A Far Sun: Synopsis/Treatment, part 9
Click for part 8
Adam and Jane walk around to the front of the clock tower building, and we see them standing facing the tall, brick face. Adam's face turns upward to assess the conditions that lie ahead. In front of them are the broken remains of the twin wooden doors, halfway off their hinges.
"Shall we go, then?" Jane asks.
Still bemused by the stark differences he remembers as though it was just yesterday, Adam starts forward after Jane. "Sure, why not."
They pick their way through the broken doors. The interior of the lobby is very dim, but since most of the windows are broken out, they can see well enough. The lobby itself is about 10 meters wide, and a good two stories tall. In front of them, at the back of the lobby, are the twin curving stairways that lead to a mezzanine on the second level. A rotted, broken information desk occupies the space in the center of the lobby. Piles of rotting leaves have blown against the desk and decorate the corners of the room.
Click for moreAdam walks to the foot of one stairway. It appears to be made of wood, and it also appears as rotten and crumbling as the desk behind him.
"I don't know if this stair will hold us," he says, turning around to see if Jane has followed.
She comes alongside. "I think you're right." She looks around. "Wait. There's a set of metal stairs back here, I believe."
"Oh, right," says Adam, and he walks off right behind Jane to where they both know there's a better set of stairs.
Sure enough, they go through a rusty metal door--it creaks as it's opened--and stand in the dim light of another industrial steel stairwell. The stairs are dirty, littered with twigs and leaves, but when Adam takes a tentative step up, nothing surprising happens. He picks his way up to the first landing.
"Seems OK to me," he says. "Come on."
In a few minutes they have ascended all the way to the fourth floor, the top floor of the main part of the building. The stairs end here, and they are forced to leave the stairwell and go in search of another set of stairs up to the clock tower.
The bulk of the building seems intact. The fourth floor is dark and dingy, but the weather hasn't seemed to have penetrated this part, so when Adam and Jane walk toward the front of the building, they have grown in confidence that things will be safe. Adam has his flashlight turned on as they both start searching beyond the various doors that line both sides of this central corridor. At the far end of the corridor, some 15 meters away, is a lone metal door, with a square of light coming from its single small window. Still, both Adam and Jane search every door and doorway as they make their way toward the door.
At the door, finally, Adam pulls on it. It won't open. It's locked. Not only that, since the door is steel, it looks as though no one will be opening this door anytime soon.
"Door's locked," Adam informs Jane, who is standing and watching him tug on the door.
"I see that," she says. She then notices Adam's rifle, slung next to his pack. "Can't you shoot the lock off?"
"Shoot it off?"
"Sure. Just like in the movies."
"Uh," he says, "I could try. But I really doubt it's quite as easy as they make it look."
"Well, if you don't wanna do it, then I guess that's it."
Adam doesn't like what she is insinuating. Irritated, he explains, "It has nothing to do with whether I want to do it, or not. This is a high powered rifle. Discharging it in this confined space is dangerous. Especially if I'm shooting at a goddamn steel door."
Jane simply says, "Oh."
He looks around. "OK. You go take cover in one of those recessed doorways back there." She moves to comply. "I'm going to hide in this one, and I will try to shoot out the lock." He turns and holds out the light. "Here, you take the flashlight and aim it on the door so I can see to shoot."
Jane does as he asks.
There is a tense few moments while Adam loads the rifle, positions himself, and raises the rifle to take aim. Jane is shaking, and the light on the door jiggles. "Hold the light still," Adam says, and Jane takes the light in both hands to steady it.
But then she asks, breaking Adam's concentration, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Helluva time to be asking that, Jane."
"Well?" She sounds worried.
Adam sighs. "Just so you know, I was in ROTC as an undergraduate. We learned how to carry guns, and we also learned how to shoot them, too. I wouldn't worry, too much."
"OK," she says. "Be careful, OK?"
