V Pilot
Act One
FADE IN:
INT. BEDROOM NIGHT
A violent wind rattles the window in its frame, bits of paper and leaves rush pass outside. CAMERA PANS over to the bed...
CLOSE UP: Sleeping Woman's face - ERICA EVANS
Erica's eyes snap open. Terrified, her eyes cut back and forth but her head makes only tiny movements. A bright spear of light strikes her face and quickly widens to engulf her whole body as she begins to float above the bed. With a supreme effort, she throws her head back and screams.
FADE TO BLACK: With ONE LARGE RED LETTER - V
INT. BEDROOM MORNING
Suddenly, Erica is back in her bed, alarm clock blaring. She stumbles out from under the covers and shuffles down the hall to check on her teenage son.
ERICA EVANS(V.O.)
Ty...
INT. TEENAGER'S BEDROOM - MORNING
Erica pushes open the door to find the bed still made; he hasn't slept in it.
ERICA
(Voice getting louder)
Tyler Evans what are you doing?
Erica quickly moves down the hall into the living room.
INT. LIVING ROOM MORNING
Tyler Evens is sitting in front of a cheap, folding card table overflowing with wires, computer parts and empty cans of high-caffeine energy drinks. He pulls away one side of his earphones as he speaks.
TYLER EVENS
Yea Mom, I'll go to bed in a minute
Erica frowns and jerks open the window shade.
ERICA
It's morning Ty
TYLER
Oh? I better take a shower then.
Erica leans over Tyler's shoulder looking at the screen.
ERICA
And how can you be playing Galactic Wars? I know I canceled your subscription.
TYLER
Me and Bryce hacked together a private server. It's way cool, our max load is over a hundred players. You should have seen it. We totally ganked the Martian Empire.
ERICA
How are you balancing the network load without lag?
(beat)
No, never mind. What about school? You know grades, scholarship.
Tyler keeps looking at the screen and hitting one button over and over.
TYLER
My grades are on the table. You're suppose to sign the form on the back if you want a conference.
She examines the paper closely to see if it's a fake.
ERICA
All A's? You don't sleep. You don't eat. How can you get A's?
TYLER
(Shrugs one shoulder)
You know Mom, nowadays, they water down the classes. It's all part of the No Child Left Behind program.
ERICA
Nice to know where the state lottery money is going. Now, get in the shower before I start pulling wires.
Laughing, he leans forward talking into a mike
TYLER
I'm out. See you losers later.
CUT TO:
EXT. Camera is flying through the clouds
The camera pulls back and we see FATHER JACK LOWERY flying to toward the heavens carried by two beings of light with angle-like wings. They deposit him before crowd of people in robes. A regal man with a glistening beard steps out. Father Jack walks forward smiling.
FATHER JACK
Saint Peter?
The bearded man's face melts way into a demon's skull. Fire explodes all around. Father Jack screams.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Father Jack jumps out of bed as someone pounds on his door.
FATHER TRAVIS
Jack, Jack! Are you alright?
FATHER JACK
Yes, Travis just another bad dream.
FATHER TRAVIS
I was just about to put some tea on. Come join me and you can tell me every detail.
Father Jack picks his priest collar off the floor staring at it.
FADE TO:
INT. SMALL KITCHEN MORNING
Father Travis sits at a small round table. Despite his 60 years, he looks like a child awaiting Christmas.
FATHER TRAVIS
Tell me about your dream Jack.
FATHER JACK
Much like the others. I'm almost to salivation's gate; then, fire and brimstone.
Disappointed over the lack of juicy details, Father Travis hands Jack a torn opened manila envelope.
FATHER TRAVIS
(In his best Gospel quoting tone)
Due to declining funds, the Archbishop has decided to cancel all extraneous functions not directly related to God's word. More specifically, your support group for the sleep deprived has been canceled.
Father Jack opens the envelope giving the papers a token glance.
FATHER JACK
We knew it was coming. It's been a tough sell all along.
FATHER TRAVIS
Your transfer papers are in there as well.
FATHER JACK
When?
FATHER TRAVIS
You are to report to Saint Patrick's by the end of the month.
Father Travis leans forward and places a comforting hand on Jack's arm.
FATHER TRAVIS cont.
I'm going to miss you, but I'm sure with your degrees in physiology you'll end up with a choice position.
FATHER JACK
But my work...
FATHER TRAVIS
You will still be doing God's work and that's what matters most. Isn't it?
FATHER JACK
Of course...
FATHER TRAVIS
As for your support group, those other poor souls affected with these night terrors can still meet here - if they want.
FATHER JACK
Thank you.
FATHER TRAVIS
The only real tragedy is that I will have to break in some new over-eager Holy Roller.
FATHER JACK
I wasn't that bad.
FATHER TRAVIS
No, but I can't be that lucky twice in a row.
FADE TO:
INT. NEWSROOM ANCHOR DESK
CHAD DECKER sits behind the news desk. He is having trouble reading from the teleprompter.
