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Five Sided Buildings
New -- October 1, 2003 Multiple Choice Episode III
INT: OFFICER’S LOUNGE AND BATHROOM AREA -- PRESENT DAY. David is standing in a modern, spotlessly clean shower stall with the water being directed into his face with full force. Suddenly, he reacts as if the hot water had suddenly been turned off, and he’s experiencing only the cold portion. He dodges the impact of the water (within the confines of the shower), and frantically turns the water off. He is dressed in the jeans and loose shirt from the earlier scenes, but which are now torn and bloodstained, as well as having a few icicles hanging from lapels and shirt pocket flaps -- all remnants from his previous encounters. He is also soaked. For a moment, he glances around, trying to orientate himself. Opening the shower door, he peers out at an empty, spotless bathroom -- a modern one with four shower stalls along one wall, a matching set of washbasins on the opposite wall, and at one end, benches and towel racks. Everything is clean, modern, well lighted and militarily organized. The only sign of use is a uniform hanging on one towel hook, along with shoes and socks neatly stored just below. David steps out of the shower, grabs a free towel off a nearby hook, and approaches the uniform. He examines the Lieutenant Commander stripes, and a name tag. The latter includes his photo, the name “Lcdr David Kincaid”, and below a Pentagon insignia, the label: “Office of Naval Intelligence”. David glances around, sees no one, and shrugging his shoulders, begins taking off his wet shirt and tossing it into the nearest shower stall. With the towel around his neck, he begins unbuttoning his pants.
INT: A HALL IN THE PENTAGON, JUST OUTSIDE THE OFFICER’S LAVATORY David in his full, newly acquired uniform steps out the door, cautiously looking around. DAVID Okay... What I need now is a way out. Stepping into the hall, he begins walking down it, joining a large percentage of uniformed personnel along with numerous civilians. As he walks, David avoids looking directly into anyone’s face. He then turns a corner, just as Aris is walking in the same direction but from another hallway. She quickly sees him and rushes to catch up with him. ARIS Commander! I’ve been looking for you. We’re late for the meeting! David stops in his tracks, whereupon she stops as well, turning to look at him expectantly. DAVID Aris?
ARIS Sir, with all due respect... It’s Ensign Ward. David looks at her blankly for a moment, raising one hand to emphasize his question. DAVID How is it I remember everything and you don’t?
ARIS Sir...? David looks at her bewildered expression, and then turns away, frowning heavily. DAVID Man! When I get my hands on whoever...
ARIS I’m afraid I don’t quite understand, Sir.
DAVID Yeah, right. Whatever. Let’s go. Aris glances at him for a moment, and then turning, begins walking down the hall, her expression tense. David, still frowning, says nothing as he walks abreast of her.
INT: PENTAGON BRIEFING ROOM The room is darkened with only indirect lighting in the ceiling -- suitable for utilizing the latest in modern audio/visual techniques. A three star GENERAL GREEN, a two star ADMIRAL BLUE, Jeremiah dressed as a Marine Colonel, and an Army Captain DARE are sitting around a small briefing table where they are easily seen in the low lighting. A NASA official, LAWRENCE, is standing and in the process of giving the briefing. A woman civilian, KAYLEIGH, is in a darkened corner, where her identify is effectively hidden. On a screen in the center of one wall, is a still picture of the two sides of the Moon, showing the differences in appearance. As David and Aris enter the conference room, Admiral Blue looks up, but there is no reaction from the others. GENERAL GREEN Mr. Lawrence. You’re telling us, and there’s no longer any doubt in your mind -- that they’re here! And that they’re here in force?
LAWRENCE Yes, Sir. And as far as we can tell, they’ve been here for millennia. Lawrence touches a button, and a second slide, a hand drawn version of an ancient Sumerian artifact, appears on the screen. LAWRENCE That’s what all the ancient texts were all about. As you can see here, in this print of an ancient Sumerian cylinder seal depicting the creation of man...
ADMIRAL BLUE This is absolutely fantastic! You’re telling us the gods and goddesses of mythology were actually extraterrestrials visiting Earth!?
LAWRENCE More like lording it over the Earth. Yes, Sir. And probably Mars as well.
