Ext. Open Desert - Day
FADE IN:
THE SUN
The same brilliant luminous star that’s always soared high over the earth. Although it's taken on an unusual shade. It's dimmer.
EXT. OPEN DESERT - DAY
THE SAND
The same texture and consistency of the ordinary scorching desert sand known today. Although, it bears a distintive change in coloration. It’s as if a substantial amount of rust has been mixed in.
ECU
CAMERA speeds above the glistening, cerulean ocean surface as it meets the shore. CAMERA speeds above the unique desert sand and PULLS up to
ARCHEOLOGIST SITE
Six anthropologist researchers probe the desert sand, foraging for new findings. The site is highly sophisticated with tools and instruments far superior to the technology known to man. The researchers wear estranged attire and speak a different language, though no distinctive accents. It’s not of any other familiar dialect.
SURARI, 20’s, slender-female, brushes through an impression buried beneath the dirt.
ELJASZ, 30s, husky-male, examines an object he’s just removed from the ground.
ELJASZ
(dialect) Another one of these again.
(beat)
That’s the third one this
hour.
He holds up a rusted-aluminum bottle cap and lays it parallel with two others similar to it.
SURARI and LAZARZ, early 20s, assistant, rugid-young man, make their way over to ELJASZ.
SURARI
(dialect) What do you make of it?
ELJASZ
(dialect) Don’t know? Could be, some
type of currency, maybe a
weapon…
(beat)
or maybe, some type of hat.
ELJASZ places the bottle cap on his head and smiles at the two. SURARI and LAZARZ enjoy the ridiculous comment as they roll their eyes with smirks. SURARI’s attention is brought over to JOACHIM, late 40s, professor, perceptive, as he educates two of his advocates.
SURARI
(dialect) What has the professor
found?
ELJASZ
(dialect) Don’t know? They’re still
working with the L-scan
unit. He likes to know what
he’s digging for…takes the
fun out of it really…
JOACHIM kneels down holding a device in his hand. ZENOBJA, early 20s,sheik-male, and URJASZ, teens, intelligent-young male, stand over his shoulders fully attentive.
L-SCAN DEVICE
It’s a small hand-held device with an LCD screen, it has the ability to give a 4-dimensional visual up to 75 feet below the surface. Sort of like a sonogram for anthropologists. JOACHIM moves the device along the ground as blueprint computerized images accumulate on screen.
URJASZ
(dialect) It’s as if you have eyes
in the dirt.
ZENOBJA
(dialect) More like a telescope, isn’t
that right professor?
JOACHIM, more interested in the potential findings, utters
JOACHIM
(dialect) Something like that…
SURARI (O.S)
(dialect) We’re going to take a
break, if…
SURARI walks over to the three and kneels down next to the professor.
SURARI (cont’d)
(dialect) What have you got?
JOACHIM
(dialect) It’s hard to say. The reading
gives a continuous image 50
or so feet beneath.
(beat)
There’s something down there
alright…something big.
SURARI takes this in.
ZENOBJA (O.S)
HEY!?!
SURARI is startled by the outburst as her attention is drawn over to
ZENOBJA and URJASZ
They’ve also just found bottle caps in the ground as they place them on each others head giggling like girls. She squints at the stupidity.
JOACHIM
(dialect) Zenobja? Urjasz? We’re
taking a break. You kids
should eat something.
ZENOBJA
(dialect) No, that’s okay. If it’s
alright, we would like to
try our luck with the L-Scan.
JOACHIM
(dialect) Very well, I suppose. Be
very, very careful.
ZENOBJA and URJASZ look at each other holding in mutual excitement.
ZENOBJA
(dialect) Will do.
INT. SHELTER – LATE AFTERNOON
SURARI, ELJASZ, JOACHIM, and LAZARZ sit in a portable, spacious, air conditioned, shelter unit. They eat meals from airtight foil wrapped containers. JOACHIM prints out digital photos from the L-scan unit and passes them around.
JOACHIM
(dialect) These are the readings
from 21 meters below
your feet.
SURARI
(to Eljasz)
(dialect) You ever seen anything
like this?
ELJASZ
(dialect) Definitely wasn’t in any of
our textbooks.
SURARI
(to Joachim)
(dialect) Can we dig it up.
