eb screenplay - rough second draft

7/27/2019 EB Screenplay - Rough Second Draft

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EarthBound

By

Thom Cote

Based on MOTHER 2By Shigesato Itoi

EarthBound,the MOTHER series,

and all related characters areCopyright Nintendo

[email protected]


2/118

OVER BLACK

SUPER: "What sweetness is left in life, if you take awayfriendship? Friendship improves happiness and abatesmisery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of ourgrief. The rule of friendship means there should be mutual

sympathy...each supplying what the other lacks and trying tobenefit the other..." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero

EXT.SPACE

A small shuttlecraft flies at top speed throughspace. Close behind it, a huge starship is in pursuit.

INTERCUT BETWEEN EXTERIOR SHOTS, INTERIOR OF STARSHIP, ANDINTERIOR OF SHUTTLE

Inside the shuttle, a THIEF, 20, narrowly dodges laser fire

from the starship.

THIEFThisll throw you off...

He presses a button, and a round object is released from theback of the shuttle. It explodes on contact with thestarships sensor array.

Inside the starship, the captains chair faces the frontwindow. The chairs occupant is not visible, but the comofficers in front appear to be tall, thin, bright whitebeings. The bridge shakes as the shuttles bomb

explodes. The shuttle dips and flies into Earthsatmosphere.

COM OFFICERHe has entered this planetsatmosphere, but sensors are nownonfunctional! We cant find him!

The captain speaks with a slightly high-pitched voice.

CAPTAINBreak off pursuit.

COM OFFICERYes, sir.

CAPTAIN(speaking to no one inparticular)

I dont care how long it takes. Iwill find you and and I will punish

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 2.

CAPTAIN (contd)you for what you havestolen. Justice will beserved...and then...revenge.

FADE TO BLACK

TEXT: "65 YEARS LATER"

EXT.CLIFFTOP - MIDNIGHT

On a remote clifftop in Dalaam, somewhere in the far East, asmall campfire blazes. Two figures, PO, 17, and STARMASTER, elderly, sit across from each other. Theiridentities remain unknown as their faces cannot be clearlymade out.

STAR MASTER

Your training is now complete,young master. Soon you must leaveDalaam. It has been foretold bythe stars...

POWhy must I leave, master?

STAR MASTERThe day is coming when a great evilwill take command of thisplanet. Everything we know will belost unless you and three others

band together to defeat it. Yourabilities and those of your friendswill prove crucial in stoppingGiygas.

POGiygas?

STAR MASTER looks up at the sky.

STAR MASTERHe will arrive very soon. Seek outthose three whom you mustjoin. The Earths fate is bound toyours.

POHow will I find them?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 3.

STAR MASTERLet your mind guide you.

A bright shooting star can be seen flying through the skyoverhead.

BEGIN TITLES

INT.SCHOOL - MIDDAY - 1990S

The bell rings to dismiss class at Onett Middle & HighSchool. NESS SANDHOP, 14, stands in a group of fivestudents outside their classroom. Also in the group ischubby PORKY MINCH, 15.

PORKYSo then I said to her, "I dunno,maybe hes in Da-KO-ta!"

BOY 1(not amused)

Uh huh, good one Porky.

BOY 2(looks outside)

Hey, isnt that your bus?

PORKYYeah...bye guys.

PORKY walks off but hides around a corner. He can still

hear what the others are saying.

BOY 2Finally.

BOY 1I almost feel sorry for him. Hemust know...

NESSGuys, stop. He might still be ableto hear us.

BOY 2Porky might hear us, but he neverstays quiet long enough tolisten. Besides, hes long gonenow. Good riddance.

PORKY walks off, cringing.


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4.

INT.HOUSE - EVENING

NESSs mother ANA SANDHOP places a steak dinner on NESSsplate. NESS looks ecstatic. TRACY SANDHOP, 16, is muchless excited.

NESSYes, steak!

TRACYWhy do we have to have steak allthe time?

NESSBecause its awesome!

TRACYNo! The texture, it justfeels...ugh!

They pause as a loud argument can be heard coming from thehouse next door, followed by a door slamming.

TRACY(mumbling)

Not fair.

ANA is laughing to herself.

TRACYMom, what are you laughing at?

NESS smiles as well.

TRACYReally? You always side with him!

ANAIm not siding with anyone. Itsjust funny!

TRACYOh, I cant believe you!

TRACY gets up to leave.

ANA(still laughing to herself)

Stay here and finish your dinner!

TRACY reluctantly sits back down. Someone starts knockingat the front door. TRACY quickly gets back up.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 5.

TRACYIll get it!

TRACY looks through the peephole. She quickly turns andstarts walking back.

TRACYNever mind--

ANAOpen the door.

TRACY slowly opens the door. Standing outside are PORKYMINCH and his equally portly brother PICKY MINCH, 10. Theirblond hair nearly covers their eyes. PORKY gives TRACY abig smile.

PORKYWhy, hello there Tracy. Lookin

good. May we join you for dinner?

TRACYId rather not--

ANAOf course! Come right in!

TRACY(whispered)

Mom!

ANA

Im happy to have guests.

Everyone sits back down at the table. PORKY places astained handkerchief with a pig-nose pattern on his lap.

ANASo what brings you here tonight?

PORKYWell, Picky and I just love to eatout on occasion, and I had heardyou make the best sirloin in town.

ANAOh, well thank you!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 6.

PICKY(whispered to NESS)

Truth is he was kickedoutta the house tonight.

PORKY(in background)

And of course I simplyadore visiting my goodfriend Ness. Isnt thatright?

NESS(whispered)

Again?

PORKYNess? Isnt that right?

NESSWhat? Oh, um, yeah.

PORKY

Then you wont mind if we sleepover here for the night.

NESSWhat?

ANAGreat idea! Ill get you all setup in the living room.

INT.HOUSE - LATER

PORKY and PICKY are in sleeping bags.

PORKYGot any games?

NESSIve got a deck of cards in--

PORKYNo, I mean real games. You know,Super Mario and all that.

NESSWell, I have this.

NESS opens the bottom of the TV cabinet to reveal an oldAtari 2600 with a Space Invaders cartridge.

PICKYWhoa, retro!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 7.

PORKYHmm. Well, its no Super Nintendobut I guess itll do. Care toplay?

NESS

Im fine. Go ahead.

As PORKY starts up the game, NESS heads upstairs to hisbedroom. He falls asleep hearing the beeps and blipsemanating from the TV downstairs.

EXT.SMALL SUBURB - MIDNIGHT

Signs can be seen indicating the suburb is called Onett. Aquiet night.

INT.HOUSE

NESS sleeps uneasily. Suddenly, he awakes when a loud noiseechoes through the night. Police sirens can be heardapproaching as NESS gets out of bed.

NESSWhat in the...

NESS looks out the window. A large hill next to his houseis surrounded by police cars. Something like a giantglowing coal is half buried at the top of the hill.

NESS quickly pulls on some denim shorts, a yellow and bluestriped T-shirt, and a red baseball cap, and headsdownstairs. PORKY and PICKY are gone.

ANAWhere do you think youre going atthis time of night?

NESSI want to see what happened outthere.

ANAI guess, but be back in tenminutes.

NESSBut Mom, that wont be enough--

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 8.

ANATen minutes. Starting now.

NESS runs out the door.

EXT.HILL

NESS scales a winding path up the hill. He turns a cornerand bumps into PORKY and PICKY standing in front of a groupof POLICEMEN.

PORKYNess? What are you doinghere? Youre getting in the cops,I mean, officers way!

NESSPorky, will you--

PORKYIm gonna be the first to see themeteor anyway! Go home, Ill tellyou all about it tomorrow.

NESSIm just going to--

PORKYHome, Ness.

NESS relents and heads back. PORKY smiles smugly, while

PICKY seems disappointed.

