Writers' Wednesday: "Thyatira", Act Two

For your enjoyment and imagination-stimulation, here is the second of four acts of friend Chuckles' original script for the series "Star Trek: Enterprise". (See last Wednesday's posting for Act One, and some background on this particular series.) Some very odd things are going on, there on the planet of Thyatira… and Captain Archer and his away-team are clueless, helpless – and threatened.

This script is Copyright © 2005 by Christine Roberts, and is registered with the Writers' Guild of America (WGA).

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE

"Thyatira"

Written by Christine Roberts

CAST

JONATHAN ARCHER:                        SCOTT BAKULA

TPOL:                                                       JOLENE BLALOCK         

CHARLES "TRIP" TUCKER III:         CONNOR TRINNEER

MALCOLM REED:                                DOMINIC KEATING

TRAVIS MAYWEATHER:                   ANTHONY MONTGOMERY

HOSHI SATO:                                        LINDA PARK

PHLOX:                                                   JOHN BILLINGSLEY

DEBBIE

SMYRNA, Debbie's father

PHILADELPHIA, a teenager

ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXTERIOR FOREST – DAY

There is a second CLEARING from the forest. Archer, T'Pol, Trip and Reed RUN OUT of the FOREST area and ENTER the CLEARING.

TRIP: I don't believe it.

EXTERIOR BUILDING – DAY

We see a building looking RUN-DOWN.

ARCHER (to T'Pol): Anyone inside?

T'POL: I'm picking up several life forms. (BEAT) No humans.

REED: It's not stable enough for anyone.

ARCHER: In either case, we're going in.

INTERIOR BUILDING – DAY

The team ENTERS the building.

REED: This is getting weirder by the minute.

REED'S POV:

There are several SARDIANS lying on BLANKETS. Some are SITTING UP AGAINST the WALL. ALL appear to be WOUNDED in some way.

ARCHER (impatiently): Get Phlox down here!

TRIP: Aye, Captain.

Trip opens his communicator.

ARCHER: Does anyone see Debbie?

T'Pol scans some more.

T'POL: She is a few kilometers north of us.

ARCHER: You three stay here till Phlox gets here.

As Archer moves toward Debbie, we get a CLOSE UP of the Sardians' INJURIES and HEAR some MOANING and SOUNDS of their PAIN.

DEBBIE is kneeling down next to a bed. SMYRNA, in his 60's, is lying in the bed with a BLANKET over him. Archer stops at the bed.

ARCHER: Who is your friend?

DEBBIE: This is Smyrna. My father.

ARCHER: Pleased to meet you.

Smyrna just MOANS some more. Debbie gets a shocked look on her face. (BEAT) Then we see PHLOX'S HAND holding a SCANNER. Its sound goes on a little.

REVEAL:

PHLOX is standing next to Archer. T'Pol, Trip, and Reed are behind Phlox.

ARCHER: This is Doctor Phlox.

PHLOX: Hello.

ARCHER: He's here to help you.

SMYRNA (surprised): A doctor?

PHLOX: Ah… you can talk.

DEBBIE: He hasn't done that in ages.

ARCHER: Why don't you come over here with me and let the good doctor do his work?

PHLOX: I agree.

Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Reed, and Debbie walk over to a vacant room.

ARCHER: Let's go in here.

INTERIOR CLASSROOM – CONTINUOUS

As the team and Debbie enter. It looks like an old, 20th-century classroom on Earth.

ARCHER: Now we can talk.

CUT TO:

EXTERIOR SPACE – ENTERPRISE (OPTICAL) is orbiting the planet.

ARCHER (O.C.): Captain's log, supplemental. We have learned these people call themselves "Sardians," after the name of the city that is located here.

CUT TO:

INTERIOR CLASSROOM

It is much later. Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Reed, and Debbie are in the classroom.

ARCHER (O.C.) (CONT'D): Or that used to be located here. Debbie has informed us that these strange phenomena have been going on for five months now.

T'POL: We came here because we received a distress signal that was sent from your house.

DEBBIE: That's crazy.

T'POL: I assure you, I am not making this up.

DEBBIE: But no one here has any idea how to do anything like that.

Archer, T'Pol react.

ARCHER: You mean nobody on this whole planet?

DEBBIE: Yes.

There is a KNOCK at the DOOR.

ARCHER: Come in.

Phlox OPENS the door slightly.

PHLOX: I think you need to come out here.

Archer takes this in.

ARCHER: Okay.

Archer then exits.

INTERIOR BUILDING – CONTINUOUS

ARCHER: What did you find out?

PHLOX: This is really bizarre.

ARCHER: That's all I've been hearing since I got here.

PHLOX: I found out that Smyrna has wounds from the explosions.

ARCHER: That's treatable. (BEAT) So what's the problem?

PHLOX: After treating him another condition appears.

Archer takes this in.

ARCHER: What are you saying?

PHLOX: It's not just Smyrna; I've noticed this on other people here.

ARCHER (impatiently): Doctor?

PHLOX: It is like someone or something else is in charge. Someone doesn't want these people to get better.

Archer takes this in and becomes angry. He then opens the door.

ARCHER: T'Pol…Trip!

They both ENTER and RUSH OVER to Archer.

TRIP: You called, Captain?

ARCHER: I want the two of you to get over to Debbie's house and locate the device that is sending those signals!

T'POL: Right away, Captain.

They BEGIN to LEAVE.

