Okay, so the story line here is not quite War and Peace. This is, admittedly, a silly, junior high level story. However, it does manage to get more than fifteen characters into the quicksand in nine pages. Thus, this story wins the Archimede’s Prize for High Density Fiction, which it will hold until it is displaced by a script with an even greater sinking density.
The Battle
Copyright 2000 by Name Withheld but known to the page owner
Act I
Scene 1
Fade in to a view of ‘blue leader’ a male character in a blue, short-sleeved uniform. He is moving through a forest and comes to a clearing affording a view of a valley. He raises a pair of binoculars and scans the valley and its far side. He spots something and frowns. Fade out.
Scene 2
Fade in to a view of green leader, a female character in a green, short-sleeved uniform. She is moving through a forest and comes to a clearing with a view of the valley. She looks through binoculars and frowns as she spots something. She takes a drink of water from a water bottle. Fade out.
Scene 3
Fade in to a view of the character from scene 1. He continues to scan and frowns more deeply when he spots something else. Fade out.
Scene 4
Scene 3 is repeated with the character from scene 2. End with a shot of the character scanning down to the valley floor.
Scene 5
Cut to a shot through binoculars. We see first yellow leader, a female character in a clearing, looking through binoculars. She is wearing a yellow uniform. Then we pan across to a fourth character, orange leader, a male in an orange uniform, also searching with binoculars. Finally we look down into the valley where we see a small fortress. Inside the fortress is a very modern looking swimming pool. Floating in the pool are rafts holding piles and/or barrels of many sorts of goods
Scene 6
Fade in to a shot of the blue uniformed character beginning to descend into the valley.
Background music is a distant, but distinctly military, march.
Scene 7
Cut to a shot of the green uniformed character descending into the valley. Background music continues.
Scene 8
Cut to a shot of the yellow uniformed character descending into the valley. Background music continues, slightly louder.
Scene 9
Cut to a shot of the orange uniformed character descending into the valley. Fade out slowly. Background music continues several seconds after fade out then fades.
Act II
Scene 1
Background music is now very much in the background but has an urgently military beat. Fade in to a shot of the blue-uniformed character. He is now on the floor of the valley, lying on the ground behind a ridge of dirt. He is looking over the dirt ridge toward something in the distance.
Scene 2
Cut to a distant shot of the fortress and the pool inside. We now slowly zoom in to a closer view, revealing piles of gold and silver bars, barrels of grain and oil, and many other valuable commodities, all in piles on rafts in the pool. There are no guards or other characters of any kind. There is, however, a moat, bridged by a boardwalk.
Scene 3
Cut back to the character from scene 1. He stands up then turns as someone approaches from behind. A female character approaches and they salute each other. She is wearing a similar uniform. However, she has a distinctly readable lapel pin with the number 7 and a diamond symbol on each lapel.
D7: "D7 reporting, sir."
Blue leader: "Good. Take a look." He hands her the binoculars.
D7 takes the binoculars. Fade out as she raises them to her eyes.
Scene 4
Background music builds slightly in volume. Fade in to a shot of green leader, survey the scene in front of her much as blue leader in the previous scene. She is then joined by a male character in a similar green uniform and lapel pins showing the number 4 and a heart symbol.
H4: "H4, ready for duty, sir"
Green leader: "Good. It looks as though we have a complicated situation here."
Fade out.
Scene 5
Fade in to a shot of Yellow leader talking to a new character. The new character is male, wears a hat like that worn by Cardinals, has a patch over one eye, and shows the letter J and a heart symbol on his lapel.
HJ: "Do you think there will be a battle sir?"
Yellow leader: "Hard to tell. Very likely….Perhaps a big one."
Fade out.
Scene 6
Fade in to a shot of orange leader and a female character. The new character is female, wears a crown or tiara, and has a lapel pin showing a Q and a Spade symbol.
Orange leader: "It looks like there could be quite a fight, and a tough one. But look at the riches in the fort. Its well worth the risk."
SQ: "We’ll take ‘em sir. As soon as the reinforcements arrive we should be ready."
Fade out.
Act III
Scene 1
Fade in to Blue leader and D Seven standing together. A new female character appears through the forest and approaches. She has a similar uniform and lapel pins showing a seven and a Spade symbol.
Blue leader: "Ah! Help is here. Now we’ll see what develops. Welcome S Seven. I believe you know D Seven."
D Seven: "Yes, we fought together a while back."
S Seven: "And against each other several other times. No hard feelings though. Welcome."
Blue leader: "Come, let’s see what we’re up against."
Fade out.
Scene 2
Fade in to Green leader and H4, plus a new male character in a green uniform and lapel pins showing 6 and a club symbol. The C6 character has already arrived so the three are together. Green leader is looking through binoculars, which are withdrawn from the eyes just after the scene begins.
Green leader: "Looks like it could be a tough fight."
C6: "Do we have a chance?"
Green leader: "Oh yes. Looks okay so far. We should be able to handle it.
H4: "Looks like rich takings in the fort. It’s worth the risk."
Fade out.
Scene 3
Fade in to a view of Yellow leader, HJ, and a new female character wearing a 5 and a spade symbol on her lapel.
S5: "How bad is it?"
Yellow leader: "Its not good. Right now we’re out gunned.
HJ: "You want to fold and give up?"
Yellow leader: ‘Not yet. We still have a chance, depending on the reinforcement coming. We might still have a chance."
Fade out.
Scene 4
Fade in to shot of Orange leader, SQ and a new female character (HQ). HQ is looking through her binoculars as the scene begins.
Orange leader: "What do you see?"
HQ: "This is likely to be a real showdown. Serious threats from all quarters. But nothing overwhelming. We have a very good chance."
SQ: "Let’s get that loot."
