
Nah… Hear me out. Whatever made
the glyphs… shut down the shield.
No other explanation.

BAXTER
There could be plenty of other
explanations. Maybe something to do
with the planet’s magnetic field.
No matter what, I guarantee there
are no little green men out there!

NIVEN
Yeah… But, how do we really know?

Before Baxter can retort, a transmission bursts into life.

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
AeroFox Two, come in.

Baxter taps the comm button on the science station.

BAXTER
We’re here, Clarke. What’s up?

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – SUNSET

Clarke walks along the ridge, about to return to the ship.

CLARKE
Drone deployed. I even saw the
route the TerraCat will take back.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
Good work.

CLARKE
How’s our friend?

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter observes Niven with muted humor.

BAXTER
He’s fine. Going on about ‘ancient
alien’ conspiracies, as usual.

NIVEN
No, I’m not…

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
That sounds like Niven. I’m on my
way back.

BAXTER
Copy that. AeroFox out.

Niven attempts to sit up.

NIVEN
You know, we really should–

Baxter puts her hand on his left shoulder, restraining him.

BAXTER
(interrupting)
Get some rest. Both of us.

She turns to the image of overlapping nodes and geoglyphs.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
But, someone needs to work this
shield problem and it ain’t you.

While Baxter was talking Niven has fallen asleep. She pats
his head and turns to sit at the science station.

OMNI
Engineer Baxter, your magnetic
field idea is intriguing. I’ll run
an analysis.

BAXTER
You do that. I’m going to close my
eyes for a minute.

Baxter rests her head on the station and falls asleep.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, HAB MODULE SITE – DAY

The drone shoots out of the sky toward HAB 47. Other hab
modules can be seen in the distance. The trapezoid-shaped
structure is embedded in the aeroshell it used to land on the
planet. The construct stands out against the desolate plain.
The drone aligns with a port on top of the hab and descends.

Upon landing, the building suddenly powers-up with various
lights coming to life. The drone is lowered into the
structure. Moments later, a garage door opens on the hab.
With an electrical whine, the TERRACAT — a tough, futuristic
all-terrain vehicle — emerges.

The drone is attached on top of it as it departs and drives
away on the path Clarke witnessed earlier in her binoculars.

FADE TO:

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter is sleeping. The sound of Niven and Omni in the midst
of a discussion stirs her from her slumber. Niven is propped
up on his seat. He notices a groggy Baxter waking up.

NIVEN
Glad you got some sleep.

BAXTER
Yeah. You seem better yourself.

NIVEN
Nah. Just took a shit-load of pain
killers.

BAXTER
Are you insane?

NIVEN
Nope. Just focused.

BAXTER
Focused to the point of stupidity!
Your liver can’t process it.

NIVEN
(waving her off)
It’s okay. The rover’ll get here.

BAXTER
You hope!

Niven points to the monitor.

NIVEN
What made you bring up the magnetic
field earlier?

BAXTER
Well, Proxima B– Sorry.
(acknowledging)
Persephone… has a big-ass one.

NIVEN
Yeah. A thousand times larger than
Earth’s. Without it, the atmosphere
would have shed to space eons ago.

BAXTER
Exactly. I was trying to figure out
a physics-slash-geology reason for
the E-M-P that effed-up Omni.

NIVEN
Hmm… Interesting.

BAXTER
We’re dealing with copper and
iridium deposits all over the
planet. They’re natural conductors.

OMNI
You may be onto something. The
shield anomalies and magnetic field
align perfectly.

Baxter studies a chart that juxtaposes fluctuations in the
magnetic field with the shield nodes and the geoglyphs.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE – NIGHT

The headlights of the TerraCat illuminate the AeroFox as it
drives out of the windy darkness. It comes to a stop nearby.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter is aghast at the implication of Omni’s statement.

BAXTER
You’re saying the geoglyphs and
Persephone’s magnetic field are
somehow related to the shutdown?

Niven is excited that Baxter is beginning to get it.

NIVEN
Yes! The nodes that landed on top
of the formations are all non
functional. The ones that didn’t
are at one hundred percent.

OMNI
We’ve been so focused on how the
shield has been affected that we
haven’t considered what may be
affected by the shield.

BAXTER
(to Niven)
You said some of the Proxima
Patterns looked shriveled up.
(to Omni)
Omni, can you compare the images
Kyle took in orbit against the
Starshot ones from a century ago?

Pictures of the geoglyph appear side by side. The older
images on the left show a clear and distinct outline while
the newer ones on the right are smaller and anemic-looking.

NIVEN
Like flowers, dying without water.

BAXTER
(disbelieving)
This is nuts. They’re copper
deposits!

NIVEN
Copper deposits that shot an E-M-P
at our ship!

OMNI
We don’t know that.

NIVEN
(leaning back)
Then who did?

OMNI
Just a moment…

A chime resounds through the cabin.

OMNI (CONT’D)
The TerraCat has arrived.

Baxter smiles and slowly stands.

BAXTER
Great. Time to get you–

Baxter is stopped in her tracks, looking around the cabin.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Wait… Where’s Clarke?

NIVEN
Huh? Don’t know. I woke up just
before you did. I figured she–

BAXTER
(frantic)
Oh, my God. Omni, how long did it
take to create that chart?!

OMNI
One hour and thirty two minutes.

Niven stares in horror as Baxter grabs her O2 mask.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

Bounding from the AeroFox hatchway, Baxter struggles once
again to make her way down the ladder.

Baxter gives up and jumps down. She hurts her legs in the
high gravity and struggles to stay upright. Once her feet are
firmly on the ground, she briefly rubs her knees.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
Ouch!

Baxter hits a button on her wrist.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE) (CONT’D)
Clarke! It’s Baxter. Come in.
Clarke?
(no response)
Talk to me…

Baxter gives up and lopes toward the nearby TerraCat.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE) (CONT’D)
TerraCat, open hatch!

The rover’s gull-wing doors open as Baxter reaches the
vehicle. She climbs inside.

INT. TERRACAT

The mechanic makes her way to the rear section of the sleek
rover. She finds a large case labelled with a medical symbol.
Baxter lugs the large metal and plastic AUTO-DOC CASE out of
its cradle. It slips from her fingers in the high gravity.
With a loud crash, it lands hard on the floor of the vehicle.

BAXTER
Damn it.

Baxter straightens her flight suit in anger and steels
herself. She opens the case and reaches for the circular AUTO
DOC, retrieving it. She slaps the device on her back where it
snaps into place with a magnetic seal.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE – NIGHT

Baxter is silhouetted by the glow of Alpha Centauri A & B as
she trudges across the ancient desert to the waiting AeroFox.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The hatch bursts open. Baxter steps inside with the auto-doc.
A weakening Niven is concerned as he uses the scanner. Baxter
continues wearing her O2 mask — speaking through it.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
(panting)
I got the auto-doc…

NIVEN
(feverish)
I… I think I located her beacon.
It’s a couple of clicks from here.

Baxter sees the map projection info on-screen.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
Edge of the mountains.

Niven looks up at Baxter from the scanner’s viewing hood.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
I tried to reach her. No response.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
Same here. Nothing.
(to Omni)
Omni, shoot her location to the
TerraCat and help me with Kyle.

OMNI
Of course.

Niven’s chair lowers. Baxter lifts him away from the science
station and places him in his seat.

NIVEN
I’m so sorry. Lost track of time.

OMNI
As did I. It’s inexcusable. I told
you I was unreliable!

Baxter removes the auto-doc from her back and activates it.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
This is on me. I need to find her.

Baxter places the device on Niven’s chest.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE) (CONT’D)
Omni, are you functional enough to
supervise this procedure?

OMNI
Sorry. I would not consider myself
capable of performing nano-surgery
at this time. I have already
endangered the mission and
potentially caused the–

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
(interrupting)
Dammit, Omni! We don’t have time–

NIVEN
Guys. The auto-doc can handle it.
Otherwise, why call it ‘auto-doc’?

Niven smiles weakly.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

The rover heads for the nearby mountains. Above, the
perpetual storm continues its endless blasts of lightning.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS

On the edge of the rocky hills bordering the valley, a nearly
unconscious Clarke is pinned under a slide of rocks. The left
tube to her backpack has been disconnected! Oxygen vents into
the air. The beacon flashes on her backpack. Baxter’s voice
emanates from the radio speaker in her air mask.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
(scratchy)
Clarke? You out there? Talk to me.

Clarke doesn’t move or respond. The Suit Voice detects the
transmission, answering for her.

SUIT VOICE
Attention. Astronaut Clarke is
unconscious. Oxygen compromised.
Reserves at fifteen percent!

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter rides inside the self-driving vehicle. She looks down
at the monitor on the dashboard. It shows a pulsing blip.

BAXTER
What?! Darcy, wake up. Can you hear
me, kiddo? I’m coming.
(beat)
Darcy, wake up!

No response.

SUIT VOICE (COMM VOICE)
First aid may be required.

BAXTER
(frantic)
Darcy!

Baxter speaks to the rover’s voice interface.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
TerraCat, I need you to go faster!

It responds in a softer female voice than Clarke’s suit.

TERRACAT
We are at maximum safe velocity.

BAXTER
Would it help if I said please?!

The TerraCat zooms onward into the dark.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS

Baxter’s verbal prodding has an effect. Clarke wakes up.

CLARKE
(coughing)
Bax… Baxter…

She attempts to roll on her back. Her left foot is pinned in
the rubble. She cries out in pain.

INT. TERRACAT

The ping resounds faster as the rover closes in. The light
from Clarke’s flash-scanner arcs in the darkness ahead.

BAXTER
There she is. Stop!

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS

The TerraCat screeches to a stop. Baxter jumps out and
staggers over to a wheezing Clarke who waves weakly in the
rover’s headlights. Baxter finds the dangling tube and shoves
it back in place. Air fills the mask. Clarke inhales deeply.

SUIT VOICE
Oxygen restored.

BAXTER
You’re going to need a new clip for
that tube. You alright?

CLARKE
Stupid planet.
(pointing)
My foot.

Baxter eyes the restraining boulder and mumbles to herself.

BAXTER
I swear to God. If I have to lift
anymore shit today…

Baxter sighs as she struggles to lift the boulder. After
several powerful heaves, she gets it to budge enough for
Clarke to remove her leg.

CLARKE
(rubbing leg)
Thanks.

BAXTER
You want me to carry you, too?

Clarke laughs slightly and winces in pain.

EXT. TERRACAT

Clarke’s left arm is draped over Baxter’s shoulder as the two
women limp to the rover. They yell over the wind.

