Future Unknown:the day stone.

Chapter 1.

The gas station: Hank stops for gas and directions. He buys a soda and talks to Sarah; the checkout chick. She thinks he's cute and says if he was a nice guy he'd offer to drive her home. Hank smiles. Just as he drives away, Sarah waves to a man pulling into the station in another car... who was that? Hank asks her. my father...SFX: screech... no, keep driving, silly ...

The Field : The professor is driving in his car at night. Coming back from a lecture he held for the established scientific community. He is angry and a bit drunk. They didn't take his theories about the latest discoveries seriously. About the meteorites the press called the "day stones".He is mumbling to himself as he sees the beginning of a meteor shower. He salutes the meteors and claims his future victory over "the scientific buffoons". Which is when a big meteorite almost hits his car, causing him to careen into an embankment. The meteor crashes into a field not far from the car. The professor recovers from his daze and runs toward the crash site. At about the same time as the owner of the field arrives with his teenage boy, who are both carrying shotguns. A short explanation by the professor. They all help to bring the meteor back to the barn house. In doing so the meteor falls into a troff of water and cracks in half because of the sudden shift in internal and external temperature. The farmer gets all upset and starts ranting about how his discovery is ruined and starts blaming the professor. The professor senses that the farmer might do something stupid so he agrees to let the farmer take all of the credit for the find, so long as he gets to keep a small sample for himself to study and as a souvenir. The farmer is more than happy to oblige, and the professor leaves with his sample.

The event: Early the next day, about ten in the morning. A hotel room in New Haven. Sarah sits by an open window smoking. She looks happy. She glances at Hank who is still asleep in bed. Then she gets up, grabs her jacket and leaves. Outside. Sarah comes skipping out of the side gate into the main street of the small town. She has a big smile on her face as she runs into the distance. She doesn't feel them strait away, but she can hear something. She stops. Then the tremors become stronger. The objects around her start to move and vibrate. people start to take notice. some start running, a man shouts "it's an earth quake!", as he grabs his daughter and runs under a door way. Another older man protests "but we don't get earthquakes here!", the first man shouts,"that doesn't mean it ain't happening!". Sarah looks back and thinks "Hank".... "What?!", Hank wakes up thinking someones talking to him. looking around the room, bleary eyed, he realizes something isn't right. Hangovers don't normally make walls shake. He doesn't remember where he is but as he grabs his shirt and wallet he figures he'll find out soon enough. He runs down, and out onto the street. He sees Sarah running toward him, he shouts "whats going on?!". "its an earthquake...I think!", "what do we do?!"he asks. But before she can respond they're attention is drawn immediately to the very bright and violent burst of light that shots up from the ground about a block away from where they are standing. It appears to rip strait through the roof of a house. They run into a nearby store. "That's no earth quake !", Hank says. "ya think?!",says Sarah. A pair of worried eyes emerge from behind the shop counter, the owner. a very old man with no hair and a tattered white goatee, "what's going on ?" he asks. "um, we don't know...aliens,maybe?!". Hanks response, born out of fear and confusion, voiced the thoughts of most of the towns folk. whether you where a believer in such things or not, it was hard to see any other explanation. especially after what came next. The white light that shone so brightly that it could have been a second sun, continued to shot out of the top of the house, but now there where tendrils of light moving out across the sky, slowly spreading in all directions, filling up the atmosphere. Covering everything. Hank, Sarah and Bob the shop owner looked on as the houses and cars covered in the tendrils became transparent and then seemed to disappear completely. Panic sett in. "We have to get out of here !", cried Sarah. The three of them ran out of the shop. Hank and Sarah, toward his car, but old Bob...disappeared. They couldn't worry about him, they had to get out of there! The convertible started without a complaint. It had always been a reliable car, and Hank was never as thankful for that as he was now. A quick revers, and they where on they're way. But, to where ? " Follow the main road, it'll take us out of town!". Hank really liked that idea...But the light...would they make it? They had cleared the town limits. The car was full of gas. They could keep going for as long as it would take. But how long would that be, and could they stay ahead of the light? The answer was right above them. Sarah grabbed Hanks arm, "I see it",Hank shouted to Sarah. "this is as fast as the car will go!". "No, this can't be happening, I'm not even 21 !" Sarah's plea for mercy made Hank feel truly afraid, not just for his own life but for Sarah and all the people he cared about. This didn't seem right, he thought. Not that you're own death or anyone else's could ever seem like a good idea, but there was something very wrong with all of this. Sarah was crying, he could feel her tears trickling down his arm. He kept driving strait ahead. He didn't look up. He didn't look at the speed indicator. He just kept staring at the road ahead, feeling a swell of anger and determination to fight against whatever was trying to catch them. But it didn't do any good. The light came, and they disappeared....

