Buck Rogers in the 26th Century



Episode 206x "Easter Egg"
Written by: Erin Weinstock


I don't hold any of the copyrights in this story, and this story was 
made without profit.

Teaser:

ext: Hawk's Living Quarters / Corridor S-11: 

Buck and Fox are right outside his door while the normal amount of 
activity takes place in the hallway. Both men look concerned and Buck 
has a black eye.

Buck: "I didn't kill any of them! I didn't even know of your existence 
till crashing on Throm!"

Fox: "Five hundred years ago, Hawk! He's not a barbarian!"

Buck: "All of us were just as civilized back then as we are now."

Fox: "According to Doctor Goodfellow with what was left behind on Earth 
and the records your people have kept. Your people left here three 
thousand years before the rise of Rome!"

V.O. Hawk: "Leave me alone!"

Buck: "Not until you admit you've made a mistake!"

V.O. Hawk: "You're a murderer!"

Buck to Fox: "He won't listen to reason will he?"

Fox: "You know him better than I know him." 

After a beat of thinking, Cont: "Maybe Goodfellow or Wilma?"

V.O. Hawk: "Move away from there unless you want a black eye too, Fox!"

Both Buck and Fox move a couple feet from the door. Fox: "This isn't 
going well, I don't think at this point -."

Buck: "What is it?"

Fox: "We could have Taindair talk some sense into him right? Because 
he's not Human."

Buck: "Taindair left for New Phoenix this morning, he's not going to be 
back here for a week."

Hawk storms through the door, pushing Buck and Fox aside with brute 
force.

As Hawk leaves camera range, Buck: "Now where do you suppose -?"

Cut to:

ext: Testing Lab One \ Corridor G-2:

V.O. Goodfellow: "At a guess I'd say Easter Island."

Cut to:

int: Testing Lab One:

Goodfellow and Mallory are busy working on the framework and internals 
of a robot never seen before in this series. But to the trained eye 
looking at this frame work of metal, wires, circuit boards (with a 
futuristic look), you can make out the basic upright look of Crichton 
from the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV series. As Goodfellow works 
on connecting wires into a circuit board, Mallory is holding a thick 
plastic looking, glowing at its tip tool, while looking at specs on a 
large sheet of paper Goodfellow has drawn for him. Buck and Fox are near 
a wall and out of the way of the two men's work.

Buck: "What could be of importance to Hawk there? He hasn't been living 
here very long. As far as I know the only place he's been outside of the 
Defense Directorate is a ski lodge in Canada."

Mallory: "You don't talk to him much do you, Buck?" Mallory points a 
finger to a technical drawing on the paper. Cont: "I'm not sure that 
path will work as a good conduit for motor control over the hind right 
wheel."

Goodfellow moving over to what Mallory is looking at: "[ beat ] The 
current will travel, trust me."

Buck: "One of you please?"

Goodfellow resumes work on the robot as Mallory responds: "That's where 
his people are from, Buck. I'm a little surprised you didn't know that."

Buck: "Hawk isn't the easiest of people to talk to, that's why we came 
here to see Doctor Goodfellow. Doctor?"

Mallory turns his attention to Goodfellow who takes no notice of the 
eyes on him as he works away.

Fox: "What are you two working on?"

Mallory: "The prototype for a new series of ambuquad. Doctor?"

Speaking in haste, Goodfellow: "To reconnect with his kind; Hawk is a 
very sentimental bird."

Buck: "I have to make him understand. I don't want him to return to 
Throm some day and tell his friends savages led him here."

Fox: "To serve what purpose? Don't we have enough series already out 
there?"

Goodfellow: "An upgraded model on the Crichton series. It's too 
unpredictable in its behavior, the Crichton. [ beat ] Wish I'd known 
about that flaw before leaving for the Altaira Galaxy."

Buck: "I should really know more about Hawk's people the same way he 
needs to learn about us, shouldn't I?"

No one appears to have listened to Buck as he looks at them for an 
answer. Goodfellow and Mallory with their attention fixed on their 
project, Fox's attention fixed on them.

With a look of disbelief at the others' inaction towards him, with his 
eyes upwards and in a low voice, Cont: "Bother."

Fox: "An upgrade on the Crichton series, I wonder what would be the best 
name for it?"

Buck who's had enough and is headed for the door: "You could call it 
Ralph for all I care. I think Twiki is fine just the way he is. I'm off 
to Easter Island."