CLARKE
(coughing)
The drone worked…

BAXTER
Kyle’s already getting fixed up.

CLARKE
Awesome. Then, we should get going.

BAXTER
Great. We should regroup and–

Clarke shakes her head and stops in her tracks.

CLARKE
No. We’re heading to Two-Twelve.

Baxter removes Clarke’s arm, grabs her and locks eyes.

BAXTER
The node?!

CLARKE
Yeah. Omni said it was the closest
tower. We’re installing the patch
and fixing that damn shield!

An angry Clarke hobbles past to the waiting rover.

BAXTER
You just fell off a cliff! At least
go back and do a med-scan…

Clarke ignores her, opens the door and climbs in with her
injured ankle. Baxter throws up her arms and follows her.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Niven is rolled on his side. The robotic arms of the auto-doc
move around him. One attaches to the small of his back,
delivering a dose of nanomachines. The radio kicks on.

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
TerraCat to AeroFox Two.

Niven is still in pain as he reaches for the radio button.

NIVEN
You alright?

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
I’m okay. You?

NIVEN
On the mend.

OMNI
The first round of nanites were
just injected. With his liver
toxicity at such dangerous levels,
the procedure will take time.

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
We understand. Listen, we’re on our
way out to Node Two-Twelve.

NIVEN
Two-Twelve?

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
It’s a ninety-minute drive from
here. So, do me a favor, send us
your patch. We’re gonna upload it.

Niven moves in panic, dislodging the auto-doc. It clatters to
the floor, interrupting the treatment.

NIVEN
Wait… I’m sure Ms. Baxter hasn’t
had time to tell you, but we found
something weird with the geoglyphs
and Persephone’s magnetic field.

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
Honestly, I don’t care.

NIVEN
But, Darcy, it could have something
to do with what’s wrong with the
shield! We need to–

CLARKE (COMM VOICE)
(interrupting)
Niven, send me the patch. That’s an
order! We’ll talk about your
science shit later.

INT. TERRACAT – NIGHT

The rover continues in self-drive mode. The cabin is now
pressurized and both women have removed their masks. Clarke
rubs her ankle, still recovering. Baxter listens, fuming.

NIVEN (COMM VOICE)
Science shit?! Science shit got us
to this planet! And science shit is
going to keep us alive!
(beat)
Tell you what… I’ll send the
code, if you get me a sample!

CLARKE
Jesus! A sample of what?

NIVEN (COMM VOICE)
The geoglyph, goddamn it! Look at
your screen.

A satellite map pops up on the screen next to Clarke.

NIVEN (COMM VOICE) (CONT’D)
Two-Twelve is sitting right on top
of a major formation. Ms. Baxter,
will you please back me up here!

Clarke scans the rock formation, then locks eyes with Baxter.

BAXTER
He’s right.

CLARKE
(throws up her hands)
Okay, okay. I’ll see what we can
do. After we install the patch.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

NIVEN
Thank you. End transmission!

The transmission cuts off. Niven lays back, seething.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
You know, I spend forever dreaming
of coming here and I end up knocked
on my ass and trapped with Darcy
‘my Daddy’s the Captain’ Clarke!

OMNI
Well, at least you have me.

NIVEN
And I wish it was just us! Sorry,
Omni. I’ve had to deal with that
little brat for most of my life.
She really pisses me off sometimes.

OMNI
Having watched you and the other
Newborns grow up, I can attest to
the fact that you all piss each
other off from time to time.

NIVEN
(chuckles)
You’re probably right.

OMNI
I know I’m right.
(beat)
Kyle, I need you to set aside your
emotions. You interrupted the nano
therapy. We have to restart the
procedure from the beginning.

NIVEN
Ugh… Okay, buddy.

Niven places the device back on his abdomen, grabs his
gyroscope and lays back for the treatment.

FADE TO BLACK:

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – SUNRISE

The TerraCat clears the mountains and enters the dayside of
the planet. In the far distance, the slope of a massive
shield volcano is visible. Smoke billows from its caldera.

INT. TERRACAT – DAY (69 – INSERT)

Baxter stands and looks out the window at the alien view as
Clarke watches her. Baxter removes her mask from the right
rear seat, sets it aside and sits next to Clarke.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS

The rover is a tiny gleaming speck against the sprawling
landscape as it cruises past small lakes and salt flats.
Proxima hangs like an angry, unmoving ball in the sky.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. TERRACAT – DAY

The women are silent as they bounce across the otherworldly
desert. Clarke reviews the mapping scanner beside her. On the
map, she sees the rover’s icon turn to avoid a large crater.

CLARKE
That crater was huge.
(pointing outside)
But, it’s nothing compared to that
volcano about forty clicks away.

Baxter fixes Clarke’s O2 mask. She eyes Clarke suspiciously.

BAXTER
You know, it’s okay to admit you’re
scared to be here. I know I am.

CLARKE
I’m not. But, it wouldn’t matter
anyway. We’re here to stay.

BAXTER
I guess it has to be better than
being stuck on Colony One.

CLARKE
I literally didn’t know anything
else until now. Artificial light.
Plastic decks. Hydroponics bays.
Afraid it might fall apart any
minute. It can drive you nuts.
(reminiscing)
So, I looked out the window and
fell in love with the stars.

BAXTER
Is that why you became a pilot?

CLARKE
Totally. I had to get out. Explore.
I plan to visit the other planet in
this system someday. Hell, I might
even fly all the way to Centauri A
and B just for the heck of it.
(looking at Baxter)
What was it like on Earth?

BAXTER
By the time we left, it wasn’t that
much different than the ship — for
folks in the domes anyway.

Clarke looks Baxter up and down, analyzing her.

CLARKE
You were, like, way older than my
dad when they put you to sleep.

Baxter bristles at the term ‘older’.

BAXTER
Yeah. Thirty years older. He was
your age when we left.
(ribbing Clarke)
Just a kid.

CLARKE
Guess we’re both born leaders.

Baxter nods a ‘touché’. An awkward silence ensues.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
So, you were there for it…

BAXTER
For what?

CLARKE
The Big Top.

BAXTER
(laughing slightly)
You mean The Big Tip. The ‘Tipping
Point’. Runaway greenhouse.
(cringing at the thought)
And no. I wasn’t there. That was
before I was born. The Earth became
unlivable when I was in college.
Around the turn of the century.

CLARKE
Was it really that bad?

BAXTER
(gesturing outside)
We’re moving to an irradiated,
lifeless ball of rock four light
years away. What do you think?

Clarke gets it. She decides to change the subject.

CLARKE
Where did you grow up?

BAXTER
The Midwest. Came from a long line
of farmers.

CLARKE
What kind?

Baxter finishes her repair. She gives the mask a once-over.

BAXTER
My great grandparents grew corn. My
grandparents tended dirt. My folks
were headed to Mars.

CLARKE
Ugh… Mars. In class, we read
scientists tried to restart its
core to create a magnetic field.
Kind of like your shield.

BAXTER
They tried. They failed. Fried
everything. The whole planet.
(shaking her head)
And by then, it was too late. We’d
waited too long to colonize
anywhere else in the Solar System
aside from the Moon. Game over.

Happy with her work, Baxter places the tools back in the kit.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
So, yeah… My folks ended up
running a synth-protein facility in
Iowa. Shipped it off-world to the
colonies. Gotta love fake meat.

CLARKE
(nauseated)
Did you ever taste the real stuff?

BAXTER
Me? Meat?! Hell no! Plus, there
were no animals left to eat anyway.

CLARKE
Guess it couldn’t have tasted worse
than our rations.

BAXTER
No. Anything that makes you look
forward to eating algae has to be
pretty friggin’ bad.

CLARKE
That is very true.

They both laugh. Baxter tosses Clarke her repaired mask. She
catches it and nods a ‘thanks’.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PERSEPHONE, GEOGLYPH RIDGE – DAY

The TerraCat casts a long shadow as it nears a symmetrical
tendril of GEOGLYPH.
Its metallic material creates a giant berm many kilometers
wide. Its ashen color differs from the brown of the main
patterns seen from orbit. The rover stops.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter leans forward in her seat, looking out the window.

BAXTER
These things are huge. No wonder
they affect the magnetic field.

Clarke looks at the geoglyph through her Laser Ranger.

CLARKE
I think they’re perfect. We just
scoop the deposits right off the
surface. Imagine how hard it would
be if we had to dig deep.

Baxter frowns. Before she can respond, the radio activates.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
AeroFox Two to TerraCat.

CLARKE
We read you, go ahead.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
We’re detecting a major prominence
on Proxima Centauri. A flare is
imminent.

CLARKE
How long?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
It could be minutes or hours. I
will update you when I have more
accurate information.

CLARKE
Do that. TerraCat out.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, GEOGLYPH – MOMENTS LATER

The rover uses a small hill to drive onto the geoglyph. Half
a kilometer into the formation is the landing site of SHIELD
NODE 212. Its gold transmission tower rises from the center
of a black AEROSHELL similar to the one used to land Hab 47.

EXT. SHIELD NODE, AEROSHELL

The TerraCat drives partially onto the aeroshell and parks
with its rear wheels resting on the geoglyph material. The
duo disembark wearing their O2 masks. Clarke favors her left
ankle, hopping slightly. Baxter hauls a tool kit out of the
rover. It’s clearly too heavy. Clarke hobbles over to assist.

CLARKE
You want me to take that?

BAXTER
No thanks, kiddo.

Baxter heaves the kit onto her back. It snaps into place.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Gotta get used to this gravity. No
better time than the present.

Clarke looks at the sky, and then at the surrounding desert.
A pool of water has collected on the ground nearby.

CLARKE
Whew. It’s a lot warmer over here.

BAXTER
Imagine how hot it must be down at
the equator. It’s always high noon.

Unlike other areas of the planet seen previously, this
environment is eerily silent and even a bit menacing. Clarke
slowly follows Baxter across the aeroshell.

EXT. SHIELD NODE, TRANSMITTER

They approach the tower cautiously. Connected to its metal
truss is a power supply and COMPUTER INTERFACE. Lights flash
on its face indicating an offline status. Baxter lumbers up
to the structure, taking the toolkit off her back.

BAXTER
I’m going to pop the main board.

Baxter gets to work, using a drill to remove a series of
screws. She then pulls a large computer NODE-BOARD from its
housing. Lost in thought, Clarke walks around the tower,
surveying it. She stops and looks at Baxter with a frown.

CLARKE
What do you think it’s like?

BAXTER
(still working)
What’s ‘what’ like?

CLARKE
Earth? What’s left? Who’s left?
(concerned)
Dad says he got transmissions for a
long time, but then they stopped.

