Macabre Gambit

WHAT NEXT?

[EMPTY AIRSTRIP, THE SKY FIREY ORANGE WITH HUES OF PINK AND PURPLE AS THE SUN SETS]

[CROWS ON TOP OF THE AIRFORCE BASE CONTROL TOWER, FOUR MARINES STAND IN FRONT OF THE CONSOLES]

[ONE OF THEM SITTING IN FRONT OF A SCREEN WITH A HEADSET ON, NAME TAB 'BRANT'] Diggy, we got a tango comin' in hot north east on the airstrip.

[MARINE WITH A NAME TAB 'LOBLEY', TALLER THAN THE REST] I believe that to be your woman, Dan-the-man.

[MARINE WITH A NAME TAB 'ROURKE' STANDING BEHIND LOBLEY] Does she always drive like that?

[DANIEL LEANING OVER THE CONSOLES WITH BINOCULARS] Yeah but it's worse when there's a horde of zeeks on her six!

[ZOOM IN OF THE BINOCULARS TO SHOW BEKZ DRIFTING ONTO THE AIRSTIP WITH AT LEAST 20 ANGRY FERALS ON HER TAIL]

[SAT PHONE RINGS, BEKZ ANSWERS IT] Danny! A little help, por favor!

[DANIEL] Already on it. Just keep your head down.

[BEKZ] Roger.

[DANIEL] Machine, Coyote, you're with me. Frogman, watch our six.

[BEKZ CONTINUES DRIVING ON THE STRIGHT AWAY WHEN A BRIGHT PURPLE UV SPOTLIGHT BLARES AND GUNFIRE ERUPTS OFF THE RAILING ON TOP OF THE CONTROL TOWER, FERALS START GOING DOWN BEHIND HER]

[ROURKE 'MACHINE' OPENS THE OUTER RING OF HEAVILY FORTIFIED C-WIRE FENCES SURROUNDING THE SOUTHERN CONTROL TOWER, SHARP METAL REBAR STICKS OUT OF THE GROUND] In! In! In!

[THE REST OF THE HORDE GOES DOWN AS DANIEL AND LOBLEY 'COYOTE' TAKE THEM OUT]

[BEKZ STARTS GETTING OUT OF HER TRUCK]

[ROURKE 'MACHINE' LEVELS HIS M2A1 M16] Woah, there little lady! Show me your hands.

[BEKZ GETS OUT WITH HER HANDS UP, HER RIFLE HANGING LOOSLEY FROM IT'S QUICK RELEASE SLING] I ain't infected.

[ROURKE 'MACHINE'] It's just--

[BEKZ] Yeah, yeah. Standard procedure.

[BEKZ REMOVES HER RESPIRATOR LOOKING AT HIM EXASPIRATED] I'm not infected.

[DANIEL OVER COMMS] Machine. Let her up.

[LOBLEY 'COYOTE'] You sure she's safe, Diggy?

[DANIEL] She'd put a bullet in her own brain before she'd even consider bringing the contagion to us.

[ROURKE 'MACHINE' TAKES BEKZ UP TO THE TOP OF THE TOWER, BEKZ WALKS IN WITH ROURKE FALLOWING BEHIND]

[DANIEL] I want an ammo count and then reload your mags.

[DANIEL SETS HIS MACHINE GUN AGAINST THE TABLE WITH AMMO AND ORDIENCE WHILE ROURKE AND LOBLEY START RELOADING THEIR MAGS]

[DANIEL TURNS TO BEKZ WHO IS LOOKING OUT THE COTNROL TOWER]

[BEKZ TURNS TO DANIEL HOLDING HER RIFLE CASUALLY TO HER TORSO] Hi.

[DANIEL] Hi.

[THEY JUST LOOK AT EACH OTHER FOR A SEC]

[DANIEL THEN WRAPS HER IN A HUG]

[BEKZ GET SURPRISED BUT THEN GIVES IN TO THE HUG]

[THEN DANIEL CRACKS HER BACK]

[BEKZ] Argh!

[LOBLEY 'COYOTE'] Don't break her after we just saved her!