Pre-Credits:

End of teaser:

Beginning of Act One:

ext: Easter Island / Near Shore:

At the moment the camera is focused on the sky: it's cloudy and looks 
like rain could happen any second. And being around late afternoon in 
light doesn't make it look friendlier.

The camera pans down to a Defense Directorate shuttle of standard size 
before moving on to other things, in a smooth motion to one side: tall 
grasses waving wildly in the wind to a cliff that looks out on a beach 
at what could be a fifteen foot drop. After that the Pacific Ocean is 
looking nearly as pushed by the wind as the grass.

After a beat the camera moves on to the shore, where it stops and holds 
for a beat before...

The camera cuts on to Hawk looking outwards at something. He looks 
concerned with just a touch of anger.

Then the camera cuts to a larger view of the scene and we see he's 
staring at one of the famous stone Easter Island heads. After a beat he 
leaves the scene heading inwards into the island.

Now the camera is just a few feet in front of Hawk as he walks exploring 
the island, trying to find any signs that his people once lived here.

Finally he comes upon a stone broken shell of an object that can't be 
identified.

He picks it up to study it with both hands due to its size.

With the camera close up on him he looks it over.

V.O. Buck: "Something your people made?"

Hawk's eyes narrow and he holds the stone tighter.

The camera's view widens out from Hawk as he turns around to see Buck 
walking up towards him in non-work attire, the black eye completely gone 
now.

Hawk: "What are you doing here?"

Buck: "I'm gonna fix things with you. [ beat ] We're not savages, Hawk."

Hawk: "The Tangata manu aren't savages. Humans are; you don't belong 
here."

As Buck is nearing Hawk to standing beside him: "None of us are savages, 
Hawk."

Buck spreads out his arms towards the land around him, Cont: "There's 
enough room here for the both of us."

Hawk: "Then leave me alone."

Buck: "Can't do, not until you hear me out."

Hawk gently sets down the stone object on the ground and walks away from 
Buck.

Buck: "Hawk."

Hawk: "I trusted you, I trusted you with my life."

Buck: "Have you read any history files at all since coming to Earth?"

Hawk: "That isn't a necessary part of my job here." As that last line is 
coming to an end, Hawk's speech slows down greatly as something off 
camera catches his attention and he slows down in his movement as well.

The camera cuts on to where Hawk has focused his attention and where 
we'll soon learn Buck is looking too. Something is coming into view as 
it's moving up a ridge in what we'll see as a smooth walking motion. Too 
smooth to be made by an animal or person. Unpolished, worn steel curved 
downwards is all we see now of the thing in motion.

Cutting the camera back on to Hawk and Buck, Buck being somewhere over 
ten feet behind Hawk, Buck: "What?"

The camera cuts back on to the ridge as the thing starts coming in to 
better view as it moves smoothly forward. At this point its full head 
has come into view. It's a robot: the unpolished worn steel covers the 
whole head. Two large, black glass eyes are forward faced. Between the 
eyes, nearly giving it an Owl look, its beak forms out. A half circle 
bump just after the led in lines out to a well-formed, near-flat 
Robin-like beak a foot or a little less in length.

It comes up moving in view. The neck on its back and sides are covered 
by the same unpolished worn steel as the head. In a pattern long thin 
slices of the metal scallop back and forth with thin small fish scale 
looking scallops. The rest of the body, with some exceptions to be 
noted, is made out of an antique-looking black metal, showing its age as 
much as the steel. In the underarms coming out from the armpit where we 
yet can't see, blades of the worn, unpolished steel, overlap as thin 
objects that look like feathers with no lines. When the arm or wing is 
raised outwards these steel feathers unfold near bony long fingers at 
the end of "arm or wing". These too are made with the same unpolished 
steel. After the hands, folded into full concealment, are very long 
blades, unlined feathers, nine of them, that when spread out form most 
of the wing in bulk, like a fan spreading out into full form to put it 
another way. The legs are nearly crooked like a person's and the feet 
have three toes: two fat ones to either of a giant one that holds the 
weight of the bot, while the other two help with balance. The feet being 
the unpolished steel. Coming off the back behind the legs is a split 
tail of two sets of blade feathers hiding how many there are like the 
wing blade feathers; these tail blades of course still using the same 
metal as the wing blades and unfolding for use in flight.

Right after the avian robot comes into full view, the camera cuts back 
to Buck and Hawk. Hawk: "You mean you don't know what it is?"

