A thick carpet of algae covers the walls.
Life Support equipment is operating.
Bundles of cable run along the walls and ceiling.
Power and light in abundance.
Cecil leads Jeremy into one of the tunnels.
They pass several small accessways.
Jeremy follows Cecil through one of them. It zigzags twice before opening into a room the size of an efficiency apartment.
The room contains a bed and several storage bins.
Jeremy retrieves an XXL tee shirt from one of the bins and holds it up toward Cecil.
Cecil shrugs, then zigzags back through the accessway.
Jeremy begins rummaging through the other bins.
INT. MAIN INTERSECTION - LUNAR TUNNEL COMPLEX - NIGHT
Six video cameras, SIX CAMERA OPERATORS, and several production lights are set up.
The entire Arcus crew is sitting in a semicircle facing the cameras. They are all still in their spacesuits.
One of the camera operators points at Cecil.
Red lights illuminate atop each camera.
CECIL
Greetings to all the people of Earth.
Greetings from the moon. As many of you
know, my name is Cecil Millikan,
President and CEO of Microcore Space
Systems. For centuries, humans have
dreamed of one day colonizing the moon.
Today, that dream has come true.
Cecil releases the seal on his helmet. Air HISSES out.
He removes the helmet and takes a long deep breath.
He nods to the rest of The Arcus crew who follow suit.
CECIL (CONT’D)
Four years ago, Microcore established
Site M-X at Aristarchus Crater to mine
valuable resources from the lunar
regolith.
Cecil lights a cigar.
Many of the spacers are visibly appalled, but no one speaks up.
CECIL (CONT’D)
In the process, we've managed to excavate
over thirty thousand square meters of
habitable living space within the
crater's rim. Today, I officially rename
this site UNDERWORLD.
Cecil produces a case of champagne and a crate of champagne glasses.
He fills all the glasses and distributes them to The Arcus crewmembers and the resident spacers.
They toast.
Three camera operators begin interviewing the scientist crewmembers.
A fourth camera operator follows a resident spacer into one of the tunnels for a tour of the facility.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN to main intersection in disarray.
Several folding tables are littered with empty champagne bottles and half-eaten trays of appetizers.
Spacesuits and helmets are scattered along the walls.
Two of the Arcus scientists are passed out in their chairs.
Cecil enters from one of the tunnels. He claps his hands.
CECIL (CONT’D)
Time to suit up, gentlemen. Our ride
leaves in two hours.
The two scientists begin shuffling around, looking for their spacesuits.
Another scientist enters and quickly locates his suit and helmet.
INT. ARCUS LANDING SHELL - DAY
The crew are all aboard, fully suited, and strapped in.
The pilot flips switches, then presses a button.
A jolt.
The lunar surface drops out of view through the windows.
EXT. ARCUS LANDING SHELL - LUNAR ORBIT
The landing shell approaches and docks with the orbiter.
EXT. ARCUS SPACECRAFT - EARTH ORBIT
The landing shell disengages from the orbiter. Then plunges into the atmosphere.
LOW ANGLE on descending landing shell.
Its red hot surface cools to white.
Wings sprout from either side.
It banks.
REAR ANGLE on landing shell as it heads toward Microcore off in the distance.
EXT. AGRESSION THERAPY CAMP ENTRANCE - DAY
A high wall composed of crushed cars surround the camp. The main entrance is a grandiose padded archway leading to huge wooden doors.
A sign above the doors reads:
AGGRESSION THERAPY CAMP MICROCORE.
IF YOU LEFT YOUR PROBLEMS AT HOME, GO BACK AND GET THEM!
Jeremy and Tara are there waiting.
TARA
Remind me why we came here.
JEREMY
Because Cecil invited us. I know that his
people have been taking good care of you
since I've been gone.
TARA
I know, but an Aggression Therapy Camp? I
don't have any aggressions to take out.
JEREMY
Give it a chance. It might be fun.
Besides, Cecil said this is a great way
for he and I to re-acclimate our bodies
after nearly a week of weightlessness.
TARA
I'll try to keep an open mind.
JEREMY
By the way, why did you quit your job at
the Ozone Repair Project?
TARA
I got bored with it. Besides, I got
another job offer.
Cecil arrives. They all enter the camp.
INT. AGGRESSION THERAPY CAMP - DAY
The camp is filled with climbing cages, battered buildings, huge slingshots, and heavy duty catapults.
Large steel frames with hundreds of glass windows, many of them broken, sit on small islands within several large ponds.
Ropes hang from trees.
Balls, bricks, and boulders are scattered all over the place.
They come upon a climbing cage.
It extends a hundred yards skyward.
Its broad base angles outward.
Huge metal supports snake up through its interior.
CECIL
My employees love this place. Do you like
to climb, Tara?
TARA
Not really.
CECIL
Come on, it'll be good for you.
TARA
(surrendering with raised arms)
Lead the way.
CECIL
I like to call these Rage Cages.
He points to a short steel beam.
It rests upright in a secure slot marked with black and yellow caution stripes.
A cement block, gouged and cracked from repeated impacts, supports the beam.
Two ropes are attached to either side of the beam, with loops at their ends.
The loops are hooked around upward bent nubs of malleable metal.
Multitudes of these nubs are present all the way to the top of the cage.
Jeremy eyes Cecil to verify that he's serious.
CECIL (CONT’D)
The idea is to haul the beam up to the
top, and then release it.
Cecil wraps a loop around his shoulder.
Jeremy reluctantly does the same.
They begin to climb, sharing the brunt of the beam's weight.
JEREMY
Why don't you go on ahead of us, Tara?
Tara begins climbing up through the center of the cage.
Jeremy looks over at Cecil.
JEREMY (CONT’D)
Plan on launching any more civilians in
the near future?
CECIL
Was the moon not enough for you?
JEREMY
I must admit, the thought of going back
up has a certain appeal.
CECIL
The Arcus was a special case. The whole
idea of that flight was to send
civilians. I need trained professionals
from here on out.
JEREMY
What if I was to become a trained
professional? I've already passed
spacesuit training and have a week's
experience offworld.
CECIL
Are we negotiating? Because I was
thinking more along the lines of a cash
transaction for the crystal.
JEREMY
I've decided that I can't part with the
crystal, but I'll give you all eighty