POLICEMANWill you please leave aswell? Kid?

INT.HOUSE

NESS enters the house.

ANAWell, that was quick. Whats goingon?

NESSI dont know. Porky wasthere. Said I was getting in theofficers way.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 9.

ANAWell, were you?

NESSIm going back to bed.

NESS goes back to sleep, but is awoken again by a loudknocking at the front door. He goes to the door and opensit.

PORKYNess, you gotta helpme! Picky...Pickys gone!

TRACY comes to the door.

PORKYOh, uh, hello Tracy. Lookinglovely as ever, heh heh. Say,

think we could--

TRACYPicky is missing?

PORKYOh, that. Yeah. Picky and I wereup by the meteor, and suddenly hewas gone! Cmon, weve gotta findhim!

NESSUgh, fine. Cmon, King.

KING, NESSs dog, wakes up and drowsily comes to the frontdoor.

PORKYWanna come, Tracy? (Whispering) Wecould ditch Ness and--

TRACYIll stay here. I dont do wellwith strong odors.

PORKYWe could leave King here.

TRACYI wasnt talking about King.

TRACY quickly closes the door.


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10.

EXT.HILL

NESS, PORKY, and KING climb the winding path up the hill.

NESSWhere did the police go?

PORKYThey left. Reports of more gangviolence downtown.

NESSThe Tiger Sharks again?

PORKYHeh heh, I hope so. Did ya see oldLoyds house after the Sharks, ah,"stopped by?"

NESS

No...

PORKY(nonchalantly)

Course ya didnt, numbskull, theyblew it up. Heh, good times.

They find PICKY hiding behind a tree near the meteor.

PORKYThere you are! What the hell areyou doing here?

PICKYThe space rock was making weirdnoises. Ness, Im scared.

PICKY reaches to cling onto NESS, who is examining a charredred bow found on the meteor, but is harshly pulled aside byPORKY.

PORKYOh shut it, theres nothingdangerous about the meteor--

Suddenly, a bright column of light emanates from the meteor,going up into the sky. A shockwave nearly throws NESS,PORKY, PICKY, and KING off the hillside.

PORKYWhat the hell!

A tiny robot emerges from the column of light and flies overto the kids.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 11.

PICKYA bee?

NESSWhat was it doing in the rock?

BUZZ BUZZNess! Listen to me!

PORKYWhy? Youre just abee! A...talking...bee...

BUZZ BUZZI am not an insect. I am arobot. I was sent from the futureto tell you something.

NESS

Sent? By who?

BUZZ BUZZA friend.

NESSTell us WHO!

BUZZ BUZZYou cannot know. Now, I must relaythe message before my power cellsare depleted. Listen well. Agreat evil power is destroying our

world even as we speak. In thefuture, all will be lost unless youbegin fighting now. You will soonmeet three new friends your age whowill be crucial to defeatingGiygas, an immensely powerful alienbent on conquering thisworld. Search for Paula Polestarin Tussone. The others will findyou themselves. But now, you mustleave home and--

BUZZ BUZZ is hit hard with an energy blast coming frombehind the kids. He falls to the ground. The kids turnaround and see a STARMAN, a strangely shaped humanoid in awhite jumpsuit. His eyes are not visible under his tintedvisor. He speaks in a robotic voice.

STARMANYou have heard enough.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 12.

The STARMAN fires an energy beam, knocking NESS to theground.

STARMANTry as you might...

The STARMAN fires on NESS again. NESS tries to block thebeam with his arms.

STARMANThe might of Master Giygas willprevail.

The STARMAN fires on NESS again. NESS, however, seems toabsorb the energy.

NESSNo!

NESS channels the energy into a powerful beam firing fromhis hands. The STARMAN is knocked down and severelydamaged. NESS stares at his hands, shocked.

STARMANYou are...more powerfulthan...initially...anticipated.

The STARMAN teleports away. NESS and PICKY rush back toBUZZ BUZZ while PORKY sits still, dumbfounded.

BUZZ BUZZNess...you must go. Hone your

psychic abilities...and aboveall...find Paula. Giygas...willnot wait. You must...hurry...

BUZZ BUZZ twitches, sparks, and falls silent. NESS, PICKY,and PORKY walk back down the hill. KING carries the limpbody of BUZZ BUZZ in his mouth.

PORKYSo. Youre apparently some greathero or something, huh?

NESSI...I dont know.

PORKYWhy am I not the hero here?! Imstronger, bigger...I bet I couldtake down this Giygas ten timesfaster than you! Maybe then Tracywouldnt ignore me. Picky, go home

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 13.

PORKY (contd)and tell Mom Ill be gone for awhile.

PICKYPORKY, maybe Ness should do this.

PORKYScrew Ness, Im gonna go fightaliens whether some stupid beewants me to or not!

PORKY shoves PICKY towards their house. NESS returns to hishouse.

PORKYPicky, tell Mom and Dad Im leavingin the morning.

PORKY and PICKY begin to enter their house, but are stoppedby their father ALOYSIUS MINCH and mother LARDNA MINCH.

LARDNAGet in here, Picky.

PORKY begins to follow PICKY inside, but is roughly stoppedby ALOYSIUS.

ALOYSIUSYoure not coming inside tonight.

PORKY

Where am I supposed to sleep?!

ALOYSIUSGo sleep in the doghouse.

PORKYWe dont have a--

ALOYSIUS(gesturing to NESSs house)

Then sleep in their doghouse! Justget out of my sight!

ALOYSIUS whacks PORKY across the face with a newspaper andslams the door shut. PORKY stands shocked and genuinelyhurt. He rubs a spot on his face where a paper cut hasstarted bleeding.


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14.

EXT.ACADEMY - MIDDAY

Nobody is outside Snow Wood Boarding School during classtime, even though the sun has provided a temporary breakfrom the usual snow on the ground.

INT.CLASSROOM

PROF. MAXWELL LABS busily teaches a science lesson to hisstudents, all wearing the formal green school uniform.

MAXWELLThat said, a laser beam of thismagnitude generates an intenseamount of heat wherever it strikes,often enough to melt types ofmetals such as iron.

MAXWELL pauses to write on the blackboard. JEFF ANDONUTS,14, sits at his desk, nearly asleep. TONY, a brunette of14, sits at an adjacent desk. A small ruler is in her hair,keeping it in something of a Chinese bun.

TONYHey...hey Jeff.

JEFFHuh...what?

TONY gives a friendly smile. JEFF immediately acts moreawake and nervously tries to smile back.

TONYSorry, just making sure youreawake. You dont want to miss thislesson. Its about lasers!

JEFFUh, t-thanks Tony.

MAXWELLNow if the laser emanates from ahandheld source, some recoil can beexpected, contrary to what youmight think. But lets get back tothe basics. I digress.

JEFF(under breath)

Oh, please do.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 15.

MAXWELLIm sorry, what was that?

JEFFNothing, sir.

MAXWELLUh huh. See me after class, MisterAndonuts.

INT.CLASSROOM - LATER

The bell rings. All the students file out of the classroomexcept Jeff. TONY glances worriedly at Jeff before headingout.

MAXWELLJeff. If you want me to talk in

more detail about something moreadvanced, just ask! I know youvealready got the basics down. Idgladly help you with further study.

JEFFThank you, sir.

MAXWELLAlright. Better get going tolunch.

INT.HALLWAY

JEFF walks down the crowded hallway. Most other kids ignorehim, though a couple greet him as he passes by. JEFFlargely ignores them uncomfortably or timidly says "hi"back.

INT.CAFETERIA

JEFF sits at a table alone with his lunch. He pulls outblueprints for some kind of box-shaped machine. He beginsto edit his design with a pencil, using the edge of hislunch tray to make straight lines.

TONYHi Jeff!

JEFF looks up, realizes with a shock who it is, and quicklystraightens his glasses.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 16.

