...
A grenade flies over and lands by one of the soldier's feet, SEBASTIAN.
GEMMA (cont'd)
WATCH OUT.
...
Gemma finds herself launched off her feet. The shockwave lifts and slams her into the rocky hill. CRACK, her head hits the rock violently. The Even though the helmet she wears provides some protection, but despite it, Gemma drowns in a cloud of white
EXT. LUSH GREEN FIELD - DAY
RAPHAEL, an a confident man in his early thirties confident man, holds Gemma's hand and guides her through the field.
RAPHAEL
No peaking okay?
GEMMA
Ooh, I'm so excited. How long?
RAPHAEL
Almost there.
...
RAPHAEL (cont'd)
(whispers in her ears)
This is gonna feel a bit weird, but trust
me.
Raphael runs his hand on touches her cheek. Gemma leans her face into his touch open palm and smiles.
GEMMA
Okay.
Raphael turns to the portal. It swirls with myriads a myriad of colors.
RAPHAEL
Jump.
They both jump through it.
...
Gemma loses her balance for a moment and opens her eyes.
GEMMA
Whoa. Where Whatdid we happenedgo?
She stands on a roof top in front of a table with a birthday cake. The cake has the number 29 floating on top of it. It spins around slowly. The words "Happy Birthday" are in lit letters on top of the number.
...
Raphael makes a gesture with his hand and the "Happy Birthday" explodes into a colorful miniature mini fireworks.
Gemma laughs at the display and hugs Raphael.
...
Raphael guides her to the edge of the roof and makes a grand gesture intended to encompass the view of the ancient city.
RAPHAEL GEMMA(cont'd)
Oh whoa!Tada.
RAPHAELGEMMA
Oh I didn't want to just do anything, you
wow!
know. I wanted something special
RAPHAEL
I didn't want to just do anything, you know.
I wanted something special.
Gemma is mesmerized by the view.
GEMMA
This is amazing. Eitoria, what? Two thousand,
thousand, three thousand years ago?
...
GEMMA
Yeah. The south watchtower is right there.
(points to an open area)
Liberation square.
(points to a river running
to the south)
The River Wild. It's Eitoria alright.
RAPHAEL
HavenBut haven't you read "The Road to Strongland"?
Strongland"? Two Stronglandians rescue an Eitorian
Eitorian Count's son, who is half Eitorian, half
half Stronglandian.
Gemma laughs.
GEMMA
That's a fairy tale.
RAPHAEL
HeWhen endshe grew up he returningreturned the land to the
Stronglandian people... Just saying!
GEMMA
Come on Raphael. Are we going to get our
history from fairy tales now?
RAPHAEL
(leans closer)
What if I told you, it isn't a fairy tale.
...
Raphael gestures with his hand and music starts playing. It comes from all around them.
GEMMA
You had me going for a second there for.
Raphael spins Gemma around and then dips her. She giggles.
RAPHAEL
I was hoping it would be more than a second.
They continue slow dancedancing; a couple in love.
RAPHAEL (cont'd)
Sometimes, I just wonder what our country
would be like if we're not in constant
conflict with Strongland, you know? How much
much different our lives will be if a few people
people standstood up against the constant war?
Gemma buries her face into Raphael's necksnuggles close to Raphael.
GEMMA
I hear ya.
EXT. ANCIENT CITY, ROOF TOP - LATER
...
GEMMA
Wanna hear a story?
RAPHAEL
Does it start with "Once Oh,upon a time"? you
know me... I love fairy tales.
Gemma smiles.
GEMMA
Well, once up on a time...
EXT. BATTLEFIELD DESERT - NIGHT
...
SEBASTIAN
We got them. Your message got through. We got
got them. WOHOO
Gemma grabs her rifle and follows the other soldiers to inspect the damage.
...
Gemma looks at the wounded soldier. He rests his back against a rock , holding and holds his side, blood seeping . Blood seeps through his fingers , breathing as he breathes rapidly.
Gemma takes a medical kit from her back pack and approaches the soldier.
...
EXT. BATTLEFIELD DESERT - LATER
The Eitorian soldiers are hide behind rocks. They aim their heavy artillery towards the battlefield.
...
Gemma looks through her binoculars.
GEMMA
Hold your fire. He's unarmed.
Two other Stronglandian soldiers approach with a stretcher. They load up the wounded soldier on to it and back up.
...
On the screen, the words "DEREGISTERATION FROM THE EITORIAN NET COMPLETE" flash for a moment and then are replaced by "EITORIAN NET, : EITORIAN TECHNOLOGY FOR THE EITORIAN PEOPLE"
Gemma gets up and paces back and forth, visibly upset. Her phone beeps. It's an e-mail from Raphael, no last name. It reads "SORRY DIDN'T WANT TODAY TO END LIKE THIS. I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU NEXT WEEK. I PROMISE."
...
GEMMA
Maybe I did something wrong. I could've
waited a bit.
TULSI
Stop it, Gemma. Seriously? You're not
actually putting the blame on yourself, are
you?
GEMMA
I mean...