Buck: "Why would I know what it is? It looks like some kind of massive 
metal bird. This is where your people came from, Hawk."

Hawk: "I've never heard tales of such a -." The camera cuts back on to 
the robot as with a slight crouching it then springs into the air.

The camera's POV is now on the ground looking up as the robot shoots 
over a mile up.

The camera cuts into the sky to just a yard or two from the rising robot 
as it slows down.

In a snap both arms shoot out straight to either side and internal 
locking can be heard faintly as each shoulder of the robot clicks into a 
position that allows for flapping wing movement.

One arm or wing, however you'd like to state it, has its long feather 
blades unfold in towards the body, really giving this robot a more avian 
look. The other arm or wing at the same time tries to do the same act 
but can't. Motors and clicks sound wildly from the unfolded blades at 
their hinges to the arm as they try to move. The stuck together blades 
shiver back and forth as the tail unfolds its blades.

Cutting the camera on to the ground, Hawk and Buck watch the action 
being created by the robot as suddenly it starts driving back towards 
Earth.

Hawk, noticing where the avian robot is heading for, runs.

Beak first the robot crashes into the ground, releasing steam, hissing 
from its cracked and broken covering where broken.

Hawk walks over to the broken robot with wonder on his face, while Buck 
in a jog catches up close to Hawk.

Hawk: "Its look is reminiscent of my ancestors."

Buck now looking at the wreckage: "Then why would it attack you?"

Hawk notices how close Buck is to him and glaring moves a foot from him. 
Hawk: "That cannot be assumed. Something failed in its motors."

Buck: "It looked like it was aiming for you, Hawk."

The camera cuts to the POV of a working avian robot. From high in the 
air it's rushing towards Buck and Hawk at a near full vertical angle. 
Hawk: "You would like it if that were the case wouldn't you?"

Buck: "I don't want you dead, Hawk." The avian robot only looks to be a 
few yards from them now as Buck notices it.

Buck pushes down Hawk as he moves down himself. Cont: "Duck!"

The avian robot's dive on them is now missed by the actions Buck has 
just taken and it swoops past them.

Then cutting the camera off the robot's POV, we see Buck and Hawk stare 
at it as off in the distance now it ascends higher into the sky once 
more. Cont: "I told you."

Hawk: "The chances are also equal it was after you."

The avian robot makes a long turn in the sky which has it now heading 
back for the two men.

Buck: "Well since its heading back towards us, maybe we can ask it which 
one of us it really wants to kill?"

Hawk: "It's not slowing down."

With the avian robot only twenty or thirty feet away, both men start 
running for their lives. 

The camera is keeping a few feet in front of Buck as he watches the 
avian robot as he falls down in the tall grass. The look on Buck's face 
as this occurs isn't one of shock.

Then cutting the camera to over Buck lying in the grass we see what he's 
up to, grasping a blaster holstered unseen until now.

Holding the gun ready he lifts him self up a little and moves aside some 
grass.

The camera cuts to being Buck's POV as he watches Hawk running from the 
avian robot, ducking close attacks.

Cutting the camera back to over Buck who's still looking out towards 
Hawk off camera, Buck: "Hawk, fall down, just fall down!"

Back on to Buck's POV with the camera we can see Hawk hasn't listened to 
what Buck has just told him.

Then with the camera over Buck he turns over on to his belly and tries 
to aim his gun at the robot.

The camera cuts to being over the avian robot as it starts to make 
another dive for Hawk. Blaster fire from Buck nearly hits one of its 
long feather wing blades.

Hawk tries to find the source of the blast, find Buck.

After a beat of no luck in his search, Hawk: "You brought a weapon!"

Buck speaking from behind the tall grass concealing his presents: "It 
makes me feel safe!"

Hawk: "Typical Human."

The avian robot head long is moving towards Hawk again.

Buck: "Get down, it's coming!'

Hawk crosses his arms and stares towards Buck's direction.

Buck half way stands up. Buck: "You have got to be one of the most 
stubborn men I've ever met! It's right behind you!"

Hawk now looks at the coming robot and what is at first a fast walk soon 
turns into a run towards Buck.

Buck fires at it again and misses by only a hair. 

Now Buck joins Hawk in running again.

As the two men run they exchange words with the robot hot on their tail. 
Cont: "Shelters! Are there any shelters we can duck into!?"

