Daylight - First Draft

Act III - Scene 56: The Disruptor

SC56 - The Disruptor

INT. THE SWORD OF MAYA - BRIDGE. AFTERNOON.

General Greye is standing in the bridge, looking out at the mist hanging over the ocean. A crewman calls out to him from a nearby workstation.

CREWMAN: Five minutes 'til arrival sir.

GREYE: Slow us down. I want to see them before they see us.

Greye turns to Kayla, Zavier and Eleanor.

GREYE: Head down to the armory and prepare yourselves as best you can, then head straight over to the hangar. A team will meet you there and guide you to your cruiser.

KAYLA: Yes sir.

GREYE: Good luck all of you.

Kayla turns away and marches from the room without turning back, and the others follow her. Greye composes himself and returns to his spot at the window. The mist is obscuring all vision but before long he is able to make out shapes floating in the distance.

GREYE: Up ahead! Signal the fleet to prepare all batteries.

CREWMAN: Aye aye sir.

CREWMAN #2: Sir, the demon fleet is hailing us.

GREYE: Put them on the main screen.

The screen flickers to life and the face of the demon Marneus appears.

MARNEUS: General Valar Greye of Mayagarde! This is Captain Marneus of the Blacksun.

GREYE: Ah Captain. Here to surrender perhaps?

Marneus smiles.

MARNEUS: Amusing General, but it is you who should be worried about us. Turn your fleet around and go home, and we will stay our hands - this will be your one and only warning.

GREYE: That's not happening.

MARNEUS: Then you will all be destroyed. I honestly had you pegged for a wiser man than this General.

GREYE: Wisdom's got nothing to do with it. You want to take our world away, you have to go through us. There is no other way about it.

Marneus gives him a dark look, then replaces it with a cocky smile.

MARNEUS: I see. If that's how you want it, I shall deliver. Good day General.

Marneus's face vanishes as the transmission cuts off. Greye turns to the window once again and raises a comm to speak into it.

GREYE: Attention all stations, this is General Greye. Make ready to engage the enemy. I want Alpha and Beta wings to focus on their flanks while the Sword leads Omega wing into the heart of their fleet. Know this - we cannot allow the demons win here today. Although we may be humanities last line of defense and we may be outnumbered and outgunned, we are not outmatched! I have seen what each of you are capable of and I know that you all have it in you to see us through to victory. Now prove me right! Fight for your country, your world and your freedom. Show the enemy no quarter! Haven be with us.

The crewmen on board the Sword cheer and Greye grips the railing as the Sword picks up speed and soars into battle. The demon ships begin to emerge out of the mist one by one, laying supressive fire into the Mayagarde fleet. One airship is struck and its engine bursts into flame. The ship loses altitude and falls away into the mist. The Sword speeds forward and pulls alongside the demon ship that fired the shot, exchanging broadsides. The Sword is hit hard but is more than enough to overpower the demon warship and it too sinks into the mist in flames. The other ships in the fleet mark their own targets and they too begin exchanging broadsides. As the smoke rising from the battles fills the air, visibility is completely obscured and all that can be seen are the flashes of cannonfire illumiating the thickening fog in violent shades of orange and red.

PILOT: General, there's a ship coming up behind us!

Greye turns to look at the main screen. Thundering through the fog is the Blacksun, heading straight for them and catching up quickly. A shell from it's front guns narrowly misses them.

PILOT: They're gaining sir! What are your orders?

GREYE: Climb, as fast as we can! We need to get out of this fog. Head towards to sun.

The Sword begins to rise, it's front tilting upwards so that the crew have to hold on to prevent themselves falling out of their chairs. The Blacksun quickly does the same behind them. Soon the Sword bursts forth from the top of the fog into the bright daylight. Greye shields his eyes from the light then turns to the pilot.

GREYE: Dive! We'll lose them in the sunlight!

As the Sword dives back down, the Blacksun follows them out of the fog. With the light temporarily blinding their crew, the Sword slips away unseen.

GREYE: Now... turn us around.

The Blacksun dives to continue pursuit but the Sword is nowhere to be seen. Onboard, Marneus is yelling at his crew.

MARNEUS: Where did they go?! How did we lose them?

The sillouhette of the Sword suddenly appears in the mist.

DEMON PILOT: There they are!

MARNEUS: I can see that! Fire at them! Fire!

The Blacksun fires at the Sword but it is impossible to tell if any shots hit their mark. All of a sudden however, the sword seems to be a lot closer than it should be.

DEMON PILOT: They're coming right at us! We should prepare for broadsides sir.

MARNEUS: No! Turn us around!

DEMON PILOT: There's no time! We have to...

Marneus pushes the demon out of the way and takes the helm himself, turning it as quickly as he can. The ship tilts and begins to turn sharply but at the cost of losing all it's speed. The Sword turns to face it's strongest side against them.

GREYE: Fire!

The Sword unloads all of it's side facing guns into the Blacksun. The ship sustains heavy damage and begins to spiral downwards into the fog, but it quickly manages to stabilize itself. Marneus yells at the pilot who is now back in control.

MARNEUS: Get us away from them! Faster!

Back on the Sword, the crewmen are cheering once again.

PILOT: They're retreating!

GREYE: I knew he was all talk. Break off pursuit, we're heading to the portal!

They pull in low over Zalavast as several more ships begin to take off from the demons encampment below with the Sword of Maya in their sights. Inbetween them is the Philosopher, now under demon command.

PILOT: We can't take them all.

GREYE: Looks like he was smart enough to leave a guard. And the portal should be opening again any minute. Now would be the perfect time for that distraction...

Greye raises his comm again.

GREYE: Adams! It's now or never.

Vilicia Adams reply crackles over the comm.

DR. ADAMS: Roger that. Get ready boys, this is gonna be big!

The Philosopher erupts into waves of explosions. The force strikes the sides of the surrounding ships, sending them off course and one of them is struck by a large chunk of the Philosopher's engine which explodes on impact and takes it down as well. The wreckage rains down on the encampment below, causing demons to flee to safety in the surrounding hills. The Sword itself shakes as the shockwave hits them. General Greye stablizes himself on the railing and stammers into his comm.

GREYE: That was certainly something.

DR. ADAMS: Say what you want about me but you can't say I don't deliver.

GREYE: Too true. Now all we can do is hold our breath. It should be any moment now...

A bright white light erupts from the flames down on Zalavast and shoots up into the sky.

GREYE: There! The portal!