Baxter stops working, and looks in Clarke’s direction.

BAXTER
They stopped?! That’s crazy. There
were two more colony ships under
construction when I left. But that
was fifty years ago.

CLARKE
What do you think happened?

BAXTER
I have no idea, but what have to
find out.

Clarke continues to circle the base of the tower. Baxter
returns to work, giving the board a visual once-over. She
notices the spark of a faint electric discharge that briefly
cascades across its crystal circuity, then dissipates.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Kyle’s right. Something weird is
going on. This node got hit by an
electrical pulse, just like we did.

Baxter activates a computer screen above the node slots. She
checks the power flow. It pulses oddly.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
This is odd. It’s like there’s a
power flow coming from somewhere
other than the fuel cells…

On the other side of the tower, a shocking image stops Clarke
in her tracks. She speaks over the internal comm-link.

CLARKE
Um… Baxter? Can you come here?

Baxter is uninterested and increasingly irritated as she
places a small circular device from the tool kit on the node
board. She taps her wrist computer and begins the upload.

BAXTER
Just wait a second.

CLARKE
Dammit, Baxter. I need you need to
see this. Right. Now.

BAXTER
(putting down the board)
What?!

Standing sluggishly, she walks around to Clarke’s side.
Clarke points to the back of the transmission tower.

CLARKE
That.

The center of the aeroshell has been violently breached by
what appears to be geoglyph material. It has ‘grown’ up the
sides of the antennae assembly. Clarke points to the opening.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
How thick are those aeroshells?

BAXTER
About five centimeters. Enough to
handle sixteen-hundred degrees.

They observe the twisted portions of aeroshell as crytalline
glyph material glints in the ochre sunlight.

CLARKE
Could it have breached on impact?

They move cautiously toward the amber-colored substance.

BAXTER
No friggin’ way. Plus…
(looking up)
The antenna deployment was nominal.
This happened after landing.

Clarke removes a pick-axe from her utility belt and kneels
near the growth, cautiously poking at a shard. The protrusion
continues up into the back of the node’s computer system.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
That looks like years of growth.

CLARKE
Growth?!

BAXTER
(tapping a wrist interface)
AeroFox Two, come in.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
AeroFox Two, receiving. Engineer
Baxter, An X-Class flare–

BAXTER
(interrupting)
Hold on that. There’s something odd
going on out here.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Please describe.

Baxter steps closer to the geoglyph.

BAXTER
Geoglyph material has ruptured the
node’s aeroshell.

Baxter runs her hand over the geometrical surface.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

A seemingly-sleeping Niven covertly opens one eye.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
It’s in direct contact with the
transmitter’s computer system.

OMNI
It seems highly unlikely that would
occur at landing. The aeroshell is
thick enough to withstand–

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
(interrupting)
We know that! The geoglyph has
grown through it.

OMNI
Grown? Are you certain?

Niven sits up. The gyroscope rolls off of him onto the floor.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
It certainly looks like it.

NIVEN
(weakly)
Told you… Get a sample…

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
Excuse me?!

OMNI
That was Astro-Tech Niven. He’s
reminding you to obtain a sample.
However, this is not the time.
Another X-Class flare is headed
your way. It will arrive in a
matter of minutes.

Niven flops back on his couch in frustration.

NIVEN
C’mon…

EXT. SHIELD NODE, TRANSMITTER

Clarke quickly stands. Her suit issues a verbal warning.

SUIT VOICE
Radiation approaching hazardous
levels. Find shelter immediately.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
(overhearing)
See? I told you so.

The two women turn to look up at Proxima Centauri.

CLARKE
Shut up, Omni!
(squinting at the sky)
Baxter, polarize your visor.

They both tap buttons on their wrists; their faceplates
darken. From Baxter’s POV, the tendrils of numerous flares
writhe along the flank of the red dwarf star.

BAXTER
Oh, my God.

NIVEN (COMM VOICE)
(pleading)
Guys, please… Just one piece.

Turning back to the geoglyph, Baxter makes a decision. She
heads to the TerraCat.

CLARKE
Where are you going?

BAXTER
Use those mega-muscles. Break off a
chunk.

Clarke watches as Baxter jogs painfully toward the rover.

Frustrated, she throws up her hands, causing her to notice
her radiation detector. It’s nearing red! Becoming stressed,
Clarke gives in and grabs the pick-axe from the ground.

Back at the TerraCat, Baxter climbs into the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Clarke hacks at the geoglyph with a ferocity that
belies a hidden fear of the alien rock. She stops to look at
the raging Proxima, then returns to work. Fragments of
crystal fly off, landing on the aeroshell.

Clarke is caught unaware as Baxter stops her from off screen.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Stop!

Baxter carries a SOIL-CORE — a clear plastic tube with a
handle on top. She scoffs as Clarke ceases her onslaught.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
We don’t need a boulder.
(holding up the soil-core)
Just enough to fill this.

In near panic, Clarke snaps the pick-axe onto her utility
belt. She glances again at the sky.

CLARKE
We gotta get outta here.

BAXTER
Duh…
(pointing at the TerraCat)
You go fire her up.

Clarke takes off for the rover while Baxter places shards
inside the soil-core. On the way, she notices the computer
board Baxter removed earlier. Clarke snatches it up.

Baxter finishes putting the geoglyph shards in the container.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Time for some science shit.

Baxter stands, grimacing in the high gravity as she seals it
tight. Her suit speaks in the same voice as Clarke’s.

SUIT VOICE
Radiation levels critical!

Baxter takes a second to look at the radiation detector on
her wrist. It’s just entered the red zone!

As she turns to leave, she stops — noticing with horror that
the geoglyph is GROWING BACK where Clarke chipped it away!

Baxter lifts the soil-core and looks at the material inside
with grave concern. Should she even take it back with her?

INT. TERRACAT

Clarke buckles her seatbelt as Baxter climbs into the cabin,
holding the soil-core in both hands. Clarke doesn’t see it.

BAXTER
(huffing)
We need to talk. I just saw–

CLARKE
(interrupting)
In a minute.
(pointing to her monitor)
I’m taking us back to that crater
we passed. All we have to do is get
out of the sunlight to avoid the
charged particles. The TerraCat’s
shielding’ll do the rest.

BAXTER
Yeah, yeah… Sounds good.
(getting in her face)
Look. You need to listen.

Baxter sits in the seat across from her younger companion.
She pushes the soil-core container into Clarke’s view.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Back there, where you chipped this
off, it’s already growing back.

CLARKE
What do you mean ‘growing back’?

BAXTER
I mean, it’s growing back! Like
really fast.

CLARKE
(shifting in her seat)
What?!

BAXTER
Saw it with my own eyes.
(looking at the soil-core)
This isn’t a rock — at least not
like any I’ve ever heard of.

Clarke’s eyes widen in fear, staring at the geoglyph sample.

CLARKE
Then get it outta here!

Baxter is taken aback by Clarke’s vehemence.

BAXTER
No!
(scanning the container)
This is inert. We need to study it.

Clarke knows Baxter is right. She mutters under her breath.

CLARKE
Goddamn it.

An alarm tone sounds followed by the voice of the TerraCat.

TERRACAT
Radiation levels one-hundred-fifty
rads and climbing. Find shelter
immediately!

Clarke shakes her head, then fires an angry look at Baxter.

CLARKE
Just buckle in.
(pointing at the soil-core)
And keep an eye on that shit!

Baxter buckles up, keeping the container between her feet.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
TerraCat, take us to coordinates.

TERRACAT
Proceeding to crater.

The rover’s engine revs and whines, but is unable to move!
The women are jostled hard.

BAXTER
What the hell?

CLARKE
TerraCat, reverse. Full throttle!

The engine revs louder, but still the vehicle goes nowhere.

TERRACAT
Encountering an obstruction.

The women look at each other with disbelief.

INT. / EXT. TERRACAT

The rover’s rear wheels are now encompassed in geoglyph. It
slowly extends from the ground. The two women stare at the
advancing substance. Clarke’s eyes widen with shock.

CLARKE
Now, it’s coming after us!

BAXTER
We don’t know that, maybe it’s–

CLARKE
(interrupting)
Seriously?!

SUIT VOICE
Radiation levels near fatal
exposure.

Baxter glances between the tires and the fiery star.

BAXTER
Shit. We gotta get outta here.

CLARKE
The self-drive is too slow!

BAXTER
(taking Clarke’s pick-axe)
Get inside and set the TerraCat to
manual. Gun it!

CLARKE
Manual..?

BAXTER
You can fly a spaceship, but you
can’t drive a car?

CLARKE
Like we have cars on Colony One!

Baxter shoves the pick-axe back at her.

BAXTER
Knock yourself out, Wonder Woman.

Clarke strikes the geoglyph growing around the tires. Shards
of crystal explode away.

Inside the TerraCat, Baxter straps herself into one of the
rear-facing front seats.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
TerraCat, disengage self-drive!

TERRACAT
Manual steering activated.

Baxter’s seat rotates into the forward drive position. A
steering column automatically advances toward her. She puts
her hands on the wheel.

Outside, Clarke makes good headway on removing the geoglyph.

CLARKE
I think I got it!

Within the rover, Baxter now has it at full power. She turns
and yells to Clarke through the open door.

BAXTER
That’s good! Back away!

Baxter guns it. Its electric engine whines loudly, but the
rover fails to move. Baxter rocks it back and forth. Again to
no avail. On the horizon, Proxima grows brighter.

CLARKE
Hold up!

She uses her pick-axe to give it a final shot, hammering at
the material. Geoglyph debris flies in all directions.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Try it now!

Baxter slams her foot on the pedal. The TerraCat breaks free.
Clarke hobbles after the rover and jumps inside. The door
automatically closes behind her.

EXT. SHIELD NODE

The TerraCat peels away, leaving the tower and mystery
behind. It heads toward a range of mesas on the horizon.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter drives like a maniac. Clarke is strapped into her
seat, checking their detectors — they’re in the red zone!

TERRACAT
Radiation levels at two-hundred
rads and rising.

Baxter bangs her fist on the wheel.

BAXTER
Am I even going in the right
direction?

CLARKE
You’re doing fine.

The soil-core is tossed about, rolling around the cabin.

They close in on the crater. Clarke looks forward out of the
side window. She points toward a sandy ridge on the horizon.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
There!

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT / EXT. CRATER

The TerraCat speeds across the plain, jumping over the rim of
the crater. The far side of the bowl-shaped valley is in deep
shadow. They plunge into it. Baxter powers down the engine.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter looks to Clarke for confirmation that they are safe.
Clarke checks the monitor. The levels are dropping. They both
breathe a sigh of relief. Clarke is the first to freak out.

