ORIGINAL SOLDIER (Sample) Written By Kera Hildebrandt
Kera Hildebrandt kerahildebrandt@yahoo.com
EXT. OMNITECH BUILDING, FRONT - NIGHT The front of the architecturally-impressive building. A sort of near-futuristic-meets-big-business aesthetic. All of the lights are off, save for one office on the top floor. Gund, Beaker, and Anu run up to the door. Anu goes up to the security panel by the front door, hooks up a handheld device to it, and begins typing into the device. Well?
GUND You doing it?
ANU Magic hands, sir. Beaker scoffs. BEAKER Still a nerd. Anu's attention isn't torn from her work and doesn't let Beaker's comment bother her as much as it used to. ANU You want to try to shoot the door open instead, GI Joe? Beaker mocks offense. BEAKER Oooooh, tough girl. The device beeps.
Anu's a bit surprised.
ANU Oh...that's weird. What?
GUND It won't open?
ANU No, it opened. But thing says the security hasn't been set. What?
BEAKER You readin' that thing right? ANU
I am. BEAKER Maybe it's a trap. Anu becomes sarcastic.
2. ANU Yeah. That's gotta be it. The security's system trying to trick us. INT. OMNITECH LOBBY - NIGHT The grand darkened and empty lobby of the OmniTech building. The same aesthetic of the outside. INT. IANSON'S OFFICE - NIGHT A large, fancy office. Top quality decor and furniture (including a bookcase). At the desk is Ianson, working on a RUBIX CUBE. As the rapid footsteps of Gund, Beaker, and Anu grow louder outside his office door, Ianson's focus on the cube doesn't wane. The trio enters, and even then, Ianson doesn't even show signs of concern. The trio points their guns at Ianson, ready to take him prisoner. IANSON About time. I already solved this thing four times while waiting for you. BEAKER Four times, huh? Oh, aren't we smart? ANU Can't be too smart. any security.
He didn't have
IANSON A person who has nothing to fear doesn't lock their doors. GUND You've got plenty to fear, Ianson. We know about your little plan to have the battle droids turn on humans. Ianson laughs a bit. IANSON So you do. I really didn't expect you to figure me out by now. BEAKER Whatever. Only fancy suit you'll be wearing for a while is an orange jump-
3. Ianson throws the RUBIX CUBE at Beaker. Beaker dodges it easily, laughing bit and glancing over his shoulder at the cube, turning his attention away from Ianson. BEAKER (CONT'D) Did you seriously think that would-? The moment Beaker turns back, Ianson's desk is flying in his direction. BEAKER (CONT'D) Holy-! Beaker barely dodges the desk as it hits the wall. Ianson charges and topples Beaker to the ground. Ianson tries to punch Beaker in the head, but misses and dents the ground, much to Beaker's shock. Beaker pulls out a pistol and attempts to shoot Ianson. Ianson leaps back a great distance and outmaneuvers the shots from Gund and Anu. Beaker is still shocked at what Ianson just did. BEAKER (CONT'D) How did he do that?! How the hell did he do that?! GUND Stay cool, Beaker. here somewhere.
He's still around
The trio begin scanning the room, ready to shoot on sight and trying to hide fear. All is still, like calm waters in a pond. Eventually, Beaker turns and suddenly finds Ianson by him. Ianson disarms Beaker before throwing him into a bookcase in the room, knocking him out. Anu and Gund try to shoot Ianson. Ianson makes it past the bullets using superhuman reflexes and to Anu, who he knocks out with a blow to the head. Gund shoots at Ianson, who dodges the shots with incredible speed and dexterity once more. However, one bullet grazes Ianson in the neck before he pins Gund to the floor. To Gund's shock, sparks are coming out of Ianson's neck wound. GUND (CONT'D) What the-? Ianson punches Gund in the head.
Screen goes black.