JEFFUh, h-hi Tony.

TONYWhat are you working on?

JEFF

Just a project.

TONYLooks cool.

TONY reaches behind her head.

JEFFNot really, its just a simple...

TONY removes the ruler from her hair.

JEFF

Well I guess it...Its...

TONY sits down next to JEFF, who cowers a bit. She handshim the ruler.

TONYHere, use this. Youll get abetter edge.

JEFFT-thank you.

The school bell rings. Another girl comes over and TONYleaves with her. JEFF watches as they go, then continuesdrawing, using the ruler now.

INT.HOUSE - EVENING

NESS and his family are having dinner. NESS looks at hismother and sister with a tired look in his eye. He gets upand walks toward the stairs.

ANAWhere are you going?

NESSI...dont feel well.

ANATry to go to sleep. Youll feelbetter in the morning.

NESS does not respond, and continues upstairs.


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17.

INT.HOUSE - LATER

NESS sits on his bed silently. He looks at a side of hisroom with a desk and wall covered in alien-related content:posters, figurines, games. In the middle of it all is afamily picture. NESS picks up the picture and looks at

himself, his mother, and his sister. He puts it on hiswindow sill and goes to sleep.

INT.HOUSE - JUST BEFORE DAWN

Everyone in the house is asleep. NESS quietly sneaks out ofhis room and grabs some food, his school backpack, and amap. He traces his finger along the map, following a routesouthward from his house through Onett, and into the maincity of Tussone. He leaves a note on his bed and sneaks outof his room. He sneaks into TRACYs room and grabs abaseball bat leaning against the wall. He sneaks out and

leaves the house.

EXT.HILL - EARLY DAWN

SEEN FROM TOP OF HILL, NEXT TO METEOR

NESS walks into the distance, the sun rising on his left, ashe heads South towards Tussone. On top of the hill, next tothe meteor, PO appears out of thin air. His identityremains secret as only his lower legs and feet can be seen,along with the end of an Arabic sabre. Turning towards themeteor then back towards NESS, who does not know of his

presence, PO teleports away seconds later.

EXT.MIDSIZED CITY - MIDDAY, SAME DAY

NESS enters Tussone and walks down the central street. Hepasses the usual businesses and houses present in amid-sized 1990s city. He slows down and stares as he passesby a house painted entirely blue, including the grass andeverything else on the property. Not looking where hesgoing, he bumps into "GORGEOUS" TONZURA, a slightly chubbyjazz singer of about 35.

GORGEOUSHey kid, whaddya tryin to pullhere?! I know a pickpocket when Isee one! Cmere ya little thief!

NESS raises his baseball bat.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 18.

GORGEOUSWhoa there, careful kid! You couldhurt someone wit that!

NESSI didnt steal anything.

GORGEOUSUgh, ya sure as hell didnt. Gotnothin on me to steal. I justwant to keep thieves like you offTussones streets.

NESSIm not a thief!

GORGEOUSSure, sure. Whateva. Just getoutta here before I call the police

on ya. Theres enough of this crapin Tussone already. Hell, I heardjust two days ago that someone hadnicked fifty-thousand dollas fromsome tycoons bank account. Cantstand this, specially when otherpeople like me cant afford to evenleave this place!

NESSWhat do you mean?

GORGEOUS sits on a bench next to him. NESS sits down as

well.

GORGEOUSMe and my guys are stuckhere. Heard of the Runaway Five?

NESSNo.

GORGEOUSWe got a little show running downat the theater on 14th Street, butwe got a debt with the owner. Tengrand. Were stuck here til wecan pay up.

NESSSounds bad. I wish I could dosomething.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 19.

GORGEOUSNothin a kid like you cando. Call us up in about eightyyears--maybe then well be able toditch this place. For now, werestayin right here inTussone. Shame, too--we got one

helluva tour bus.

NESSSounds cool. Hey, um, Im lookingfor a girl here.

GORGEOUSArent we all?

NESSNo, I mean a specificperson. Someone told me Id findhere in Tussone, but I have no idea

where.

GORGEOUSWell, that isnt much help, now isit. Hmm...Id say look wherever yawant to find her.

NESSWhat?

GORGEOUSThe mind is a powerful thing,kid. More powerful than you mightthink. Search where ya think yadlike to find her. Maybe ya will,or at least find some help.

NESSHm, well I know where my kind offriend would be...

QUICK TRANSITION:

EXT.OUTSIDE AN ARCADE

GORGEOUSWhy am I not surprised. Kids andtheir games these days.

NESSThanks for taking me here!

NESS begins walking across the street towards the Arcade.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 20.

GORGEOUSNo problem. Good luck wit thegirl, kid. Get in there and score!

NESS stops and looks back at GORGEOUS.

GORGEOUS(imitating playing on aninvisible game controller)

...In the games, I mean! A highscore!

INT.ARCADE

NESS enters the very loud Arcade. There are a coupleGANGSTERS hanging out along the back wall, but otherwise theArcade is empty. They look to be in their early 20s.

NESS(can barely be heard over thenoisy Arcade)

Paula! Paula!

GANGSTER 1You lookin for someone, squirt?

NESSYes, do you know where Paula--

GANGSTER 2Perhaps ya dont know how things

work around here. This place isours. Got that?

NESSIm just looking for--

GANGSTER 1Why are you still talkinkid? Ey, Frankie, why dont yateach this kid a lesson in respect!

The hulking FRANKIE approaches carrying a two-by-four. NESSraises his bat. They fight for a short time before FRANKIEknocks the bat far out of NESSs reach, and corners NESSagainst a wall. NESS frantically searches for a weapon butfinds none. Suddenly, he inadvertently uses telekinesis toslam a cash register against FRANKIEs head, knocking himunconscious. The other GANGSTERs stand staring.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 21.

GANGSTER 2You little freak!

All the GANGSTERs flee the Arcade. NESS slowly gets up,shocked. He stares at his hands and then touches hisforehead. He exits the Arcade.

EXT.OUTSIDE THE ARCADE

EVERDRED, a shady-looking middle-aged man with sunglasses iswaiting outside.

EVERDREDKid, I saw how ya handled the TigerSharks in there. Youre somethinspecial, I can tell.

NESS(uneasy)

Thanks. Uh, gotta go now. Imlooking for--

EVERDREDPaula Polestar?

NESSHow did you know that?

EVERDREDIm a friend of hers. Shes gotsimilar...talents as you.

NESSSo you know where she is?

EVERDREDLast I heard, she went missinearly this mornin. I bet itsthat no-good Cult of Blueagain. Theyre always stirrin uptrouble but lately its gottenworse.

NESS

Giygas.

EVERDREDSay what?

NESSNever mind. Thanks for your help.

NESS starts walking away.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 22.

EVERDREDHurry, kid! Come see me if youfind Paula! Good luck!

NESS increases his speed when told to hurry.

EVERDRED

(under breath, concerned)Youll need it...

EXT.BLUE HOUSE

NESS arrives at the entirely blue house he saw earlier. Hehops over the blue fence and sneaks up to a window. Lookinginside, he sees PAULA POLESTAR, a girl of 14 with goldenhair and a pink midlength dress. She is tied to a chair inthe middle of a group of people dressed in blue robes andhoods. They are chanting something, and their apparentleader is slowly approaching PAULA. He is in some sort of

trance.

NESS runs to the door of the house and tries to open it. Itis locked. He furrows his brow and attempts to use psychicpowers to turn the lock. The knob shakes a bit but hisunrefined telekinesis does not succeed. Finally, he resortsto smashing the window with his bat and awkwardly clamberingin.