Hawk: "I don't know, I don't know this island, Rogers. It was never my 
home. Why don't you know?"

Buck: "I may have been born on this planet but I don't know it by heart, 
especially now!"

Hawk: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Buck: "Tell you what?!"

Hawk: "That you were born when -."

Buck: "Hawk, get your history straight please. [ beat ] Don't you think 
I would have reacted differently to meeting you at first if I'd known of 
you?!"

Hawk: "I think -," Hawk is cut off in his sentence as he and Buck, who 
have been paying more attention to the robot chasing them than where 
they were going, fall over a cliff that has the beach some distance 
below it.

End of Act One: 

Beginning of Act Two: 

ext: Beach:

Buck and Hawk are beginning to pick themselves up from the ground where 
medium-sized rocks, some sharp looking, meet the sand of the beach; the 
two men aren't on the sand. Behind them is the entranceway to what looks 
at first to be a cave almost hidden from sight with fallen rock, dirt 
and plants.

Buck looks up to the sky, rubbing him self from where he struck the 
ground.

The avian robot flies over their heads and Hawk watches it head out over 
the ocean.

Hawk: "It will be back for us again soon."

Buck turns to look where Hawk is looking. Buck: "So much for it "cannot 
be assumed"."

Hawk turns to look back at Buck and notices the supposed cave.

Hawk: "We can take shelter in there till we know it's called off its 
attack for good."

Buck: "In where, I saw nothing but grass and rocks back there, not a 
tree in -." Buck now turns to look behind himself. 

Cont: "That will work."

Hawk moves towards the supposed cave entrance. Hawk: "It will take 
effort from both of us to dig out a path in."

Buck: "Nice to know we're friends again."

Hawk: "We aren't anything."

Buck: "But you want my butt saved too."

Both men start lifting and throwing away rocks from the entrance. Hawk: 
"I think this is the only way we can avoid another attack."

Buck: "You want both our butts saved from robo-bird."

Hawk: "I want a safe shelter."

Buck: "Admit it, you care for my life too."

Hawk taking a good look in to the entrance: "This must have served a 
purpose at some time."

Cutting the camera to Hawk's POV we see a cement tunnel that looks like 
a wide launch tube with non-lit lights running across the floor and 
ceiling of it.

Cut to:

int: Last Stand Shelter / Level 1:

The screen flashes to indicate this is a flashback and we watch a silver 
space ship shaped like a hawk zip down a launch tube like what we saw in 
the last scene, only with its lights on for guidelines.

The camera pulls back to reveal the camera's POV was of a middle-aged 
Tangata manu with black feathers coming in in some areas to replace 
white ones. But this Tangata manu doesn't look like any we've seen 
before. This one looks a lot like the avian robots we've seen earlier in 
this episode. Only in flesh and with smaller more normal looking eyes; 
around them is wrinkled skin without feathers; its beak is somewhat 
shorter too. Another Tangata manu walks behind it to off camera as this 
scene begins. White tile lines the walls and machines hang off the 
ceiling far up and cling to the walls also. The floor is cement and when 
looking down from one level of this room to the next, the design of 
building last seen on Throm shows here as well. On lower levels more of 
the large silver hawk ships can be seen at ready for launch. Other 
Tangata manu are busy working at things that look important. But our 
attention is only really focused on the Tangata manu first described in 
this scene.

The walking by Tangata manu: "You should really be heading to a ship 
right now you know?"

The middle-aged Tangata manu (Batoll): "Not until I'm done here."

Batoll then starts walking in the opposite direction of the one who just 
passed him.

Stopping at ledge without a guard rail he looks down to a level of this 
place off camera. 

He cocks his head like a bird of prey making visual judgments of what 
he's looking at and then...

He jumps over the edge outwards.

The camera pans around him in the air as he unfolds his long wing 
feathers and through flapping the wings controls his descent to a lower 
level: Level 11 from the one he jumped off of. This lower floor has only 
a few of his kind moving about on it. These ones are busy hauling around 
equipment; this equipment is what makes up the avian robots.

Batoll lands just a foot into the described level. 

A friend of his, Kocop: "At your age you shouldn't be doing that, you 
know."

Batoll: "I don't care, I needed to get down here fast."

Kocop: "If you'd taken the stairs -."

Batoll: "I didn't break a wing this time, I'm fine Kocop."

Kocop: "We're almost done programming in the first set now."

Batoll walks in further, Batoll: "That's the rush, I think we might be 
making a mistake with this."