The black: Hank couldn't feel anything. There was no sound. He could see shadows, some light. He could move, for the most part, but he didn't know what he was moving. Was that an arm, or a leg? A sharp searing pain cut through his mind like a hot razer blade. His right arm was broken and he couldn't see out of his left eye. He looked at his hands for blood but all he could see was a shady dark gray liquid. Was it oil? The car. Sarah. " Sarah....?", he hadn't noticed the pain in his chest until he tried to speak. He coughed, took a deep breath, and coughed some more, "Sarah?!". Nothing. He didn't want to move. He groped around for the door handle. He found it. He pulled on the leaver. The door was very heavy. He pushed as hard as he could. The door fell forward with a loud scrape and a thud. Hank realized that the car was sitting at an angle, pointed down towards the road. He tried to look up, but couldn't see much els other than swirling light. He leaned out of the car. Put his left leg on the ground, and fell out of the car. Hank screamed. He cursed, and then he screamed a curse. He hadn't broken any bones before, and wasn't accustomed to the amount of pain his brain was communicating. A tear fell from his eye. He felt very small. And alone. Hank staggered to his feet. He squinted at his surroundings. He could see the convertible, for what it was. The front end was pushed in. The rear wheels weren't even touching the ground. The hood had been ripped of its hinges and was lying on the road behind the car. The windshield was gone. Broken glass everywhere. He didn't care...."SARAH?!!! Still nothing. He stumbled around to her side of the car. He was afraid. Did he really want to find her? It didn't matter. There was nothing there anyway. Not a trace. No blood, nothing. "SARAH, WHERE ARE YOU?!"...... Well, whats the point of surviving if you're all alone, he thought. Feeling sorry for himself. He found the side of the car with his hand, and used it to guide himself to the ground. He was feeling sick. He tried to hold it back, but he couldn't. It was all to much. He cried. not just one or to tears, but many. For himself, for Sarah, and for anyone els he could think of. He took his time, he had nothing better to do. Hank tried to think. Tried to figure it out. What was happening? Was he dead? Was this hell? No, he was quite certain that he was alive. But what about Sarah? What happened to her? He wiped his eye with his hand and had another look around. The convertible was on the road, where he was sitting. Hank couldn't see the town. He didn't know if that was because the town had literally disappeared or because he had driven so far out that it fell bellow the horizon line. Hang on. The light. Its gone. Daylight. It was morning when it all happened ,but now its nighttime?Yes, I can see the stars. "But I saw light in front of the car when I came to", Hank thought to himself. He got up. He felt week, but not so bad that he couldn't move around. He must be in shock or something like that. He went to the front of the convertible. It took a few seconds for it to register in the darkness, but there didn't seem to be anything in front of the car. Nothing. Not even a road. Just black. Like looking at a black velvet curtain, that you can't focus on. Hank stretched his arm out in front of him. He took a step forward. He felt around with his hand. Suddenly, he felt a searing heat in his fingers. He jerked his hand back. With a closer inspection he realized that the tips of his fingers where frozen solid, not burnt. Yet, he had touched nothing...except maybe the could void of space. He suddenly realized what might have happened to Sarah. If she had been thrown forward out of the car with the impact....Hank refused to finish the thought. He stepped back from the "edge" and had another look around. The blackness stretched for as far as he could see, which wasn't very far. After all it was "nighttime"...enough of this, he thought, "I need to get to a hospital, or at least a doctor of some kind". He started to walk back along the road. Back toward the town, assuming it was still there. His thoughts where scattered. He still didn't want to accept what had happened. Images raced through his mind. The light, the old man, Sarah and the night before. Black and white. Could and heat. He was getting very tired. And he didn't know how far away he was. It might take him hours to walk back into town. And even if it is still there, that doesn't guarantee he'll get any answers. But wait, whats that up ahead? a light? two? a car! Yes, he could her the engine. No, wait, there are two setts of lights. Two cars, maybe. He felt some measure of relief, but wasn't willing to surrender himself to joy just yet. The lights got bigger and brighter. He stood to one side of the road and waved his good arm....and watched as the car went right by him...He shouted and cursed the driver. It didn't occur to him strait away why the driver may have chosen not to stop. But, he wasn't going to let the second car get away that easily. He stood in the middle of the road and waved his hand franticly. But this time the car did stop, thank God. It was Bob, the store owner. The old man gasped "Son, are you alright?" "No, I need a doctor, and Sarah, she's....." "You, wont find a doctor back there, son. After the light...faded, everyone left, theres no one there...." "But, you can't, there...." "what do you mean, son, we have to leave" "No,you cant, there's nothing out there, the roads gone!" Just then, a ball of fire filled the sky. "The other car. That came from...hang on, I'm getting in". "What was that?!" "Did you know who was in that other car?" "Yeah, that was Davie Walker's car". "Well, Mr Walker just hit a brick wall that he could never have seen!". "What the Hell's going on around here?!". "Nothing normal, that's for damn sure!". Sure enough, Davie Walkers car was a flaming wreck when Hank and Bob got to it. They used parts of the hood of the convertible to set up a makeshift road block, to warn anyone els about the danger, and headed back to New Haven.

