Time and Again
aka: "Another Life"
by
Tarl N. Telford
FADE IN:
INT TIME MACHINE HANGAR - EVENING - 2030 AD
A bright FLASH of light. A time machine pilot falls out of the light, screaming. The time travel overloaded his mind. PROFESSOR PHINEAS VAN DE COOT, an aging man of great intellegence and unkempt hair, looks on dispassionately.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Well, that didn't work out very well.
Professor Van De Coot gestures to two security guards.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Take him away. Put him in the padded cell next to Prisoner One. He could use some company.
The guards drag the man away. Professor Van De Coot turns to his computer.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
One would think that time travel would make sense after thirty-two years. Let's see, he went back ten seconds. How did I get that fellow back before. Alternate timeline, or not, I must have figured it out.
An urgent voice gets Professor Van De Coot's attention. A Security Officer hurriedly salutes.
SECURITY OFFICER
Professor Van De Coot, we have a problem.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
What is it this time?
SECURITY OFFICER
Elias Tavin is missing again, Professor.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Again? This is the third time this week! Get him back!
CUT TO:
INT GARAGE - EVENING
Several hovercars rise from their berths and race out into the night. ALTHEA REECE, an attractive woman (30's), calmly walks to her hovercar. She enters and then follows the group.
CUT TO:
EXT CITY PARK - POND - NIGHT
ELIAS TAVIN (mid 30's), lays on the ground, staring up at the stars.
ELIAS
So much to see, so little time. Tell me, little stars, what have you seen? Did you watch me grow? No. Of course you didn't. I've been trapped inside of a building for the last twenty years.
FLASHING LIGHTS illuminate the park. A hovercar lands nearby. Althea Reece steps out and approaches Elias.
ALTHEA
So this is where you've been hiding. The whole Team is looking for you, Eli.
ELIAS
Elias. My name is Elias, not Eli.
ALTHEA
This is the third time you've left this week, Eli.
ELIAS
What does it matter? I'm not going anywhere, am I?
ALTHEA
You have to stay inside the complex. You know how dangerous it is out here.
ELIAS
No, I don't. I know what they have told me. Althea, I want to live life for myself. I don't want to listen to them anymore.
ALTHEA
You know they won't allow that. This project is too important.
ELIAS
Have you ever wondered what life is like out there, Althea? Have you ever wanted to really live life?
ALTHEA
No. I am satisfied with the information I am given.
ELIAS
You know, you really are the perfect soldier. You don't question orders, you don't think, and you don't dream. I feel for you.
ALTHEA
I have been sent to escort you back to the complex.
ELIAS
What does dear old "Dad" say this time?
ALTHEA
Professor Van De Coot is concerned about your current escapades outside the compound. He feels that you are losing your edge.
ELIAS
For what? All we do is train all day. It's not like we're at war with anybody. Not since the Conflict of Two Thousand Three. Like that was a conflict. Five thousand terrorists against the United States Army.
ALTHEA
A resurgence of terrorism could occur at any time. Professor Van De Coot wants you in the compound, where you will be safe.
ELIAS
What if I don't want to go? What if I want to go out and see the world? You know, I've never been to Montana. I think I'll go there.
Elias gets up to leave.
ALTHEA
Eli, don't.
ELIAS
You want to come with me? Come on, just the two of us. We could get a ranch, have thirteen children together. Live our own lives for once.
ALTHEA
Eli, please. I was just sent to retrieve you.
ELIAS
Retrieve me? Like a dog retrieves a thrown stick? Here Althea, go fetch Elias!
ALTHEA
I can call a squad in here to physically carry you back to the compound.
ELIAS
Five minutes.
ALTHEA
What?
ELIAS
You sit down here with me for five minutes, and then I'll go back to the compound.
Althea dubiously sits down by Elias. She sets her wristwatch for five minutes.
ALTHEA
Five minutes.
ELIAS
Look up. What do you see?
ALTHEA
Four satelites, two planets, an airplane, and the glow of the city.
ELIAS
What else?
ALTHEA
What do you mean?
ELIAS
The stars. Can you see them?
ALTHEA
Yes. Thousands of little points of light. What is the big deal?
ELIAS
Have you ever wished on a star, Althea? Mankind's been doing it for thousands of years. I've done it tonight. Wished for another life.