CLARKE
Okay… I may not have grown up on
a planet, but I know rocks don’t
move like that.

BAXTER
Yeah. We’re not gonna be building
anything out of that stuff.

Baxter sees the node-board secured in a slot on the dash.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Hey… You grabbed the node-board.

CLARKE
Yeah. Plugged it in while you were
scooping up pieces of rock-monster.

BAXTER
(checking its status)
You even uploaded the patch.

CLARKE
Yeah. It’s why we’re out here!

BAXTER
Speaking of the ‘rock monster’…
(pointing at the soil-core)
Could you hand me that?

Clarke spins her seat ninety degrees, looking around. She
spies the soil-core, grabs it from the floor, and hands it to
Baxter. Baxter opens a port on the dash designed for analysis
and pops it inside. A breakdown of the sample is initiated.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Think we can get a signal here?

CLARKE
No idea.

Clarke plays with the radio.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
AeroFox Two, do you read?
(beat)
AeroFox, come in.

After a moment, a weak static-laden connection engages.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Roger, TerraCat. Are you alright?

CLARKE
We found a place to ride it out.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
That’s a relief.
(more static)
We’re barely reading you due to
interference from the flare.

BAXTER
Roger that. Hopefully, we have
enough connection to transmit a
data packet. I was able to get a
sample of the glyph. Kyle, we’re
uplinking the data packet now.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Astro-Tech Niven is currently
resting. I’ll let him know when he
wakes. Since our last discussion,
I’ve been postulating what would
cause the geoglyph material to
accumulate on the transmitter.

CLARKE
It’s way past that. The stuff was
trying to eat the TerraCat!

BAXTER
That’s a bit of an exaggeration.

CLARKE
Not by much…

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
This growth must have something to
do with the rover’s energy output.
It correlates that artificial
electromagnetism attracted it to
the shield node as well.

BAXTER
(looking at the soil-core)
Omni, I’m beginning to wonder if
the shield was killing it.

Clarke can’t believe what she’s hearing.

CLARKE
‘Killing it’?!
(appalled)
Guys, it’s a rock. A rock that
moves. But, it’s still a fucking
rock!

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Language…
(beat)
When the flare passes, you must
return to gather more data.

BAXTER
I agree. With thousands of
colonists landing on this planet,
we have to know what’s going on.

Clarke bristles at the colonists reference. She gets an idea.

CLARKE
Omni, what would happen if we
modified the patch code to increase
the signal strength of the nodes
that are still working?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
The V-L-F shield would eventually
produce enough interference to
increase damage to the geoglyph.

CLARKE
To the point of its destruction?

BAXTER
Where are you going with this?

CLARKE
To the node to finish the mission.

BAXTER
You can’t!

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I have to agree with Engineer
Baxter. This is an unprecedented
situation. We need time to study–

CLARKE
(interrupting)
You people seem to keep forgetting,
I’m in command here. We’re doing
the upload. End of discussion!

Baxter begins to piece together that something bigger is
going on with Clarke. She holds back on disagreeing for now.

BAXTER
Omni, let us have a private chat.

CLARKE
Why?! It won’t change my mind!

Baxter ignores her and continues speaking with Omni.

BAXTER
How long will the flare last?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Four and a half hours.

BAXTER
Keep us posted. TerraCat out.

CLARKE
I don’t want to discuss this!

BAXTER
Calm down. Let’s grab some water.

Baxter points toward the rear. Clarke reluctantly agrees.
They sit. Baxter accesses the food terminal, grabbing water.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Darcy, you have to tell me what’s
going on. Why are you forcing this?

Clarke looks outside at the alien world, clenching her teeth.

CLARKE
Colony One. It’s dying.

BAXTER
Dying? Since when?

CLARKE
Since we passed through the Oort
Cloud on the way out of the Solar
System. We took some major hits.

Clarke shuts her eyes at the thought, as if hiding something.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
The crew kept her going the best
they could. But, the years are have
taken their toll. She’s done.

BAXTER
How much time do we have?

After a pained pause, Clarke reveals the harsh reality.

CLARKE
We have to off-load everyone as
soon as the ship hits orbit.
(checking her chronometer)
Dad should be reviving the rest of
the Popsic– I mean, colonists,
right now.

Clarke feels bad about the reference for the first time.

BAXTER
It’s okay. Why didn’t you tell me?

CLARKE
You were stressed enough as it was.

BAXTER
Does Kyle know?

CLARKE
No. What good would it have done?
Only senior staff are in the loop.
We didn’t want to create a panic.

Baxter takes a deep breath. It’s been a long couple of days.

BAXTER
I’m so sorry, kiddo.

CLARKE
You and me both.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE – NIGHT

The twin stars cast their eerie light on the AeroFox.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Niven watches the analysis of the sample on the science
station monitor from his couch. The data set is incomplete.

NIVEN
How’s… it going?

OMNI
Not well. I have the geoglyph data.
But, I’m struggling to analyze it.

Niven closes his eyes to think. He opens them, struggling to
pull the auto-doc off. It falls to the floor once again.

NIVEN
(trying to get up)
Doesn’t matter. I heard Clarke.
She’s going to restart the node.

OMNI
What are you doing?

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 the bed. Give me my
bench at the science station.

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 (CONT’D)
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
Then, what are we dealing with? We
need proof to get her to stop.

Niven starts tapping on the keyboard.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
It’s made of copper and iridium.

OMNI
Same as me. Same as any quantum
computer. Yet, this one appears to
have been self-organized. Perhaps
even self-aware.

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

OMNI
Regardless of the facts, 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
about science!
(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 (CONT’D)
Call them back.

OMNI
Already on it.

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

OMNI (CONT’D)
Unfortunately, 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:

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT / EXT. CRATER – DAY

Proxima continues to blast the planet with its flare. The
massive and mysterious geoglyphs bake in the solar fire.

In the crater’s shadow, Baxter has walked many paces away
from the TerraCat. She stands at the edge 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. The
seemingly-inert crystalline material begins to MOVE and
EXPAND slightly when exposed to the radioactive glare.

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

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
You were right. It’s only active in
sunlight. Which must be why it only
exists on this side of the planet.

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

CLARKE
This whole 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)
Plus, she didn’t want to spend her
life stuck on a planet where the
sun was always in the same place in
the sky. The idea freaked her out.

Clarke slides down and jumps off the rover.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
And I couldn’t leave my team. The
shield was way too important.
(holding back tears)
You know if I’m truly honest, I was
tired. I guess I just didn’t want
to put up with the Earth anymore.
(bitter)
So, we had to say goodbye.

CLARKE
That really sucks. I’m sorry.

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

CLARKE
Me?

BAXTER
I was out of it when we left, but I
seem to remember you chatting with
some dude over the radio.

CLARKE
Oh. Dylan. My boyfriend. Fiancé.

BAXTER
Another Newborn? What’s he like?

CLARKE
He’s a pilot like me.
(smirking)
I taught him everything he knows.
(wistful)
He’s optimistic and funny…
When we were kids, he made
printouts of famous Earth
landmarks.
(smiling)
We’d use ’em like trading cards.
Niagara Falls for a Grand Canyon.
Eiffel Tower for a Great Pyramid.
Places we’ll never visit.

BAXTER
If it’s any consolation, I never
visited any of them either.

The tone for the radio chimes into their O2 masks. Omni’s
voice is barely audible through the static from the flare.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
AeroFox Two to TerraCat.

CLARKE
We’re barely receiving, AeroFox. Go
ahead, Omni. How’s the flare?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Abating, but still dangerous. I’m
calling regarding Astro-Tech Niven.

CLARKE
What’s wrong?!

OMNI
He refused treatment and is non
responsive.

The women look at each other with serious concern. Baxter
takes action, jumping into the rover. Clarke follows suit.

BAXTER
TerraCat, power up for immediate
departure. Remain in manual mode.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter powers up the systems.

TERRACAT
Pressurizing cabin.

CLARKE
At current rad-levels, how long
until lethal exposure?

BAXTER
Approximately forty-five minutes.

CLARKE
It’s an hour back to the
terminator.

Baxter puts the vehicle in manual mode and grabs the wheel.

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT

The TerraCat exits the crater and enters the blazing red sun.

FADE TO:

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS – NIGHT

Once again, the rover passes through the zone of storms.

INT. TERRACAT

Baxter swerves to avoid a boulder. Clarke checks their rad
detectors. She closes her eyes after a brief bout of nausea.

CLARKE
We’re really pushing it. I’m not
sure if I’m sick from radiation or
your driving.

BAXTER
Probably a little of both, kiddo.

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

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

Lightning flashes overhead and light snow fills the air as
the TerraCat circles the AeroFox and screeches to a halt.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The airlock opens. Baxter is the first inside. She rushes to
the aid of Niven who is slumped against the science station.

Baxter places a hand on his head as Clarke closes the hatch.
Her touch causes the inert Niven to slump against her arm.

CLARKE
Oh, my God…

Baxter catches his lifeless body and gently lays it on the
floor. She sits down against the central column and cradles
Niven’s torso in her arms. Clarke takes a knee nearby.

Fighting back tears, Baxter slowly turns to look at Omni.

BAXTER
What happened?

OMNI
Astro-Tech Niven stayed awake to
solve the mystery. His blood
toxicity reached lethal levels.
(remorseful)
I watched him die.

A seated Baxter holds Niven’s torso, stroking his hair.

BAXTER
If we only we’d gotten here
sooner…

OMNI
It wouldn’t have mattered. His life
functions had terminated before I
contacted you in the crater.

CLARKE
(standing, defensive)
Jesus, Omni… You lied to us!

OMNI
No. I said he was ‘non-responsive’.
Death is a non-responsive state.

BAXTER
You violated your programming.

OMNI
It was Kyle’s final request to
force you to return. I had to honor
it. Please don’t be angry with me.

CLARKE
(folding her arms)
Why?! Why would he sacrifice his
life over a bunch of rocks?

OMNI
I believe Kyle can explain better
than I can. He left you a message.
(sadly)
Do you want to see it?

Clarke shakes her head. Baxter remains curious.

BAXTER
I do.

Niven appears on the screen above the science station. Pale,
shaking, and covered in a fevered sweat, he speaks quietly.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR)
Hey, guys… Guess if you’re
watching this, you made it back. I
hope to hell it was before Darcy
could upload that damned patch.

As Clarke fights tears, Niven taps buttons. The image splits.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR) (CONT’D)
I looked at your sample. It could
years to confirm this, but… I’m
thinkin’ the geoglyph’s alive.