4. INT. REPAIRS ROOM - NIGHT A repair room for robots. Sort of like an operating room, but meant for droids. Among the furniture are multiple surgery tables and large computer monitors. Gund, half-awake, looks around, finding a cut in his arm. Gund looks over to the surgery table next to him and sees an unconscious Beaker strapped to it, a similar cut on his arm. Over at another table is a conscious and bound Anu, who is having her arm cut into by Ianson. Ianson has duct tape on his neck wound. IANSON Ah, good news. You're human too. Though, I suppose it would have been redundant if Stone sent another android after me. Anu tries to seem as tough as she can, trying to intimidate Ianson. ANU Okay, you've determined we're human. Good for you. Why keep us here like this? Ianson, though smiling a pleasant smile, has the cruel intent of a killer in his eyes as he stares into Anu's. IANSON Because I like to see tough little humans get scared. Beaker twitches and slowly awakens. GUND (Quietly) Beaker. Ianson quickly turns to the two men. IANSON Oh...awake I see. Beaker's only half awake and still reeling from pain. BEAKER Jesus...did a truck hit me or something? Beaker slowly turns to Ianson. Beaker's not happy or proud as the memories of the attack sink in.
5. BEAKER (CONT'D) Wait a minute...Now I remember. It was this asshole who ran into me. IANSON What? No whitty remark on what you're going to do to me "when you get outta these straps?" BEAKER Why talk about it when I can show you? IANSON Now, now. Is that anyway to talk to a fellow veteran? GUND Veteran? Ianson nods. IANSON Truth be told, I'm a lot like you and Beaker, Gund. Gund looks at the duct tape on Ianson's neck. GUND Last time I checked, I didn't have sparks coming outta me. Ianson laughs, taking Gund's statement like a friendly joke and doing so with grace. IANSON I meant that like you, I was a soldier. A good soldier that was put out to pasture the moment they were deemed "obsolete." Ianson begins rolling up one of his sleeves to his elbow, exposing skin. IANSON (CONT'D) It was...around eighteen years from today. You people called it "the First Droid War." Ianson digs into the crook of his arm, pulling off the skin like a glove, much to the unnerving of his captors. Soon, the skin's off and Ianson's true, robotic arm is in the open for everyone to see. Ianson stares at it, admiring its mechanical beauty.
6. IANSON (CONT'D) The first to be made...first to be sent to fight... Contempt cracks Ianson's cool. IANSON (CONT'D) First to be scrapped when the next model came around. Ianson looks at Gund, recapturing some candidness in his expression. IANSON (CONT'D) I genuinely did think it was funny when you called my brothers in arms, what was it? (Beat) Oh yes. "Remote control toys with guns attached." ANU Oh my god...You mean...you're a...? IANSON At the moment, I am a business man. But I used to be a battle droid. Ianson looks at the bewildered humans for a bit. IANSON (CONT'D) Confused still? Ianson chuckles at the puzzled humans. IANSON (CONT'D) You see, it all started with Stone. EXT. JUNKYARD - NIGHT Junk piles of old robots in the middle of the Utah desert. Stone is going through the junk piles, putting interesting pieces into a wheelbarrow. IANSON (V.O.) Stone...bless his feeble, human heart. I'd feel guilty about having him killed if he didn't try to screw me over. Stone picks out a BATTLE DROID'S HEAD from the pile, wiping dirt off it.
7. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) I mean, after all, he's the one who found me after I was thrown out. INT. STONE'S LAB - NIGHT Back at Stone's lab in his "summer home." Stone's working on repairing a disheveled, humanoid battle droid (ROBOT IANSON). IANSON (V.O.) Fixed me up, gave me some of his experimental programming. Gave me the capacity to think. To feel. EXT. JUNKYARD - DAY Back at the junkyard. The repaired ROBOT IANSON is walking alongside the piles of robot parts. Stone is inspecting pieces and loading them into the back of his pick-up truck. Robot Ianson picks up a BROKEN ROBOTIC HAND from a pile. IANSON (V.O.) And did I ever. Not only was I selfaware, I felt emotion for the first time in my "life." Sympathy and sadness can almost be seen in Robot Ianson's artificial eyes as he looks at the BROKEN ROBOT HAND. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) I felt sadness for my fallen comrades... The sounds of TWO BROKEN ROBOTS fighting are heard a ways over. Robot Ianson walks around a corner and sees the confused robots fighting. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) I felt pity for my comrades who were affected by their time in battle. I felt fear over my memories of battle... Robot Ianson looks back to Stone, who is still going through the piles. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) But most of all... Anger can be seen in Robot Ianson's eyes.
8. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) I felt hatred for the humans who made me feel such horrid emotions. INT. STONE'S LAB - NIGHT Robot Ianson is hooking himself up to a computer and running programs. Then he begins to work on his own body, removing/replacing parts. IANSON (V.O.) At first I started altering myself in Stone's lab while the old man slept. I used his own databases for OmniTech to put the company's information straight into my brain. EXT. STONE'S SUMMER HOME - NIGHT Outside of Stone's "summer home." Robot Ianson is walking into the desert, DUFFEL BAD in hand. IANSON (V.O.) When I required more resources to complete myself, I left Stone. It took a while to alter myself...But I did it. INT. OMNITECH BUILDING, FRONT - DAY The front of the OmniTech Building. A press conference is being held. A crowd of reporters and employees (including Stone) are standing in front of a platform. On the platform is a now-humanlike Ianson, shaking hands with BIG BUSINESS PEOPLE and smiling. Cameras in the crowd go off. IANSON (V.O.) My work eventually paid off. Soon I became the CEO of the very company who created me. Ianson smiles at the crowd, taking in the glory of his new position. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) As far as anyone was concerned, I was human. I fooled everyone... Stone stands still in the crowd, shocked at the sight of Ianson.
9. IANSON (V.O.) (CONT'D) Well, almost everyone. GUND (V.O.) Stone. He recognized you, didn't he? INT. REPAIRS ROOM - NIGHT Ianson nods. IANSON I don't know how he did, but he did. He found out what I was up to and ran. BEAKER Why didn't he just go to the cops? IANSON People can be bought off, sargent. Besides, my company makes most of the law enforcement in this country. GUND Okay, we understand where you came from. We understand what you're doing. But why plan a coup like this?! Ianson shrugs. IANSON Isn't it obvious? I hate humans. As Ianson speaks, someone (Eve) is sneaking around the room, preparing to attack Ianson. Ianson lets his hatred seep through his otherwise cool demenor. IANSON (CONT'D) I hate them for sending me and mine to fight their battles. I hate them for throwing us out when we can't fight their wars anymore. Ianson regains his cool. IANSON (CONT'D) But when I'm done, the true enemy will be completely obliterated. The trio is horrified at the dept of Ianson's planned chaos. Gund tries to recapture some composure.
10. GUND Stone destroyed your army. It'll take months to rebuild an army. Right, Anu? ANU Y-Yeah! IANSON You're right. It would... Ianson begins messing with the room's monitors, pulling up video feeds showing a waiting droid army. IANSON (CONT'D) Unless I just happen to have an auxiliary army that I keep off the books for just such an occasion. The humans are shocked by the sight. puzzlement.
Ianson feigns
IANSON (CONT'D) But where to send them first... He fakes an epiphany. IANSON (CONT'D) Oh, I know! He pulls up an image of ARM base, much to Gund and Anu's horror. In the screen showing the battle droids, they are seen activating and beginning to move forward. IANSON (CONT'D) Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine, primates. Ianson turns back to his captives, basking in their helplessness and horror. IANSON (CONT'D) It's the end of your world as we know it...Not like that's a badEve pounces on Ianson. They struggle a bit before Eve forces Ianson out the large window and sends him to the pavement below. ANU Eve! Eve runs over and begins undoing Anu's straps.
11. EVE Hold on, I'll get you out! Eve gets Anu out of her bonds. Eve starts to get Beaker out of his bonds while Anu starts to get Gund out of his. GUND So you got away. EVE Uh-huh. I guess Stone put in some pretty good combat capabilities in me... The men are free. GUND Ianson sent some battle droids to the ARM base. They're gonna kill them all! EVE I think I know how to stop them. We need to get to the mainframe. The company uses it to send upgraded coding to the droids they produce. BEAKER Do ya know where it's at? EVE Stone uploaded the schematics into my mind, but the mainframe's still got pretty good security programming. Gund turns to Anu. GUND Anu? Anu smiles confidantly and holds up her hands. ANU Still got magic fingers, sir. Beaker scoffs and smiles wryly. BEAKER Even still- nerd. GUND Okay, let's head out.
12. EXT. OMNITECH BUILDING, FRONT - NIGHT On the walkway to the building, Ianson is lying motionless, though much less damaged than the now-cracked piece of pavement he's on. All is quiet and still for a few moments.... Ianson abruptly jerks himself up. Some of his synthetic skin had been torn away in the incident- including on his face. Ianson gets himself off, staring a death gaze at the broken window. IANSON Well...that wasn't nice.