[DANIEL LAUGHS] Right, right. Soooo.... what now?

[BEKZ PUNCHES DANIEL] Como que 'what now'?! You're alive! Your guys are alive.

[DANIEL] So you're not mad at me for not telling you we were back?

[BEKZ KIND OF ROLLS HER EYES] Danny, you ought to know me by now. It's not like you were hiding from me. Or were you?

[DANIEL RAISES HIS HANDS IN SURRENDER] Wouldn't dream of it.

[BEKZ TURNS TO LOOK BACK OUT THE WINDOW] How'd you guys end up here?

[DANIEL] Long version or short?

[BEKZ LOOKS AT HER WATCH] Talk over food?

[EST. SHOT OF ALL FIVE OF THEM STANDING AROUND EATING MRE'S]

[BEKZ TAKES HER PERCULATOR AND POURS HOT COFFEE INTO BRANT'S 'FROGMAN' MUG]

[LOBLEY 'COYOTE' DRINKING FROM HIS METAL CUP] Can't believe you still got coffee.

[BEKZ] The end of the world only happened yesterday.

[DANIEL PUTS LOBLEY IN A HEADLOCK] Yeah, and these infidels don't know how to ration.

[ROURKE 'MACHINE'] We ran out of coffee the day we got here.

[BEKZ] So, you gonna tell me how you got here or do I have to pry it out of you?

[BRANT 'FROGMAN'] And I'm certain you know some very good interrogation techniques.

[DANIEL] Yes she does.

[DANIEL SITS DOWN BACKWARD ON ONE OF THE CHAIRS] We'd been recalled from East India. Originally back at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

[BEKZ] Then why the cuss are you all the way over here in the southwest?

[LOBLEY 'FROGMAN'] The whole east coast was lost within the first 48 hrs. Days before the zeeks reached the hot Mojave and Rocky Mountain regions.

[DANIEL] The reason why you didn't get any reports on it is because the whole coast went dark. D.C., New York, Miami. No one knows what's going on over there. Most of the Corps was relocated to various camps throughout the homeland. C Company just happened to be mid plane rides when this particular AFB was overrun.

[BEKZ LOOKS OUT THE CONTROL TOWER THE SUN AN ORANGE LINE ON THE PURPLE HORIZON] Where's the rest of you guys?

[DANIEL] A lot of good Marines have died in the last two days. Less than half of the company are protecting roughly 30 civilians who were on base when SHTF. They're hold up in one of the government buildings just across the way.

[BEKZ] That's rough...

[DANIEL] How 'bout you get some rest. You've had a long day. We'll talk more in the morning.

[BEKZ LAYING IN A SLEEPING BAG, THE GREEK 'Α' TAT ON DANIEL'S ARM RECOGNIZABLE AROUND HER WAIST, SHE GETS UP IN JUST HER MUSCLE SHIRT, TAC PANTS AND SOCS, EXITING THE OFFICE SPACE]

[EST. SHOT OF BEKZ LEANING ON THE GUARD RAIL, DANIEL PLACES A BLANKET OVER HER SHOULDERS, THEN LEANS ON THE RAILING NEXT TO HER, SHOULDERS TOUCHING]

[BEKZ LOOKING UP AT THE SKY] It's so quiet now... Reminds me of home.

[DANIEL] Bekz, my boys and I have come to two conclusions. Here we are safe. We have supplies to fortify and rebuild. At least rebuild a portion of that which was lost.

[BEKZ] But for how long?

[DANIEL] That's our second option. Leave C Company to take care of the civiies. You, me, my team establish wideband communications with other bases using the state's radio towers as relay points.

[BEKZ] New Mexico is known for it's Very Large Array. It's about 50-miles west of Socorro.

[DANIEL] Frogman thinks we can piggyback off its signals to get communications back online.

[BEKZ CHUCKLES] Frogman?

[DANIEL] He always wanted to be a SEAL but his mom said he was too stupid to join the Navy. But for a grunt, he's the best Technical Surveillance man I know.

[BEKZ] I'm sure he is.

What do you do?...
[DECISION 7] Stay and rebuild.

[DECISION 8] Go establish wideband communications.