The Rebirth Center

Monthly Script Writing Contest (April)— Prompt: Drama/Adventure

REBIRTH

"Open for Business"

TEASER

FADE IN:

INT. — OFFICE — LATE EVENING

AILIS TODT (55) Scottish woman, short red hair, 4'11", overweight, kind face, flips a light switch and surveys a room, roughly 24'x30' in size. The once white walls are gray and cobwebs cover each corner of the ceiling. The sun can hardly shine through the three large, grimy windows that cover the north wall. Ailis stomps a foot on the hardwood floors, testing for weaknesses, as VIHAAN SIDANA (37) Indian man, black hair, 5'7", thin, strong, crosses his arms and scowls.

                                                 VIHANN
                             It's a bit small, don't you think?

                                                 AILIS
                             There's another room three times
                             as big as this one, through the south
                             door, and a smaller room that will
                             suffice as my personal office. This
                             area will work perfectly as the
                             reception area.

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (frowns)
                             It's dirty, Mistress.

                                                 AILIS
                             Nothing a little elbow grease and
                             a coat of paint can't fix. Just
                             imagine, Vihann. A colorful carpet
                             will greet our customers when they
                             first walk in. They'll be greeted by
                             a cheery receptionist behind a big
                             desk. The pristine windows will not
                             only give us natural light, but will
                             also allow our more
                                       (pause)
                             private guests a lovely view
                             of the sun setting every evening.

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (strokes his chin and squints)
                             I suppose you're right.

Ailis laughs and nudges Vihann in the side with her elbow.

                                                 AILIS
                             I've traveled all over the galaxy
                             doing this, Vihann. With all my
                             experience, I can't help but be
                             right.

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (frowns)
                             My research has shown that the
                             inhabitants of this world can be
                             a bit —
                                       (pause)
                             suspicious. Are you sure you want
                             to risk everything for these —
                                       (pause)
                             Earthlings?

                                                 AILIS
                             They deserve a chance, just like
                             any other species. Besides, —
                                       (pause)
                                       (smiles and pats Vihann's hand)
                             the energy they will generate will
                             feed us for decades.

                                                 VIHANN
                             So, where do we start, Mistress?

Ailis grabs a scruffy broom leaning haphazardly in the eastern corner of the room and passes it to Vihann.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (starts speaking with Scottish accent)
                             Start sweeping, laddie. Oh, and
                             Vihann?

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (turns and cocks a brow)
                             Yes, Mistress?

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             I'll be askin' ya to call me Midwife
                             Ailis from now on, aye?

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (nods)
                             Yes, ma'am.

FADE OUT

END TEASER



ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. — REBIRTH CENTER — MORNING (9am) — JUNE 17

REBECCA TUCKER (19) African American, long black hair, blue eyes, smart, 5'9", petite, walks up to the reception desk at the Rebirth Center. THOMAS HUNTER (25), long blond hair, stubbled chin, glasses, serious, speaks in a monotone and enunciates every word, receptionist at the Rebirth Center, holds up a finger for Rebecca to wait, while he speaks into a red phone and hen-pecks at a computer. Rebecca taps her foot against a green and blue carpet, the pattern a swirl of odd shapes that create a vague "R". Thomas hangs up the phone and smiles.

                                                 THOMAS
                             You must be Rebecca. You are
                             right on time. The Midwife is
                             expecting you.

                                                 REBECCA
                             So I just —
                                       (pause)

                                                 THOMAS
                                       (turns and points behind himself)
                             The Midwife is in her personal
                             office. Follow the carpet to the
                             south door and let yourself in.

                                                 REBECCA
                             Follow the yellow brick road, huh?

                                                 THOMAS
                                       (blinks slowly)
                             The path is neither yellow nor
                             brick.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (raises an eyebrow and mumbles)
                             Ooookay. Someone doesn't
                             have a sense of humor.

Rebecca follows the green and blue carpet past the receptionist desk. A waiting area to her left sports several comfortable looking couches, a coffee table covered in magazines, and a 60 gallon fish tank on a stand. Clown fish, Blowfish, Tangs, Gobies, and Blennies swim around an impressive scene of a crashed spaceship and colorful anemones. Rebecca passes a partition and grins at a set of twins playing with a 3 foot dollhouse. A child's size table and chairs stand near the dollhouse and a small shelf houses a myriad of colorful books. Rebecca hesitates at a red door with a yellow door knob before pushing it open and stepping inside.

                                                 REBECCA
                             Midwife
                                       (pause)
                             Ailis?

Rebecca's jaw drops as she spots an older looking woman with bright red hair, standing on a pile of books stacked on the floor, straining to hang a picture on a bright orange wall to Rebecca's left. Straight ahead of her is a purple door with a pink door knob. To her right is a desk. A floral loveseat presses against the wall, so close to the desk that there's hardly room to stand. A potted fern hides the corner behind the desk. There aren't any windows in this room.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             Be a dear and hand me the hammer
                             on my desk.

