| The Ariane Conspiracy Part One |
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1. INT THE LAB WE HEAR AN ANNOUNCER COMMENTING ON THE LAUNCH OF THE LATEST ARIANE ROCKET. ANNOUNCER: Five… four… three… two… one… Go for main burn…(THERE IS THE BLAST OF A ROCKET ENGINE) we have lift off of Ariane six from Kourou, French Guiana. Its mission, to place Trackstat into orbit on the far side of the moon, is part of a new initiative by the European Space Agency. Ariane six is the first of a new generation of nuclear powered rockets capable of speeds in excess of 78,000 km/hr. Once the solid fuel boosters have been jettisoned, and the craft has reached geo-stationary orbit, the new drive will come on line making it possible to complete the mission in just a few hours. WE HEAR THE FAMILIAR SOUNDS OF THE LAB AS THE ANNOUNCER FADES INTO THE BACKGROUND. PAUL: Thanks TIM, that was great. Are you still tracking the rocket? TIM: Yes Paul. Ariane six is just passing through the troposphere. Watchdog two is in perfect position to monitor its progress. JOHN: (SLIGHTLY ACCUSINGLY) As long as Paul's new found interest in space exploration isn't keeping the Watchdog satellites away from their usual function… TIM: (A LITTLE HURT AT ACCUSATIONS OF INEFFICIENCY) All watchdogs are performing at maximum intensity. I can assure you that there is no region of space, surrounding the Earth, which is not under constant surveillance. ELENA: (DIPLOMATICALLY) Of course they are, TIM. You're being your totally efficient self, as usual. PAUL: (ANXIOUS) Hey, what's going on? TIM, turn up the sound please? ANNOUNCER: We have just been informed that there is a problem with the rocket. (PAUSE) As you can see from these pictures, as it prepared to jettison the booster rockets something went wrong and it began to spin out of control. JOHN: TIM, can you give us a closer picture than the TV broadcast please? TIM: Certainly John. (EFFECT AS SCREEN CHANGES) It seems that instead of jettisoning the spent boosters, they continued to burn. As the rocket was in the middle of a roll procedure, designed to put it onto the correct flight trajectory, the additional thrust has sent it way off course. JOHN: (ANXIOUSLY) Where is it headed now? TIM: According to my calculations it is on a direct path towards the partially built International Space Station. ELENA: (WITH DEEP CONCERN) Oh my god! How many people are there on the rocket? PAUL: It's all right, Elena; Ariane six is an unmanned mission completely under computer control. JOHN: That may be true, but, from what I read in the papers last week, there is a full crew complement of twenty astronauts, engineers and scientists aboard the space station. ELENA: What're we going to do? We can't just sit here and watch the rocket crash into the station… JOHN: I don't see what we can do. This is a Sap mission, nothing to do with us. ELENA: Saps or not we can't allow those people to die. Not if we have the means to save them! PAUL: Elena's right. The saps wont be able to do anything about it. They just don't have the technology… TIM, how long until impact? TIM: At its present speed the rocket will collide with the space station in three minutes thirty seconds. ELENA: We've got to help. There must be something we can do to save those people. PAUL: (JUMPING TO HIS FEET) Matter transporters… we can jaunt up with matter transporters and bring them back. JOHN: In just three minutes? Besides, we don't have that many matter transporters… what's more we'd have to change into A.E. suits and from what I recall it took you over an hour to put one on last time. ELENA: This argument is wasting time! If we can't go up and get the people, maybe we can do something to prevent the collision. TIM, would TK reach that far? TIM: Telekinesis is usually used on much smaller objects over much smaller distances… ELENA: I