TULSI
No. You don't mean. I'm tired of hearing you
you put yourself down. Any guy would be
lucky to
lucky to have you.
GEMMA
Well, we both know that's not true.
TULSI
Why don't you get out and meet people. It's, huh?
It's always work and home for you. You're
missing out.
Gemma looks away.
GEMMA
It's just the connection I have with Raphael.
Raphael. It's so.. real.
TULSI
Gemma, you understand you actually don't know
know who that guy is. Right? He could be some
some creep living in his mother's basement.
GEMMA
No. We've been seeing each other for more
than a year now. I would've known.
TULSI
You've been seeing each other in a virtual
world. Using Avatars that don't even look
like you. Come on. Doesn't that seem weird to
to you? Falling in love with someone you've
never met.
(beat)
Are you sure you're not just trying to escape
escape your past?
GEMMA
It's not about James. I made my peace with
that.
TULSI
You did? You sure? You guys were about to get
get married when he left you because you
stood up
stood up for that Stronglandian soldier. He
chose his
chose his military career over you. That
must've stung.
Gemma looks away, hurt.
TULSI (cont'd)
I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I just don't want
want to see you go through that again.
GEMMA
I'm gonna put this to rest, okay? I'll sort
it out with Raphael. We can't keep doing this
this virtual thing forever. I'm gonna find
out if
out if he's serious about pursuing a real
relationship... or not.
...
TULSI
If you want my advice, just forget about him.
him. He sounds like trouble to me.
...
Gemma appears on the roof top in the ancient city. She gestures with her hand and pulls up another menu.
GEMMA
Find Raphael the owner of this EN Realm.
The menu oscillates and flashes for a moment. "NOT FOUNDNO OWNER REGISTERED FOR THIS REALM" appears.
GEMMA (cont'd)
SearchWhat? forIdentify Raphaelthe inorigin theof ENthis directoryRealm?
"NO RAPHAEL FOUND IN THE EITORIAN NET DIRECTORYMATCHING RECORDS FOUND"
GEMMA (cont'd)
ExpandSearch search for theRaphael last week.
"NO RAPHAEL FOUND IN THE EITORIAN NET DIRECTORY"
in the EN Directory and
cross reference the results with this GEMMA (cont'd)Realm's
creation date.
"NO RAPHAEL FOUND IN THE EITORIAN NET DIRECTORY"
GEMMA (cont'd)
That That doesn't make sense.
She swipes with her hand and the menu disintegrates.
...
Her weight dislodges a few old wood planks and they go tumbling down. Gemma loses her balance but halts her descent by grabbing onto a pole. As she does she cuts her hand on a sharp edge. Gemma holds her hand in pain.
GEMMA (cont'd)
Aah
There is a strange looking cut in her hand; part organic, part digital.
...
GEMMA
Damn it. This can't be possible. How am I not
not getting out of here?
That's when she notices a flickering blue light break through the bleak RED color of the world. It originates from a building ahead of her. The window on the second floor pulsates blue. But destruction approaches it in haste.
...
RAPHAEL
Are you okay?
GEMMA
What the hell was that?
RAPHAEL
It's an anti-virus program. It's designed to
to protect the Eitorian Defense Net.
...
GEMMA (cont'd)
And why can't I get this thing off. This
shouldn't be possible?.
RAPHAEL
IIt'ms so sorryno use trying. The EN has taken over
your brain. It's paralyzing you in the real
world. Gemma, you were never suppose to be
here. You're putting your life in danger.
Gemma backs away from Raphael and heads to the console he was working on. But when she gets close she hits the energy field.
...
Gemma turns to Raphael.
GEMMA (cont'd)'d)
Who in the bloody hell are you?
RAPHAEL
WhoOkay, intake theit bloody hell areeasy. I'll show you?.
Raphael types a few commands in the device on his hand. And an image of another person forms around him. The image lasts only for a moment. It's the SOLDIER Gemma saved that many years ago.
...
RAPHAEL (cont'd)
At first I just wanted to meet the woman who
who saved my life. I never thought I'll
fall in
fall in love with you.
GEMMA
Love? You lied to me.
RAPHAEL
I didn't lie to you Gemma. I wanted to tell
you who I really am, but I couldn't.
...
GEMMA
You're not getting this.
RAPHAEL
Gemma, listen to me. The data in these files
files will change everything we know about
our two
our two nations.
Suddenly, drones materialize out of nowhere. That moment of distraction is enough for Raphael to snatch the control device from Gemma. He shoves her behind another machine in the lab.
...
RAPHAEL
Great. You just painted a target on your
back.
GEMMA
I'll tell them the truth.
RAPHAEL
Do you really think they'll care? Do you?
Especially when they realize who we are to
each other?
...
Gemma exits the EN. She snatches the VR goggles from off her head and throws them on her desk.
...
Gemma swipes the folder from her computer to the mobile device and heads to the window. With the first few steps she holds her side in pain. But she overcomes her pain .
...
and continues on.
At the window, she looks down at a ledge which runs across the tenth floor of her apartment building. She takes a deep breath and steps out.
...