Vast wind and solar farms spread across the landscape.
A herd of Kek THUNDER across the plains.
The sub plunges toward a field of corn.
INT. BRIEFING ROOM - FORT MCCOY, SPARTA, WISCONSIN - DAY
Alec is sitting at a table.
A U.S. Army CORPORAL guards the door.
The door opens.
Jeremy, now 108 years old, is escorted into the room by a LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
Jeremy nearly weeps as he gapes at Alec.
Alec stands up, confused and concerned.
JEREMY
Thank you, Colonel. May I speak to Mr.
Strickland in private?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Of course.
The Lieutenant Colonel and the Corporal exit.
JEREMY
I can't believe it's actually you. You
haven't aged a day.
ALEC
Do I know you, sir?
JEREMY
It's me, Alec. It's Jeremy Ash.
Alec looks closely at Jeremy's face.
ALEC
Dude, I just saw you like two days ago.
That's why they've kept me isolated in
here for the last two days, isn't it?
It's eighty six years later, isn't it?
Time dilation. Just like we predicted.
JEREMY
It would seem so.
ALEC
If you're still alive, then...
JEREMY
No, Alec. I'm sorry. I've already done
the research.
ALEC
So it's true. Everyone's really dead.
Kristin, Steve, all my family, all my
friends...
JEREMY
To be honest, I never found out what
happened to Kristin but eighty six years
is a long time.
Alec's eyes lose focus. He reflects in silence for several
minutes before regaining his composure.
ALEC
How old are you?
JEREMY
A hundred and eight.
ALEC
What have you been doing all these years?
JEREMY
Actually, that's something we need to
discuss.
ALEC
Okay...
JEREMY
I stole the crystal from you. The one in
your sub was a blank.
ALEC
Come again?
JEREMY
I discovered hidden information on the
alien data crystal so I switched it with
a blank. I was concerned that the
information might be lost if something
happened to your sub.
ALEC
Wow, that was pretty uncool, dude.
JEREMY
But it totally paid off.
ALEC
If you say so. Does this payoff have
anything to do with the reason you're on
this military base?
JEREMY
Not really.
ALEC
It can't be a coincidence that you're
here right after they picked me up.
JEREMY
It's no coincidence. I tracked your sub
as it approached. It seems that three
ships followed you back here but we don't
have any information on them yet.
ALEC
That's pretty scary. So what was this
hidden information you found?
JEREMY
Schematics for your neutrino engine for
starters. Also, the complete genome for a
microbe that we bred and used to
terraform Venus.
ALEC
Venus has been terraformed?
JEREMY
Sort of. The microbes excreted carbon as
a waste product and it built up in the
atmosphere to form a sort of shell around
the planet. Actually, it's more like a
band than a shell.
ALEC
Like a planetary ring?
JEREMY
Kind of like a ring, but it's really wide
and really dark, and it orbits less than
a hundred miles above the surface.
ALEC
What about the atmosphere?
JEREMY
Probes have confirmed a nitrogen-oxygen
atmosphere, but the band blocks out a lot
of sunlight. Venus is actually colder
than Mars these days.
ALEC
Who funded this massive undertaking?
JEREMY
Cecil Millikan.
ALEC
Cecil Edward Millikan? The President of
Microcore?
JEREMY
One in the same. But he's been gone for
many years. Microcore actually belongs to
me now.
ALEC
Yeah, right. Microcore is worth billions.
JEREMY
Trillions, actually.
ALEC
So you're a trillionaire because of my
crystal?
JEREMY
Actually, you're the trillionaire now.
I'm giving it all to you.
ALEC
You're not kidding, are you?
JEREMY
It was the crystal that got me in so it's
only fair that you inherit the wealth.
ALEC
I'm speechless.
JEREMY
Besides, you're the new messiah to about
a billion people worldwide.
ALEC
Say what?
JEREMY
There's this little thing called The Book
of Alec. You'll see it soon enough so I
won't bore you with the details.
ALEC
I can't wait.
JEREMY
I hope you won't hold a grudge against me
for stealing the crystal.
ALEC
I wasn't even a part of the last eighty
six years so it didn't matter to me one
way or another. Besides, if you really
have Microcore to give me, I'm glad you
did it.
JEREMY
Steve thought the world of you, Alec.
When I betrayed you, I betrayed him. I'm
just glad that I have some way to repay
you.
ALEC
I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I
don't know anything about running a space
agency.
JEREMY
You'll have plenty of people to manage
the details. In the meantime, I'll get
you up to speed.
The Corporal enters.
CORPORAL
Mr. Strickland, your presence is
requested at Sparta Memorial Hospital.
There's a helicopter waiting to take you
there.
ALEC
Haven't you guys already run every
possible test on me?
CORPORAL
I wouldn't know, sir. I was told that it
was a matter of life and death and time
is of the essence. Mr. Ash has been
cleared to accompany you. Please,
gentlemen, follow me.
INT. INTENSIVE CARE UNIT - SPARTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - DAY
Alec and Jeremy are directed to a bed obscured by a curtain.
A DOCTOR approaches.
DOCTOR
We did all we could.
He looks at Alec with sympathy. Then pulls the curtain.
DOCTOR (CONT’D)
I'm sorry.
Kristin occupies the bed. She is as young as the day Alec left. She lies there catatonic. Her flesh is severely damaged.
ALEC
Kristin? Is it really you?
She is completely unresponsive.
Alec looks up at the doctor.
ALEC (CONT’D)
How is this possible? What's wrong with
her?
DOCTOR
She was frozen. One of the local cryo
labs brought her in this morning.
Apparently, they were instructed to
revive her once you'd been located.
ALEC
Why does her skin look like that?
DOCTOR
Cryogenics was a pretty crude science in
the early twenty first century. We did
everything we could to minimize the
damage. I'm afraid she doesn't have much
time.
Alec embraces her.