know, but we don't seem to have any other option do we? At least we can try… JOHN: OK, it's a long shot but we'll give it a go. Let's link everyone! JOHN: (TELEPATHY) We must join our minds together… to become one… now reach out… stretch our consciousness… That's it. I can feel the hull of the rocket… PAUL: (TELEPATHY) It's not working…we're running out of time. ELENA: (TELEPATHY) It's so big… so fast… JOHN: (TELEPATHY) TIM, we need more power… can you boost the power… TIM: I'm giving you as much power as I can, John… I'm also interfacing with the onboard computer…trying to overwrite its command codes… (THERE IS A PULSATING SOUND A DEEP VIBRATION ACROSS THE NEXT LINES, AS THE TP'S STRETCH OUT WITH TK.) JOHN: (STRAINING) Not enough power…too heavy…can't get a grip… (THE VOICE BEGINS TO WEAKEN) Must concentrate… must… TIM: That's it… You're doing it… The rocket is changing course… Just a few seconds longer… It's working. John, Elena, Paul, it's working! JOHN: (STRAINING) Can't hold out much longer… (GROANS AND PASSES OUT) TIM: You did it… You changed its trajectory… It is now on course for the moon where it will cause no harm… John, Elena, Paul. Can you hear me? INTO THEME THERE IS THE BACKGROUND HUBBUB OF PEOPLE BUSILY POURING OVER COMPUTER READOUTS ETC. OPERATIVE: We're losing her, Sir… the on board computer still refuses to respond. The telemetry tells us that the thrusters are firing but for some reason she's just not going where she's supposed to! ANDERSON: (ANGRILY) I can see that for myself. What I don't understand is why it's changed course. Run the sequence again. Check the codes… (SHOUTING) And get Dr. Parrinder down here. He's got a lot of explaining to do! PARRINDER: I'm already here, Sir… As soon as Ariane veered from the projected course I… ANDERSON: (BUTTING IN) Your team better have some answers to all this. That things heading for the moon! PARRINDER: I know. Sir. And I just can't explain it. The computer was… ANDERSON: I don't give a damn about the bloody computer. You assured me that the programming was complete. Fool proof you said. Just look at this mess! I want to see you and Dr. Abbot in my office in half an hour, and I don't want to hear excuses about the computer! PARRINDER: Yes, Sir, half an hour.
PAUL: (GROANS) Hey, TIM, what happened? TIM: The three of you passed out. I used the bio-probe to heal some minor brain damage and left you to recover in your own time. You've been unconscious for over ten hours. PAUL: I kinda figured that out from the pain in my head. What I meant was what happened to the rocket? TIM: There is nothing to worry about. Thanks to your efforts it changed course by just half a degree, but that was enough for it to pass close by the space station but not actually hit it. JOHN: (GROANS) Oh my head… It feels like… PAUL: Sorta like your brain's been fried? JOHN: Well I wasn't going to put it quite like that but yes. (CONCERNED) Elena… wake up Elena. TIM: It's no good, John. The enormous mental effort you put into diverting the rocket has overloaded many of your neuronal pathways. She'll be all right but she has to be left to awake in her own time. JOHN: Paul, give me a hand to lift her onto the bed. (WE HEAR JOHN AND PAUL CARRYING ELENA ACROSS THE LAB) What happened to the rocket, TIM? TIM: You managed to move it with TK just enough for it to miss the space station. It continued on this new trajectory for five hours before crashing harmlessly into the moon. JOHN: That's good to hear. At least we now know that TK can work over far greater distances than we previously thought. TIM: Yes, John, but I would not recommend you do it every day. The damage to your brains was repairable this time. Next time you may push yourselves too far. PAUL: You're right TIM. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going upstairs to take a shower then I'll lie on my own bunk for a while. 