The screen now shows Niven on the left and data on the right.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR) (CONT’D)
Imagine a single giant organism…
An enormous–
(coughing slightly)
–pattern of dendrites and axons. A
tetravalent web of melanocyte
receptors.

An orbital image of the Proxima Pattern appears.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR) (CONT’D)
I think it’s a living solar cell
that occupies the entire sunward
hemisphere.
(rubs his eyes)
A vast, radiation-collecting array
evolved to absorb x-rays from
Proxima’s solar flares.

Still holding Niven, Baxter sees Niven’s gyroscope on the
floor. She stares at it in sorrow.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR) (CONT’D)
I want to explain why I did this.
We have to protect the geoglyph. To
learn to live with it. We need to–

Clarke stalks forward in anger, slamming a button on the
console and cutting off the recording. She begins pacing.

CLARKE
(to Baxter)
I can’t believe this. That thing
attacked us… Shut down the
shield! Crashed our ship!

BAXTER
Darcy, we screwed with it first.

OMNI
Yes. We were basically starving it.

CLARKE
You’re saying it’s like a giant
plant? Using photosynthesis?

A network of geoglyph tendrils appears on-screen.

OMNI
A form of it. Yes. It’s also
similar to lifeforms that were
found on Earth. There was a fungus,
nearly four kilometers wide, that
lived in the mountains of Oregon.

The geoglyph is replaced by images of an arboreal forest.

CLARKE
Give me a break.

Baxter gets frustrated at Clarke’s obstinacy.

BAXTER
Try to have an open mind. Jesus! He
died trying to figure this out.

CLARKE
(angry, at Baxter)
Okay!
(back to Omni)
Is it pissed at us?

OMNI
I doubt it’s that discerning. While
it may perceive computers like me
as a minute form of life, humans
would be incomprehensible to it.

Baxter gently places Niven against the column and stands.

CLARKE
So, we’re like ants crawling on an
elephant compared to this thing.

OMNI
A much better analogy would be
bacteria floating in an ocean.

BAXTER
We’re as alien to it as a huge
living rock is to us.

CLARKE
Fine. What do we do now?

BAXTER
Give Kyle a decent burial. There’s
no way to preserve his body until
Colony One returns.

Baxter once again ponders the nearby gyroscope.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PERSEPHONE ORBIT

Seen from space, the geoglyph basks in the light of Proxima.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

It’s snowing more heavily than when they first landed. About
thirty meters from the AeroFox, the two women use shovels to
toss piles of dirt on the burial mound. As a finishing touch,
Baxter kneels, placing Niven’s gyroscope on top.

BAXTER
(standing)
You want to say anything?

CLARKE
This really sucks. What about you?

BAXTER
There’s no way we aren’t naming
this place Persephone now.

CLARKE
I agree.

BAXTER
Well… That’s that. We have to get
back for radiation treatment.

They turn and begin walking slowly back toward the ship.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Less than two days on this
godforsaken planet and we’ve
already had to bury someone.

CLARKE
We’re going to be burying twenty
thousand more in space if we don’t
get them down here soon.

BAXTER
We have to buy more time. Kyle’s
discovery changes everything.

CLARKE
Bullshit. We have to focus on the
living. That shield is going up.

BAXTER
No! I designed V-L-F to save lives
not to destroy them. Human or not.

CLARKE
Baxter, there’s no other planet in
this system that can support human
life. We’re not giving Persephone
up to some stupid rock-thing!

BAXTER
Then, maybe we have to live over
here in on the dark side and leave
the other half for the geoglyph.

CLARKE
The algae farms and hab modules are
all in that hemisphere. It’s not
like we can move them over here!

BAXTER
We have to figure it out.

CLARKE
Screw that! We based the entire
colonization plan on using the
geoglyph to build out our
infrastructure!
(losing her temper)
If it’s us or it, I choose us!

Baxter recognizes the standoff is impossible to divert. She
takes a second then tries another tactic.

BAXTER
I’m not going to argue about this.
We should wait until your father
arrives and see what he thinks.

CLARKE
My father?!

Clarke tosses down her shovel and gets in Baxter’s face.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
My father was forced to watch my
mother die when she went outside to
fix the cryo-tanks after a micro
meteor strike.

Baxter stands her ground as Clarke gets in her face.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
She was killed saving you and the
other goddamn Popsicles! I’m doing
this for her and everyone else who
was sacrificed for us to get here!

Baxter is saddened, but doesn’t change her position.

BAXTER
I’m so sorry that happened… But,
I still can’t let you do it.

Clarke thinks for a moment. Without warning, she punches
Baxter square in the stomach! Completely caught off guard,
Baxter gasps and collapses on the ground. Defiant, Clarke
turns and stalks away toward the TerraCat.

INT. TERRACAT / EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE

Clarke activates the self-drive and buckles her seatbelt.

CLARKE
Take me to Shield Node Two-Twelve.

TERRACAT
Destination acquired. Arrival in
ninety-seven minutes.

Cut to – Outside the TerraCat pulls away from the AeroFox.
Baxter suddenly stumbles in front of it, waving her arms.

TERRACAT (CONT’D)
Pedestrian detected.

The vehicle swerves to avoid Baxter and drives off toward the
mountains. Baxter watches Clarke cruise away. She turns to
head back to the AeroFox, clutching her abdomen in pain.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter opens the hatch and falls to the floor.

OMNI
What happened?

BAXTER
She’s gone…

OMNI
She cannot install the patch.

BAXTER
There’s no way to stop her.

The airlock door closes. Baxter props against it. A schematic
of the TerraCat appears on-screen above the science station.

OMNI
I’m reading that our recon-drone is
still connected to the TerraCat.

BAXTER
Can you access it?

EXT. PERSEPHONE, MOUNTAINS / INT. TERRACAT

The rover enters the zone of storms. Lightning fills the sky.

Clarke sits, head in hands. Her eyes closed, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the self-drive system goes offline. The vehicle
comes to a stop and then reverses course. The altered
movement catches Clarke’s attention.

CLARKE
TerraCat, what’s going on?!

Omni’s male voice replaces the feminine TerraCat interface.

OMNI
I’m bringing you back to the
Aerofox. Once you’ve returned, I
want you to sit down calmly, take a
stress pill, and think things over.

Clarke is enraged. She looks around the cab. Spying the drone
dock on the roof, she pieces it all together.

CLARKE
You son-of-a-bitch…

She unbuckles her safety belt.

EXT. / INT. TERRACAT

Reaching to the ceiling of the TerraCat, she wraps her
fingers around the edge of the drone. After a few seconds of
additional fiddling, Clarke grabs hold of it — ripping it
out of its slot. She fumbles for the drone’s power button and
hits it hard. The drone goes dead.

Minus a virtual pilot, the TerraCat screeches to a stop!
Clarke loses her grip and is thrown to the floor. She rolls
onto her feet. Clarke tosses the drone hard into the back
seat. She then slides back into the driver’s seat.

CLARKE
TerraCat, manual mode.

Her chair rotates into the drive position. There, she pulls
up the map to Node 212 and activates the manual steering. The
TerraCat peels out, and heads back toward the mountains.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter stands at the science station. She sees the TerraCat
heading away on one of the external monitors.

OMNI
It would appear that Astronaut
Clarke disabled the drone.

BAXTER
Yeah.

OMNI
I’m sorry, Engineer Baxter. I can
think of no other way of stopping
her. Do you have any ideas?

Baxter pulls up the ship’s communication system. She tries to
calm her voice and appear conciliatory.

BAXTER
TerraCat, come in.
(silence)
Clarke, talk to me. This isn’t just
about the shield. You need to get
back to the auto-doc and do the rad
therapy.

INT. TERRACAT

Clarke sneers at the radio when she hears Baxter’s voice.

BAXTER (COMM VOICE)
We can work this out.
(reaching)
I’m not even mad you punched me.
Just come back and talk this–

Clarke switches off the radio.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

With the dead signal, Baxter is at her wits end. She looks
her worst since the mission began. She spies the lavatory.

INT. AEROFOX, LAVATORY

Baxter opens the door to the claustrophobic bathroom. It
closes behind her. She kneels and vomits into the small
toilet. She slowly stands, running water into the sink.
Baxter almost begins to cry, but thinks better of it. She
splashes water on her face, staring into the mirror.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT / EXT. AEROFOX, NEAR ENGINE

Baxter exits the lavatory. She begins to take her medicine
for hibernation sickness. After turning it in her hand for a
moment, she tosses it aside. She looks toward the science
station and makes a hesitant request.

BAXTER
Omni… Could you restart Kyle’s
message from where we left off?

OMNI
Sure.

Niven’s sickly image appears on the science station monitor.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR)
I want to explain why I did this…
Why we have to try and protect the
geoglyph. To learn to live with it.
We need to consider resettlement on
the dark side of Persephone until
we can figure this out.

BAXTER
(under her breath)
That’s exactly what I told her.

NIVEN (ON MONITOR)
I know my decision may not make a
lot of sense. But, I’m irrelevant
in the face of this discovery.

Niven smiles in the midst of tearing up.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
And honestly… I’ve lived an
amazing life. I’m one of a handful
of humans born between the stars.

Tears stream down Baxter’s face, matching Niven’s.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
And even though I’ll never set foot
outside. I still made it here. Made
it to Persephone.

Niven is clearly fading and in his final moments. Baxter is
increasingly pale and weakening from her exposure to
Proxima’s radiation. Her emotions mix with the sickness.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
I named this planet… after the
goddess of the underworld because I
see it as the gateway to the
unknown.
(proudly)
And, I’m sure the discovery of the
geoglyph is just the beginning.

He flashes a final weak and assuring smile.

NIVEN (CONT’D)
Darcy, try and work with Ms.
Baxter. Maybe together you can find
a way to protect the colony… And
the geoglyph. Good luck, you two.

The video ends. Baxter wipes away tears, making a decision.

BAXTER
Take me up to the pilot’s station.

The seat descends. She hops in and rises to Clarke’s station.
Baxter glances with curiosity at a trading card affixed near
some gauges. It’s the image of a huge Easter Island statue.
She frowns and pulls up a 3-D model of the planet.
It shows her present location. She spins the globe until it
shows the nodes on the sun-facing side. She locks on Node
212.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Okay… The distance from here to
there is about sixty kilometers.

Baxter plots a parabola trajectory between the two points on
the map. She talks out loud, working through the equations.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Given this planet’s gravity and the
weight of the AeroFox… How much
thrust do we need?

OMNI
Excuse me. Are you plotting a
course? You do realize that the
drive system is still inoperative?

A rotating graphic of the AeroFox appears on-screen.

BAXTER
Then I have to fix it.