ARCHER: Wait!

They STOP when Archer calls them.

TRIP: You called, Captain?

ARCHER (angry): I don't care if you have to rip out everything in that place. Just find it!

They both react.

ARCHER (impatiently): Well?

TRIP: We're going.

Then they LEAVE. Phlox uses the scanner on Archer.

ARCHER: What are you doing?

PHLOX: You're not acting like yourself. I just wanted to see who you are.

ARCHER: Well?

PHLOX: Yep. You're the Captain.

ARCHER (impatiently): Thank you.

Archer LEAVES.

PHLOX: (to himself): Unfortunately.

CUT TO:

EXTERIOR HOUSE – MOVING – DAY

T'Pol and Trip are ENTERING the clearing. T'Pol is looking at the SCANNER as she moves it back and forth. Trip looks around and…

TRIP'S POV:

He sees a WHITE HORSE with a CROWN on its HEAD as it GALLOPS past him. Trip reacts.

TRIP: Oh my gosh!

T'Pol stops scanning and looks up.

T'POL: What is it?

TRIP: I just saw a horse!

T'POL (while scanning): I'm not picking up any such creature.

TRIP (impatiently): I'm telling you, I saw it!

T'Pol moves up to the house.

T'POL (ignoring Trip): Let's go inside.

TRIP: You don't believe me, do you?

They both walk up to the house.

INTERIOR HOUSE – MOVING – CONTINUOUS

They both ENTER. T'Pol continues to scan.

TRIP: I tell you, it was real.

T'POL: How real?

Trip looks around.

TRIP (as he POINTS to the KITCHEN): As real as that.

TRIP'S POV:

There is a LION ROARING at the both of them. T'Pol and Trip react.

TRIP (impatiently): I say we get out of here.

T'Pol continues to scan.

CUT TO:

INTERIOR BUILDING – DAY

At the same time there is a ROAR of THUNDER. Some of the people react.

SMYRNA: It's happening again.

There is BANGING at the DOOR. Archer answers it.

ARCHER: The door is unlocked…

As he begins to open the door, we see HAIL FALLING. As the door opens all the way, PHILADELPHIA, a teenage boy, falls toward Archer, who grabs him.

ARCHER: Someone help me!

Reed runs over and closes the door. Phlox comes over and scans Philadelphia.

PHLOX: What is your name, son?

PHILADELPHIA: (struggling): Phil… adel… phia.

ARCHER (disbelieving): Philadelphia?

Reed starts laughing.

PHLOX: I fail to see the humor.

REED: I'm sorry. It's just that, where I come from we happen to have a city with that same name.

Archer takes this in.

ARCHER: This is getting weirder by the minute.

REED: Just don't tell me this was in your dream.

ARCHER: No. (beat; reacts) It wasn't.

PHLOX: Let's carry him over to the bed.

Archer and Reed carry Philadelphia over to a bed. Phlox continues to scan the boy.

REED: Is he going to make it, Doctor?

ARCHER: Of course. There was only some hail out there.

PHLOX: It's too late.

ARCHER: Are you trying to tell me he's dead?

PHLOX: I believe I already said that.

Phlox leaves. Archer and Reed react.

CUT TO:

INTERIOR HOUSE – DAY

T'Pol is scanning the lion. Trip is slowly backing up toward T'Pol.

TRIP (nervous): What are you finding?

T'POL: It's coming from the kitchen

TRIP: I can see that.

T'POL: I mean the signal.

TRIP: Don't tell me the lion is the signal.

They both look at each other and react. Then T'Pol looks at the scanner.

T'POL: It's gone.

TRIP: You mean the signal, or the lion?

T'Pol looks toward the kitchen and reacts.

T'POL: Both.

TRIP: That can't be.

Trip looks toward the kitchen.

TRIP'S POV:

The kitchen looks the same, except the lion is gone.

TRIP: Okay. Now I feel like I'm losing my mind.

T'Pol reacts. She turns toward the door.

T'POL: I'm picking up another signal.

TRIP: A distress call?

T'POL: Almost. It is outside, and moving.

They both RUN OUT the door.

EXTERIOR HOUSE – MOVING – CONTINUOUS

As they ENTER the area. We HEAR an EAGLE SHRIEKING.

T'POL: There it is.

We see the EAGLE FLYING in the sky.

TRIP: The signal? That's a bird – looks like an eagle.

T'POL: No. I'm telling you the truth. I'm picking up the signal in the air.

TRIP: Uh-huh. I think we'd better have Enterprise sends us another scanner. Yours is broken.

T'POL: I fail to see how you would think this scanner can be broken when it is clearly working properly.

TRIP: Quit arguing with me. You're driving me crazy.

Then we see a RED HORSE GALLOP past them. T'Pol and Trip react. T'Pol scans.

TRIP: Don't tell me. Let me guess. Your working scanner didn't pick that up either?

T'POL (reacts): No, it didn't.

TRIP: I told you it's not working.

T'POL: Perhaps you are right.

Trip pulls out his communicator.

TRIP: Trip to Enterprise...

Trip is interrupted when HAIL STARTS FALLING. He and T'Pol RUN back to the HOUSE.

INTERIOR HOUSE – DAY – CONTINUOUS

As they RUN INTO the house and CLOSE the DOOR.

TRIP: That was close.

T'POL: I agree.

Trip is trying to catch his breath, and we...

CUT TO BLACK.

END OF ACT TWO