Kocop: "We're making them to protect our way of life. How can you call 
that a mistake?"

As Batoll and Kocop walk towards a room away from the ledge of this 
level, Batoll: "What if when we return here we're not the same, they 
don't know it's us?"

Kocop: "I'm not with you. How would they be a mistake?"

The camera cutting into the next room where we can see a few of the 
avian robots being assembled, Batoll: "What if we can't fly? Ever since 
the reason we're leaving the Humans we've cut down on flying, we take 
stairs to move from place to place most of the time now when we're in 
our homes and places of gathering. [ beat ] They might not know we're 
not their enemy."

Kocop: "We'll teach with each generation if needed how to reprogram 
them."

Batoll stakes his head showing he's still worried.

Kocop puts a hand on one of Batoll's shoulders. Kocop: "The others and I 
will be leaving shortly, our work is nearly done, the drones will 
protect what's here from the Humans. Get on the next flight, Batoll."

Batoll looks to one of the avian robots that's just been completely 
assembled.

The camera pans in on the robot just mentioned. Batoll: "Pray our 
descendants make it back here, Kocop. I don't want my further teachings 
to mean nothing to them."

Cut to:

int: Last Stand Shelter / Level 11:

The screen flashes to show we're back in the present. The same robot we 
saw in the last scene shows its age just as much as the other avian 
robots seen outside this complex. After a beat of no motion it puts down 
arms that have been positioned across its chest and turns its head away 
from the camera.

Cut to:

int: Last Stand Shelter / Level 1:

Buck and Hawk are walking out of the darkened launch tube and into the 
dimly lit shelter that dust dirt and cobwebs tell us no one has set foot 
in here in a really long time.

Hawk who's in the lead of the two men: "This is amazing."

As Buck moves out of the tube: "The lights are still on, man what a 
power source."

Hawk is looking around at everything in awe and wonder, touching 
everything he finds. Buck is following a few feet behind. 

Hawk: "I would have never dreamed it would be so all intact after all 
this time."

Buck: "But what purpose did it serve."

Hawk: "I can only imagine a haven of some sort."

Buck: "From what?"

Hawk looks to Buck with a glare.

Buck: "Please."

Hawk: "It will take time -." Hawk looks like he's having a hard time 
trying to say this next line. Cont: "I should listen to your words, I 
should have listened before."

Buck: "Thank you."  

Buck puts out a hand to Hawk for him to shake, Cont: "Nice Human, glad 
to meet you."

Hawk shakes Buck's hand.

Metal creaking can be heard far off somewhere and both men move their 
heads around to find the source.

Cont: "What was that?"

Hawk: "With our metal friend outside I have no idea."

Buck moves around the edge of the level, looking down and holding guard 
rails whenever present. After that he moves inwards to get a better look 
at the rooms that branch off of the main floor of the level.

Buck moves back to the ledge that lets him look down towards the lower 
levels.

The camera panning with Buck's head shows us a broken stairwell that 
anyone would be insane to use.

Buck turns towards the camera, Buck: "Well whatever made that noise 
can't get to us, nothing up here but us and whatever is down there can't 
reach us."

Hawk: "Someone could be trapped down there."

Buck: "I don't think so, Hawk. I think we might be the first men to set 
foot in this place in centuries."

Hawk suddenly takes on a look of knowing something is amiss.

Buck walks over to Hawk, Cont: "Our metal friend might have friends of 
its own."

Hawk: "We stay in here we take our chances being attacked by those avian 
robots, or robot, since we don't know how many are here. We return to 
being outside at this moment we risk being attacked by the one we know 
to be out there."

Buck: "Then I think the choice is clear what we do next."

The camera follows them as they head towards the launch tube. Buck 
swinging his blaster around lightly in his hand, Cont: "You don't mind 
if I make use of this now do you?"

Hawk: "Only if it's truly needed I'll understand."

They enter the launch tube. Buck: "You'll be glad I have this if it's 
needed."

The camera cuts to the start of the launch tube leading to the beach 
outside. The avian robot that was after Buck and Hawk earlier is trying 
to get in. As it claws at the rocks with its hands and feet to get in, 
rocks and dirt from above it at the entrance are falling on top of it. 
As it struggles to get into the launch tube it makes loud noises that 
sound like a seagull with an electronic voice.

The camera pans on to Buck and Hawk nearing the half trapped avian 
robot. Hawk: "It's going to cave in the entrance if it continues its 
struggle."

Buck: "And if I shoot at it to keep it from getting to us that might do 
the same."

The avian robot finally with great effort makes it into the launch tube 
having rock and dirt cave in behind it.

In a snap it starts towards Buck and Hawk, hands in front of it ready to 
stab them with the points on its bony looking metal fingers.

Buck fires and hits it square in the chest, the effect of which knocks 
it backwards on to the floor.

The avian robot makes a loud screech and suddenly from behind Buck and 
Hawk another screech like the one just sounded comes from off in the 
darkness.

End of Act Two: 

Beginning of Act Three: 

int: Launch Tube:

This scene picks up where Act Two left off, and another screech sounds 
out of the darkness. Buck and Hawk look off towards where it came from.

The fallen avian robot gives out another high pitched screech in 
sounding back. Both men then turn to the fallen avian robot.

Hawk: "This isn't a good place to be."

Buck: "And there are no other choices."

The avian robot from Level 11 comes in camera view from out of the 
darkness. The men turn to look at it.

In a snap it lunges for the men pointing the long blade wing feathers 
out toward them looking ready to slash them.

Buck and Hawk avoid the attack by dodging it to both sides of the robot, 
both men narrowly missing the blades from the wings, from the ones aimed 
at them and the ones off to the side of the other wing not aimed, but 
not making movement easy for getting around the robot.

The attacking robot crashes into the fallen one.

The fallen avian robot tries to break away from the pin down it's 
received from the robot from Level 11.

But quickly the robot from Level 11 in getting up itself, breaks apart 
one of the legs of the fallen robot. This makes the robot with the 
broken legs give a death cry showing it's powering down.

The camera cuts to Buck and Hawk running down the launch tube towards 
its exit.

At the front of the tube two more avian robots appear.

The men stop running and the robots look at both of them as they at the 
entrance start moving towards the men in attack.

The closer of the two robots to Buck and Hawk falls down on them in 
pieces as it's blown apart by a shot from Buck's blaster.

The camera cuts to Buck and Hawk underneath the wreckage as the working 
robot from the attack moments ago starts moving aside the parts that 
surround them.

Both men slide on their backs as fast as they can away from the robot 
moving aside the  wreckage.

They make it out of the launch tube just as the working robot of the two 
slams down long feather wing blades at its entrance.

The working avian robot they just avoided in attack lunges at them from 
out of the tube and falls over the ledge of the level to the lower 
levels.

Buck smiling: "Two for us."

They turn to look at the entrance to the launch tube as the robot from 
Level 11 comes out of it and looks at them.

Hawk in a very calm voice: "It's OK to shoot."

Buck shoots and the robot chances the fire on its wing blades from both 
arms. 

Cont: "No."

Buck: "I'm sick of running!"

Cut to:

int: Last Stand Shelter / Bottom Level:

The robot that fell over the ledge, like a cat turns around and twists 
in the air to land on its feet at this level.

The robot looks up and judges the next movement it's about to make.

Which is a leap like the one witnessed outside the shelter made by the 
first of the avian robots encountered?

Cut to:

Int: Last Stand Shelter / Level 1:

Hawk is in front of Buck as the two men are slowly backing up towards a 
door leading to a room off to the interior of the level; the robot from 
Level 11 is moving towards them.

Hawk: "You were built by my ancestors, right? My ancestors were like 
you, you look to be Tangata manu. I'm Tangata manu!"

The robot from Level 11 gives a clear look to Buck before turning back 
to Hawk.

Cont: "It's clear you understood what I just told you. True he's not one 
of us but -."

The robot from Level 11 takes a swing starting with the sharp bony metal 
fingers aimed for both men's heads.

The men shoot back away from the blow intended for them.

The robot from the start of the launch tube not destroyed, the one that 
fell over the ledge, shoots back up into camera view, spreading its wing 
blades before grabbing hold of the guard rail in a fall and swinging on 
to the main floor of Level One.

The floor begins to give in over it, the age of this place showing 
itself.

The Level 11 robot grabs the hand of the robot ready to fall again and 
Buck and Hawk go into the room they've backed up to.

Cut to:

int: Side Room:

Both men close to the entrance to this place Buck quickly closes to 
door.

Buck: "This isn't going very well."

Hawk: "This day just keeps getting grimmer and grimmer. First by your 
coming and then by their coming."

Buck gives Hawk a look.

Cont: "But you being here has helped the day, I'll admit that."

Buck gives a little smile then looks beyond Hawk to elsewhere in the 
room.

The camera's view cuts to being a wider one and plastic boards can be 
seen lying on the floor covered in drawings of outer space in white and 
blue with sets of numbers of that. Broken wooden tables nearly eaten out 
of existence by termites. Straps of metal all about, some we can easily 
tell once belonged to the avian robots by shape, others we have no clue 
to their purpose.

Hawk picks up one of the plastic boards and after a moment of studying 
it, Hawk: "The Altaira Galaxy but different; Rogers, this is a star map 
of long ago."

Buck picks up another one of the plastic boards and after studying the 
one he's holding, Buck: "Take a look at this."

Buck overlays his plastic board over Hawk's.

The camera cuts close in on the two plastic boards lying on top of each 
other. Both boards show the same stars and planets, but each board has 
different sets of numbers that when with the two boards combined show 
mathematical equations matching into each other to show a fuller 
picture.

Buck points to one of the equations. Cont: "Where the planets and stars 
would be heading, have headed over time, over the centuries."

The camera pulls back and Buck looks to Hawk. Cont: "These were made in 
case they ever came back and wanted to return."

Hawk takes hold of the board Buck's been holding and glares down at it. 

After a beat, Hawk: "Something very wrong has happened in that case."

Buck and Hawk get startled a little as a loud thump is heard slamming 
into the door of the room from the other side.

Hawk moves towards the door.

Cont: "This wasn't meant to happen, [ beat ] they weren't meant to 
attack how they are."

Buck: "How do you know that?"

Hawk: "I understand my people even if over a thousand generations 
removed. They built these robots to protect this place from Humans."

Buck: "But you're not -" Buck turns his head to a side as it hits him 
what has happened.

Buck puts a hand on one of Hawk's shoulders. Cont: "I'm sorry."

Another loud thump hits the door with greater force heard than the last 
one.

Hawk: "We need to get out of here."

Buck just for the hell of it takes a quick look around. Buck: "Unless 
you can see a door I can't, that's a bit of an issue."

Hawk: "It's too enclosed a place in here, much less than the launch 
tube, we won't last long once they break in."

Buck walks over to a large piece of strap metal and picks it up. Buck: 
"Maybe not."

Hawk turns to Buck and once noticing Buck is holding the metal across 
his chest like a shield, Hawk: "That won't do much good, it doesn't 
cover you in whole."

Buck looks down in thought, then after a beat turns towards one of the 
larger messes of metal parts gathered in the room.

The camera cuts to being Buck's POV. His head turns from the lower part 
of one of the avian robot's legs, to the head of an avian robot minus 
its beak, to a mid-section of the same robot type, to the lower part of 
one of their arms complete with hand.

The camera cuts off Buck's POV just as another loud thump hits the door. 
Buck puts down the shield of metal he's been holding and moves over to 
the lower part of the avian robot arm with hand.

Buck then starts gently pulling out wires held loosely into inside it.

Hawk: "Rogers?"

Buck smiles, removing the wires out completely from the robot arm.

Then Buck peers inside the gutted arm and his smile widens. Cont: 
"Rogers, if you've thought of something that might help us in the state 
we're in I'd greatly like to know it."

Buck: "Buck please, I'd prefer it if you'd call me by that. I think I 
have an idea, but first -"

Looking to Hawk, Cont: "Do you even have a last name?"

Hawk: "No, it serves no purpose."

Buck: "Shame."

Another loud thump hits the door and a little cracking can be heard.

Hawk: "Your idea, do you think it will stand a chance, we'll be needing 
it soon if you think it does?"

Another loud thump and greater cracking can be heard coming from the 
door.

Buck hands his blaster to Hawk. Buck: "Take this."

Buck picks up the large shield of metal he was holding earlier.

And moving toward the door, looking back at Hawk as he does so, Cont: 
"You fire like mad at those robots when I open the door."

Hawk: "Buck, they'll kill you!"

Buck ready to open the door: "That's what I want them to try at. Don't 
destroy at least one, we need it active for my plan to work, give me a 
good lead over you, we're going to be back outside soon. I'm going for 
the launch tube!"

Buck opens the door bashing into the robots as he does so.

They start for him then quickly dismiss him as Hawk fires at them.

End of Act Three:

Beginning of Act Four:

int: Side Room:

The camera's POV is Hawk's as he's focusing blaster fire on a robot 
trying to attack him before him.

Hawk turns his head towards the other avian robot in the room the one 
from Level 11. It looks at Hawk for a beat before running out of the 
room.

Hawk's view is suddenly slammed further past where it was just turned.

The camera cuts off Hawk's POV as he's backing away from the avian robot 
that just gave him an ugly gash across one cheek and is on the verge of 
falling apart completely from blaster fire rapidly hitting it as it 
advances still on Hawk in attacks.

Hawk, keeping an eye on the robot still firing, starts bending down 
sideways for a sheet of curved metal.

The blaster giving one final bolt of energy, powers down and Hawk gives 
it a morbid look of shock.

The robot takes a step forward and with both hands Hawk slams the sheet 
of curved metal stack across its face.

The act finally takes down the robot which just before falling down, 
looked like it was about to do that any way.

Then Hawk clicks the blaster with one hand still on the metal sheet. 
Nothing happens but the noise of his action.

Looking worried he pockets the blaster and re-zooms holding the metal 
sheet with both hands.

Hawk runs out of the room jumping over the robot he just destroyed.

Cut to:

int: Launch Tube:

A clang of metal can be heard as the metal sheet Hawk was just holding 
in the last scene falls on the concrete ground. Out of the darkness 
running into near darkness Hawk is running towards the sound of Buck's 
voice. Now I know this near darkness bit should have been stated 
earlier. I know in reality if this scene was happening the darkness 
would be total, but for the love of the camera seeing what's going on, 
it's near total darkness in here. As Hawk is running with one hand he's 
testing the blaster to see if it's operational again. As this scene is 
taking place...

A loud clang of metal striking metal is heard.

V.O. Buck: "Son of a -!"

Another clang of metal striking against metal.

V.O. Cont: "No not -!"

Again the clanging of metal against metal is heard. 

V.O. Buck screams.

A louder clang of metal striking against metal is heard as compared to 
earlier blows heard.

V.O. Cont: "Jesus thank heaven!"

Hawk looking towards Buck off camera, slowing down in his approach: 
"Buck, your firearm isn't working anymore!"

The camera pans over to Buck at the start of the launch tube that leads 
to the island outside. He's inside the shell of the avian robot that 
powered down here earlier. The robot from Level 11 is currently beating 
punches into Buck's stomach and chest where we can see the shell has 
been dented some. At Buck's head, light is pouring in of which the shade 
tells us it's moon light, due to an opening that's been made by the 
robot beating Buck. Down to either side of Buck and the avian robot are 
the guts of the robot Buck has hidden himself inside.

A clang of metal against metal as the avian robot punches Buck's 
stomach.

As Hawk comes into camera view, Buck: "There's a button inside the 
blaster's trigger! Press it, that will reset it!"

Hawk does as he's told as the robot delivers another punch to Buck.

Then Hawk fires the gun at the robot in front of Buck.

The robot at that collapses with a smoking blast hole in its back onto 
Buck.

Hawk: "Incredible, it took over a dozen shots to bring down the last 
one."

Buck: "Not - not really. [ beat ] You just reset it, it's back to full 
power, more powerful."

As Hawk moves over to Buck: "Are you OK?"

Buck gives a short sharp laugh.

Then Hawk gently takes the fallen robot off of Buck's body, then the 
shell of metal off of Buck's head.

Buck looking out at the night sky through the opening to outside: "Do 
you trust me now?"

Hawk: "I trust you now, my friend."

Buck: "We - we can get out now."

At that last line said Buck lifts his head to look at Hawk, blinking 
rapidly after doing so. As Hawk is removing piece by piece the metal 
shell covering Buck,

Cont: "Could you do me a favor?"

Hawk: "Anything."

Buck: "[ beat ] Hold up some fingers up to me."

Hawk lifts up a hand with four fingers pointed up.

Buck: "Four fingers?"

Hawk: "Lie back down."

Buck flops his head back down, hitting rock and dirt behind it. Buck: 
"Ow."

Hawk: "That was a brave thing you did."

Buck: "Painful."

Hawk: "I'll one day be telling my friends and family on Throm of this 
action by a Human."

Buck: "I'd like a bed now."

Hawk begins digging dirt and rock out from around Buck to make the 
entrance to the island outside larger. Hawk: "You may rest, the danger 
is over."

End Of Act Four.

The End. 

Roll Credits.