Home: Teleplays
Previous Episode: Fear and Fortitude
TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT. SOL SYSTEM
We pass Saturn... Uranus... Neptune... Pluto... establishing
the visual around Frontier Station, a space station
established at the edge of the solar system. Frontier
Station, being much closer to Earth, is much larger and more
expansive than Proxima Station. A fleet of ships is
amassing outside, with more coming in.
INT. FRONTIER STATION - COMMAND CENTER
Colonel Edwards PACES nervously in the command center. A
guard ENTERS and announces his visitor.
GUARD
General Hammerstein is here,
Colonel.
EDWARDS
Send him in.
The guard OPENS the door, brings in the general, and
departs. Edwards SALUTES and the general returns.
HAMMERSTEIN
Colonel.
EDWARDS
I heard you had arrived from
Freedom Station, sir.
HAMMERSTEIN
I arrived to assess the situation.
Hopefully, we can stop this before
it gets any worse.
EDWARDS
Yes, sir.
HAMMERSTEIN
Colonel Faireborn?
EDWARDS
She was last seen defending Proxima
Station, sir. She was working with
the Autobots to hold the
Decepticons off.
HAMMERSTEIN
(scornfully)
Autobots.
(beat)
And there's been no contact with
her since then.
EDWARDS
No, sir. We also haven't heard
from Lieutenant Maxwell Reese, an
EDC fighter pilot. He had
accompanied several Autobots on a
rescue mission.
HAMMERSTEIN
Oh yes, the physicist team. No
word from them either.
EDWARDS
No, sir.
HAMMERSTEIN
Then we have to assume the worst.
Hammerstein pauses to collect his thoughts. He reaches into
his pocket and lights up a cigarette.
HAMMERSTEIN
I know, I know. Smoking on a space
station.
(clears his throat)
Besides being bad for one's health,
it uses up precious oxygen.
(takes a puff)
But it does help to calm the nerves.
He PUFFS silently. Edwards tries to read his face, but the
general looks grim and lost in thought.
HAMMERSTEIN
You know, the general population on
Earth doesn't know anything about
what's happened in the last two
weeks, Colonel. They don't worry
about the fact that there are
Decepticons literally on our back
doorstep.
(puffs)
I envy them.
(puffs again)
We have to do everything in our
power to make sure that they don't
have to worry.
EDWARDS
Sir?
HAMMERSTEIN
Since 2007, for the last twenty
years, we knew the day would come
when we'd be under attack again.
We spent years preparing to defend
ourselves against a new offensive.
We've poured millions of hours,
trillions of dollars, into building
up the EDC, into making it a force
capable of standing up against
anything.
(puffs)
And then, as the years went by, and
no attack came, what did we do? We
got cocky. We spread ourselves
thin. We used the Pluto warp gate
to go beyond our solar system and
to send ships and stations all
across the sector. These new
generation of officers, they didn't
live through the Decepticons' Final
Offensive the way you did or the
way I did. No, their eyes were
just full of stars. There's a
whole galaxy out there, they said.
Exploration became our creed, not
defense.
(puffs)
It doesn't work like that. This is
the Earth Defense Command. You
have to protect your home first.
(puffs)
Colonel Faireborn understood that.
She knew that the EDC's mission,
first and foremost, must always be
to defend Earth, to make sure
people can feel safe in their homes.
EDWARDS
Yes, sir.
HAMMERSTEIN
The EDC Council has ordered all
forces at all installations in the
quadrant to return to the Sol
System to unify our forces and make
our stand here. As Supreme EDC
Military Commander, I will be
taking control of the fleet from
here on Frontier Station.
EDWARDS
Understood.
HAMMERSTEIN
The EDC Council has also finally
approved a measure that I have been
lobbying for for years. We have
authorization to try to destroy the
Pluto warp gate.
EDWARDS
Sir? The warp gates are
preexistent cosmic phenomena... I
don't know if they can be destroyed.
HAMMERSTEIN
Our scientists believe they can be.
EDWARDS
Even if we seal the warp gate...
the Decepticons have independent
warp technology in their warships.
They can reach the Sol System
without using the gates.
HAMMERSTEIN
Without the gates, they will have
to manually navigate a course to
Earth. They will have to use their
own warp engines to get here. They
will use up power. They will use
up time. That little advantage
could mean the difference between
victory and defeat.