CHAD DECKER
... and from the west coast, err, comes a bizarre story of a professional dog-napping ring.
Chad pauses, frustrated as people begin to walk around.
CHAD
Millions of dollars of ransom money laundered through the political office of...
More people appear some walking between him and the camera. No one is paying the slightest bit of attention to him - even the cameramen walk off.
CHAD
I said, millions of dollars...
A bright light blinds Chad and two men in surgical gowns and masks pick him up and lay him on the desk. Large knifes flash in their hands as they cut open his chest. No blood. They reach in and begin to pull out long sheets of newsprint.
DOCTOR
Yes, yes. See? This is much more efficient.
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Chad awakens, his face bathed in sweat, he looks down to see if there is a hole in his chest but it is covered with the blond hair of a woman, ALLISON RAY, using his stomach as a pillow.
ALLISON RAY
(In a drowsily murmur)
It's too early...
She rolls over, her eyes still closed.
Chad pulls himself out of bed flicking on the TV as he walks into the bathroom. CLOSE UP on the TV and we see Chad interviewing Erica as she is walking into a federal building.
ERICA
No, I don't know anything about army special forces stationed here in the city. I've been assigned to assist the local branch of Home Land Security.
CHAD
But Detective Evens, as the Mayor's niece, surly you would know...
ERICA
(frustrated)
Listen, I'm mostly an IT specialist. Even if I knew anything, I wouldn't be able to tell you Mr. Decker.
Erica walks off and Chad faces the camera.
CHAD
What is the NYPD hiding? Are there terrorist sleeper cells currently gathering in the city? This is Chad Decker - your man on the street.
CLOSE UP: Allison
ALLISON
You're on TV. They're showing you flirting with that nerd cop.
CHAD
(Shouts back from the shower)
I'm not flirting, and she is not a nerd.
ALLISON
Don't let the contacts fool you, honey. I know a nerd when I see one.
(beat)
And I certainly know when your hitting on someone. I can see it in your eyes.
Chad slides back into bed. His hair is wet.
CHAD
What do you see in them now?
She smiles and they embrace.
EXT. BUSY CITY STREET DAY
Erica dashes out of her brownstone and into the passenger seat of a sedan. Her partner, Home Land Security agent, DALE MADDOX, is driving.
DALE MADDOX
You look like hell with a side of bacon.
She pulls down the passenger side visor looking into the mirror as she brushes the tangles out of her hair.
ERICA
Thanks, Dale. It's those kind of remarks that really brighten my morning.
DALE
Another nightmare?
ERICA
It's that damn Galactic Wars; Ty spent all last night ganking the Martians. No wonder I'm stuck in a perpetual bad hair day.
DALE
Cut it off, I've never liked it anyway.
She closes the visor with a frustrated frown.
ERICA
Where are we going?
DALE
Some freak storm is coming in. High winds have blown over two tractor trailers on the freeway and the bypass is blocked by a four car pile up.
(beat)
You should set a curfew for Tyler.
ERICA
That's what my mom would have done but not me. No, I had to make a deal that he could set his own bed time as long as it didn't affect his schoolwork.
(beat)
I got his grades this morning.
DALE
And?...
ERICA
Straight A's. Crummy "No Kid Left Behind" program.
She turns to look at him.
ERICA
Tell me something Dale; you were a teenage boy once. What were you doing at that age?
DALE
(Two beats - thinking hard)
I... was one of those strange kids. I liked going outside and playing...
ERICA & DALE
(in unison)
Baseball
DALE
What can I say? It's the...
ERICA & DALE
(in unison)
Great American Sport!
She looks out the window.
ERICA
(softly)
He does make me proud though.
FADE TO:
EXT. DESOLATE SMOKEY BATTLEFIELD
MAJOR RYAN NICHOLS, wearing his battle fatigues, runs through the mud. The deep booms of cannon fire sound in the distance but the animal screams of dying men are far closer. Strange humanoid shapes move through the smoke all around him. From behind, a sudden, thunderbolt-like explosion tosses him into the air. He lands in a wet ditch. He sits up bringing his rifle to his shoulder and realizes he is covered in blood. CAMERA PULLS BACK and he is sitting in a pool of blood as far as the eye can see.
MAJOR RYAN NICHOLS
Oh, Great God... Please
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
Major Ryan wakes in his bed. He throws back the army green wool blanket, leans over the side of the bed and vomits into a small trash can. There is a knock on the door.
SERGEANT
Major? You have to see this.
Major Ryan yanks open the door trash can in hand.
MAJOR RYAN
What is it, sergeant?
The Sergeant salutes with one hand as he shoves a stack of glossy photos at the Major with the other.
SERGEANT
Photos from C-SOC, sir. The new laser satellites have picked up something.
The Major answers his salute with a frown and trades the trash can for the photos
SERGEANT Cont.
Something large is passing through the atmosphere, Sir and its coming this way.
MAJOR RYAN
Scramble the team - full gear!
Fade to black: End of Act one