Orange leader: (Thinks for a few seconds before responding.) "Okay, we’re in. Let’s advance to the bridge.
Fade out as they start forward.
Act IV
Scene 1
Fade in as Blue leader and the blue group approach a bridge. The bridge is blocked by a gate operated by a machine resembling an automated teller machine but one with a large video screen on top. On the screen is an image of a person in a tuxedo sitting behind a table. The blue team approaches as though they know what is going on.
Blue leader: (to the figure on the video screen) "We wish to cross the bridge. We are going to win possession of all the treasure in the great pool."
ATM figure: "If you want to be allowed to try to win the treasure you must risk adding to it. Only one team can win the treasure. What are you willing to risk to cross my bridge."
Blue leader: Another of my team will be arriving soon with fifteen bars of gold and ten of silver. We will risk that amount to cross your bridge."
Fade out.
Scene 2
Fade in. The Green group is standing in front of another ATM machine at another bridge. The same figure shows on the video screen. Howver, a fourth member of the Green group has arrived, wearing a 6 and a spade symbol.
ATM figure: What are you willing to risk to cross my bridge. Another group has already risked fifteen gold bars plus ten of silver. You must risk at least that much."
Green leader: We will risk fifteen gold bars and the same number of silver."
Fade out.
Scene 3
Fade in. The Yellow group is having the same conversation as in the previous scene. The fourth group member, wearing a 5 and a diamond symbol, has arrived.
Yellow leader: "We will match that. Fifteen gold and fifteen silver."
Fade out.
Scene 4
Fade in. The Orange team is making its bet. Its fourth member, wearing a 2 and a club symbol, has arrived.
Orange leader: We will match that amount. Fifteen gold and fifteen silver.
Fade out.
Scene 5
Fade in. This time we are back to the blue group. Their fourth member, wearing a 9 and diamond lapel pin, has arrived.
Blue leader: "Very well, fifteen of each."
ATM: "Then you may cross my bridge. Good luck to you all."
The gate is raised and we see the Blue team begin to cross.
Fade out.
Act V
Scene 1
Fade in. The Blue group is just outside the fortress, looking at another gate. Through the gate we can see the treasure floating in the pool. Between the gate and the pool, however, is a wide moat filled with mud. There is a narrow boardwalk that projects halfway out into the moat from each of the four gates, then forms an almost complete circle around the pool at the center of the moat. After nearly circling the pool in a clockwise direction, the boardwalk leads into the pool itself.
A fifth team member, wearing a Q, a crown, and a club symbol arrives and joins the team. Another ATM machine operates the gate that blocks their entrance to the boardwalk.
ATM figure: "A valuable prize awaits you, but winning it requires risk. What, besides your meaningless lives, will you risk to enter the battle?"
Blue leader: "Ten more bars of gold will be our wager."
Fade out.
Scene 2
Fade in to the same scene involving the Green group, now joined by their fifth member, wearing a 8 and a heart symbol.
Green leader. "Yes. We’ll match that. Ten more gold bars."
ATM figure: "Very well."
Fade out.
Scene 3
Fade in to the same scene with the Yellow group. Their fifth member has arrived, wearing a 5 and a heart symbol.
Yellow leader. "Well, I’m tempted to raise the amount to twenty. But no, we’ll stay with ten bars of gold."
ATM figure: "Okay. Yellow stays in."
Fade out.
Scene 4
Fade in to the same scene with the Orange group. They have been joined by their fifth member, who is wearing a 2 and a diamond symbol.
Orange leader: "We will stay in. Ten bars of gold."
ATM figure: "Very well. Everyone remains. You all may enter the fort. May the best team win."
Scene 5
The Blue group walks through the gate and onto the boardwalk. They walk to the center and follow the boardwalk to their left.
Scene 6
The Green group walks through their gate and onto the boardwalk so as to block the progress of the Blue team.
Scene 7
The two groups approach each other to within a few feet. The Blue group has the two 7 characters in front and the other three behind. The Green group has the two 6 characters in front and the others behind.
Blue leader: "You should have gone home Green. You cannot win this fight.
Green leader: "Don’t be too sure. (Green leader steps to the front rank and removes a patch covering the 6 and diamond symbol from her lapel). We may have you beaten."
The members of the Blue team look alarmed.
Blue leader.(Steps to the front rank and removes the patch from his lapel, revealing a 7 and a club symbol) "Get em’"
The two teams rush together. They fight for a few seconds but all members of the Green team are pushed off the boardwalk into the mud. Several of the Blue team members are also pushed into the mud.
Scene 8
A series of quick shots as the Blue group member are rescued from the mud and all five Green group members are engulfed.
Scene 9
The Blue group continues down the boardwalk until their path is blocked by the Yellow group.
Yellow leader : "Stop. You cannot pass."
The Blue group stops in front of the Yellow group, all three 7 characters in front.
Blue leader: "We’ll, are you going to try to stop us."
Yellow leader: (Suddenly looks upset and frightened). "Run for it team!"
The Yellow group starts to retreat but they are quickly overtaken by the Blue group. All five Yellow group members are thrown into the mud.
Scene 10
A series of quick shots of the Yellow group members being overwhelmed by the mud.
Scene 11
The Blue group continues down the boardwalk until their path is blocked by the Orange group. They face each other as in previous scenes.
Orange leader: "Stop, you cannot pass."
Blue leader: "Get out of the way. You do not have the strength to stop us."
7D: "The three of us are stronger than the four of you."
Orange leader: "But not the five of us. (pulling off the patch covering her Q and Diamond symbol."
Blue leader: "No! We came so far. Run!"
The Orange group rushes the Blue group and throws them all off the boardwalk into the mud.
Scene 12
A series of quick shots of the Blue group as they are overwhelmed by the mud.