EDWARDS
Sir, without the warp gate, we'll
be cut off from the galaxy. We
don't have warp technology.
Without a way to leave the solar
system, we'll be cutting ourselves
off from space exploration forever.
HAMMERSTEIN
I don't think you heard me, Colonel.
Our first, only duty is to protect
Earth. If destroying the warp gate
buys us an hour, a minute, a second,
it's worth it.
EDWARDS
And Colonel Faireborn? Lieutenant
Reese? They're still trapped
somewhere in the Proxima System.
Without the gate, they'll have no
way to get back.
The general takes a final PUFF, FLICKS his cigarette into a
trash can, and turns to leave.
HAMMERSTEIN
You have your orders, Colonel.
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
-------------------------------------------------------
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. PROXIMA FIVE - CLIFF (AUTOBOT BASE)
On the icy, windswept planet Proxima Five, the Autobots have
made a temporary base out of the damaged wreck of their
ship. Faireborn's shuttle has been moved from the outer
hull to a spot inside, out of the winds, which are throwing
particles of snow through the air at hundreds of miles an
hour.
Silverbolt is examining Faireborn's shuttle, surveying its
damage.
SILVERBOLT
Nothing, Optimus. The null ray
neutralized all of the shuttle's
electronic and power systems. If I
had the parts and a fresh supply of
energon, I might be able to repair
it, but here...
INT. FAIREBORN'S FIGHTER
Faireborn is standing up in the shuttle, dressed in full
pressure suit, with her comm channel open so she can talk to
the Autobots.
FAIREBORN
I'm stuck here.
SILVERBOLT (COMM VOICE)
I'm afraid so.
EXT. PROXIMA FIVE - CLIFF (AUTOBOT BASE)
SPRINGER
We all are. None of us can fly at
escape velocity. Without a ship,
we're not going anywhere.
SLINGSHOT
And the Decepticons are still out
there somewhere.
FAIREBORN
So here we are, stranded on a
frozen planet with no way to escape,
because you Transformers brought
your war here to us again.
SLINGSHOT
(loses his temper)
Hey, lady! We lost our saving your
little station! We didn't bring
the Decepticons here... all we did
was save your lives! At least you
can say thank you!
OPTIMUS
Slingshot.
SLINGSHOT
If you aren't prepared to fight off
the Decepticons, maybe you have no
business being in space to begin
with!
FAIREBORN
We're in space to defend our home!
Proxima is just one warp gate away
from Earth! If you think that
we're not going to try to defend
ourselves, you best think again,
Autobot. And for your information,
we can hurt the Decepticons. We
proved that in Devoron when we
neutralized the Decepticons'
flagship. When we destroyed enemy
Transformers. We proved we could
fight them if we had to.
SLINGSHOT
Yeah, well you better check your
scorecard again, since my last
count shows destroyed human
outposts, two, destroyed Decepticon
outposts, zero.
OPTIMUS
Slingshot, that's enough!
(regains his temper)
Colonel Faireborn is right. If we
Transformers hadn't crash-landed on
Earth all those years ago, none of
this, the war, the Final Offensive,
Proxima, none of it would have
happened. We can never repay the
humans for the chaos we brought to
their world. It's our job to
protect those human outposts from
the Decepticon threat.
(points at Slingshot)
That is final.
(beat)
Aerialbots, you're the only ones
who can fly. Begin reconnaissance
missions, survey the area, and
report back to us. The Decepticons
are still here as well, and we have
to be ready for them.
SILVERBOLT
Understood.
OPTIMUS
Jazz, Cliffjumper, see if you can
the Fortitude's weapon systems back
online. If the Decepticons attack,
we could use the firepower.
CLIFFJUMPER
We're on it.
OPTIMUS
The Fortitude will have to serve as
our base of operations for now.
Springer, Arcee, see what you can
do to establish a base camp around
the ship. It'll have to serve
until the other Autobots can send a
rescue.
ULTRA MAGNUS
(as the others depart)
How long do you think it'll take
before the cavalry arrives?
OPTIMUS
I wish I knew.
ULTRA MAGNUS
We may be able to hold off the
Decepticons until help gets here,
but I don't know how long Marissa
can survive in this environment.