ALTHEA
You have a life. You are the most highly decorated officer in the Project.
ELIAS
I should be. I've been here for over thirty years. They took me when I was ten years old. What about you? How did you join the project?
ALTHEA
I don't want to discuss this any further.
ELIAS
Okay. There. You see that star? Yeah, the bright one. Make a wish.
ALTHEA
Wishing is a foolish waste of time and energy. Wishes don't come true.
ELIAS
You've tried?
ALTHEA
A long time ago. There was an accident. I remember lying in a hospital bed and looking out at the stars. I wished that I could get better so I could go home and ride my pony.
ELIAS
You never made it home.
ALTHEA
I think your five minutes is up.
Elias takes Althea's hand, then looks at her wristwatch.
ELIAS
Not quite. Three, two, one. Okay, let's go.
Althea goes to the hover vehicle.
ELIAS
Althea? Not that it really matters, but I wished that you could be happy.
Althea tries to smile, but can't. She gets in the hover vehicle. Elias climbs in.
The hover vehicle leaves the ground, clears the trees in the park, and heads toward the Metropolis.
CUT TO:
EXT CRONUS PROJECT COMPLEX
The hover vehicle slows as it approaches the megalithic compound. A door opens and the hover vehicle swoops into the landing garage.
INT GARAGE
An armed squad of soldiers snaps to attention as Elias and Althea step out of their craft.
ALTHEA
At ease.
ELIAS
Home sweet home. Nice of you boys to be here to welcome me.
ALTHEA
Come on, Elias. Professor Van De Coot is waiting.
ELIAS
Goodbye stars. Men.
(to Althea)
One of these days you'll thank me for tonight.
CUT TO:
INT PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT'S OFFICE
Professor Van De Coot turns his chair to greet Elias and Althea as they walk in.
ELIAS
Hello, "Dad".
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Elias Tavin. This is the third time this week. What is your excuse for leaving this time?
ELIAS
I wanted some french fries.
Althea turns to him in amusement.
ELIAS
And a chocolate shake.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
You are not recognizing the seriousness of this situation.
ELIAS
Oh, I think you have that under control.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I had briefly considered giving you a respite from your daily training, but, in light of current circumstances, I feel that I will have to restrict you to your quarters.
ELIAS
Would it help if I said I was sorry?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Your charm may work on the female officers and researchers here, but it will not work on me, Elias.
ELIAS
Well, you don't exactly fit the criteria, Doc.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Your smug disrespect will not be tolerated here any longer. You are hereby placed under in room restriction.
ELIAS
Sorry, Althea, I won't be able to make our date tonight. I got grounded.
Elias exits.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Where was he this time?
ALTHEA
The same place as the other times - by the pond in the park. He was looking at the stars.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
He will not be allowed there anymore. Is that understood?
ALTHEA
Yes, Professor.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
What do you think of Elias, Miss Reece?
ALTHEA
Elias is an exceptional soldier. He is adept in every field necessary for the advancement of Project Cronus, Professor.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
And, as a person, what do you think of him?
ALTHEA
I am an officer of Project Cronus, Sir. That demands all of my energies. I have no time, nor desire to engage in any sort of recreational activities.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Excellent. You show strength. That is what has made Project Cronus great. Please, sit down. Did you know, Miss Reece, that it was only after twenty years of working for this organization that I was permitted to step beyond those doors on the bottom level. Twenty years. Almost as long as you have been here, correct?
ALTHEA
That is correct, Professor Van De Coot.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Would you like to see what we have down there?
ALTHEA
It is not my place to speculate. I only live to advance the Project.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow I will take you and the other Initiates down there. That will be all, Miss Reece. You are dismissed.
Althea stands crisply, and exits. Professor Van De Coot spins gleefully in his chair.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Yes, tomorrow it shall be.
CUT TO:
INT ELIAS' QUARTERS
Elias enters, and goes to a hidden camera in the wall. He waves to the surveillance operators, then plugs a small device into the wall. This device can mask his movements from the camera.
Elias flips a switch on the device. A small screen on the device shows Elias sitting on his bed. He nods in approval, then opens a locked drawer. He pulls out a picture book of Scenes from Nature.
ELIAS
Someday I'll get to Montana. I've been saying that for twenty years now.