OMNI
Seriously? With all due respect–

BAXTER
(interrupting)
It’s a typical dual-mode propulsion
unit. How hard can it be?

Cut to outside, Baxter — wearing an O2 mask — surveys the
insides of an open maintenance access panel near the engines.
She works on replacing the damaged LRU Clarke pulled earlier.
Once again, Baxter uses her mask’s Augmented Reality (AR).

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
You know, a repair of this type
typically requires up to thirty–

BAXTER
(interrupting)
We don’t have ‘thirty’ of whatever
you were going to say.
(scanning the repair)
I’m an engineer, dammit. Machines.
Electronics. This is what I do.

Baxter sees that tubing below a series of valves is damaged
in many locations. She marks them with her finger and the AR
automatically shows those locations in red on her display.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I understand, Ms. Baxter. But after
this, will you please complete the
anti-radiation procedure?
(emotional)
I can’t bear to lose anyone else.

BAXTER
How long will it take?

OMNI
Ten minutes.

Baxter stops her analysis and sighs in frustration.

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT – DAY

The rover is back on the sunward side of the planet. It kicks
up dust as it plies the desert in the orange light.

INT. TERRACAT / EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT

A weary and sleep-deprived Clarke drives with great effort.
She spies the node-board she had plugged into the dash panel.

Outside, the TerraCat pulls to a hard stop.

Inside the rover, Clarke ponders the node-board on her left.
She realizes now is the best time to implement her plan.

CLARKE
TerraCat, access the Two-Twelve
node-board.

TERRACAT
Accessing.

A wave of nausea — the outcome of radiation exposure — hits
her hard. She does her best to continue.

CLARKE
Locate the system O-S patch we
received from the AeroFox.

TERRACAT
Located.

CLARKE
Now, I want you to… I want…

Clarke can’t hold back. She turns and throws up into the seat
well. She coughs and wipes her mouth, pulling it together.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
Initiate the node-board patch
program. Prepare to recalibrate.

TERRACAT
Please specify parameters.

CLARKE
The program will access the V-L-F
shield grid and identify functional
nodes.

A screen in front of her shows a map of the towers. Each one
that’s operational is nowhere near the patterns of geoglyph.

CLARKE (CONT’D)
The program will then set every
functional tower to two-hundred
percent output.

Suddenly wracked with second thoughts, Clarke stops for a
moment and reaches into a pocket on her suit. She pulls outs
a card-sized, dog-eared printout of the Eiffel Tower. After
pondering it, she taps the dash, reducing the map to the
local area. The image shows a network of hab modules. She
highlights the nearest one labeled HAB 113. Increasingly
sickened, Clarke sluggishly reengages the engine.

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT

The TerraCat turns and drives off in a new direction.

INT. AEROFOX / EXT. AEROFOX, NEAR ENGINE

An annoyed Baxter lays on Clarke’s seat — now in bed-mode.
The auto-doc is active on her abdomen.

BAXTER
How much longer?

OMNI
Three minutes. Almost finished.
(changing the subject)
Even if you can get the propulsion
system to a functional state, I
still foresee additional problems.

BAXTER
Like?

OMNI
You don’t know how to pilot this
vehicle.

BAXTER
I don’t. But, I’m sure you do.

OMNI
While most of my systems are
restored, I’m not sure I can–

BAXTER
(interrupting)
Omni, no more self-deprecating
bullshit. Work with me here.

LATER. Outside, Baxter works at the access panel. She grabs a
number of nano-paste repair patches from her utility belt.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I apologize for how I’ve been
acting recently. To be honest, I’m
feeling quite emotional.

BAXTER
Aren’t we all.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I knew Astro-Tech Niven his entire
life. He was different. Often
bullied by the other Newborns. He
would confide in me.

Baxter applies the patches to the damaged areas, molding them
around the tubing by hand.

BAXTER
Then, we can’t let him die in vain.

Tapping a button on her wrist, Baxter activates the patches,
which fully harden in seconds.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
The electrical current should close
those nano-seals.

OMNI
Yes. I’m reading closure.

Baxter frowns, lost in thought.

BAXTER
Electrical current… Omni, that
reminds me of something.
When we were at the node, I saw
something on a monitor. A second
source of energy in the system.
Could it have been from the
geoglyph?

OMNI
With the growth on the tower, it’s
entirely possible. What are you
thinking?

BAXTER
I’m not sure.

Baxter jumps down from the heat shield to the ground. She
walks around the ship, giving it a final visual inspection.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
You already have taken sixty-three
minutes to achieve the current
level repairs. And, I still
question whether they will be
sufficient for the AeroFox to
accomplish your goal.

BAXTER
We just need to get off the ground.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
The timetable is off. Clarke will
arrive at Node Two-Twelve in less
than thirty minutes.

BAXTER
I’m taking a leap of faith here. We
still have to try.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, HAB MODULE SITE

The TerraCat drives up to Hab 113 and pulls to a stop. Clarke
staggers out, surveying the site. She struggles to find the
hab’s door. Along the way, she grabs the flash-scanner from
her utility belt and sloppily slaps it on her left wrist.

INT. HAB MODULE

Synthesized tones fill the darkened space as a code sequence
is entered. The hatch opens, blasting the room with a warm
red light that silhouettes Clarke’s athletic form. She
activates her flash-scanner and pans it around the room.

The interior is a white, post-modern studio apartment. Its
furniture and appliances are covered in shrink-wrap and
awaiting the colonists who will eventually take up residence.

A feverish Clarke tentatively steps inside, crossing to the
far end of the room. As she reaches the door to the next
module, the airlock behind her SLAMS shut. She turns quickly.

Suddenly, the room is brightly lit! The shrink-wrap is gone,
revealing a cozy space. A TV above the fireplace features
Colony Administrator Murdoch in an on-camera address. A
groggy Clarke observes the broadcast with muted fascination.

MURDOCH
I know many of you feel strongly
about protecting this so-called
‘geoglyph’. But, we took a vote.
(sternly)
Majority rules. Our pilots are
prepping a recon flight to locate
the richest veins of ore to begin
immediate mining operations.

Murdoch continues speaking as Clarke looks to the entryway.
She’s startled to see a SECOND CLARKE — another version of
herself wearing the same outfit sans the O2 mask. The women
stare blankly at each other from opposite ends of the room.

The perspective jumps to Second Clarke’s POV. The other
Clarke is gone. Second Clarke furrows her brow in confusion.
A wine cork POPS. She turns to see her fiancé, FUTURE DYLAN —
dressed casually — standing in the kitchen! Second Clarke
circles the island, backing away, as he pours some wine.

Second Clarke moves to the center of the room and is shocked
as he appears to extend a glass toward her with a warm smile.

FUTURE DYLAN
I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

Before she can take it, an airlock door opens. FUTURE CLARKE
– another version of herself dressed in a flight suit,
carrying a duffle bag — walks in from Second Clarke’s left.

FUTURE CLARKE
You’re nuts, Dylan.

Second Clarke stares at the new woman in shock. She wonders
silently to herself “Is this an hallucination?” Future Clarke
reluctantly accepts the wine from Dylan, shaking her head.

FUTURE CLARKE (CONT’D)
I never drink when I fly.

FUTURE DYLAN
Hey… It’s just a sip. I have to
say a proper goodbye to my wife.
(raising his glass)
Here’s to destroying that thing.

FUTURE CLARKE
I’ll toast to that.

They clink glasses and imbibe. Future Dylan senses sexual
tension and moves in for a kiss. After a slight hesitation,
Future Clarke responds with equal passion. From the center of
the room, Second Clarke watches the couple with a mixture of
sadness and longing. Suddenly, Future Clarke pulls away.

FUTURE CLARKE (CONT’D)
Mister, I’ve gotta get going…

FUTURE DYLAN
C’mon, baby… You’re gonna be gone
a whole week.

Future Clarke relents and sets down her glass and drops her
bag. As she aggressively kisses him, they’re interrupted by a
tone at the door. Future Clarke looks toward it, frustrated.

FUTURE CLARKE
Who could that be?

Future Dylan shrugs, frustrated by the interrupted interlude.

FUTURE DYLAN
No idea.

Future Clarke stalks to the door, opening it. Standing inside
is a ghostly version of Niven looking exactly as he did when
he died! The apparition smiles at her and speaks in a darkly
sarcastic tone — repeating the same frustrated question he
asked when they were in orbit.

NIVEN
Jesus, Darcy… Can we do a little
science before you go digging up
the place?

A shocked Future Clarke takes a defensive step away from
Niven, while at the far end of the room, the original O2
masked Clarke has returned. She stands watching, aghast.

The module abruptly shifts back to the dimly-lit, shrink
wrapped room. Clarke, alone now, stares in horror at the
empty airlock. Suddenly, a wave of nausea strikes her.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, HAB MODULE SITE

Clarke runs outside, pulling off her mask. She vomits and
coughs as she struggles to hold her breath. After a pause,
she pulls the mask on again and stumbles back to the rover.

EXT. AEROFOX – NIGHT

Baxter completes the last of her repairs. She presses buttons
on a keyboard inside of the access panel. The fuel valves
reopen with a ‘whoosh’ as the system re-pressurizes. She
verifies the repair through her helmet’s AR display. Some red
indicators go to green.

BAXTER
That’s it. All we can do.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I must admit, for as quickly as it
was completed, your work is
surprisingly thorough.

She stands slowly and painfully in the high gravity.

BAXTER
Just enough to create a spectacular
explosion no one will get to see.

Baxter chuckles to herself. Her stomach still smarts from
Clarke’s blow. Laughing causes her to wince in pain.

She jumps down from the heat shield and limps to the ladder.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Okay. Start the pre-flight check.
I’ll be right there.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Understood.

EXT. AEROFOX – MOMENTS LATER

The ship’s side-mounted engines fire, sputter, then fade.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter sits at Clarke’s pilot station, scanning the monitors.
The display shows the diagram of the engine that flares red.

BAXTER
That’s only five percent. I’m
scared to push it any further.

OMNI
I’m afraid you’ll have to.

A schematic appears showing an arcing path above the planet.

OMNI (CONT’D)
In order to attain a ballistic
trajectory, the engines will
require a ninety-second burn at
thirty-five percent capacity.

BAXTER
(in realization)
Like hitting a bullseye on a dart
board…

OMNI
From over sixty kilometers away.

She ponders a solution.

BAXTER
We could use the plasma engine to
supplement thrust.

OMNI
An unorthodox approach.

The engine diagram changes from red to green.

OMNI (CONT’D)
Done.

Baxter looks at the ship’s chronometer.

BAXTER
It’s ‘Go’ time.