He smiles. "I will." Then the quiet of the corridor is shattered by the incredibly loud report from the rifle. Adam hasn't missed, though, and the door, shot straight through the lock, bangs open. He stands, then, and puts his fingertip in his ear. "Wow. That sucker was loud." Jane timidly edges toward him, flashlight in Adam's face blinding him. "Don't shine that in my face," he orders.
"Sorry." She flips the light to the now open door. There is a stairwell beyond the door, and it obviously goes upward. "You OK?"
"Of course I'm OK," he grins. "Did you see that shot? Clean through, right in the center of the lock."
Jane is smirking, but since her back is to Adam as she enters the stairwell, he cannot see it. She turns back, carefully hiding her expression, but pleased nonetheless. "That was very manly. Now come on."
"Manly, indeed," he replies. He doesn't see her proud smile.
**
Once at the top of the clock tower, we see that the roof is almost gone, as it had looked from ground level. The clock itself, having four faces, one in each of the tower walls, has broken and two of the faces have fallen. One clock face balances in the corner of the tower, the other face, once Adam walks over to look down, is lying in the bushes and trees at the base of the building. On two sides of the tower, then, there is very good visibility out onto the landscape.
They see the skyline of the city in the hazy distance. The buildings there, all much taller than the one where they are, all look decrepit and deserted. They can see the glint of the sun off windows, but almost as noticeable are all the missing windows. Off the other side they see nothing but the tops of the trees. Nothing but trees for as far as they can see. It is not very encouraging.
"There's nothing here," Adam says, finally breaking the silence.
"The city looks completely deserted," agrees Jane. She walks over to where Adam is standing.
"What do you think happened here?" He asks, holding his hand up to shade his eyes from the bright sun.
"Damn, Adam," she says, her head shaking in utter disbelief, "I have no idea."
"Then," Adam says, "We really must be three hundred years in the future. There must have been a war and everyone was killed, all the cities destroyed, and we have awakened from ..." he has to stop and swallow, his throat now dry, "... something, to find all this."
"I can't believe it."
He turns to her. "Damn it Jane, you're a scientist. We are taught to analyze the facts and form hypotheses based on the facts. What would you say has happened that doesn't put us somewhere in the future?"
She does not have an answer, only stands and looks at him, eyes large. Her expression says she fully believes Adam's explanation, and having had that terrible realization finally sink in has reduced her to speechlessness. A very unique state.
Adam sees that she sees, finally. "I'm sorry." He swallows. "It really is just us, then."
"This is horrible," she finally croaks.
"No shit."
"I keep thinking we're going to just suddenly run into someone, and that there'll just be some really good, logical explanation for all this." She sniffs, now holding back tears, "But there isn't anyone here, is there?"
"I don't think so." He looks out toward the city skyline. "At least, not right here."
She coughs, clears her throat, also bone dry. "So, what do you think we should do?"
He turns back to face her. "We won't learn anything new if we stay here." He pauses, apparently waiting for a response from Jane. She is silent, so he continues, "I say we should head out. Away from here. Try to find someone. Try to find out what's happened."
Jane considers his idea. "What about food and shelter?"
"All we got is about a dozen cans of ancient meat and vegetables. We won't last long on that nasty stuff, so just hiding away down in the facility won't cut it. We have plenty of guns, ammo, clothing, and camping supplies." He nods, as if confirming his plan, "I say we gear up with all our food and stuff, and head out."
"Away from here? Where would we go?"
"Toward the city, maybe. I don't know. Where are we most likely to find people? If there are any."
"The city, I guess."
"You don't sound too sure."
"Cripes, Adam," Jane says, sounding very weak and very female, "This is hard to assimilate. I think I really need some time to adjust to the situation."
"OK," he says, "We're in no hurry, I guess. Come on, let's go back down. There's one place I want to investigate before we go too much further."
"Where's that?"
"I want to see the library."
Continued in part 10
Adam and Jane walk around to the front of the clock tower building, and we see them standing facing the tall, brick face. Adam's face turns upward to assess the conditions that lie ahead. In front of them are the broken remains of the twin wooden doors, halfway off their hinges.
"Shall we go, then?" Jane asks.
Still bemused by the stark differences he remembers as though it was just yesterday, Adam starts forward after Jane. "Sure, why not."
They pick their way through the broken doors. The interior of the lobby is very dim, but since most of the windows are broken out, they can see well enough. The lobby itself is about 10 meters wide, and a good two stories tall. In front of them, at the back of the lobby, are the twin curving stairways that lead to a mezzanine on the second level. A rotted, broken information desk occupies the space in the center of the lobby. Piles of rotting leaves have blown against the desk and decorate the corners of the room.
Click for moreAdam walks to the foot of one stairway. It appears to be made of wood, and it also appears as rotten and crumbling as the desk behind him.
"I don't know if this stair will hold us," he says, turning around to see if Jane has followed.
She comes alongside. "I think you're right." She looks around. "Wait. There's a set of metal stairs back here, I believe."
"Oh, right," says Adam, and he walks off right behind Jane to where they both know there's a better set of stairs.
Sure enough, they go through a rusty metal door--it creaks as it's opened--and stand in the dim light of another industrial steel stairwell. The stairs are dirty, littered with twigs and leaves, but when Adam takes a tentative step up, nothing surprising happens. He picks his way up to the first landing.
"Seems OK to me," he says. "Come on."
In a few minutes they have ascended all the way to the fourth floor, the top floor of the main part of the building. The stairs end here, and they are forced to leave the stairwell and go in search of another set of stairs up to the clock tower.
The bulk of the building seems intact. The fourth floor is dark and dingy, but the weather hasn't seemed to have penetrated this part, so when Adam and Jane walk toward the front of the building, they have grown in confidence that things will be safe. Adam has his flashlight turned on as they both start searching beyond the various doors that line both sides of this central corridor. At the far end of the corridor, some 15 meters away, is a lone metal door, with a square of light coming from its single small window. Still, both Adam and Jane search every door and doorway as they make their way toward the door.
At the door, finally, Adam pulls on it. It won't open. It's locked. Not only that, since the door is steel, it looks as though no one will be opening this door anytime soon.
"Door's locked," Adam informs Jane, who is standing and watching him tug on the door.
"I see that," she says. She then notices Adam's rifle, slung next to his pack. "Can't you shoot the lock off?"
"Shoot it off?"
"Sure. Just like in the movies."
"Uh," he says, "I could try. But I really doubt it's quite as easy as they make it look."
"Well, if you don't wanna do it, then I guess that's it."
Adam doesn't like what she is insinuating. Irritated, he explains, "It has nothing to do with whether I want to do it, or not. This is a high powered rifle. Discharging it in this confined space is dangerous. Especially if I'm shooting at a goddamn steel door."
Jane simply says, "Oh."
He looks around. "OK. You go take cover in one of those recessed doorways back there." She moves to comply. "I'm going to hide in this one, and I will try to shoot out the lock." He turns and holds out the light. "Here, you take the flashlight and aim it on the door so I can see to shoot."
Jane does as he asks.
There is a tense few moments while Adam loads the rifle, positions himself, and raises the rifle to take aim. Jane is shaking, and the light on the door jiggles. "Hold the light still," Adam says, and Jane takes the light in both hands to steady it.
But then she asks, breaking Adam's concentration, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Helluva time to be asking that, Jane."
"Well?" She sounds worried.
Adam sighs. "Just so you know, I was in ROTC as an undergraduate. We learned how to carry guns, and we also learned how to shoot them, too. I wouldn't worry, too much."
"OK," she says. "Be careful, OK?"