4. INT ANDERSON'S OFFICE WE HEAR A DOOR CLOSE AND VOICES FADE INTO THE DISTANCE. ANDERSON: (IMPATIENTLY) Well… I'm waiting? DR ABBOT: We've checked over the data. Ariane six was following the correct flight path right up until the roll procedure. ANDERSON: And? DR ABBOT: And that's where things get confused. The boosters fired correctly. The maneuver was going according to plan. Collision with the space station was imminent. Then… well we just can't work it out. ANDERSON: (SHOUTING!) You can't work it out! The finest minds on the planet and you can't understand an archaic computer system? You've been here too long… you're brains have gone soft. Are you sure our systems were working properly. Did mission control suspect what was happening? PARRINDER: All the data shows that the rocket was following its programming correctly. The new flight path was fixed in the data banks; our uplink worked perfectly to over ride the original code. Those idiots at mission control were running around like headless chickens preparing for the crash. The (COUGHS) accident should have gone exactly to plan. ANDERSON: So what went wrong? You're both aware of the tight schedule we're on. Dr ABBOT: Perhaps there was some outside agent? Something else affecting the rocket that we didn't predict? ANDERSON: (BARELY KEEPING HIS ANGER IN CHECK) You two are my most trusted operatives. Do you have any idea of the effort it took to arrange infiltration of the European Space Program? Now you're telling me that there's something interfering with our plans that you didn't think of! I'm due to send a communiqué back to central command. What do you think I should tell them? PARRINDER: I… errr…wee… ANDERSON: Silence! Someone has to take the blame for this mistake and it's not going to be me. I've got far too much riding on the success of this mission. Some one has to be punished… (BEAT) PARRINDER: No. You can't kill us… we'll investigate… we'll find out what went wrong. (WE HEAR BURST OF LASER FIRE. ABBOT SCREAMS AS HE IS VAPOURISED) ANDERSON: Yes Dr. Parrinder, you will. PARRINDER: You killed Abbot! ANDERSON: Dr. Abbot was expendable. Once he'd arranged the data uplink he'd passed his usefulness. But I still need you to program the next rocket. There's another launch window in a week's time. I want you to go over that data with a fine toothcomb, I don't care how many times it takes, and find out what went wrong. PARRINDER: Will there be anything else, Sir? ANDERSON: No… I mean yes. Remember this, Jay; incompetence won't
be tolerated, from you or anyone else. You may be second in command,
and selected for this mission above many others, but that doesn't mean
you're indispensable... I will not return home a failure. Too much depends
upon us. You won't fail me again! TIM: How are you feeling now, Elena? ELENA: I'm OK, I suppose. Where are the others? (JAUNTING EFFECT) PAUL: I'm here… What d'ya think? ELENA: An AE suite is not the most becoming outfit I've seen you in. Are you off to a fancy dress party? (WE HEAR SOMEONE COMING DOWN THE METAL STAIR CASE) JOHN: You could have used the stairs like a sensible person. ELENA: (TEASING) Can't you see he's eager for adventure? How did he manage to persuade you to jaunt into space at this time of night? JOHN: I'm not all together sure. While you were recovering we discussed the Ariane crash in some detail. It seemed the only sensible way of gaining further data. ELENA: Boys' toys… JOHN: What? ELENA: Nothing… I was just thinking that with the whole world at our feet, you two still waste time clambering around in uncomfortable AE suits looking at piles of space junk. PAUL: We're not wasting time. This is a serious investigation. ELENA: (TEASING AGAIN) Anything you say, Paul. Hold onto that thought when you're falling asleep in class tomorrow or suffering from space sickness later tonight. It's half twelve and that's well past my bed time, so if you'll excuse me, I'll see you tomorrow (JAUNTING EFFECT)