INT.BLUE HOUSE

NESS runs toward PAULA, but the cult leader fires a bolt of

electricity from his fingers, hitting Ness in the leg. NESStrips and grips the burn on his leg. PAULA uses telekinesisto remove the ropes around her, but collapses out of thechair, exhausted. The middle-aged cult leader, MR.CARPAINTER, makes a slow hand motion, and several cultmembers drag NESS and PAULA away. CARPAINTER takes all ofNESSs belongings.

INT.DUNGEON

NESS and PAULA are locked in a cave connecting to the cellarof the blue house. There is a period of silence.

NESS...Sorry.

PAULABetter here than anywhere nearCarpainter.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 23.

NESSWho?

PAULACult of Blues headpriest. But...hes different than

before. But you know all that.

NESSNo I dont.

NESS and PAULA turn to face each other, and get a bitcloser.

PAULAWell, the Cult of Blue used to befine. Something about painting thetown blue, but harmlessenough. Lately, theyve started

acting strange, more extreme. Itslike theyre suddenly tryingharder, willing to take morerisks. I have no idea why, though.

NESSAnd Carpainter, has he always hadthe, you know...

PAULANo, thats another thing! He gothis lightning stuff around the sametime the cult went bad. I dont

know what to make of it, Ness.

NESSWait, how did you know my name?

PAULAYou told me.

NESSNo I didnt.

PAULAYes you--oh. I get it.

NESSWhat?

PAULAMy psychokinesis.

(CONTINUED)


25/118

CONTINUED: 24.

NESSIve never heard of that.

PAULABasically, its like limitedtelekinesis, and maybe some otherstuff depending on the person. For

me, I can sort of read minds.

NESSTelekinesis. Ive noticed somestuff like that Ivedone. Sometimes I can make stuffmove when I want to.

PAULASounds like you might havepsychokinesis too. Huh, I didntthink Id find anyone else likeme. Can you, like, read peoples

minds?

NESSI havent before.

PAULAThen you probably cant. Its arare ability.

NESSThis psycho-whatever stuff seemsvery normal to you.

PAULAIve gotten used to it. Ive knownI had psychokinesis for a longtime. Though it seemed to get alot more powerful around the sametime the cult changed recently.

NESSAnd I only discovered minerecently. Wait a minute, you gotyourself free from that chair withpsychokinesis! Why didnt you just

do that before?

PAULABefore you distracted Carpainter,something was blocking mypsychokinesis. I guess Carpaintermust have some control over it aswell. Strange, he hasnt showedsigns of it before.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 25.

NESSThis has gotta have something to dowith the alien.

PAULAHold it. I dont want two cults to

deal with!

NESSYoure funny. But this isreal. That meteor that landed inOnett, it was a message to me. Ittold me to find you here.

PAULAOh, really. What is my name?

NESSPaula Polestar.

PAULA eyes NESS for a moment.

PAULAAlright.

They turn back the way they were before, facing the samedirection towards the cell door. There is another period ofsilence.

NESSSo, um, how are we gonna get out ofhere?

PAULAI dont know.

Another period of silence.

NESSThat mind-reading thing you saidyou "sort of" can do...can you, youknow, go into peoples minds andsense whatever theyre thinking?

PAULAThey have to want me to know theirthoughts. Like you wanting me toknow your name.

NESSSo you dont know, like, what Imthinking all the time.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 26.

PAULARight.

NESS...alright.

NESS leans against the wall and faces away, looking

relieved.

INT.CAFETERIA - MIDDAY

JEFF sits at a table alone, building the device from theblueprint. TONY comes over from a table of other kids.

TONYHey Jeff, want to come sit with us?

JEFF...No thanks. Im fine here.

TONY sits down next to JEFF. Again, JEFF immediatelytenses.

TONYJeff. You cant stay like thisforever. Make some friends!

JEFFI have friends! I just have workto do.

TONY

Jeff, every student in the schoolis having lunch in here rightnow. Introduce me to your friends.

JEFF.....

TONY give JEFF a knowing look and starts fiddling with themachine.

TONYSo is this almost finished?

JEFFDont touch that! Its very--

A powerful laser bolt very loudly emanates from the machineand hits the edge between the wall and ceiling. That areaof the wall and ceiling disintegrates and is leftsmoldering.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 27.

JEFF...sensitive.

Every person in the cafeteria turns and stares at Jeff.

JEFF

And you wonder why I dont havefriends.

JEFF scoops up his machine and designs and rushes out of thecafeteria.

INT.DORMITORY

JEFF lies on his bed. Hes not quite crying but veryclose. He is about to fall asleep but hears somethingknocking at the window. He gets up and looks out. Outside,BUZZ BUZZ is repeatedly flying into the window to make

noise. JEFF opens the window.

BUZZ BUZZJeff Andonuts, I have come to--

JEFFA working insectoid nanobot, inperfect condition! Remarkable!

BUZZ BUZZYes. Now, I have come to tell youa message of the utmostimportance. I come from the

future, and--

JEFFNo way! A time-traveling insectoidnanobot!

BUZZ BUZZ busily begins marking a series of numbers onJEFFs notebook.

BUZZ BUZZPlease listen. I must relay themessage before my power cells aredepleted. You must go to yourfathers laboratory and acquire hisSky Runner. Fly it into Tussoneand land at these coordinates.

BUZZ BUZZ finishes writing out the coordinates.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 28.

JEFFThe Sky Runner is an experimentalprototype. I doubt my father willallow me to take it.

BUZZ BUZZYour father has been notified

already, and will fill you in onthe details. The Earths fate isbound to yours. Leave as soon aspossible. You must--

A fly swatter smashes BUZZ BUZZ against the desk.

ACADEMY KIDDisgusting little fly.

BUZZ BUZZ twitches, sparks, and goes limp. JEFF sadlyscoops up the tiny robots remains and begins packing.

INT.LABORATORY

JEFF enters the laboratory through a large metal door. DR.ANDONUTS is working busily at a lab table.

DR. ANDONUTSThe Sky Runner is ready, son.

JEFFSo you also received a message froma time-travelling insectoid--

DR. ANDONUTS--insectoid nanobot. Yep.

JEFFWhere is it?

DR. ANDONUTSWell, um...well, to tell the truth,it was standing in my workspace andwas dumb enough to walk right whereI was about to transfer 200milliliters of hydrochloric acid.

JEFF...you set a beaker on top of it.

DR. ANDONUTSIt was its own fault. A robot fromthe future should know where itshould and shouldnt stand on a labbench!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 29.

JEFFMaybe it was only from a coupleweeks in the future--

DR. ANDONUTSDoesnt matter now. The Sky Runneris ready to go.

JEFF and DR. ANDONUTS enter a small metal aircraft shapedlike a fat flying saucer. DR. ANDONUTS begins working thecontrols to start taking off.

DR. ANDONUTSYou know, this Sky Runner is stillan early prototype. I normallywouldnt take it out of the lablike this. But since you are myson, and it was a time-travelinginsectoid nanobot...

JEFF...and its directly related to thefate of the planet.

DR. ANDONUTSYeah, that too.

The Sky Runner is flying high in the sky by this point.

JEFFThis seems to be flying justfine. Why is it just a prototype?

DR. ANDONUTSI havent quite perfected thelander mechanism yet.

JEFFWell here, let me take a look. Icould work on it while were enroute.

DR. ANDONUTSI doubt thatll help.

JEFFWhy? I know what Im doing.

DR. ANDONUTSI know that. By "not perfectedyet", I meant this doesnt have anylanding gear.

JEFFs eyes widen.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 30.

DR. ANDONUTSOh I almost forgot. You probablyshould fasten your seatbelt.

INT.DUNGEON - LATER

NESS is throwing rocks up at the ceiling of the cave.

PAULAWhat are you doing?

NESSTesting the ceiling. Nothollow. Nothing but solid rockabove us.

PAULAWhats that sound?

NESSRock hitting rock. Tends to make asound.

PAULANo, that sound thats gettinglouder!