Rebecca takes one step in the 8'x8' room and pushes aside a stack of papers on the desk, searching for a hammer. Random stacks of books, each a different height, create a mini maze throughout the tiny room.

                                                 REBECCA
                             It doesn't appear to be here —
                                       (pause)

Glancing around the room, Rebecca spots a bushy potted fern in one corner. The handle of a hammer sticks out from the dirt. Rebecca grabs the tool and passes it to Ailis.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             I'd lose my head if it weren't
                             attached, lass.

Ailis hammers the picture into place with one long nail. Rebecca glances at the picture, a portrait of a woman flying through a cloudy sky.

                                                 REBECCA
                             I've always dreamed of flying.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                                       (steps down from the books)
                             Then you've come to the right place,
                             lass. The Rebirth Center is all about
                             fulfilling dreams.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (scoffs)
                             Even if that dream is to fly?

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                                       (lips twitch into a smile)
                             Even then.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (sits tentatively on a loveseat across from the desk)
                             I still don't know that I believe
                             what the fliers say about this place.
                             I mean, reading minds? Flying?
                             Becoming invisible or creating
                             fire with your hands? That's
                             impossible!

Ailis sits in a rolling chair at the desk. She folds her hands on top of the desk and smiles.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             The human brain is capable of
                             doing all that and more. What
                             we do here at the Rebirth Center
                             is help unlock the portion of your
                             brain that controls such abilities.

                                                 REBECCA
                             For a price.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                                       (laughs and nods)
                             For a price. Now, you're here
                             because you want to fly, aye?

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (looks at picture of flying woman)
                             Um, yeah.

                                                 AILIS
                             Then to start the process, we
                             first need to fill out some
                             boring paperwork. After the
                             required blood test and
                             psychological analysis, all
                             provided by our qualified staff,
                             you'll be allowed into the program.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (frowns)
                             How long does it take to go
                             through the tests?

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             A few hours, lass. Essentially,
                             in a mere eight hours, you can
                             walk out of here with...what do
                             kids call it? Superpowers, aye?

                                                 REBECCA
                             Only eight hours? That's rather
                             fast, isn't it?

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                                       (winks)
                             We've got it down to a science.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (bites lower lip)
                             What the heck. I'm already here.
                             I might as well give it a try.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             Wonderful!

Ailis pulls out what looks like a black tablet from the desk drawer. She lays it on the desk and gestures Rebecca closer.

                                                 AILIS
                                       (Scottish accent)
                             Come, lass. Press your hand on
                             the screen. Your handprint will
                             act as your signature, agreeing to
                             the tests. It will also take a drop 'o
                             your blood, for testing purposes
                             you ken.

Rebecca hesitates before slowly lowering her hand to the screen. The device lights up as it scans her hand. Her index finger is pinched and she flinches at the prick. A drop of her blood is absorbed into the screen.

                                                 REBECCA
                             How did that —
                                       (pause)

The door to the office opens and Vihann, wearing a white lab coat, steps into the cramped room. He sidesteps the stack of books, takes the tablet from Ailis, tucks it into his left pocket, and turns to Rebecca.

                                                 VIHANN
                             Greetings, Rebecca. My name is
                             Vihann and I will be analyzing your
                             brain today. First things first, we will
                             need to relax your corpus callosum so
                             both hemispheres of your brain can
                             communicate with each other faster.

Vihann pulls a syringe from his right coat pocket. Rebecca jumps to her feet, knocking over a stack of books.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (shouts)
                             Nobody said anything about needles!

                                                 VIHANN
                             It will only sting for a moment.

Rebecca tries to jerk away but Vihann grabs her arm and holds her in place with a strength that seems unnatural. He injects Rebecca with the serum, her eyes flutter, and she faints into his arms.

                                                 VIHANN
                                       (looks at Ailis)
                             Looks like we've got our first customer.

Ailis grins and opens the purple door. Vihann walks into the dark room with Rebecca in his arms and Ailis closes the door behind him.

FADE OUT

END ACT ONE



ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. — BEACH — AFTERNOON — JUNE 17

Rebecca's eyes flutter open. She's lying on her back, in the sand. She turns her head to see the ocean rolling in and out. A seagull screams and lands next to her. Rebecca lurches to her knees and the bird flies away.

                                                 REBECCA
                             Wh—where am I?

A shadow falls over Rebecca's body. She looks up and screams at a giant, club in hand, leering down at her.