The temperature here is below 0.7
kilocels, the oxygen supply in her
shuttle is limited, and it wouldn't
take the winds and snows here more
than a few cycles to tear through
her pressure suit if she leaves the
ship.
OPTIMUS
I know, old friend. We may have
stopped the Decepticons for now,
but it could end up being at the
cost of another human life. Primus
help us all.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
-------------------------------------------------------
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. AUTOBOT HEADQUARTERS - MEDICAL BAY - PILAR'S POV
Pilar just waking up, groggy, looking around. She hears
voices around her.
FIRST AID
I think she's coming out of it.
REESE
Doc? Doc?
Pilar's eyes gradually snap into focus. Her first view is
of First Aid, a huge form in front of her. She frantically
looks around and sees Swoop, even larger and more menacing.
REESE
Doctor Pilar!
She looks. It's Reese, looking on in concern, along with an
older man she doesn't know.
PILAR
What...?
REESE
It's okay. You've been asleep for
nearly two days.
PILAR
Where am I?
REESE
It's okay, relax. You're on
Cybertron.
PILAR
Cybertron?
SWOOP
We Autobots rescue you from
Quintessons on Calyx Two, remember?
FIRST AID
Try to stay calm. You've been in a
state of shock. We had to bring
you to Cybertron for medical
treatment.
PILAR
(struggling to take it all in)
Yeah, yeah... Cybertron.
(gasping)
Listen... I need to get out of here.
Can I... I need to get out of here.
FIRST AID
I don't think that's such a good
idea. We have to monitor your
vitals.
PILAR
Please... I need to get out of here.
I just need to get out for a while.
REESE
(to Spike)
Maybe it would be best if she could
go somewhere away from... well,
just somewhere else where
surroundings are more familiar.
SPIKE
(nods)
First Aid, can she be moved?
FIRST AID
Well...
(hands Reese a communicator)
Keep an eye on her. If there's any
change in her vital signs, press
this button. Someone will be along.
REESE
Thanks.
EXT. CYBERTRON
Establishing...
INT. AUTOBOT HEADQUARTERS - BRIEFING ROOM - HUMAN SCALE
Reese and Pilar are sitting around a briefing room table in
a room that, though large enough to accommodate Autobots,
has clearly been built with human dimensions in mind. Spike
comes over and hands Pilar a steaming mug.
SPIKE
Drink this. It'll help.
PILAR
What is it?
SPIKE
A tension relaxant. In hot lemon
and honey.
Pilar takes a sip and seems to release some of the tension
she's been holding in. Spike gets another mug for himself
and offers one to Reese.
PILAR
It's good. Thank you.
SPIKE
Lieutenant?
REESE
No, thank you.
(to Pilar)
How are you feeling?
PILAR
A bit better, considering.
(beat)
No, not really better at all.
First, captured and held hostage by
tentacled aliens, and now, here, on
a planet filled with these giant
robots...
SPIKE
I know what you must be going
through. I was captured by the
Quintessons once myself. Seems
like a long time ago now. I never
would have made it out of there if
it weren't for the Autobots.
PILAR
All these giant robots... it's
terrifying in a way. They make you
feel just like insects or something
beneath them.
SPIKE
I know how overwhelming this all
must be for you, but the Autobots
really are good guys. I know,
there's Quintessons and there's
Decepticons, but not all "giant
robots" are evil. Trust me, I've
known the Autobots for over forty
years, and they're as true and
loyal friends as anyone I've ever
known.
PILAR
(takes another sip)
Thank you, Mr...?
SPIKE
Please, call me Spike.
REESE
This is Spike Witwicky, the first
human to make contact with the
Transformers, back in 1984.
(to Spike)
Your bio was required reading in
the EDC.
SPIKE
(amused)
Really.
PILAR
I'm sorry, I've never heard of you.
SPIKE
(affably)
Don't worry about it.
REESE
Mr. Witwicky, Dr. Pilar.
SPIKE
Just recently out of school, young
lady?
PILAR
Yeah, I just graduated from MIT.
Joined the EDC Science Council, but
I... I was not ready for all of
this.
SPIKE
(subdued)
MIT? My wife went there.
Spike takes a sip from his mug. There is a brief moment of
silence as each of them is absorbed in his own thoughts.
REESE
So how is it that you're living on
Cybertron?
SPIKE
The bio didn't cover that?
REESE
It only went up to 2007. It talked
about your heroism during the Final
Offensive, but after that, nothing.
SPIKE
I've been living here for the last
twenty years. Ever since the
Offensive.
REESE
Really.
SPIKE
Well, despite my "heroism," we all
know how that turned out in the end.
After that, pro-Autobot opinions
were not brimming with popularity
on Earth. I argued in favor of
maintaining contact with Cybertron.
I had known the Autobots for twenty
years; they were my comrades; they
were my friends. I felt that
humanity could benefit more from
contact with the Autobots than from
shutting them out.
(takes a sip from his mug)
I was overruled. The EDC decreed
that there was to be no more
contact between Cybertronians and
humans. At the time, I had been
stationed on Cybertron full-time,
and, well, that was that. Myself,
my family, several others decided
to stay, to see if a new peace
could be worked out between
humanity and the Transformers.
(takes another sip)
I always thought I'd be back
someday, but as weeks turned into
months and months to years...
(to Reese)
How is Earth these days?
REESE
It's good.
(beat)
Why don't you come back with us?
Now that we've reestablished
contact, you can come back to
Proxima Station with us. From
there, it's just a short way to
Earth. I'm sure Colonel Faireborn
can arrange accommodations.
SPIKE
Ah, Marissa. It's been a long time.
(looks at a communication
device on his wrist)
I would recommend to you to take a
look around while you're here.
Cybertron is a planet of wonders,
and you never know when you'll get
another chance to come back.
(to Pilar)
And Doctor, I know we just met, but
I want you to know, if you ever
need to talk, about the Quintessons
or whomever, I'm here for you.
PILAR
Thank you, but I think I just have
to deal with things at my own pace.
Pilar sits silently staring at her mug. In the back of her
mind, she SEES Watley and Randolph in the clutches of
Quintesson tentacles, HEARS their screams as they are
dragged away. She closes her eyes and we...
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT TWO
-------------------------------------------------------
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
EXT. CYBERTRON - XAARON QUAD
The Delta Two touches down in the center of the quad. Much
like a college campus, the quad is surrounded on all sides
by gigantic buildings, but there is open space, paths, and a
"park"-like atmosphere in its center. Shimmering crystal
structures abound in the center of the quad. Off to one
side is a statue of Wheeljack atop his former workshop, now
the Wheeljack Memorial Museum.
The shuttle touches down and Reese EXITS and offers a hand
to help Pilar down as well.
REESE
I was a bit overwhelmed too when I
first got here as well. So many
giant buildings everywhere... the
quad here gives you a bit of open
space to feel free.
Pilar says nothing.
REESE
Being out here kind of makes you
think about just how insignificant
humans are in the grand scheme of
things, huh.
(beat)
I mean... I didn't mean...
PILAR
It's okay.
REESE
(looking at the crystals)
They're really something, huh?
You'd never see anything like this
on Earth.
(looks up at the stars)
The stars all look different from
here, don't they? When I was a
little kid, I always dreamed of
going into space, wondering what
the constellations would like on
other planets.
(looks around his
surroundings)
It's a whole new world. This is
why I always wanted to get out into
space. Join the EDC, see new
worlds, experience things that most
humans never would in their entire
lives.
PILAR
There are some things that no one
should ever experience.
Reese realizes he may have misspoken. A pause, then...
PILAR
I never wanted to go into space.
(beat)
I don't know why I took this
position with the EDC. I mean,
they had an almost limitless budget,
they were working on cutting-edge
research, it was prestigious,
competitive... but really, what
does a 24-year-old kid know about
exploring space? A year ago, I was
spending late nights at the library
finishing up my dissertation... and
a year later...
(beat, half to herself)
How did this happen?
REESE
I'm sorry, Doctor, I didn't... I
guess I'm not that helpful, am I?
PILAR
No, that's okay. Thanks for
listening.
Another pause.
REESE
So you're 24? If you don't mind my
saying so, that's pretty young to
get a doctorate, isn't it?
PILAR
Yeah. It is.
(beat)
I skipped a few grades in
elementary and high school. And
then in college...
(beat)
It was all because of my mom. It
was all I heard while I was growing
up. "Study hard, Sandy, you have
to get good education." "You
should go to summer school, get
more college credits." "Take EDC
position, Sandy, very prestigious."
I mean... well, it's a long story,
and I don't want to get into that
right now.
REESE
Okay.
(beat)
"Sandy," huh? That's a nice name.
PILAR
I hate it.
REESE
Yeah, it's not so good.
PILAR
My name is Sandra... well,
"Cassandra," actually, but my mom
could never pronounce it that well,
so she'd always call me "Sandy."
REESE
"Sandra"... that's a pretty name,
Doctor. It's better than mine.
"Max Reese." "Maxwell Reese."
"Max-well." It just doesn't sound
right. It doesn't flow easily off
the tongue. Now look at "Colonel
Marissa Faireborn." Now that's the
kind of name I'd like to have.
That's a name you can get behind.
(laughs)
Well, aside from the fact that it's
a woman's name, I guess.
PILAR
(extends a hand)
Max.
REESE
(shakes her hand)
Everyone just calls me "Reese," Doc.
PILAR
Okay, "Reese."
(shakes)
Sandra Pilar.
REESE
(smiles)
Nice to meet you.
PILAR
(turns away, looks at the sky)
I wonder where Earth is among all
these stars.
REESE
We'll be back there soon. Hot Rod
and the other Autobots are trying
to contact Proxima Station. From
there, it's just a hop, skip, and a
jump back through the Pluto
warpgate to get to home.
(starts heading back towards
the shuttle)
I can take you back to Autobot HQ
now.
PILAR
No. I... no. I know they're the
"good guys," I owe them my life for
rescuing me, but... I can't... no.
If you don't mind... just let me
know when we're ready to go home.
Pilar GAZES upward at the sky, bright with stars, one more
time.
REESE
(takes out First Aid's
communicator)
Okay. We can just stay here. I'll
see if I can find out when we'll be
ready to go.
PILAR.
Thanks, Reese... for everything.
REESE
No problem.
INT. AUTOBOT HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL CENTER
Hot Rod and Kup are looking at tactical readouts on the main
viewscreen. Blaster is still trying to contact Optimus
Prime, with no success.
HOT ROD
Anything, Blaster?
BLASTER
I'm trying and hi-fiing, but I
can't raise anyone in Proxima.
HOT ROD
But there's no jamming signal
anymore.
BLASTER
That's a negatory. No reason why
the signal wouldn't be going
through.
HOT ROD
Unless there's no one on the other
end to receive it.
(beat)
Something must have happened to
Prime and the others at Proxima.
We have to send a rescue.
KUP
What about the chronosphere and the
Devoron System?
HOT ROD
We'll have to split our forces then.
I'll take Sky Lynx and the Dinobots
to Proxima. You take Omega Supreme
and the Protectobots and
investigate the Devoron System.
KUP
We're spreading our forces too thin,
lad. I'm no scientist; I don't
know a chronosphere from a carbon
copy. But if this thing is as
dangerous as Perceptor says it is,
we have to stop it. Plus, we need
to maintain our forces on Cybertron
in case the Decepticons try to
stage an attack.
HOT ROD
We have to rescue Prime. If he's
in trouble, if the Decepticons took
Proxima, we have to help him.
KUP
Prime would agree with me, lad. We
have to worry about the bigger
picture. If the Decepticons are
fortifying at Devoron, we're going
to need all our forces to stop them.
And we can't afford to leave
Cybertron undefended.
HOT ROD
Prime would never leave an Autobot
behind, and neither will I. And if
the Decepticons have taken Proxima,
we have to help guard the warp gate
to Earth.
(beat)
I'm in command, and I say we send
forces to both Proxima and Devoron.
You're the security chief; organize
our troops to carry out our
operations.
KUP
Yes, sir.
A panel FLASHES from Reese's incoming signal. Hot Rod
answers it.
HOT ROD
Hot Rod.
REESE
It's Lieutenant Reese. I hope I'm
not disturbing you.
HOT ROD
No, of course not. How is Dr.
Pilar?
REESE
She's better, thanks. Now that
she's awake, we can return to
Proxima... I was wondering what the
status was on our return.
HOT ROD
(uncertain how to phrase this)
There's been a problem. We've been
unable to raise Proxima Station on
our communications.
REESE
Why? What happened?
Hot Rod looks at Blaster, who can do nothing but SHRUG.
HOT ROD
I don't know. But I can guarantee
you, we're going to find out.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
Home: Teleplays
Previous Episode: Fear and Fortitude