GENERAL GREEN The so-called “Face on Mars”? Lawrence presses another button, and a photo of the Cydonia Region of Mars with lines drawn between various sites replaces the previous slide. LAWRENCE ‘Afraid so, General. Our Mars probe...
JEREMIAH The one with which we supposedly lost communications...? Jeremiah touches his throat as he talks, his voice raspy and strained. David takes a quick, surprised look at Jeremiah, and then at Aris. Aris is intent upon the screen, but as David looks away she glances at him. David becomes pensive, apparently in deep thought. LAWRENCE Yes, sir. Obviously the Mars probe was still working, but we couldn’t tell the public that. There would have been too many questions. We knew what we were looking for, but then again, so did a lot of other people. Jeremiah turns to General Green. JEREMIAH Most of whom probably don’t possess anything resembling a security clearance. Or better yet, “a need to know”. Lawrence turns back to the visuals, the still photograph replaced by a moving, computer-generated, detailed close-up of the Face of Mars, showing the various sides of the Face. LAWRENCE (voice over) Our probe provided us with some exceptional photographs of the entire Cydonia region. The resulting analysis makes it clear the place was inhabited thousands of years ago by a technologically sophisticated intelligence that, quite frankly, left a hell of a lot more stuff than traces of a few microbes on a meteorite.
ADMIRAL BLUE And this same scene, you’re claiming is duplicated in the English countryside!? Lawrence presses another button to show a slide of the Cydonia Region of Mars overlaying Stonehenge, Avebury, Glastonbury, Brent’s Knoll, and Weston-Super Mare. He then begins to points out the similarities with a laser pointer. LAWRENCE (voice over) Yes, Sir. Matches up exactly.
ADMIRAL BLUE (voice over) Unbelievable!
GENERAL GREEN And now they’re back?
LAWRENCE Actually, General, we don’t know that they ever left.
ADMIRAL BLUE That doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why hasn’t anyone seen them? Why aren’t they camped out on our doorstep, for example?
LAWRENCE Among other things they appear to somehow be interdimensional. They kind of blink in and out of our four dimensions of space and time. Secondly, they’re at least a dozen, and perhaps hundreds of different races, all quite likely with radically different agendas. Our best guess is that none of them have been in a position to do whatever they damn well please with respect to the Earth. They’ve sort of been keeping each other at bay. In the background, slides showing allegedly mythological creatures from The Egyptian Book of the Dead and other sources are seen. GENERAL GREEN (voice over) That sounds totally fanciful!
LAWRENCE (voice over) Perhaps, but the theory’s sound. It’s what has kept some big nations on Earth from invading smaller nations -- the threat of retaliation from another bigger nation.
JEREMIAH Maybe so, but perhaps they’re just a little hesitant about our fighting back. Lawrence, a bleak smile on his face, takes a long look at Jeremiah -- who stares back. LAWRENCE With all due respect, Colonel, their technology is so far ahead of ours that even with the most advanced weapons from Area 51 -- or for that matter from the really secret weapons research facilities -- we wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell!
KAYLEIGH So what do we do about it? The question comes from the back of the room, where Kayleigh is partially hidden. DAVID How about telling the world what we know?
JEREMIAH We’ve already discussed that! The whole fabric of our society would come unraveled in a minute if the United States officially admitted to the existence of extraterrestrials! Traditional religions would be obsolete overnight. The economy would go belly up faster than a computer sell program, there’d be wholesale panic in the streets, and we’d lose control so fast...!
DAVID But polls have shown that a majority of the populace is already convinced!
JEREMIAH It’s not going to happen, Commander! Not on my watch!
LAWRENCE Actually, Colonel, it may already be happening. A series of several slides of the latest crop circles show up on the background screen. LAWRENCE (voice over) We’re not the only ones with information. There are individuals and groups who have already made contact, people who’ve figured it out for themselves, and individuals within various agencies who are no longer abiding by their secrecy oaths -- who in fact are even claiming their secrecy oaths are invalid because of the nature of the information.
ADMIRAL BLUE We have ways of dealing with traitors!
LAWRENCE Maybe. But the word is out! The Internet is filled to overflowing with information.
JEREMIAH The Internet was always a bad idea. Information flowing freely and without any kind of control...
DAVID (aside, to ARIS) It’s called freedom.
