Conflicts of the last progenitors

Thirty-two passengers hold onto the straps dangling from the ceiling, five others lean against the walls; yellow and green lights flash past the windows. Toward the front of the car stands Geoffries, the English speechmaker from the Senior summit.

Heinrich bumps into the ranking officer.

HEINRICH

Excuse me.

Geoffries looks at Heinrich; the twenty-eight-year-old German looks at the older man’s rank.

Heinrich leans forward and presses the end of a white cylinder against the Senior’s stomach. The German’s eyes scan the train: nobody is paying him any attention.

HEINRICH (CONT'D)

I do not want to kill you but I

will. Say nothing, simply nod or

shake your head. Alles klar?

Geoffries nods.

61.

HEINRICH (CONT'D)

You are going to walk in the

direction I say in a casual manner.

Any erratic behavior will result in you aging through the rest of your

life-cycle in a matter of seconds.

Geoffries’ eyes flicker to the white tube pressed to his stomach; he nods.

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Upper scapula, 5B.

HEINRICH

Remain calm.

The train stops; the passengers lurch forward; the old Englishman clamps his hands around Heinrich’s neck.

GEOFFRIES

New Puritan! He’s a New-

Heinrich, panicked, presses the cylinder’s yellow shoot arrow, CLICK; a miniature syringe shoots (FFFT) and sticks into Geoffries’ stomach; the automated plunger depresses, PSSS. The Englishman GROANS and releases his assailant.

The doors open.

The panicked passengers run for the exit, SCREAMING. The twenty-eight-year-old German looks at the older man, shakes his had in regret and bolts for the portal.

Geoffries collapses to the floor: his skin sags; his nose and ears grow; his sprouting hair whitens; his hands inflame with arthritic knobs, his nails jut from his fingertips, his teeth fall out of his MOANING mouth.

Just as Heinrich exits the train, the doors SLAM shut on his ankle; he falls face-first to the platform, his nose breaking with a loud CRUNCH.

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Detain this man!

EXT. ROCKY PLATEAU RING / MOUNTAIN RANGE - AFTERNOON

Flypod Goblin-3 soars over the stone, pulling behind it a string with thirteen hexagonal air-skimmers; the weighted, silver instruments glide smoothly in the craft’s downdraft, cutting through the current like surfboards.

62.

The flypod and the drag cast dual shadows on the ground.

INT. FLYPOD GOBLIN-3 - SAME

Sven steers the vehicle, ruminating; Kenneth absently stares outside; Abacus observes three monitors. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Sven looks at and plucks a small wire-mesh-covered sphere from the console, pulling it out on its thin antennae- SNIK-SNIK-SNIK-SNIK-SNIK.

SVEN

This is Goblin-3.

FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)

This is Goblin-1. There have been

incidents aboard the Elysabeth: X-

White 3LK-2UK-ED.

Sven and Abacus grow wary; Kenneth, slouched, sits upright.

ABACUS

What the hell does that mean?

Sven shrugs; he dials down the anterior thruster; the vehicle slows dramatically...and somnolently coasts.

SVEN

(into the convosphere)

Should we rendezvous at the

transport and boomerang to

Elysabeth?

FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)

No. Elysabeth’s ports are closed

until the situation’s been

stabilized: the mother is in total

lockdown.

Realization floods Sven, followed by disbelief.

SVEN

We’re staying here? Overnight?

FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)

Until further notice, yes.

SVEN

The transport can handle the cold?

FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)

That’s what I’ve been told. If

not, the flypods have heaters.

63.

Sven and Abacus and Kenneth stare at the mesh-covered convosphere as if it were personally responsible for the grim tidings.

INT. ARTERY BUNDLE ROOM 246 - SAME

The walls of the bleach-bombed brain nexus are stark white; three REPAIRMEN patch burst and sundered venous networks with gray Fleischwerk putty. Arteries throb dully with life.

The diminutive Biobranch Senior named Graynose monitors the repairs; he plucks, extends (SNIK-SNIK-SNIK) and addresses a convosphere.

GRAYNOSE

Has the damage been stabilized?

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Who is requesting this information?

Graynose looks up at four bleached eyes embedded in the ceiling- white with nascent cataracts- and shakes his head.

GRAYNOSE

This is Senior Zanford Bitts.

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Voicewave confirmed. The damage

has been largely stabilized, yet

tainted blood has circulated.

GRAYNOSE

Can we aid you in any way?

ELYSABETH’S VOICE

Please make your decision regarding Option-1 quickly. I need to shut

down life support in order to purge the bad blood from my system and

transfuse a pure supply.

Graynose frowns.

INT. RESEARCH SANCTUARY - LATER

Lo-Cheun and two Bullets stand beside the floor-mounted surgical chair (a turquoise foam recliner with a metal frame) in which Heinrich has been fastened by elastifabric; a brown, agglutinated worm of blood trails from the German’s broken nose down his chin, neck and chest.

64.

Graynose walks into the research room; a magnetic light on the ceiling follows the man as he strides toward the prisoner. The open door shuts, CLACK.