New Haven: There where a lot of people in the main street. The hole town, in fact. 1600 people. Frightened, cold, worried about loved ones. a couple of police cars and a fire truck. Everyone was being told to stay calm and go to the town hall for information. A meeting would be held there soon. Hank and Bob puled up just outside of Bobs store, a little ways down from the main group of people. " I've gotta get some stuff from my shop that I left behind, some...personal items I didn't have time to get before.." "sure, I'll just wait here..". "o key, then.." Hank sat in the car alone. He watched the townsfolk dart around. He didn't know any of them. Not a single familiar face. All he could think about was how tight Sarah held on to his arm in the car, just before the accident. Glass hits his face. He winces. his heart starts pounding fast. he's reacting, but he doesn't have time to see whats going on. He hears yelling. " You bastard, what did you do to her?!". The searing pain comes back. Hank realizes that he used his broken arm to shield himself from the attack. Baseball bats are never soft weapons, regardless of who's using them. And Jack Henson knows how to use a bat. Hank realizes that there are people around trying to help him, even though he cant see them, so he waits it out. finally, the car door opens. Police Chef Nathan Carter offers Hank a helping hand. Hank accepts the offer and is helped out of the car by the Chef and old Bob, who came out of the store as soon as he heard the commotion. Jack Henson is being held back by some friends of the Chef. But that doesn't stop him from screaming at Hank, who doesn't know whats going on. " I wanna know what you did, you bastard!" Chief Carter walks Hank down the street towards the police station. " You care to explain, I'm assuming you know Sarah Henson?". " Eh, yes I do....at least, I did....". " I don't like the sound of that ". The Chief unlocks the front door. He looks at Hank, pauses, then continues inside. " You don't look like a bad sort, but I may have to arrest you anyway. just to keep the peace, you understand ". "sure, but could I get something done about my broken arm? ". " What, did Jack break you're arm with that bat of his?!" " No, it was already broken from the car crash, but I'm sure "jack" didn't help any...." "car crash, huh. this is turning out to be one Hell of a day for accidents. You go take a seat next to the professor over there while I radio for the doc. ". " Thanks ". Hank moves slowly over to the waiting area. The professor is lying down on the couch with his trench coat draped over most of his body, all except his feet. He is asleep. Something Hank would like to do.The professor grunts a mumble as Hank sits down in the sqeackey office chair thats next to the couch. Hank is looking at the professor. An ordinary old man, nothing unusual or different. Not that he was expecting to see anything strange. Just that it had been a strange day, and a normal sight seemed out of place. " o key, the Doc's kind of busy, but he's sending Mary here in the ambulance to pick you up". Hank looked up at Chief Carter. A tall, broad man, with short cropped gray hair. Hank thought he looked a lot more like a football couch than New Haven's Chief of Police. " Thanks, I don't think I could take much more without some kind of pain relief". "Well, the Doc'll do his job right. If nothing els he's good at it". Hank thought he could sense a tension in the Chiefs voice. Like there was some kind of bad history there. But he didn't really care to pry. Not now. He was in to much pain to be interested in small town politics. " We've got at least 10 minutes to kill before the ambulance gets here, so why don't you tell me what happened to Sarah Henson, I'm going to need a statement for the report any way... " Chief Carter grabs a small tape recorder from one of the desks nearby. He checks to see that there is a tape casset inside it. Confirming that, he places the recorder on the arm of the couch, right next to the professors head. " um...". " Don't worry about the professor, I picked him up early this morning for drunk driving. He's been out cold, all day". " Well, o key....I...I met Sarah yesterday at the gas station. I stopped there on my way from Port Lock for gas. I