Elias pulls a remote out of the drawer and flips on the TV. He channel surfs through several channels. He passes several old movies, a documentary, and the news. He changes the channel once more. A Cronus commercial is on.
COMMERCIAL
Since the dawn of the new Millenium, no company has worked more for the improvement of mankind than Cronus. We are working for you to build a better future. Cronus is watching out for you.
ELIAS
Yeah, and Big Brother was watching out for us, too.
CUT TO:
INT ALTHEA'S QUARTERS
Althea enters her quarters, turns on a small lamp, and sits at her desk. She tries to quell the memories of the past that Elias awakened. Finally she opens her drawer and pulls out an old photograph of a little girl - her - standing by a pony.
ALTHEA
No. My life is to serve mankind.
She puts the photo away.
ALTHEA
To serve mankind. The One is insignificant, only the Many are important.
CUT TO:
INT ELIAS' QUARTERS
Elias lies on his bed.
ELIAS
One day...I'll be free. Free to be me. Some day. Some day.
CUT TO:
INT GYMNASIUM - NEXT MORNING
Professor Van De Coot stands in front of a large group of Initiates - Elias stands next to Althea.
ELIAS
Good morning. Sleep well, Althea?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Something you wish to share with the group, Elias Tavin?
ELIAS
Yes, Sir. Good morning, everybody. I hope you all slept well.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Your sentiments are appreciated. Now, on to the focus of this lecture. As you may be aware, The Cronus Project was established shortly before the turn of the century to engineer a so-called "Golden Society". In Greek Mythology, Cronus presided over this society.
ELIAS
Wasn't Cronus overthrown by one of his children?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Yes. Thank you, Elias, for sharing that useless piece of trivia with us.
ELIAS
I don't think it's useless. Cronus swallowed his children - kept them in the dark, if you will - but one of his children was spirited away, and later stopped Cronus.
ALTHEA
Be quiet. You're going to get in trouble.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Something you wish to add, Althea Reece?
ALTHEA
No, Professor Van De Coot. I was merely offering a suggestion to Elias.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I would appreciate if the both of you would allow me to continue my lecture.
ELIAS
Oh, by all means, Professor.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Thank you. As I was saying, we at the Cronus Project are working for the betterment of mankind. That is why all of you Initiates are here. You will be the ones that produce the necessary technological breakthroughs that will guide our society into the future.
A young female Initiate, PETRA WILES(20's), raises her hand to question Professor Van De Coot.
PETRA
Excuse me, Professor.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Yes?
PETRA
Petra Wiles, Initiate First Class, Mechanical, Sir. I have heard rumors that there has been some research into temporal distortion. Is this rumor based in fact?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Indeed it is. That is the focus of our meeting today. I will take you through our Level Thirteen Research and Development Facility.
PETRA
I thought The Cronus Project only went up to Level Ten.
Elias whispers to Althea.
ELIAS
There are many things you don't know.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
There are many things you don't know.
ELIAS
Hey, Professor!
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
What is it, Elias?
ELIAS
You ever going to cut your hair?
All of the Initiates turn to stare at Elias. They are not laughing.
ELIAS
What?
ALTHEA
Eli, please. Be quiet.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Your attempts at humor are ill-founded. I'm sure we would all appreciate your silence, Elias Tavin.
ALTHEA
What sorts of temporal distortions have you been working with, Professor?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Ah, that's the big question, isn't it? For over two centuries, man has been fascinated with time travel. Now, it is a reality.
An astonished murmur runs through the Initiates.
PETRA
But how is that possible? I thought that it was a scientific impossibility.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Albert Einstein theorized that time travel was possible. Since that time, we have been working to discover how it is possible.
ALTHEA
What are the social ramifications of time travel?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
As of this time, we have only sent two missions back in time. Do any of you remember the terrorist bombing of the Honolulu Airport? No? That's because we sent someone back to stop it. We effectively changed the past.
ELIAS
Then how do you remember it?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Moving on. We have another mission, which will require one of you to travel backward in time to deliver essential information to certain individuals from the past.
ALTHEA
What is this information?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
That is classified. If you are chosen for the mission, you will be informed of the exact details; otherwise, would become a security risk.
ELIAS
Professor, you didn't answer my question. If the past was changed, how do you remember the alternate history?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Elias, that is why I am the Professor, and you are merely a thorn in my side.