The Sky Runner drops down straight through the ceiling andsmashes down to the floor, barely missing NESS andPAULA. JEFF and DR. ANDONUTS exit the craft.

JEFF

Sorry to drop in without warning.

JEFF fires his laser machine and melts the cells lock.

JEFFWere getting out of here.

NESSWait just a minute, who are you?

JEFFJeff Andonuts. This is my father.

DR. ANDONUTS is looking over the wreckage of the Sky Runner.

DR. ANDONUTSJeff, hold this for a minute.

DR. ANDONUTS hands JEFF a part of the Sky Runner with ablinking light. A periodic beeping sound is coming from it.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 31.

PAULANow wait, how did you know to findus here?

JEFFA time-traveling insectoid nanobottold me to.

NESSCool, same here.

JEFF hands the Sky Runner part back to his father. Itproduces a small explosion offscreen, leaving DR. ANDONUTSashy.

DR. ANDONUTSMe three!

PAULAOkay...whos for leaving now?

NESSMe.

JEFFSure.

The three kids leave the cell. DR. ANDONUTS hangs behindfor a second. He hugs the Sky Runner.

DR. ANDONUTSGoodbye, beautiful.

INT.BLUE HOUSE - EVENING

NESS, PAULA, JEFF, and DR. ANDONUTS peer out from under atrap door in the wooden floor. A large group of CULTMEMBERS are gathered.

NESSTheres gotta be at least twentybetween us and the door.

PAULA

Were gonna have to run. Ness,this would be a good time to trysome more psychokinesis.

JEFFPsycho-wha?--

Before JEFF can be answered, a CULT MEMBER throws the trapdoor open.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 32.

CULT MEMBERTheyve escaped! And they gotfriends!

PAULARun!

The four run toward the door but are blocked by the group ofCULT MEMBERS. JEFF brandishes his laser device, buteveryone else is defenseless.

PAULAStand back guys.

NESSWhat?

PAULA takes a deep breath and close her eyes. All the CULTMEMBERS become frozen in ice instantaneously.

NESSCool.

PAULAI know, right?

CARPAINTER emerges from behind the frozen CULT MEMBERS. Hishands are sparking with electrical energy. He seems to bein a trance.

CARPAINTERSo...it has come to...this...

PAULALook, I dont know whats wrongwith you, but--

CARPAINTERNothing is wrong...all is right...

PAULAWe can help you, Mr. Carpainter,but you have to let us go.

CARPAINTERNo...Im...h...happy...

JEFFOh, its no use reasoning with him.

JEFF starts to walk forward rather briskly.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 33.

CARPAINTER(horrid scream)

No!!!

CARPAINTER shoots electricity from his fingers at JEFF. Ithits JEFFs laser device, causing it to surge and fire backat CARPAINTER. CARPAINTER disintegrates in a flash of

light.

PAULAJeff...it wasnt your fault.

JEFF(hesitantly)

I know.

DR. ANDONUTSThe robot that notified me of thesituation...it said that afterCarpainter was dead, you should go

to Foreside. He said youd meet afriend there.

NESS checks his map.

NESSForeside? Thats days away byfoot! We dont have time for that!

PAULAWell figure something out. Comeon.

DR. ANDONUTSIf you dont mind, Id like to stayhere and see if I can repair theSky Runner.

PAULACould we use that to get toForeside?

DR. ANDONUTSIll try, but I dont know how longitll take to fix. Youd be better

off finding some other way there.

NESSAlright guys, lets go.

PAULALets get some sleep. Ness, weshould recover from usingpsychokinesis.


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34.

NESS, PAULA, and JEFF leave the blue house. Behind them, POappears secretly. His head and face still cannot beseen. He is gripping his sabre. After a few seconds, heteleports away.

INT.HOTEL ROOM - LATE EVENING

The kids open the door to Room 140 and go in. The cheaphotel room has only two small beds. The three kids standsilently for a moment.

NESS...this was your idea.

PAULAShut up.

INT.HOTEL ROOM - LATER

NESS and JEFF are lying very close together, on their backs,in their very small bed. PAULA gets the other bed.

PAULAI love traveling, dont you?

NESS and JEFF glare at PAULA.

PAULA(amused)

Alright, I get it.

JEFFWhat?

PAULAThat he hates this right now.

JEFFWell so do I, but how did you know?

PAULAHe wanted me to know.

JEFFOkay, now Im just confused. Whatis going on here?

NESSPaula has some kind of telepathy.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 35.

PAULAI can sense peoples thoughts, butonly those they want me to hear.

JEFF...right. Fine. So you two are,

like, mentally linked.

PAULANot really, only what he wants meto hear, and I cant send thoughtsto him. Its not really thatgreat.

JEFFAre you kidding me! Itsincredibly--

NESS

Guys, lets get some sleep. Wevegot a busy day tomorrow.

PAULAGood idea. Night.

NESSGoodnight.

JEFF(mumbling)

Night.

After everyone else is asleep, JEFF lies awake in bed. Hesits up and focuses his eyes on the digital clock on thebedside table. After focusing hard on the clock, he closeshis eyes and takes a deep breath. Moving his hand, heattempts to move the clock using telekinesis. Nothinghappens. After one more try, he gets out of bed and pullsout his blueprints and laser device. Sitting on the floorwith his back to the others, he quietly works on his devicethrough the night.

INT.HOTEL ROOM - MORNING

JEFF has fallen asleep on the floor next to his work, but heis awoken by NESS.

JEFFHuh...what?...

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 36.

NESSHey, Jeff.

JEFFWha?...

PAULAI want to go see a friend before weleave. Hes probably worried sick.

JEFF blinks and gets up.

EXT.MIDSIZED CITY

The three kids walk into a city park. A group of clamoringnews reporters follows them.

REPORTER 1

The mind whiz is back in town!

REPORTER 2Paula Polestar, tell us about yoursecret power!

REPORTER 3Would you mind scheduling aninterview tomorrow?

REPORTER 4Youve had mind powers since youwere a child. How has that

impacted your--

A loud gunshot rings through the air.

REPORTER 4...life.

The reporters retreat. EVERDRED approaches the kids,carrying a pistol.

EVERDREDHey, kid! Ya found her!

NESSYou were right, it was the Cult ofBlue.

EVERDREDYou okay, Paula?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 37.

PAULAIm fine.

EVERDRED(to NESS)

Thanks, kid. You dont know howmuch good you done Tussone by

takin down the Cult. Besides,Paulas a good friend of mine.

PAULAThis is the only place in Tussone Ican escape all the media followingme around.

EVERDREDSad thing nowadays. Noprivacy. Some kids wish they wereon TV, but its not all itscracked up to be, specially when

youre...different. Anyway, Ivegotta repay you kids somehow.

EVERDRED pulls a wad of bills from his back pocket.

EVERDREDHeres ten grand. Dont ask whereI got it.

NESS accepts the money, understandably surprised.

NESSThanks!

EVERDREDNo problem, kid. If ya ever needany help, Ill be headin toForeside myself in a coupledays. I, uh, dont want to stayhere much longer.

PAULASure! I guess well see you there!

EVERDRED

Take care.

The three kids leave the park and begin walking down thestreet towards the theater.

JEFFYou just missed a greatopportunity! Why dont we justwait a few days and go with him?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 38.

NESSWe dont have a few days. Giygasis attacking even now.

JEFF(getting very irritated)

Would you mind telling me who thisGiygas is?

NESSOh, did the robot not tell you?

JEFFHe just said to come to Tussone.

NESSWell, to be honest, I dont reallyknow much about this myself. Fromwhat the robot told me, Giygas is

some alien trying to take over theworld. For the last few days,theres been weird stuff startingto happen. Like, I only recentlyfound out I had psychokinesis.

PAULAAnd Carpainter got his powers aboutthe same time.