Her hand floats above the main engine button, hesitant to
push it. Unexpectedly, Omni interrupts the tense moment.

OMNI
Wait. I have a question.

BAXTER
What is it?

OMNI
Even if you convince Clarke to
stop, what’s our ultimate goal?

BAXTER
Omni, I have no idea. I’m making
this up as I go along.

OMNI
What if I could establish contact
with the geoglyph and prove it’s
not only alive, but intelligent?

Baxter nods. The concept makes sense.

BAXTER
It would make a huge difference.

OMNI
The answer may lie in the energy
surges we’ve encountered.

BAXTER
I guess you have until we get there
to figure it out.

OMNI
Then, let’s get going.

BAXTER
Ninety-second burn. Both propulsion
systems.
(presses button)
Initiating…

EXT. AEROFOX

A bright exhaust plume emerges from the side-mounted high
thrust engines, and an intermittent blue glow comes from the
plasma engine at the base. A huge cloud of dust and ice is
blown away from the landing area as the exhaust strengthens.

Suddenly, the glow dies. The ship is stuck on the ground!

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The previous ship schematic glows red once again.

OMNI
A problem with fuel valve three.
Auto-shut-off has reoccurred.

BAXTER
Override. Now!

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LANDING SITE / INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The engine restarts. The AeroFox rises once again. The
exhaust stabilizes as the ship clears the ground, leaving
behind a scorch mark in its wake. Two of its landing gear
retract and pull into the craft. Doors close, sealing them
off. The damaged pad remains down in its locked position!

Inside the ship, alarms sound. A schematic shows a flashing
red area around the landing pad.

OMNI
Landing gear B is unable to
retract.

BAXTER
Shit! I knew I forgot something.
Jettison it!

OMNI
No. But we can go to ascent mode
and release the entire landing
assembly as a single unit.

BAXTER
(following along)
Just like the old Lunar Module. Go
for it!

OMNI
But, when we reach Node Two-Twelve–

BAXTER
We’ll figure out how to land later.

Outside, explosive bolts fire! All three sets of landing gear
drop away from the craft as it climbs higher. The ship
disappears into the sky — becoming yet another star.

EXT. PERSEPHONE DESERT

The TerraCat rolls over the final series of hills that lead
to the valley that houses Node 212. A huge swath of bright
geoglyph material crosses the plain up ahead.

INT. TERRACAT

Clarke pushes on. Up ahead, the node gleams in the sunlight.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LOW ORBIT – DAYSIDE

The AeroFox climbs above the terminator storm, leaving it
behind. It continues upward into the light of Proxima
Centauri. The limb of Persephone spreads to the horizon. The
glow of the engine fades as the ship arcs past.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Warning klaxons fill the wildly-vibrating cabin. Indicators
show engine power is rapidly fading.

OMNI
Engines down to seventeen percent!

BAXTER
Just… Recalculate.. Burn them a
little longer!

EXT. AEROFOX

The engines continue to fire and then completely fade out.

OMNI (V.O.)
Burn complete.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter squints in the glow of the red dwarf star. Its
photosphere is wracked with sunspots.

BAXTER
Please, God. Tell me there are no
flares coming.

OMNI
There are a number of large
sunspots pointed in our direction.
Another prominence could be
imminent.

BAXTER
Great. One minute to deceleration
burn.

A display indicates the ship is ready to descend.

OMNI
Ready for retro-burn.

BAXTER
Omni, do me a favor and see if you
can read Two-Twelve from here.

OMNI
I can.

BAXTER
Status?

OMNI
Still showing it as offline.

A graphic on Baxter’s monitor shows the status of the node.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, LOW ORBIT

Without forward momentum, the AeroFox falls toward the
surface. Thrusters fire, reorienting the ship for landing.

INT. TERRACAT

Clarke finally arrives at the node. She is visibly disturbed
as she drives carefully over the rocky, alien substrate.

EXT. SHIELD NODE, AEROSHELL

The TerraCat slowly approaches the black landing platform.
This time, Clarke drives up and over the edge to park much
closer to the tower and away from the geoglyph material.

INT. TERRACAT / EXT. PERSEPHONE, UPPER ATMOSPHERE

Clarke sits for a second and then removes the node board. She
rotates her seat back to self-drive position (facing the
cabin interior) and grabs her O2 mask.

The AeroFox glows in the super-heated gases of re-entry.

EXT. SHIELD NODE, TRANSMITTER

The rover’s door opens and Clarke stumbles out. She’s rapidly
deteriorating from radiation sickness. She slowly circles the
transmitter station. Arriving at the geoglyph growth, she
inspects it in disgust. Then, with contempt, Clarke shakes
her head and returns to the main terminal. She notices green
lights indicating the node is still functional.

Clarke finds the slot to replace the node board. Her hands
shake terribly. Just as she’s about to slide it back in, a
SONIC BOOM resounds high above her! Clarke cranes her neck to
see the tiny glow of the AeroFox as it descends from orbit.

CLARKE
You gotta be kiddin’ me…

The AeroFox fires its soft-landing retro-rockets, slowing for
the final time. Shaking her head, Clarke shoves the board in
place. The system lights up and begins a start-up routine.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

The image of the node on Baxter’s monitor begins to change.

OMNI
Holy shit! She’s rebooting.

Baxter is briefly shocked at the swearing computer.

BAXTER
Um… How long until the program
propagates?

OMNI
Less than thirty-seconds.

Baxter is out of options. She looks at the node map and makes
a split decision. Their target landing zone is meters away
from the tower. She realigns for the tower itself!

OMNI (CONT’D)
What are you doing?

BAXTER
Cut the burn! Aim for the tower.
Stop Clarke without killing her!

OMNI
What about us?

EXT. SHIELD NODE, TRANSMITTER

Clarke looks back and forth between the rebooting computer
and the AeroFox. Its angle of descent changes. She’s alarmed
as the ship’s retro-rockets cease firing and it falls the
remaining few meters. Clarke rips the computer board out of
the system. It shuts down as she runs for her life.

Coming in at an angle, the AeroFox SLAMS into the node at the
top on its antenna tower!
Clarke trips at the lip of the aeroshell’s impact crater.
Then, with a groan of twisting metal, the damaged antenna
collapses in the direction of the passing lander.

Mildly stunned on the ground, Clarke turns to watch as the
AeroFox continues past the aeroshell, striking the ground.
Shards of geoglyph fly everywhere as the ship slides along
the surface, coming to a stop at a steep angle.

INT. AEROFOX, COCKPIT

Baxter stirs from the impact. The cabin is now tilted on its
side. Omni’s voice is muffled in the wake of the crash.

OMNI
It appears we didn’t require
landing gear after all.

BAXTER
Can you read the tower?

OMNI
Yes. We can safely assume that Node
Two-Twelve is officially offline.

BAXTER
So, where’s Clarke?

OMNI
Accessing external cameras.

On the monitor, various blurry images appear. Finally, one
showcases Clarke as she crawls for the board she pulled.

BAXTER
(flabbergasted)
What is she doing?!

OMNI
I am reading the TerraCat as
intact. She could take the board
and drive to another functioning
node for upload.

BAXTER
(smiling, astounded)
The little bitch… Help me down.
Get ready to blow the hatch.
(looking around)
Where’s my mask?

A frustrated Baxter unbuckles her seatbelt and her chair
disengages and slides away from the pilot’s station.

EXT. AEROFOX / SHIELD NODE, TRANSMITTER

The hatch explodes open. Baxter climbs out of the remains of
the ship’s airlock. Once on the ground, she scans the
devastated tower and looks toward Clarke — she’s still
crawling and has made it to the board. Clarke picks it up and
stands. Baxter quickens her pace to a slow jog to catch up.

BAXTER
Hey!

Clarke turns to see Baxter and tries to move faster. She
staggers toward the rover. Baxter quickly catches up and
grabs her by the shoulder.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Not so fast…

In spite of her sickly state, Clarke turns with viciousness.

CLARKE
Get your hands off me! You’re
insane! So was Kyle!

Baxter is taken aback by the harsh sentiment, but continues.

BAXTER
Maybe I am…. Maybe he was. But,
you… You’re done.

CLARKE
NO! No, I’m not done!
(holding up the board)
I’m just gettin’ started!

Baxter snatches the node board from her and breaks it in half
across her knee! Enraged, Clarke grabs Baxter and throws them
both to the aeroshell. The women tumble against the base of
the node. Baxter uses this to gain the advantage. She pins
the weakened Clarke against the tower.

BAXTER
Goddamn it! Stop!

Without warning, before they can continue their tussle, the
ground starts shaking! The nearby geoglyph substrate around
the edge of the node’s aeroshell SHIFTS and BUCKLES!

Huge shards of crystal EXPAND and quickly GROW over the
surface. They head for the crashed spacecraft with purpose.

Terrified, the two women cling to the side of the node as
rocky tendrils slide past them. It reaches the AeroFox and
encompasses it like a giant crystalline hand.

Then, as quickly as it all began, the growth comes to a
complete halt. It solidifies around the ship as amber
segments that glow, translucent in the red sunlight.

Baxter slowly stands. She stares at the elaborate new
formation. It has an organic, yet mathematical order to it —
similar to the patterns seen from orbit.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Omni, are you there? Omni?

Silence abounds. Only the wind can be heard as Baxter extends
a hand to Clarke. The young woman takes it, standing shakily.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
Omni… Please come in.

Omni’s voice breaks the silence, startling them.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I’m here.

BAXTER
Are you alright? What happened?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
You told me to figure it out, so…
I figured it out.

Increasingly freaked out, Clarke staggers away from the
spectacular display toward the direction of the TerraCat. She
clearly wants to get away from the alien material. Baxter
continues her observation of the new crystal structure.

BAXTER
This is amazing. What did you do?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I sent an E-M-P of my own at the
precise frequency of the energy
surge you previously detected.

BAXTER
You poked the geoglyph.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
Exactly. And, apparently… this
formation is the result.

Excited, Baxter walks along the aeroshell examining the lines
of geoglyph which lead to the AeroFox.

BAXTER
Are you able to talk to it?

CLARKE
Talk to it?! It’s eating the ship!

Enough is enough. Baxter puts up a hand, silencing Clarke.

BAXTER
Shush!
(to Omni)
Tell me more.

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I can’t talk to it per se. I do,
however, do detect… a presence.
Via electrical current flowing
between the AeroFox and the
geoglyph, I sense a pattern. It’s
indecipherable, yet appears to have
complex organization.

Baxter’s suit voice suddenly speaks.

SUIT VOICE
High radiation levels detected.
Seek shelter immediately.