was just going to drive strait through to Queensberry, cause thats where I'm headed. But she said she needed a lift home after work. Which I found out later, wasn't really the case. I guess that was her way of inviting me.....um..." " Yeah, I get the idea, I've got kids of my own. Go on...." " We spent last night in one of Bob Welders rooms, you know, just above his shop..." " of course..." "Um, well, this morning I wok up and I couldn't remember anything...so I guess we had a few last night. And then the...light...". Hank choked on the word. He didn't know how to enplane it, or even if he should bother. " Well, you already know what happened there...I...we, ran into Bob's shop for cover. But when we saw the houses...disappearing we got scared and ran back outside. Sarah and I jumped into my convertible and headed out of town. I don't know what happened to Bob after that, we got separated. Until he picked me up after the crash..." " o key, so what happened then, after you got in the car?" " I guess the light kept spreading out over New Haven and caute up with us, cause all I can remember is wakening up after the crash and not being able to find Sarah anywhere". "But, she was in the car with you, yes? " " Yeah...." " So?..." " I..." " look, I'm not suggesting anything here, I just want to know what happened ". " You haven't been up there have you ? ". " Up?..." " The crash site. we....Bob and I, we made a road block out of the convertible. Davie Walker's car is blocking the other side of the road. His dead in case you where wondering. I'm pretty sure he hit the "Wall" like me...". " The Wall? ". " Well, that is the reason no ones left isn't it? Or hadn't you noticed? ". " I guess..I hadn't..., are you suggesting that no one can leave, that All the roads are blocked?.." " Hey, I don't know about all the roads, what I do know is I hit something that totaled my car. Sarah is missing, possibly dead. Now there's nothing up there except a void, yet Davie Walker's car got totaled and I almost got my fingers frozen when I tried to reach into "the black"...". " 'the black' I don't follow..." " Fine I'll just say it then. I think that New Haven is covered by a force field of some kind...When you hit it at speed its like hitting a brick wall, but up close....its like a void, a nothing....". " a nothing..." " Well, thats what I think...but I'm just a kid you know..what do I know..." " o key, I got it on tape. Thats the important part. It's just a matter of time till we figure this all out.....and look, theres the ambulance, right on time..." Chief Carter stands up from his chair, turns the tape recorder of and drops it into his jacket pocket. " Yoy stay here, I'll help Mary with the stretcher..." " Sure ". But Hank wasn't really sure about anything anymore. especially about the people around him who where supposed to be in control. The people you're supposed to be able to trust, or rather, the people you have no real choice about trusting whatever, he told it like it was. He couldn't do anything else. He didn't create the situation, he's just trying to survive it. Just like everyone else.... " excuse me, but I was wandering..." "hm..". Hank had forgotten about "the professor", or "the drunk", or whoever he was... " You're awake". " have been for a while, long enough you might say...." " Figures..." " Yes,well, I think your theory about the force field is correct". " You do? ". "yes", " I have some theories of my own. You see, I am the resident scientific crackpot. ha ha ha......". " Thats nice". "yes it is, if you like that kind of thing..." " what?".

(( "directors" note: a transition scene (from one page to the next) will take place at some point in the story where the "camera" will be focused on the upper right arm of Hank, showing a b/w tattoo. the camera will pull in on the tattoo just after some traumatic event in which Hank saves the life of our hero and then it will pull back after a cut has taken place, showing the same tattoo on the same person but 6 years into the future. hey, it solves my problem of having to span a significant amount of time without losing the pace of the story and the familiarity of the characters. I'll probably make this a visual them, and come back to it a number of time...for key moments))