NESSSo we figure there must be someconnection to this alien.

JEFF...fair enough. But why dont Ihave this psychokinesis thing?

NESSI dont know. The robot told me Iwould meet three more people whowould help to defeat Giygas. Youmust be one of them since the samerobot guided you here.

PAULASo there must be something aboutyou thats special. Somethingnecessary to fight Giygas.

JEFFThat would be more comforting if Iknew what it is thatsspecial! Im not special! Im

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 39.

JEFF (contd)just a random kid from a boardingschool in the middle of nowhere!

PAULAYou got us out of that cave with

that laser, didnt you? Who elsecould build that?

JEFFWell...

NESSThe same lasery thing saved us fromCarpainter.

JEFFWhat, so Im special because I havea laser?

PAULAI dont think so. Its got to bemore than that.

They walk in silence for a moment.

JEFF(sincerely)

Thanks, guys.

They reach the theater. Standing outside are five membersof the Runaway Five jazz band: GORGEOUS, LUCKY, NICE,

GROOVY, and KEYBORE. Theyre standing against their blackRunaway Five tour bus.

LUCKYNo shows until Tuesday!

NESSWere not here for a show.

NICENo one is anymore.

GORGEOUSHey kid.

NESSDo you think you could take us toForeside in your bus?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 40.

GORGEOUSI told ya kid, were stuck here.

NESSWill this help?

NESS holds out the wad of bills.

GORGEOUSHoly smokes! Lemme see that!

GORGEOUS grabs the bills and carefully looks them over.

GROOVYTheyve gotta be fakes.

GORGEOUSHoly...these are legit!

The other members suddenly perk up.

GORGEOUSThese for us, kid?

NESSIts all yours if you take us toForeside.

GORGEOUSDamn straight! Lucky, show this toem!

GORGEOUS hands the bills off to LUCKY, who runs into thetheater.

GORGEOUS(smiling, amused)

So. No thief, eh?

NESSLong story.

GORGEOUSYa know, I wouldnt mind goin toForeside anyway. I hear thetheater there packs a good thousandper night! Foreside...thats wherethe real money is, what withMonotoli runnin the town.

PAULAMonotoli?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 41.

JEFFIve heard of him. Huge businesstycoon from Foreside.

GORGEOUSYep. Ya wouldnt believe the

economy there. I bet wed gettwice per ticket as we do here!

LUCKY exits the theater, without the money.

LUCKYIts paid off! Paid off!

GORGEOUSWhat luck!

The Runaway Five members high-five each other. They beginhastily filing into the bus, followed by the kids.

GORGEOUSAll aboard the bus! Were headinto Foreside!

The bus pulls out. The Runaway Five are ecstatically wavingtheir arms out the window and yelling. Atop a building, aPILOT in a large yellow attack helicopter watches them.

PILOT(into radio)

Targets have entered thebus. Heading to Foreside. Repeat,

bus en route to Foreside.

The helicopters rotors begin to rotate.

INT.BUS - MIDDAY

LUCKY is driving the bus along a straight highway through adesert. Each bus seat fits two people, though the RunawayFives instruments take up some extra space. NESS and PAULAare seated next to each other, with PAULA by the window andNESS by the aisle. JEFF is in the seat behind them, next toa stack of drum cases. They have been traveling for severalhours, and all 3 kids are getting sleepy.

PAULAAny idea when well get toForeside?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 42.

NESSWell, looking at this map, maybeanother four or five hours.

PAULA leans her head back and closes her eyes.

PAULAWell, wake me when we get there.

NESSSure.

PAULA begins to doze off. JEFF reaches around the seat andtaps NESS on the shoulder.

JEFFHey, Ness?

NESS

Yeah?

PAULAs head slips down onto NESSs shoulder. NESS keeps apoker face and tries to stay still. JEFF cannot see NESS orPAULA from the seat behind, as the seat back is too large tosee over and the drum cases prevent JEFF from leaving hisseat. JEFF is occupied working on his laserdevice. GORGEOUS, sitting across the aisle from NESS,watches with amusement.

JEFFCan you come into the aisle andlook at this?

NESSUh, what is it?

JEFFIm trying to modify my laserdevice to be less volatile.

NESSWell, thats good. How goes it?

JEFFJust come around and see.

NESSUm...ok, for a second.

NESS tries to find another place to rest PAULAs head, butfinds none. He holds her head where it is using his handand awkwardly leans around the seat to see JEFFs project.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 43.

JEFFSee look, Im trying to go for adesign more like a firearm than a--

NESSA box?

JEFF(in background)

...yeah. Now, this is the triggermechanism. Here, lookclosely. Youll see theres asmall spring there to provide a bitof resistance. Of course, we dontwant the trigger going off tooeasily. So anyway, the triggervery briefly closes this circuithere, which is connected to boththe power source located in thebutt of the gun, and the "barrel"

here, though that is something ofan inaccurate term to describe thistype of weapon. The weapon fires ashort burst of laser energy. Youknow, a common misconception isthat the laser light is thedangerous element. But in fact,its the heat produced that posesthe true threat. Fascinating,isnt it?

NESSYeah. Very--very impressive.

While JEFF talks, NESS must find a way to get closer to whatJEFF is showing him without letting PAULAs head drop. Hetries his foot to keep her head up, but that quickly provesineffective. He quickly catches her head with his otherarm, which is now bent backward at an awkward angle. Heuses his other arm to grab his baseball bat. Using the batas an extension of his arm angle around the chairs back, hekeeps PAULAs head up from far enough away to be able to seeJEFFs project up close. Even with the bat, he must balanceon one leg and lean far forward to see theproject. GORGEOUS watches this, trying to keep himself from

laughing.

JEFF...quite. Now there is recoil whenfiring, but it originates not fromthe discharge but from the--

The bus suddenly swerves as a large yellow helicopter swoopsdown, firing on the bus.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 44.

INTERCUT BETWEEN BUS AND HELICOPTER

PAULA is jerked back awake.

PAULAWhats going on?

LUCKYNot sure, Maam!

GORGEOUSDrive, Lucky! Drive!

PILOTEngaging the target. Repeat,engaging the target.

JEFF sticks his head out the window to look above. Henarrowly evades a stream of bullets. He starts hastily

reconstructing his laser device.

JEFFGot it!

JEFF leans out the window and fires at the helicopter. Hemisses several times. The helicopter falls back behind thebus and lowers it altitude.

PILOTTargets possess some sort oflaser. Falling back, butcontinuing pursuit.

JEFF opens the rear door of the bus for a brief moment andfires again at the helicopter, which is only a few feet offthe ground. He misses again, partically due to the snakingbus. He pulls the door shut just as a spray of bulletsmakes impact with the rear of the bus.

PAULAMonotoli?!

NESSWhat?!

PAULAThe helicopter! It says Monotolion the side!

NESSWhat does Monotoli want with us?!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 45.

PAULAI dont know!

GORGEOUSDont tell me the ten grand belongsto Monotoli, kid!

NESSI dont know where it was from! Afriend gave it to us!

GORGEOUSWho?!

NESSEverdred!

GORGEOUSReally?! Youve gotta be kidding!

NESSYou mean he stole it?!

JEFF fires the laser out the back of the bus again, and veryclearly misses. The copters windshield cracks and thePILOT falls out onto the ground.

NESSNice shot!

GORGEOUSWay to go, kid!

JEFFBut I missed...

NESSHuh?

They all look and see a second person, PO, in thecockpit. PO dislodges his sabre from the windshield andbarely manages to pull up before the copter can hit theground. The kids watch as he inexperiencedly pulls thecopter high into the sky, then plummets back down. As thecopter falls from very high up, the machine gun continuesfiring and hits the front end of the bus. The buss engineexplodes and the bus screeches to a halt. The kids watch asthe copter crash-lands in the distance, on the other side ofseveral sand dunes.