He smiles. "I will." Then the quiet of the corridor is shattered by the incredibly loud report from the rifle. Adam hasn't missed, though, and the door, shot straight through the lock, bangs open. He stands, then, and puts his fingertip in his ear. "Wow. That sucker was loud." Jane timidly edges toward him, flashlight in Adam's face blinding him. "Don't shine that in my face," he orders.
"Sorry." She flips the light to the now open door. There is a stairwell beyond the door, and it obviously goes upward. "You OK?"
"Of course I'm OK," he grins. "Did you see that shot? Clean through, right in the center of the lock."
Jane is smirking, but since her back is to Adam as she enters the stairwell, he cannot see it. She turns back, carefully hiding her expression, but pleased nonetheless. "That was very manly. Now come on."
"Manly, indeed," he replies. He doesn't see her proud smile.
**
Once at the top of the clock tower, we see that the roof is almost gone, as it had looked from ground level. The clock itself, having four faces, one in each of the tower walls, has broken and two of the faces have fallen. One clock face balances in the corner of the tower, the other face, once Adam walks over to look down, is lying in the bushes and trees at the base of the building. On two sides of the tower, then, there is very good visibility out onto the landscape.
They see the skyline of the city in the hazy distance. The buildings there, all much taller than the one where they are, all look decrepit and deserted. They can see the glint of the sun off windows, but almost as noticeable are all the missing windows. Off the other side they see nothing but the tops of the trees. Nothing but trees for as far as they can see. It is not very encouraging.
"There's nothing here," Adam says, finally breaking the silence.
"The city looks completely deserted," agrees Jane. She walks over to where Adam is standing.
"What do you think happened here?" He asks, holding his hand up to shade his eyes from the bright sun.
"Damn, Adam," she says, her head shaking in utter disbelief, "I have no idea."
"Then," Adam says, "We really must be three hundred years in the future. There must have been a war and everyone was killed, all the cities destroyed, and we have awakened from ..." he has to stop and swallow, his throat now dry, "... something, to find all this."
"I can't believe it."
He turns to her. "Damn it Jane, you're a scientist. We are taught to analyze the facts and form hypotheses based on the facts. What would you say has happened that doesn't put us somewhere in the future?"
She does not have an answer, only stands and looks at him, eyes large. Her expression says she fully believes Adam's explanation, and having had that terrible realization finally sink in has reduced her to speechlessness. A very unique state.
Adam sees that she sees, finally. "I'm sorry." He swallows. "It really is just us, then."
"This is horrible," she finally croaks.
"No shit."
"I keep thinking we're going to just suddenly run into someone, and that there'll just be some really good, logical explanation for all this." She sniffs, now holding back tears, "But there isn't anyone here, is there?"
"I don't think so." He looks out toward the city skyline. "At least, not right here."
She coughs, clears her throat, also bone dry. "So, what do you think we should do?"
He turns back to face her. "We won't learn anything new if we stay here." He pauses, apparently waiting for a response from Jane. She is silent, so he continues, "I say we should head out. Away from here. Try to find someone. Try to find out what's happened."
Jane considers his idea. "What about food and shelter?"
"All we got is about a dozen cans of ancient meat and vegetables. We won't last long on that nasty stuff, so just hiding away down in the facility won't cut it. We have plenty of guns, ammo, clothing, and camping supplies." He nods, as if confirming his plan, "I say we gear up with all our food and stuff, and head out."
"Away from here? Where would we go?"
"Toward the city, maybe. I don't know. Where are we most likely to find people? If there are any."
"The city, I guess."
"You don't sound too sure."
"Cripes, Adam," Jane says, sounding very weak and very female, "This is hard to assimilate. I think I really need some time to adjust to the situation."
"OK," he says, "We're in no hurry, I guess. Come on, let's go back down. There's one place I want to investigate before we go too much further."
"Where's that?"
"I want to see the library."
Continued in part 10
Labels: A Far Sun
posted by Coogan at 1/10/2008 04:39:00 PM
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