6. INT THE PARRINDER HOUSE WE HEAR A CAR PULL UP ON THE STREET. THE DOOR OPENS AND THE OCCUPANT STEPS OUT. WE HEAR DR PARRINDER ENTER HIS HOUSE. A TV CAN BE HEARD FAINTLY IN THE BACKGROUND. THE ANNOUNCER, READING THE LATE NIGHT NEWS HEADLINES, IS TALKING ABOUT THE ROCKET CRASH. PARRINDER CROSSES THE HALLWAY AND OPENS THE DOOR TO THE LOUNGE. BABY-SITTER: Good evening, Dr Parrinder. How was… sorry, let me turn this down. (THE TV SOUND IS MUTED) I heard what happened. DR PARRINDER: (TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT) Is Jenny awake? BABY-SITTER: She tried to stay up until you got home. I saw the news. Things didn't quite go to plan… DR PARRINDER: Thanks for coming over to baby-sit. It's late and I'd rather not talk about work right now. You run along home. There's a cab waiting for you outside. BABY-SITTER: OK Dr. P. See you next week. (WE HEAR HIM CLIMB THE STAIRS AND OPEN A DOOR WHICH CREAKS ON ITS HINGES. THE CHILD STIRS) DR PARRINDER: (TALKING TO SLEEPING CHILD) Sleep tight, sweetheart, for as long as you can. The truth will hurt you more than it hurts me… I am past redemption… (HE WALKS AWAY. THE DOOR CREAKS AGAIN. WE HEAR THE SOUND OF A SHOWER) JENNY: (YAWNS) Daddy is that you? Daddy…Daddy. (WE HEAR JENNY CLIMB OUT OF BED AND OPEN THE CREAKY DOOR JENNY MUMBLES TO HERSELF) I know I shouldn't get out of bed, but Daddy won't mind me saying goodnight. I'm sure he won't mind. (THE SOUND OF THE SHOWER GETS LOUDER AS JENNY ENTERS) JENNY: Daddy, are you in the bathroom? I waited up as long as I could. I'm sorry I missed saying goodnight. PARRINDER: What the! JENNY: (JENNY SCREAMS) Who are you? Where's my Daddy? PARRINDER: It's all right Jenny. This is Daddy… I'm sorry you had to see me like this. JENNY: No, get away from me… You're not my Daddy… you're some kind of monster… PARRINDER: It's me, sweetheart. You've never seen me without my skin before, that's all. I know you're scared now but please calm down and let me explain. JENNY: No! What have you done with my Daddy? You're an alien… where have you taken him? (WE HEAR HEAVY FOOTSTEPS AS JENNY RUNS DOWN THE STAIRS) PARRINDER: (CALLING AFTER JENNY) Stop! Wait! Let me put my skin back on… Then you'll see it is Daddy… Please give me just a few seconds… (THERE IS THE SOUND OF TRAFFIC ON THE STREET) JENNY: (SHOUTING) Help me… somebody help me please… (THE FOOTSTEPS CONTINUE AND FADE INTO THE DISTANCE) (JAUNTING FX) JOHN: (TP) Good job, TIM. You've put us down right outside the impact crater. PAUL: (TP) Wow just look at the mess! It'll take hours to sift through that lot. JOHN: (TP) We better check for radiation before we get any closer. My gauge reads green. How about yours? PAUL: (TP) Well within normal levels. At least we know the crash wasn't caused by the new drive system. TIM: (TP) May I suggest that you download the data from the rocket's central processing unit. We may be able to piece together enough information to reveal why it spun out of control. JOHN: (TP) OK, TIM. I'll look around for the remains of the computer system. Paul, you take holo-photos from as many angles as you can then TIM can piece together a 3D image of the crash site… (BEAT) PAUL: (TP) How are things going, John? I've finished taking the pictures. Is there anything else you want me to look at? JOHN: (TP) I could do with a hand shifting this piece of wreckage. PAUL: (TP) Be right… (JAUNTING FX) … there. JOHN: (TP) I'm certain that's the computer half buried beneath the hull plating… or what's left of the computer. (WE HEAR THEM STRUGGLE WITH THE DEBRIS) PAUL: (MUMBLING TO HIMSELF) Damn weightlessness… This suit doesn't help much either. (SUDDENLY THE WRECKAGE TIPS SIDEWAYS) JOHN: (TP) Hey, watch yourself… You're not used