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46.

EXT.DESERT

Everyone gets off the bus. A column of smoke is visible inthe distance where the copter crashed. Everyone stands fora moment.

NESSI think we should find whoever thatwas.

PAULAYeah. He did save us.

JEFFMhm. If we go now he might not befar from the smoke.

GORGEOUSYou guys go ahead. Well stay here

and try to get the bus fixed up.

LUCKYHey genius kid! Can ya help?

JEFFI dont know much aboutautomobiles. Im more into lasersand aircraft.

LUCKY(sarcastic)

And aircraft with lasers too, I

bet.

JEFFExactly.

LUCKY...right. See ya later, kids.

The kids begin walking across the desert. An old steamboatis half-buried in the sand.

NESSWhats a boat doing here?

JEFFThis desert must have been a lakeor sea in the past.

After walking across some more dunes, the three kids comeacross a larger hill made more of stone than sand. There isa cave entrance in the side of the hill, leading toward the

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 47.

valley in the middle of the hill, where the column of smokeis originating. NESS tries to climb the side of the hill,but slips back down.

NESSI guess well have to try the cave.

INT.DESERT CAVE

NESS, PAULA, and JEFF walk through the cave.

PAULADo you think hes alright?

JEFFWell see. That sounded like avery rough landing. Still, heseemed very adept at what he was

doing.

NESS makes short eye contact with PAULA. She giggles.

PAULAMy thoughts exactly!

JEFFWhat?

PAULAHe wasnt very adept at flying thehelicopter!

JEFF smiles a bit.

EXT.SATURN VALLEY

The kids exit the cave to find that the valley is a largeoasis. The bright green grass, blooming flowers, and smallstreams are in direct contrast to the outside world. Thesmall valley seems completely isolated from the rest of theworld. There are several small cylindrical huts withconical roofs in the valley. The huts seem to be built forpeople only two or three feet tall. As they walk into thevillage, which appears to be completely deserted, ascuffling sound draws the kids attention off to theside. They very briefly see a short, round, stumpy figurescurry behind a hut.

NESSHello?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 48.

The kids go round to the other side of the hut. Hidingbehind the hut is a tiny creature called a MR. SATURN. Itappears to be just a spherical bald head with roundfeet. The strangely cute creature has beady eyes, largeprominent eyebrows, a cartoonishly large and round nose, anda single hair with a red bow tied around it. It is wary of

the kids presence. PAULA kneels down and gives it afriendly smile.

PAULAHi.

MR. SATURN 1...hi?

PAULA gestures to the others to join her.

PAULAHi.

NESSHi.

JEFFHi!

MR. SATURN 1Hi...hi...hi?

PAULANah, just "hi."

MR. SATURN 1Hi h i hi. Hi h i hi!

MR. SATURN 1 perks up and seems excited to meet his newfriends. About 20-25 more MR. SATURNs slowly emerge fromvarious hiding places and circle around the three kids. TheMR. SATURNs repeat the same phrase "Hi hi hi!" over andover. It becomes a disorganized chorus of "Hi"s.

PAULA(giggling)

Theyre like a bunch of littlekids!

JEFFThey kinda scare me...

PAULAThey act just like the kids backhome! My mom runs a preschool.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 49.

Slowly, the talking dies down. Another MR. SATURN moves tothe front of the group.

MR. SATURN 2Hi hi hi. I Mr. Saturn.

PAULAHello Mr. Saturn.

Another MR. SATURN approaches PAULA. Whenever one MR.SATURN talks to the kids, the others in the group quietlyrepeat the last word he says in a thought. They seem veryhappy and satisfied when they do this, though no MR. SATURNever smiles. Their mouths are never visible and as such donot move.

PAULAAnd who are you?

MR. SATURN 3I Mr. Saturn.

NESSYou too?

MR. SATURN 3I Mr. Saturn. He Mr. Saturn. HeMr. Saturn. They Mr.Saturn. Here, we all Mr.Saturn! Boing!

JEFF

Well. This isnt something you seeevery day.

MR. SATURN 4See Mr. Saturn every day! All day,every day! Zoom! Saturn Valleyall Saturns!

PAULANess, arent they so adorable?

NESS pokes a Mr. Saturn. It slowly tips over.

NESSTheyre...interesting...

JEFFGuys, we need to find thehelicopter!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 50.

PAULARight, right.

They move toward the column of smoke on the other side ofthe valley. The Mr. Saturns follow.

NESSThere it is, up on that cliff!

The cliff is a smooth, vertical rock face about 12 feethigh. There is no way for the kids to climb it. All 3 kidsturn away from the cliff to talk.

PAULAHow are we gonna get up there?

NESS(to JEFF)

Got anything?

JEFFJust the laser, and I doubt thatlldo much good.

While they are talking, in the background 5 MR. SATURNsclimb on top of each other into a tower. MR. SATURN 1oversees the construction.

MR. SATURN 1Help!

PAULA

What?

MR. SATURN 1You climb here!

The three kids stare at the wobbly tower of MR. SATURNs.

JEFFBetter than nothing.

MR. SATURN 1Nothing better.

The kids begin awkwardly climbing up the "ladder" of squishyMR. SATURNs.

BOTTOM MR. SATURNBottom Saturn strong.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 51.

2ND MR. SATURNPlay ladder, zoom!

3RD MR. SATURNShoe print on nose.

4TH MR. SATURNSaturn hair tickles.

TOP MR. SATURNAfraid of heights.

NESS and PAULA reach the top of the cliff. As JEFF stepsoff the top MR. SATURN, he loses his footing and barelygrabs the edge of the cliff before the five MR. SATURNstumble to the ground. NESS and PAULA help him up.

JEFFThanks.

NESSHello? Is anyone there?

MR. SATURN 1(from below)

Mr. Saturn here, boing!

PAULAThey really are cute, arentthey. I wonder how the babieslook.

JEFFTheyre called Mr. Saturn, so Iwould think theyre all male, whichbrings up very interesting ideasregarding how they--

NESSSsh. Look.

PO exits the helicopter. He is wearing a white martial artssuit with a black belt. His long black hair is tied up.

POGreetings. I have been instructedto assist you in your quest. Ishall perform my duties to the bestof my ability.

NESSWait a minute, who are you?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 52.

POI am Prince Po of Dalaam. Mymaster foretold the coming of agreat evil to the Earth. Heexplained I must find you in orderto defeat it.

JEFFAnd how did you find us?

POWhen I heard news of the meteorite,I knew something important hadoccurred. I went there immediatelyand have been following you eversince, to make sure you are thethree I am looking for.

NESS

Fair enough, but that still doesntexplain how the heck you got ontoMonotolis helicopter.

POI simply teleported onto the craft.

PAULATeleportation?! I had only heardrumors...

JEFFSo you have this psychokinesis

stuff too, huh?

POIn Dalaam we call it the Power ofMu. But yes, that is how I canteleport.

JEFF looks disappointed and silently climbs into thehelicopters cockpit.

PAULACan you teleport more than oneperson?

POAnyone I touch during teleportcomes along with me.

PAULACool!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 53.

NESSCan you take us back to the bus?

JEFFNo, Im trying to get this working.

POBesides, I need rest.

NESSLets head back down. I get thefeeling the Saturns will be morethan happy to help us.

JEFFYou go ahead. Im trying to fix upthis copter.

Arriving back at the cliff, NESS, PAULA, and PO can see out

over the whole village. Every MR. SATURN is lying on itsback with a red balloon tied to its large round nose. Theyare simply staring up at the balloons floating severalmeters above them. The kids carefully drop down the cliffand enter the village.

NESSWhat the...?

MR. SATURN 1Fishing time.

NESS

Huh?

MR. SATURN 2Watching sky.

MR. SATURN 1Fishing for birdie.

PAULACaught any?