(to group)
You are all dismissed. I shall confer with my associates. We shall decide which of you will be honored to be the first time traveller.
ELIAS
But you said that you had two previous missions.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Of course. I meant that one of you will be the first time traveller from this group. The other two were sent from...another group. If you are chosen you will be notified. Dismissed.
The group disperses. Elias grabs Althea's arm as she walks away.
ELIAS
Althea, something's not right here.
ALTHEA
That's ridiculous. Professor Van De Coot gives us all the information that we need.
ELIAS
I don't think that he's telling us everything we need to know.
ALTHEA
Eli, that's enough! You do not need to know everything. You are not a professor, you are a soldier.
ELIAS
I don't want to be a soldier. I don't want to depend on these people for all of my information. I want to be able to dream my own dreams.
ALTHEA
You could be sent to solitary confinement for talking like that.
ELIAS
It would keep me away from all of these lies that they keep filling our heads with.
ALTHEA
Do you want me to report you? If you do, then keep talking.
ELIAS
Nobody is going to stop me from speaking out.
ALTHEA
Eli, please. I don't want you to do this. Be satisfied with what you have.
ELIAS
Do you see these four walls? What lies beyond them?
ALTHEA
The outside. You've been out there. Why are you asking me this?
ELIAS
I don't know what's out there. They won't let us out. I don't remember my childhood. I want to, but I can't.
ALTHEA
You don't need a childhood. You have the Cronus Project. That's all we need.
ELIAS
That's what they say. But don't you ever wonder what it is like to be a child?
ALTHEA
No. Not any more.
ELIAS
But you did once. Althea, I need to remember. There's something in my past that is very important.
ALTHEA
Okay. But just this once. Next time, I'll report you.
ELIAS
You won't regret this.
Elias hurries away.
ALTHEA
I hope not.
CUT TO:
INT CONFERENCE ROOM
Professor Van De Coot, DOCTOR NILES JANSSEN, a physician, and PATRICIA MELSON, a kindly psychiatrist, confer with the directors of the Cronus Project - TOBIAS, a dour man who never smiles, and MONIQUE, a determined woman who will stop at nothing to see the Cronus Project succeed.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
We must decide who will take this information back to the past.
TOBIAS
There can be no mistakes this time, Professor.
MONIQUE
I agree with Tobias. Your last was less than successful. We can't risk that again.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I understand, Monique, but as the Directors of this facility, you and Tobias can appreciate the difficulties that I face. Time travel is not a simple matter.
TOBIAS
That is irrelevant. Success is all that matters.
MONIQUE
Who do you suggest for this mission, Professor?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I've asked Doctor Niles Janssen, our physician, and Patricia Melson, our psychiatrist, to be here, so that they could give their opinions.
MONIQUE
We don't pay you to give opinions, Professor. We pay you for results.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I understand. But will you please hear me out?
TOBIAS
Two minutes.
Professor Van De Coot nods to Doctor Janssen.
DOCTOR NILES JANSSEN
As a physician, I am primarily concerned with the ability of the traveller to withstand the extreme physical stress of time travel. In experiments that we have conducted, the physical stresses caused nausea, disorientation, and, in some cases, permanent internal damage.
PATRICIA MELSON
In addition, the psychological stress could cause the subjects to lose control of their mental fauculties.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
They could go crazy.
TOBIAS
And what have you done with these unfortunate subjects?
Professor Van De Coot glances nervously at Patricia. She doesn't know about the time travel experiments.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
They were locked away.
PATRICIA MELSON
Who was locked away?
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
Um...hamsters. We don't need to worry about them. Our secret is safe.
MONIQUE
It had better be safe. We can't afford to let this information leak out. The press would have a field day with this. Not to mention the government.
PROFESSOR VAN DE COOT
I have proposed a series of tests that our Initiates go through to determine physical and psychological tolerance to these extreme circumstances. With your permission, I will proceed.
Tobias and Monique glance briefly at each other.
TOBIAS
Continue with your testing, Professor. Report when you have two finalists.
The doctors and Professor get up to leave.
MONIQUE
And, Professor, I don't think I need to remind you what happened to your predecessor. He...disappointed us.
Professor Van De Coot nods nervously as he closes the door.
CUT TO: