I Am The Night. (The Green Lightning Beginnings)

Scene 11

(There are no sounds to the screams, to the horror, to the destruction that is being handed out; citizen to fellow human. Bodies on the streets, the police shooting wildly at anyone who come near them, darkness falls over the cities of the world as it nears its end. Cars, buildings and roads are destroyed, streets wiped off the face of earth and anything breakable is or will be broken and smashed into tiny smithereens by people, who in their last seconds of freedom and civilisation decide to take others. Planes dropping out of skies and into the distance, soldiers raping and pillaging……those who are trying to escape, find it blocked; their bid to get away from the madness that has engulfed their surroundings.2

As the camera floats over the streets of a small urban area of Washington DC, alight with fire and chaos it then drops into the living room of one house. The house in question is burnt out and crumbling, we see three dead bodies slumped. One, of a girl, is against a wall with massive lacerations, another is on a sofa, which is slowly igniting and the last one, the head is leaning on the table in front of he/she…..blood dripping through the wooden floorboards. Then as we follow the drips of blood, from the head it’s leaving all the way to the floor that it seeps under, cue the song that starts playing *Birth of a penguin parts 1 & 2 – Danny Elfman*3

We follow the blood as it trickles downwards, underneath the floor boards and into the foundations. From there we go up a little bit and look into a pipe and follow the length of this cobwebbed Victorian era lead piping downwards and more so, as if the viewer is holding the camera and filming their drop. Eventually we come to the large underground sewer system. Here, we witness a youth splashing about in the less-than-clean water in the pitch dark with a torch in one hand and a bundle of something in the other. The bundle lets out a loud gurgle, so we can assume it’s a baby she’s holding. The splashes and the odd stopping on her travels to try and remember the directions to take plus the occasional loud noise from above does little to reassure her of what she is doing. Still she perseveres and the camera starts to follow her more intently, we don’t see what she looks like, we see her shadow on the circular tunnel like sewer walls and we see she is wearing tight jeans, a hoody and a cap. It’s so dark that none of us can make out the colour, at this point the vision is one of black and luminous white (the torch and the shadows it gives off). 4

As another loud noise makes an impact, a rumbling sensation that echoes through the sewers, beating the walls, we hear the baby cry a little and she tries to hush the bundle back to sleep. What she is doing with the baby, who she is and where she is going remains a mystery to the viewer, it is up to them to decide now or make their judgements later on. The music will obviously start picking up a little, the tempo becomes more serious and as it becomes more fluent and aggressive we see her, jumping from a ledge to another to avoid a watery death for her and the baby, many, many storeys down below. The camera also cuts away from her and though we still hear her trying to reassure the young baby, possibly newly-born we follow some rats making their runs in a different part of the sewer system, slowly we see a bend in the sewers and it leads to a junction and we catch sight of the girl and the baby going right with a bright light seemingly beckoning them on from that direction. We hear more crescendos of thundering noise and rumbles and as we close in, inch by inch on the girl we discover she is now only knee depth in the water and that she must be close to her destination as the water level starts dropping dramatically. The last we see of them is actually when the camera view goes black and all we hear is the baby gurgling and voices of many people muttering about all sorts of stuff in different languages.5

It is when the music is about to stop that we see the title of the script appear in a bright green colour, which then fades away as the narrator starts.)6

Narrator: The year was 2031…..nuclear war had destroyed the world and anyone that survived met at a designated place. New York City. From the ruins of earth and New York, survivors lived in the sewer system, going up into the light and the land of death to create a new city, a place for humankind to live, to be the last bastion of it’s evolutional self. The new city; Metropolis, was built upon the old New York City as a whole. Subways are no longer used after the knife crime and the criminal gangs that came to dominate this beautiful but ultimately grim city are in power. Corruption and death are commonalities; cloning is being pushed through the legal processes and Metropolis, as a bustling city itself, is the size of ten London’s. Hundreds of millions of people reside here, trying to rebuild something out of the dust and disaster. They are never knowing what to expect: another day alive, or one in a box……This is Metropolis, 2050.7

(Then the screen opens up again and we see a child, in the underground sewers looking directly at us. No expression on his face, possibly five years old just looking straight at the camera and the viewers, we see his grotty face, his grotty small body. The mal-nutritioned young boy who his eyes we focus on. Besides him is noise, people crowding around him and electrical buzzing can be heard, but he ignores it all. We hear three paramedics that are surrounding him, covered in frightening shadows; he lets them do what they need to do to him. We catch a glimpse of a robotic hand being passed from one to the other and then the camera darkens again.)8

Scene 29

(At University during a History lesson, the main character; John Michael Creed, now nineteen years of age is sitting in his plastic and cheap chair, biting his pencil and balancing his thoughts on the subject and the ones on the girl nearby: Jilly Darwin. He occasionally looks at her while she’s writing notes down, scribbling furiously and taking a real interest….while he isn’t really. John is one of those students who is clever and knows what he’s talking about, however when it comes to work and school, he’s a bit shy on the more boring side of educational learning. Behind him and in front of him, to all sides of him….people are working, putting their opinions across and generally being what he would call ‘teachers toads’ however unfair that could be. Jilly, can do no wrong though. He’s known her for years……10

At this point, we see a flashback of them both as kids, maybe ten or twelve years of age. Jilly at the time has long blonde hair flowing in the lame wind. The street is dusty, deserted and in ruins. No building is standing, more like crumpled silhouettes making shadows of a reminder of the past. The city is obviously in the middle of being rebuilt into Metropolis. This scene is in black and white, making the surroundings grim and deathly. The street is long, doesn’t stop. Makes one feel that it doesn’t stop because it wasn’t a street in a first place- the destruction made it so. 11

Jilly is laughing, cuddling something in her hands as she runs towards this derelict section of the land they are trying to prosper on. They, the kids do not understand that life can be taken in an instance when carelessness and curiosity become mixed up with the mindset of a young person. She’s shouting at someone; John. He can’t be bothered to run and walks towards her, his shoulders all forward and his face dirty. His hair is matted, near jet black. His clothes have holes in them and his shirt is ripped. He stops and shouts to her, he saw something. A sign! People have been to this area before, they realised it wasn’t for the ordinary human who had no knowledge in exploring potentially radioactive sectors. He keeps pointing, he knows she’ll see his reactions first rather than make him shout. He can’t. He’s never spoken to someone before in his life. He gurgled, cried, screamed, but never knew how to communicate properly.12

His big blue eyes look at her, freezing in on Jilly as she keeps walking back, cuddling whatever it was in her hands. She’s playing a game with him, taken something off him to get his attention and then ran off with it to make him play with her. She senses he won’t walk nearer and she looks at him, face slightly screwed up in disappointment.)13

Jilly: If you don’t come here John, You won’t get your paper! (She dangles it at him, he stands there.) Oh come on John! (Her voice getting more high pitched and whiney) John! Just play a game with me will ya?? (She turns around and runs off, ignoring the sign which reads in bold black ‘NO GO AREA. POTENTIAL RADIOACTIVE RISK.’)14

(He keeps pointing frantically. John was obviously told when he was a lot younger what that sign meant and why it’s implemented in places. She still carries on into the street, he wants to scream at her….she’s doing something terribly wrong and he wants to get her parents but doesn’t know where they are, let alone how far away they are from the base. He keeps waving his pointing finger at the sign but she keeps giggling and takes no notice of him as she skips backwards, rather slowly, almost teasing him to go across and get her or even catch up with her and play in this ‘new and exciting’ playground of adult fun.)15

Jilly: COME ON JOHN! (She giggles again, her smile as wide as the half moon, her small teeth glistening and so white. She urges him on again.) COME ON JOHN! 16

(He still doesn’t move and with good reason too. Amongst the sticks, stones, cobbles, marble and other broken pieces of debris, she steps among he spots something.)17

Jilly: John? (She says timidly, sussing something’s up finally.)18

(Before she can realise, a huge lump of a brick wall, hanging onto the doomed structure of a building for many years collapses and hurtles downwards towards her. The dust springs to life and as she looks up, almost in slow motion her mouth opens in astonishment; in a pre-death welcoming of surprise and wonder. With hardly anytime to react, she crouches waiting. The brick wall, a large hulking mass with it’s shadow engulfing her small body comes towards her at a rapid speed and as it makes her way to her, John is there. 19

In an instant, he has somehow travelled fifty or so metres in a matter of a nanosecond and he pushes her to the side falling away from her. She bumps onto the floor heavily and starts moaning out loud, her legs and arms are cut. However, John is nowhere to be seen.)20

Teacher: Erm….John, you there? (Clicks his finger at John, who immediately sits back up and stops looking into space.)21

John: Um, yeah sir. (He tries to smile a little) Why wouldn’t I be? (He shrugs and quickly turns and looks at Jilly, who in turn looks back and smiles, possibly because she’s trying not to laugh at him being a twerp.)22

Teacher: Ok then John. Tell me about the starting ideology behind the Supreme Courts of Metropolis and what they stand for and their beliefs. You should…..and it’s a hint John….have this all written down. (His eyebrows raised a little, knowing full well that John will try and cuff it.)23

(The holographic writing board hovers next to John, where, with a holographic pen, is expected to write the answers or so he believes, onto the board in front of the class. They all look and stare, most with amusement.)24

John: (Stands up next to board with pen in hand) well um….that’s a real good question sir! I think I should ask the audience for some ‘teasers’ don’t you think? (He smiles confidently)25

Teacher: (Frowning in disbelief) No John. The class won’t give the answers away. You’ve got this ALL written down, so use your notes. 26

John: Ok…… (He looks at Jilly, who once again, is looking straight at him. Her blonde hair, more of a dirty blonde colour now then it used to be is tied back. She’s wearing a tight fitting white t-shirt with some writing on it, possibly about left wing politics. Dark black tight fitting jeans hug her hips and her legs very well, showing off a good figure which by no means is perfect, but close to. She keeps smiling at him as a bit of sweat runs down his forehead and finds his predicament quite funny.)27

John: Well, sir……Um…..28

Teacher: (Staring at John over the top of his thin rimmed glasses) You weren’t listening were you John?29

John: No.30

Teacher: Why do you even bother turning up John? (Sniggling from the back of the class can be heard and Jilly takes a deep breath and bows her head down so she doesn’t look at the humiliating experience.) Sometimes I really do wonder John.31

John: Ok. (Turning slightly red and agitated.) Can I sit down now? 32

(The teacher says nothing and John takes it as a sign to sit down and avoid eye contact with anyone in the room, except Jilly who he glances at quickly every now and then but this time gets no response. She seems embarrassed for him. Then his nightmare is overturned when the bell rings and everyone starts getting up and bustling out of the classroom as quickly as possible, hoping to get some reprieve from school learning.)33

Teacher: John. (He said sternly and John walks to the teachers’ desk.) I don’t know why you bother John. Tell me…..what did you write in that lesson? (As John is about to answer he is interrupted.) I’ll tell you John…..nothing. That lesson will have answers and theories important for the exams that will be coming up in less than three weeks and all you can be bothered to do is turn up, make eye contact with a blonde girl and mess about! (Getting angrier but remaining very calm.) You waste of space John. GO.34

(John, refusing to look at the teacher walks off rather defeated and sorry for himself about the whole experience. He opens the door slowly and walks out, holding his books in one hand, grappling with a door in another as he makes his way through the corridor. Electronic lockers, by voice procedure open every few seconds at the extremely busy university/college that he attends. People running about everywhere, faces of every different kind and bags containing texts and stationary barging into anyone who gets in their way.)35

John: (Mumbling) John Creed.36

(Locker door opens. Inside are various sports teams banners and pictures of people regarded as great heroes of his modern society. The triumphant Statue of Liberty, which stood firm through the nuclear war and chaos afterwards, is pictured in his locker, in Central Park. It was moved there to showcase the worlds new beginning of liberty and freedom.)37

John: Freedom and liberty….. (He mutters to himself and as he shuffles some books back into his locker, Jilly comes along and taps him on the shoulder. He doesn’t look at her, but rather, carries on doing what it is and talks to her.)38

Jilly: So, how are we after what happened? (She says teasingly.)39

John: A little… (Shrugs) you know…40

Jilly: It’s always happening to people John. You’ve lost interest in a subject that no longer excites you.41

John: I like history. I mean, I know what he’s saying and stuff, in THAT dull and monotonous voice of his. It’s kind of hard to focus on him and his ideological nonsense. Like listening to some cheesy boy band who declare their love for some woman, in every single song they sing. (He smiles a little.)42

Jilly: Well, ok… so who are you focusing on then? 43

John: It doesn’t matter Jill. Just drop it yeah? (He says it in a harsh tone, with meaning behind it, like something deep inside is bothering him.)44

Jilly: Ok. Fair enough. (She steps backwards and John slowly turns and faces her, both looking at each other in a deep way.) Why have you always been so harsh on me John? I’ve never understood. (She flicks her long blonde hair out of the way.)45

John: I don’t Jill. What happened happened. Just a pity our families can’t sort out the differences. 46

Jilly: Obviously Kelly still hates me, even from when I was a kid. 47

John: (Defending Kelly he stands firm and moves his head away slightly.) Maybe some people like to hear the word ‘sorry’. 48

Jilly: (Slightly aggravated at the bringing up of such a sensitive topic within the confines of their friendship raises her eyebrows and a catty look about her face forms when she’s angry.) Yeah well I’ve said it a million times John. I’m not gonna’ keep saying it.49

John: Defiant are we or just stubborn?50

(She is about to start arguing with him when he interrupts her slow-building rant and pent up frustration with him.)51

No, don’t worry about what I’ve said. I’m sorry Jilly. What was done was done. It was an accident. It doesn’t affect me anymore anyway.52

Jilly: (Said meekly) I know. I’m happy for you babe. 53

John: It’s out of my system . (He then turns around and closes his locker and then focuses on Jilly again.) Both what happened and the radiation. So don’t worry a sweat. 54

(John then strokes her chin really gently and she smiles, looking up towards him. She focuses in his eyes, looking and staring into those cold green eyes of his. They invite love, they invite mystery and they invite trouble she thought. Jilly knows she can’t, it’s forbidden.)55

Jilly: So um…I gotta’ go now. (She says really quietly, looking past his shoulder and smiling slightly.)56

John: Oh ok, well erm…same here. I got to go work the store again ya’ know?57

Jilly: Yeah sure. (She starts walking away a little and then stops.) Look John, there’s a show being held at the Metropolis Zoo. It’s a charity and because dad works on behalf of them, you know….he’s a true geek when it comes to animals and fossils dating pre-2031 I was wondering if you would accompany me to it. (She shakes a little in her hands, hardly noticeable and hunches her shoulders forward as she feels nervous and uncomfortable.) 58

John: Yeah I’d love to go. (A non-plus expression on his face)59

Jilly: Would you? (Shock)60

John: (Grinning) yeah why not? Is your dad going to be there though?61

Jilly: Oh don’t worry about him! (Laughs in a over-reacting manner, one of nervousness overtaking the sensibilities of the mind.) No, he’ll be well far away from where we’ll be. (Regains composure) anyway, I’ll phone ya’ (making hand phone signal) and tell you about the arrangements and stuff. 62

(She starts walking off hurridly, almost skipping, but making sure she keeps a calm decorum about herself as John looks on.63

Then we, the camera see them as small kids again.)64

Jilly: John? (Moaning and with a few tears in her eyes, she gets up. Covering her elbow with one hand she snivels and looks around. The dust of the debris is still around, bustling all around shapes and sizes it can attach itself to.) John?? (She calls again. Though this time she is more frightened than anything.) John??65

(Silence except the whistle of the wind.)66

*Artibeus- Hans Zimmer*67

Jilly: John…….?? (She wanders forward about ten metres and stops. She see’s a dark hole in the ground and puts the pieces together slowly. Her face drops dramatically and she peers down there, looking still.) John……I’m gonna’ get our mums and my dad! (She says with a lump in her throat she starts shouting for the parents as she runs towards the way that they had come from, the direction from which she led John.)68

(The camera goes black again and we can assume we’ve travelled into the tunnel, a ragged and sharp black hole in the ground that John must have fallen down when he pushed Jilly out of the way of the falling wall structure. We can feel the motion ourselves of the drop onto the cave/tunnel floor, the traverse is over ten feet and the feet should tingle. Silence for at least ten seconds and a brief pause makes for an intended unsettling feeling. The camera moves forward slightly and a small light can be seen. The camera focuses on the light, aiming onto it; we zoom in carefully and see that it’s a hand, surrounded by radiation. We see dead insects lying around the dirt of the tunnel. Mud everywhere, the hand covered in it but still the small bright light is next to the hand, the tip of the thumb is the apex for the light, as it lingers off it. 69

We see a general darkness surround the hand, but then something happens. We hear a murmuring, a slight grumble of childish mannerisms and we discover that in the blackened area of the screen is where lies the small, dumb John. Possibly frightened, possibly not actually conscious enough to know what is going on around him, we still focus on the light. The viewer should feel a pang of frustration at not being able to see the matted black hair and cute face of John, a vulnerable child if there was ever one. The hand is coming more into focus now. We see the light, keep looking at it. The camera wants the audience/the viewer to look at this bright, coloured green sparkle that is hovering above the thumb of John. It seems to be attracting particles, maybe dust particles but green specks can be seen slowly being drawn towards the light. The screen is covered in them after twenty seconds. The music still sombre enough to make anyone realise something is about to happen here and it will change John’s life forever, that he will never be the same ever again. We see the hand twitch, as the light becomes bigger and obviously starts having some sort of influence on John. The dust particles start clouding around his hand and wrist and start slowly seeping in, contaminating him. The tunnel slowly lights up with John sitting up, checking himself over. We see no green stuff near him, we think we’ve gone mad. We haven’t.70

For as soon as he touches his wrist and hand, we realise he’s going to be in trouble any minute. He touches his left hand with his right, pressing into his wrist area, checking that the robotic limb is still working ok. He plays around with it for a minute, pretending to grasp things and moving the tips of his fingers. The robotic hand, so advanced in technology was given to him earlier on when he was five, its more than just a prosthetic limb, it doesn’t feel like its fake and it reacts as fluently as any other limb attached to someone through sensors, veins and blood that pump around in the robotic limb. He’s dirty, covered in a dark looking material and as he keeps playing about with his hand he feels a strange sensation. A tingling vibrating sensation that leaps into his body. The contamination has begun! We see him shake as we witness the shudders ripple through his arms, into his small chest, up into his head and spreading all over his body. We switch to his back and see luminous green sparkles wrap themselves around his spine and then sink in aggressively, making him arch in pain. He lets out a horrifying gasp and his fingers are outstretched and as he tries to control his body the camera delves into his skin goes underneath and we watch the blood cells of his body getting wiped out and smothered by these strange green speckles. They take over his robot hand and wrist, they twist themselves into his body, making him arch again and hold his head with his right hand violently. We see him shake, twist himself mercilessly and spasm, his knees smashing against the ground, his feet twitching and his eyes-wide open. We look again into his body and see that layers of the green pecks have formed within his skin, contaminating the blood flow, his blood cells, his heart and major organs and then as we take a step back and see John in this pain. Everything stops and he passes out.71

When he wakes up next he’s cradled by a tearful Kelly, who by then is a little older than she was when we first witnessed her at the beginning with John as a small baby. He means the world to her, a reminder of hope. She pines on this boy. She holds him tightly. At this point, her anger towards the small girl, Jilly is also a sign of weakness. She depends on this young boy more than he probably depends on her and it shows. She has unconditional love for him, whilst he being a boy, just wants attention and reassurance. In Kelly also being angry with Jilly, it shows that she is still immature and vulnerable herself. Kelly at this moment in time is still a teenager.)72

Kelly: (Crying for John, who lays in her arms exhausted and passed out from radiation poisoning.) Oh my god……what has your daughter done?? (Spitting anger at Jilly’s parents.) 73

Jilly’s Dad: She’s a little girl, just like he’s a boy! They are supposed to explore Kelly!74

Jilly’s Mum: We’re so sorry! (Crying and kneeling next to Kelly) We’ve got the specialists coming here as soon as possible Kelly. 75

Kelly: (Crying even more.) He’s gonna’ die isn’t he! (She rests her head against his cheek.)76

Jilly’s Mum: No! He won’t! (Rubbing Kelly’s back, trying to assure her) He won’t!77