to working in low gravity… Now, that's much better. I can pull this console free and… Hmm interesting… PAUL: (TP) What is? JOHN: (TP) The processing unit. It's hardly what you'd expect to find on this type of ship. Looks far more sophisticated than anything I've seen the Saps use before… PAUL: (TP) Maybe they've made some advances in chip technology? This was supposed to be the most high tech tracking satellite they've ever designed. JOHN: (TP) Yes, you're right. You're probably right. Now hand me the data recorder and I'll begin to download the ship's logs. (PAUSE) This'll take some time. You don't have to stick around if you're bored. PAUL: (TP) Are you kidding? If I go back prematurely I'll never hear the end of it from Elle. JOHN: (TP) Have it your own way, although I fail to understand this incessant competition between the two of you. PAUL: (TP EMBARRASSED) It's nothing really, just friendly rivalry. Hey, look at this… There's cabling running from the computer back along that conduit to an antennae of some sort. Now what do you suppose that's doing there? JOHN: (TP) You said it yourself earlier, Ariane Six was completely computer controlled. PAUL: (TP) Yes, that's true, but surely the flight plan would have been preprogrammed before take off? Why would they need an antennae feed direct into the navigational controls? JOHN: (TP) Perhaps they anticipated problems and wanted some means to reprogram the rocket mid flight, if the need arose. PAUL: (TP) So when the rocket spun out of control why didn't they use it? (BEAT) JOHN: (TP) There… that's it, I think. Once we get back to the lab TIM will be able to answer all our questions. PAUL: (TP) I have the strangest feeling that this is not going to be half as simple as we originally thought. JOHN: (TP) You're probably right there Paul. (PAUSE) TIM, we're finished here. Jaunt us back please… (JAUNTING EFFECT)
WE HEAR SOMEONE DIALING A PHONE THEN THE OPERATOR ASKS WHICH SERVICE AND JENNY SAYS POLICE… (BEAT) POLICEMAN: (DISBELIEVING) An alien you say? Have you told your parents? JENNY: (SCARED) He is my parent! I saw him… his skin was blue… But he's not my Dad. He can't be my Dad. POLICEMAN: How can he be your parent but not be your dad? JENNY: They're replaced him… taken him over… POLICEMAN: Couldn't it have just been a bad dream? You can't go ringing the police station every time you have a nightmare. Why don't you go back home and speak to your dad. I'm sure it'll be all right. JENNY: (HYSTERICALLY) You don't understand… I knew it was a mistake to call you. I've got to get to London. The people there will understand. POLICEMAN: I wouldn't advise you to do anything like that. We spend enough of our time searching for run away kids. Just calm down and talk to your dad. There's no such thing as aliens… besides, why would they want to replace him? What's so special about him? JENNY: He works for the European Space Agency on the Ariane Project. POLICEMAN: The what? JENNY: The space rocket that crashed yester… that's it… they made it crash. They replaced him and made the rocket crash into the moon… POLICEMAN: Come on now miss, calm down. WE HEAR THE RECEIVER BE REPLACED FOLLOWED BY A DIAL TONE POLICEMAN: Damn fool kids, wasting police time. (JAUNTING FX) TIM: (SURPRISED) Elena, we hardly expected to see you this time of night. ELENA: Hi, TIM. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd come over to… JOHN: (EMBARRASSED) Elena! What on Earth are you doing here? It's nearly three o'clock in the morning. ELENA: (CHEEKILY) Whoops sorry… I didn't expect to find you changing out of your AE suit here in the lab. JOHN: (SARCASTICALLY) And just where did you expect us to change? Please excuse me while I go and put some clothes on. (JAUNTING FX) WE HEAR PAUL COME DOWN THE STAIRS. PAUL: (MUMBLING TO HIMSELF) That's better… those helmets get really uncomfortable after a few hours… (SURPRISED) Hey, evening, Elle. What are you doing here at this time of night? ELENA: I was just about to explain to TIM that I had a … (JAUNTING FX) JOHN: Hello, again. So what did bring you back to the lab? Haven't you got work tomorrow? ELENA: I was just about to say that I had a bad dream. JOHN: A dream you say, sounds intriguing, can you tell us about it? ELENA: Sorry, Sigmund, my nightmares are my own. JOHN: Well, whatever it was about, it must have been bad for you to come all the way here. ELENA: (DELIBERATELY CHANGING THE SUBJECT) You never told me about your jaunt into space. Did you find anything interesting at the Ariane crash site? JOHN: Yes. There was definitely something very suspicious about that crash. TIM's analysing the data we brought back. PAUL: John and I suspect sabotage of some kind. ELENA: Who on Earth would want to sabotage a satellite launch? TIM: Full analyses of the rocket's data banks will take me a few more hours. May I suggest that you all get some sleep? ELENA: Good idea, TIM. I seem to have shaken off the dream now. Sleeping in a strange bed probably caused it… PAUL: (TEASING) hmmmm… Interesting. ELENA: It's not what you think. I'm house sitting for my parents. They're in Australia for a month and they left me to look after their animals. JOHN: (CONCERNED) You could bring the family pets back to the lab with you. If that would help? ELENA: (LAUGHING AS SHE STEPS UP TO THE JAUNTING PAD) No, John… I couldn't do that… It would be totally impractical. Good night… (JAUNTING EFFECT)
WE HEAR THE SOUND OF PASSING TRAFFIC, A BUS PULLS UP AND THE DOOR OPENS. DRIVER: Morning, young lady, where are you off to this early in the day? JENNY: I'm going to visit my Aunt who lives in London. Can you take me to the station please? DRIVER: What dressed like that? I'm not keen on picking up kids travelling alone; never know if they're run aways… Come up here and tell me your name and why you're running around in the early hours of the morning in your nightdress. WE HEAR THE SCREECHING OF A CAR AS IT PULLS UP IN FRONT OF THE BUS DRIVER: (SHOUTING) Bloody fool! You can't block the bus lane like that. THE CAR DOOR SLAMS AND THE DRIVER RUNS UP TO THE BUS. DRIVER: Hey, Mister, what the hell are you playing at? MR. PARRINDER: Shut up, you silly little man, and give me back my daughter. This child isn't going anywhere. JENNY: (FRIGHTENED) I won't go back. You can't make me go back. DRIVER: I don't know what's going on here, Sir, but if she's your kid why is she so terrified of you? MR. PARRINDER: This is none of your business so stay out of it! DRIVER: I think it is my business. At least I'm gonna make it my business. Your kid or not, she's on my bus and that makes her my responsibility. WE HEAR MR. PARRINDER PULLING JENNY FROM THE BUS. MR. PARRINDER: You don't know who you're speaking to. This is my family business so you'd be better staying well out if it, if you know what's good for you? DRIVER: Are you threatening me? That sounded very much like a threat. I'm calling the police right this minute… This bus has a radio transmitter, you know. JENNY: Don't hurt him. I'll let you take me back… just don't hurt anyone. DRIVER: If you want to take that kid from my bus you'll have to get past me first. MR. PARRINDER: You idiot. WE HEAR THE DRIVER PUNCH MR. PARRINDER AND A SCUFFLE ENSUES. MR. PARRINDER: Stand still, Jenny… stop wriggling… I don't know what's gotten into you? JENNY: Let go… let go of me… you're hurting my arm… you're pulling off my skin… no… no… WE HEAR JENNY BREAK INTO A RUN, HER BREATHING HEAVY AS SHE PANICS. THERE IS THE SCREECHING OF CAR TYRES AS JENNY RUNS INTO THE ROAD MR. PARRINDER: Look out, Jenny… Look out! WE HEAR MORE SCREECHING OF BREAKS AND THE SOUND OF JENNY BOUNCING OFF THE CAR BONNET FOLLOWED BY SILENCE. End Part One INTO THEME |