JOACHIM
(dialect) It’s way too deep. We simply
don’t have the resources or
the man power to…
LAZARZ
(dialect) What about the “DRON”?
JOACHIM
(dialect) No. The “DRON” can only dig 20
or so feet below the surface.
(beat)
We haven’t really found
anything like that, that we
can’t dig up ourselves…
URJASZ(O.S)
(dialect) Surari! Professor!?!
ZENOBJA and URJASZ
The two energetically hop up and down motioning for the others attention outside of the shelter.
ELJASZ
(dialect) What now?
EXT. DESERT – LATE AFTERNOON
The others make their way over to ZENOBJA and URJASZ. URJASZ holds the L-scan in a steady gesture facing the ground. JOACHIM kneels down with URJASZ looking into the LCD screen.
L-SCAN UNIT
An image very close to the surface acculminates on and off the screen.
URJASZ
(dialect) Something’s there isn’t
it? About 9 feet down?
JOACHIM looks into the screen fooling with the dials on the side.
JOACHIM
(dialect) There sure is?
LAZARZ is overly excited bearing an ear to ear grin on his face. He grabs the arm of the unexpecting SURARI, who finds his enthusiasm amusing.
LAZARZ
(dialect) So professor, you were
saying?
JOACHIM looks up at LAZARZ and SURARI.
JOACHIM
(dialect) Set the “DRON”. Let’s start
digging.
LAZARZ
(dialect) YES!?!
LAZARZ turns and agressively grips ELJASZ’s shoulders. Starled and disguested by his over-reaction, ELJASZ shrugs him off.
EXT. OPEN DESERT – NIGHT
The sun sets on the desert’s horizon.
THE DRON
A tractor-like machine with the ability to automatically shovel out any buried object set on its memory from the L-scan insert, burrows away through the night.
INT. SHELTER
All are fast asleep except the JOACHIM and SURARI. SURARI sits up in her sleeping unit as the professor still looks over the digital photographs.
SURARI
(dialect) What do you think we’re
going to find tommorrow?
JOACHIM
(dialect) For the first time, I have
no idea. At this point, it
could be anything.
ELJASZ shifts positions in his sleep. SURARI and JOACHIM notice and lower their voices.
JOACHIM (cont’d)
(dialect) Think about it we’re on un-charted
territory. What ever it is down
there must have been submerged for
over ten thousand years. And what
about these other readings? We might
just uncover one of the oldest
civilaztions known to man.
SURARI
This will be a big discovery.
JOACHIM
That my dear…is an understatement.
EXT. OPEN DESERT – DAWN
It’s an eerie morning. One different from all others. We notice there are no coyotes, no scorpians, no animals. Maybe for a reason.
INT. SHELTER
SURARI
She lays asleep calm and peaceful. In the distance, a voice begins to yell unclearly. It gets closer.
VOICE (O.S)
SURARI!?!
She slightly opens her eyes.
LAZARZ
Stands in the doorway like he’s seen a ghost.
LAZARZ
(dialect) I think you should see this.
SURARI jumps out of bed and slips into her boots.
SURARI
(dialect) What is it?
LAZARZ
(dialect) A message from God.
EXT. DESERT – DAY
RUNNING BOOTS
SURARI and LAZARZ run full speed over to the finding. Her steps drastically decrease in speed, as she comes to
CLIFF
The others stand fifteen feet below her. Dumbfounded by the sight, none of them can take their eyes off of it.
She climbs down the side with the help of LAZARZ. He runs out of CAMERA FRAME as SURARI takes in the sight, slowly making her way over to the professor. She stands parallel to him a moment.
SURARI
What does it mean?
JOACHIM
What we’re looking at may
be older than I presumed.
THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN
It is battered, broken, and smeared. The sand-covered DRON unit mounts upright next to the sign, in its de-activated position. The anthropologist can only stand there and wonder.
SURARI looks at her feet.
SURARI
What else is down there?
SURARI and JOACHIM glance over at each other. CAMERA PHASES out into the sky. CAMERA PHASES out into space.
THE EARTH
It’s the same shape and color. Although, the continents have shifted into the inevitable phase, indicating it’s millions of years older than the earth known today…
FADE OUT