LAWRENCE Our biggest problem is we simply don’t know what they want, why they’re here, or what we can do about it. Plus which, we can’t even tell the good guys from the bad. Assuming such a distinction even exists.
ARIS (aside, to DAVID) Sounds like Washington, D.C. Several of the others overhear and turn to stare at Aris, who quickly looks down at her lap. Before anyone can say anything, a telephone rings, and Captain Dare answers it. DARE Conference Room Alpha Charlie... Understood. Dare hangs up the telephone, and turns to General Green. DARE Code Four, Sir. The general takes a deep breath and turns to Admiral Blue. GENERAL GREEN Admiral, if I could trouble you...
ADMIRAL BLUE Certainly, General. Everyone in the room stands. General Green takes a deep breath, and then looks back at the last visual on the screen. Then he turns back to Lawrence. GENERAL GREEN Thank you, Mister Lawrence, for your information. Stay in touch with Captain Dare. I’m sure we will want to talk to you again later today. The lights go up as the general and admiral leave. Captain Dare walks over to Lawrence and they begin to confer privately. The increased lighting also reveals the first real glimpse of Kayleigh, who is still sitting in the back of the room, making no apparent move to go anywhere. David notices her, taking a good look at the mysterious female. Kayleigh looks back at him with a noncommittal stare, showing only a mild interest in him. David is then interrupted by Jeremiah as the latter prepares to leave the room. JEREMIAH The next time you have something to say, I want you to clear it with me first!
DAVID Yes Sir! Jeremiah stares at David lack of expression, then gives him a hard look, turns and exits. ARIS I agree with what you said, Sir. But I don’t think you want to cross Colonel Bradwurst again. He’s a...
DAVID ...Jerk. An anal retentive, control freak, who eats dog excrement for breakfast. Is that what you were about to say? With Aris looking wide-eyed, David shrugs his shoulders and exits, followed by Aris. Outside, he turns and gestures back toward the door of the conference room. DAVID Who was the woman in the back?
ARIS What woman? Who are you talking about?
DAVID The gal who asked the... David stares at Aris, who has a decidedly puzzled look. David suddenly laughs and turning away from Aris, shakes his head in apparent disbelief. DAVID Never mind. He then smiles and turns back to her, looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. DAVID And I don’t suppose you remember anything about our being lovers?
ARIS Sir! Please! There is such a thing as sexual harassment!
DAVID I didn’t think so. The two of them begin walking down the hall, with Aris hesitating at first, before catching up with David. Neither says anything for several seconds. Aris continues to glance over at David, while he looks around the barren, military no-nonsense hallways. DAVID Nice place you’ve got here. Who’s your decorator?
ARIS I will admit, Sir: I do seem to be having flashes of... Maybe it’s deja vu. As if I’ve seen you in other situations.
DAVID Like having strange dreams...
ARIS Something like that.
DAVID It’s a start.
ARIS Sir, where’s all this heading? I mean, if extraterrestrials are really here, and...
DAVID ...and we keep lying to the citizenry we’re pledged to protect? I don’t know. I really don’t. Right now, I don’t know if I believe anything that’s happening to us. Bouncing around from one damn situation to another... His voice trails off, as he looks over at a puzzled Aris. Then he stops and turns to her. DAVID There’s an old saying: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set ye free. But first... The truth is really going to piss you off.” Now... Can you imagine what will happen when people start discovering the truth?
ARIS Not a particularly pleasant thought. But I also remember the old Turkish proverb that says, “He who tells the truth, should have one foot in the stirrup.”
DAVID Sounds like good advice. I’ll have to keep that one in mind. But meanwhile, secrecy breeds contempt for the government, who then -- because of all the contempt -- is forced to exercise more control in order to maintain the status quo. Which then demands even more secrecy...
ARIS All of which leads to tyranny.
DAVID Something like that. Suddenly, alarms go off and the overhead sprinkler system begins to dump water on their immediate vicinity. Aris reacts by looking around for an exit, and trying to shield herself from the water. David simply stands there, looking pissed. DAVID Oh, fuck! Not again! The scene phases. Episode Two -- Subways and High Plains Forward to: Episode Four -- Spinmasters
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The Library of ialexandriah
2003© Copyright Dan Sewell Ward, All Rights Reserved
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