FADE OUT

END ACT TWO



ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. — SHERIFF'S OFFICE — AUGUST 2

OFFICER DEREK HALL (29) bald, clean shaven, large ears, average height/weight, stands at attention as he receives orders from SHERIFF CONNOR GREEN (54) African American, tall, dark hair, goatee. To Derek's left is a large, bay window. Directly in front of Derek is a large, metal desk, with Sheriff Green's name on a name plate sitting on the edge. A photo of the Sheriff's wife and three daughters rests against a small, potted, red geranium. Behind the desk is a wall-to-wall bookshelf, full of thick tomes. To Derek's right is a white wall, full of Sheriff Green's awards, framed certificates, and photos of himself and random famous people.

                                                 SHERIFF GREEN
                             There appears to be a link between
                             our latest influx of missing persons
                             and the newfangled Rebirth
                             Center over on Broadway.
                             I'm sending you and Simmons over
                             to check it out. Undercover, of course.

Sheriff Green holds out a yellow manila envelope. Derek nods, opens the envelope, and pulls out a stack of papers.

                                                 SHERIFF GREEN
                             Everything you need is in those papers.
                             Your new identity, your bank card
                                       (pause)

Derek raises his eyebrow at a photo of a woman and two children and holds it up to show Sheriff Green.

                                                 SHERIFF GREEN
                             For this mission, you're a whole new
                             person.
                                       (points at the picture Derek holds)
                             Congratulations, Hall, you're
                             now a proud husband and father.

                                                 DEREK
                                       (grins)
                             I always wanted to be a dad.

                                                 SHERIFF GREEN
                                       (laughs)
                             Great. Now don't mess this up.
                             If something hinky is going on
                             at this so-called birth
                             center, we need to know ASAP.

                                                 DEREK
                             Yes, sir!

Derek spins on his heels and leaves the Sheriff to find his partner, Simmons. Sheriff Green watches as his office door shuts and pulls out his cell phone.

                                                 SHERIFF GREEN
                             It's done. They're on their way.

FADE OUT

END ACT THREE


ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

EXT. — FOREST — DUSK — AUGUST 3

Derek Hall opens his eyes. He is lying on his back in the middle of cedar, pine, spruce and Douglass fir trees, all stretching 60 feet or more into the sky. A twig SNAPS and Derek lurches to his feet. His hand flies to his waist, where he expects to grab his Glock 22, but his weapon is gone. He looks down and finds he's wearing a white, long sleeved shirt, white slacks, and white sandals.

                                                 DEREK
                             What in the —
                                       (pause)
                             Where am I?

A woman steps out from behind a red maple tree, a sword held loosely in her hand.

                                                 REBECCA
                             Welcome to the Birthplace. We've
                             been waiting for you.

                                                 DEREK
                                       (stutters)
                             W-we?

MORG (AGELESS) 40 feet tall, bulbous nose, scruffy red beard, dark hair that touches his shoulders, beefy arms, camouflaged by the trees, suddenly appears. Derek yells and jumps back. He bends down and grabs a branch from the forest floor and holds it up as a weapon. The woman laughs.

                                                 REBECCA
                             This is Morg. He's completely
                             harmless as long as you —
                                       (pause)

With a war cry, Derek launches himself at Morg, cracking the giant in the shins with his branch.

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (sighs and shakes her head)
                             — don't do that.

Morg roars and kicks at Derek, sending him flying into a pine tree. Derek gasps and crumples to the forest floor. Rebecca sheathes her sword and glares at Morg.

                                                 REBECCA
                             That's enough, Morg! We need
                             him, remember? If you kill him
                             we'll never be able to make it
                             past the chasm or the fairies.

                                                 MORG
                                       (rubs back of head)
                             Fae bad. Sorry, Becca. Me
                             play nice.

Rebecca walks over to Derek and crouches next to him. She pushes Derek up into a sitting position, against the pine tree, and brushes pine needles and dirt off his cheek.

                                                 REBECCA
                             Morg's a friend, Derek. And
                                       (winks at the giant)
                             he's very sorry for
                             retaliating against you. It's
                             instinct for a giant to hit back
                             when provoked.

                                                 DEREK
                                       (rises unsteadily to his feet and rolls his eyes)
                             Of course it is. How dumb of me
                             to forget. You know, I failed
                             Giants 101 in college.
                                       (pause)
                             Wait a minute. How did you know
                             my name?

                                                 REBECCA
                                       (smirks)
                             Long story short, it was foretold
                             that you would come.

Thunder rolls and a CRACK causes Rebecca to flinch. Morg moans and raises his club to the sky.

                                                 REBECCA
                             We need to get to cover before the
                             storm hits.

                                                 DEREK
                             But —
                                       (pause)

                                                 REBECCA
                             Enough talk. Let's go!

Rebecca grabs Derek's arm and forces him to jog next to her. They hop onto Morg's huge feet and hold on as the giant pushes through the trees and disappears into the woods.

FADE OUT

END ACT FOUR