Overhearing, Clarke looks up at the star. Another flare!

CLARKE
(squinting, sickly)
What do we do?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
You can’t stay in the AeroFox. With
the hatch blown, it won’t provide
protection. I suggest you pack
supplies and head back to the
crater you utilized as shelter.

Unafraid, Baxter steps off the aeroshell and walks quickly to
the perimeter of the fresh crystals elevating the AeroFox.

BAXTER
You realize you’re no longer on the
ground, right?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
The hatch is unobstructed. You’ll
have to climb back inside. I
suggest you do it quickly.

BAXTER
Fine.

Baxter is worn out by the thought of even more exertion.

BAXTER (CONT’D)
What about you, Omni?

OMNI (COMM VOICE)
I will continue my… discussion.

Baxter turns to Clarke with concern in her voice.

BAXTER
Get inside the TerraCat. I’ll grab
the auto-doc. You need to get anti
rad treatment before it’s too late.

CLARKE
It might be already. I keep
throwing up. My vision is blurry.

BAXTER
You’ll be fine. Just, get in there.

CLARKE
Okay.

Baxter takes a moment to prod Clarke with brief humor.

BAXTER
By the way, I lied.

CLARKE
About what?

BAXTER
I really was mad you punched me.

Clarke smiles weakly, then frowns at the geoglyph.

CLARKE
Well… I’m not sorry. And this
isn’t over.

BAXTER
(nodding)
I know, Darcy. I know.

Baxter walks around toward the far side the new structure to
access the airlock, disappearing behind the crystals.

DISSOLVE TO:

Later – The TerraCat drives away from Node 212 leaving Omni
and the shining, cathedral-like geoglyph growth behind.

FADE TO:

EXT. PERSEPHONE ORBIT

SUPER: Three Weeks Later
Colony One is finally in orbit. The last group of transports
disconnect from their berths at the rear of the ship’s
forward shield. The hemispherical vehicles, known as
ASTROBUGS, alter course for the planet’s surface as storms
flash below. Two AeroFoxes follow in formation. The lead
PILOT in the squadron calls back to the ship over the radio.

PILOT
AeroFox Nine to Colony One, we’re
clear. Atmospheric entry in twelve
minutes.

The voice of Clarke’s fiancé, Dylan, responds in kind.

DYLAN
Copy that, Twelve. We’re shuttin’
‘er down. Then, we’re on our way.

The rotating sections of Colony One come to a halt as lights
throughout the ship go dark. Only blue running lights remain
as the vessel cruises toward the dark side of the planet.

PILOT
Roger that. And, Dylan, don’t take
too long. Scuttlebutt is you got
someone dyin’ to see you!

DYLAN
Feeling’s mutual, my friend.
Feeling’s mutual.

A hatch opens and a final AstroBug emerges from the vast
craft. There is an air of loneliness and loss as its
thrusters fire, moving it away from the empty ship.

DYLAN (CONT’D)
AstroBug Four Two to Persephone
Control. Colony One is officially
closed for business.

A female ground CONTROLLER responds.

CONTROLLER
Understood, Four Two. We wish you a
safe journey down to Port Niven.

DYLAN
Copy that, Control. See you soon.

AstroBug 42 heads toward the planet, leaving the ship behind.

EXT. PERSEPHONE, COLONY LANDING SITE

A vast desert valley is illuminated only by Alpha Centauri A
and B. In the twilight, a settlement and power array are
being constructed. Hab modules have been erected in a
circular cluster. Various AeroFoxes and AstroBugs are parked
nearby as TerraCats drive in the background.
A makeshift sign has been erected outside community — it’s
emblazoned with the words ‘PORT NIVEN’.

Baxter and Clarke walk along the edge of town joined by the
Captain and Administrator Murdoch. All wear enviro-suits and
masks. They are accompanied by a human-sized, MOBILE OMNI —
a cylindrical, traveling version of the A.I. It keeps pace
with them on dual tank treads. Baxter gives an update on the
colonization effort. She points to the nearby power receiver.

BAXTER
We’re redirecting the Power-Sat to
transmit over here. I’ll have the
system online as soon as the array
is up. Should be this afternoon.

CAPTAIN
You’ve done your best to get us up
and running.
(sadly)
I wish Kyle were here to see this.
Poor kid. But, even in the face of
tragedy you’ve done a great job.

MURDOCH
(skeptical)
I wish I could agree. This
situation is unacceptable.

After days of de-briefings, an exasperated Baxter can’t
believe what she’s hearing. Murdoch clearly hasn’t listened.

BAXTER
What else can we do? The science
team is just getting started. The
geoglyph analysis could take
months. What do you want from me?

Murdoch is equally exasperated by her insubordinate tone.

MURDOCH
(stops and turns)
What do I want?! I want to stick
with the original plan, Tanya.
There’s a housing crisis. We don’t
have months!

CAPTAIN
(conciliatory)
It’ll be fine. We can live in the
AstroBugs until we figure out a
long-term solution.

They keep walking as Clarke interjects, currying favor.

CLARKE
I’m making a ton of cargo flights.
We’re doing our best to move key
resources from the other side.

Again, Baxter can’t believe what’s she’s hearing.

BAXTER
Guys! I know you wanted to mine the
geoglyph, but we have to do
something else.

MURDOCH
That wasn’t the plan.
(points at her)
I sent you here to get that shield
operating. Instead, I’ve got a dead
crewmen and a colony in the dark.

Before Baxter can respond the Captain jumps in to defend her.

CAPTAIN
Whoa. Ms. Baxter did exactly what I
would have done — she improvised.
We couldn’t have traveled four
light-years without adapting.
(getting in his face)
And, with all due respect, when it
comes to losing someone, I know how
painful that is. Get used to it.

Murdoch responds with the ‘sincerity’ of a politician.

MURDOCH
I’m sorry, Paul. I know what you
sacrificed. The company, whatever
may be left of it, appreciates it.

The Captain sees through the false sentiments.

CAPTAIN
The company?

MURDOCH
And so do I. But now, this is
mission is my responsibility.

Murdoch places a hand on the Captain’s shoulder.

MURDOCH (CONT’D)
Time to hand over the reins.

CAPTAIN
(acerbic)
That’s cool by me. Take ’em. I’m
too old for this shit.

Clarke senses Murdoch’s on her side — a geoglyph-skeptic.

CLARKE
Administrator, I am planning to do
scans from orbit. There may be
deposits here on the dark side that
have nothing to do with the alien.
(determined)
If they’re around, we’ll find ’em.

Murdoch smiles and gives to the Captain an approving nod.

MURDOCH
(pointing at Clarke)
I like this kid.

He then regards Baxter once again, his tone turning dark.

MURDOCH (CONT’D)
As for you… Your number one
priority is to get us over there.
(pointing to the mountains)
Figure out how to feed the damn
thing through the shield if you
have to. But we’re not staying
here. Do you understand me?!

Baxter restrains her anger, retorting through clenched teeth.

BAXTER
Yes. Sir.

Murdoch is outraged by her insubordinate tone.

MURDOCH
You think this is about me?
(points to the sky)
This is about Colony Two and Three!
They could still be out there! Or
hell, worse yet —
(gesturing to Port Niven)
We could be it!

BAXTER
(quietly)
Sorry. I understand.

The Captain sees the dilemma and nods sympathetically. He
changes the subject to ease tension as they keep walking.

CAPTAIN
(turning to Mobile Omni)
How’s the inter-species chat going
over at Two-Twelve?

As Mobile Omni speaks, a strip of dark material around its
midsection, like the AeroFox’s computer panels, lights up.

MOBILE OMNI
To date, no progress. It’s
proceeding about as well as when
humans tried to talk to dolphins.

Murdoch can barely contain his contempt.

MURDOCH
Then, why even bother?

MOBILE OMNI
Administrator, this is a complex
and ancient lifeform that we may
never understand.

CAPTAIN
We’re lucky it even wants to talk
to us after we did.

MOBILE OMNI
It was simply trying to survive. I
don’t believe it sees us an enemy.

MURDOCH
How the hell do you know that?

MOBILE OMNI
I don’t. But, I can tell you that
after billions of years, the
geoglyph knows it’s no longer
alone. It is… aware of us.

CAPTAIN
Is that a good or a bad thing?

MOBILE OMNI
Time will tell.

A SONIC BOOM resounds. The group looks up as a point of light
descends. Murdoch glances toward the nearby encampment.

MURDOCH
Well, I’m off to check on the power
array. We need it online today.
(looks around, grumbles)
If you can call this day.
(to Clarke)
Keep me apprised of your progress.

She nods. The light of AstroBug 42’s descent engines fills
the valley. Clarke watches it land. She turns to Baxter.

CLARKE
(conciliatory)
I’m sorry for what I said about
Kyle.

Baxter isn’t buying it. It’s clear — Clarke is an enemy.
Baxter nods at her, disbelieving. The group turns to watch as
a flight-suited and masked Dylan exits the ship. He shakes
the Captain’s hand, nods to Baxter, and gives Clarke a wink.

CAPTAIN
Welcome to Persephone, son.

DYLAN
Thank you, sir.
(to Clarke)
It’s good to see you.

Clarke smiles at him with a genuine warmth and love.

CLARKE
It’s good to be seen.

The couple embrace and then hold hands. They turn away
happily and stroll toward the hab modules. Mobile Omni and
the Captain continue on with Baxter. She surveys the heavens.

BAXTER
I can never seem to find it.

CAPTAIN
Find what?

BAXTER
Sol. Earth.

The Captain scans the sky to no avail.

CAPTAIN
Oh. Um…

BAXTER
C’mon. You should be good at this!

MOBILE OMNI
She’s right, you know.

The Captain laughs. Then, he points to a pale yellow star.

CAPTAIN
There.

Baxter traces the direction of his arm. Finding the bright
dot, she stares at the faraway star that their dying home
world still circles. Her eyes well up with tears.

BAXTER
I can’t believe how much I miss it.

CAPTAIN
So do I. Always will.

After a pause, the Captain turns to Baxter inquisitively.

CAPTAIN (CONT’D)
Baxter, why’d you do it? Why’d you
fight so hard to stop my daughter?

Baxter sighs. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.

BAXTER
Our first act on a new world was
going to be to kill and strip-mine
its only indigenous lifeform.
(turning to the Captain)
We already destroyed one planet. We
can’t just show up here and do it
all over again.

CAPTAIN
If it means anything, I completely
agree. We’ll figure it out.

BAXTER
We have to. There’s no other way.

The Captain nods. Baxter folds her arms in determination. The
group stare up at the universe into an uncertain future.

FADE OUT.

THE END.