MR. SATURN 1No. No birdies.

MR. SATURN 3Quiet! Birdies run!

The kids stand there silently for a moment, watching the MR.SATURNs futile efforts to catch a bird.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 54.

POIf you give me a place to rest, Iwill catch a bird for you.

MR. SATURN 1You will catch birdie?

POYes. Is that okay?

The MR. SATURNs glance at each other.

MR. SATURN 1Kay-o!

INT.SATURN HOUSE

A couple MR. SATURNs along with NESS, PAULA, and PO enter a

house. The building built for the little MR. SATURNs isuncomfortably small for the humans.

MR. SATURN 1Sleep here.

MR. SATURN 1 offers PO a very small round bed designed forMR. SATURNs.

POThank you.

MR. SATURN 1

Is kay-o.

PO sits cross-legged on the bed and closes his eyes. NESSand PAULA take two other beds. The MR. SATURNs sleep on thefloor. MR. SATURN 1 climbs inside a metal trash can.

MR. SATURN 1Cramped.

INT.HELICOPTER - EVENING

JEFF sits silently in the cockpit. He messes with somewires but cannot get the copter working. He leans back inhis seat and covers his eyes with his hand.

JEFF(mumbling)

What am I doing here?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 55.

He opens his eyes and stares at the jumble of wires. Hetakes a deep breath, touches his fingers to his temples, andstares intently at the wires, trying to usetelekinesis. Nothing happens. JEFF bites his lip, exitsthe copter, and fires his laser, causing the copter to meltand catch on fire. He walks away as the ruined helicopter

burns behind him.

EXT.SATURN VALLEY - MORNING

NESS, PAULA, JEFF, PO, and all the MR. SATURNs stand in agroup in the middle of the village.

MR. SATURN 1Time for fishing birdies.

MR. SATURN 1 brings PO a red balloon on a long string.

MR. SATURN 1Fish.

POI do not need that, thank you.

MR. SATURN 1 looks confused, but backs off.

POStand back.

PO spots a bird in the air. He teleports up into the air,grabs the bird, and lands in a nearby small pond. The MR.

SATURNs and the kids come over.

MR. SATURN 1Birdie?...

PO holds up the bird he caught.

MR. SATURN 1Birdie! First birdie! You thank!

As usual repeating the last word said, the other MR. SATURNsswarm PO to get a good look at the bird.

POYour bird. Where shall I put it?

MR. SATURN 1Put in sky.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 56.

POThe sky?

MR. SATURN 1Birdie in sky!

MR. SATURN 2Watch sky!

MR. SATURN 3Birdies!

POYou do not want to eat it?

MR. SATURN 1Eat birdie?

MR. SATURN 2

Mr. Saturn eat noodles, not birdie!

MR. SATURN 3Sky! Sky birdie!

POVery well...

PO releases the bird back into the sky.

MR. SATURN 1(repeated by other MR. SATURNsmany times)

Sky birdie!

MR. SATURN 2(repeated many times)

Birdie sky!

MR. SATURN 3(repeated a couple times)

Zoom!

MR. SATURN 4Run birdie run!

MR. SATURN 5Dakota!

The four kids watch as the elated MR. SATURNs hop after thebird as it flies away.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 57.

POWhat is our goal now?

NESSWeve gotta get toForeside. Somehow Monotoli is

involved in all this.

JEFF(to PO)

Monotoli is a wealthy businessmanliving in Foreside.

PAULAWe filled Po in on everything whileyou were fixing the helicopter.

JEFF(not hiding his irritation

very well)Right. Of course.

NESSSo is it ready to go?

JEFFIt was, uh, broken beyond repair.

NESSWell, at least you tried.

JEFF

I didnt help anything.

NESSIf anyone else had tried to fixthat, we would have ended upblowing up half of SaturnValley. Whether you think so ornot, Jeff, youre on our team. Weneed you.

JEFF...thanks.

They begin walking through the village, toward the cave.

PAULAI feel kinda bad leaving the Mr.Saturns here alone. They seemreally helpless.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 58.

POThey seem capable. Theyll befine.

MR. SATURN 2 hurries over to the kids.

MR. SATURN 2Flying boy. Secrets tell!

POSecrets?

MR. SATURN 2How you fly! See!

MR. SATURN 2 and the rest turn around and look into thebackground, toward the cliff they climbed earlier. A MR.SATURN jumps off the cliff toward a bird flying. Heplummets and splats facedown on the ground. There is a line

of MR. SATURNS waiting their turn behind him, and a pile ofdizzy MR. SATURNS stumbling around at the bottom of thecliff.

MR. SATURN 2Mr. Saturn tried flight. Fell toground. Nose bump.

PODont fly. Try making something tocatch birds.

MR. SATURN 2

Kay-o. Make things forbirdies. Zoom!

MR. SATURN 2 runs off and joins the other MR. SATURNs. Thekids continue walking out of the village.

PO...theyll be fine.

MR. SATURN 1 curiously follows them into the cave.

EXT.DESERT - LATE MORNING

The Runaway Five are waiting outside their bus.

GORGEOUSSo ya found yer friend, eh? Readyto head to Foreside?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 59.

NESSReady when you are.

GORGEOUSAlright, the bus is all fixedup. Guys! Lets head out!

The Runaway Five and the kids pile into the bus. MR. SATURN1 sneaks aboard behind them but hides under a seat when theloud bus starts up and startles him. The bus continues onits way.

INT.BUS - MIDDAY

The configuration of seating in the bus is the same asbefore, except this time JEFF has PO sitting next to him,rather than the drum cases. JEFF is building a smallelectronic device.

POYou seem quite young for amechanic.

JEFFWhat? Oh, Im not amechanic. Working on stuff likethis is a hobby. My dad is ascientist.

POIt is remarkable that you are so

knowledgeable about such things atso young an age!

JEFFI suppose. How old are you?

POSeventeen.

JEFFAnd you say youre a prince?

POPrince of Dalaam.

JEFFWell thats something.

POWhat are you working on?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 60.

JEFFThis is going to be a PhaseInverter. My father and I areworking on building a PhaseDistorter, and this is a crucialcomponent.

POInteresting! What will this PhaseDistorter do?

JEFFIn theory, it will create astationary warp bubble arounditself, allowing anything within toexist outside of normal space andtime. In essence, it will allowfor instant travel to any point inspace and time.

POAmazing! You know, Ive had aninterest in this type of thing. Ijust never had the time to pursuethem.

JEFFPrince stuff?

POSome, and a lot of Mutraining. But Id like to learn

more about this.

JEFFWell, I could always use some helpbuilding the Phase Inverter.

POI would be glad to help if youllteach me.

JEFFSure. Alright, so this sectionhere controls the fluxvariant. You can see that on theblueprints here...

As the bus continues toward Foreside, JEFF teaches PO.


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61.

EXT.METROPOLIS - NIGHT

The kids exit the bus next to a hotel.

NESSThanks guys!

GORGEOUSNo problem, thanks for gettin usoutta Tussone!

PAULAWhere are you going now?

GORGEOUSI figure well try to set up shophere in Foreside. If ya need us,well be at the theater!

NESS

Alright.

GORGEOUSWell, see ya around, kid.

The bus drives off.

NESSSo Jeff, your dad said we shouldcome to Foreside. Any idea why?

JEFFHe said the robot told him wedmeet a friend here.

PAULASomeone weve met before?

JEFFI dont know.

POWhat is going on over there?

PO points to a crowd of people gathered around a dark

alley. The kids come over. PO, who is fairly tall, can seeover the crowd.

POTheres a man lying on theground. He looks badly hurt. Darkround glasses, long black hair, ahat--

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 62.

PAULAEverdred!

PAULA pushes through the crowd and the others follow.

EVERDRED

...P-Paula...

PAULAWhat happened?!

EVERDREDThey...they found me.

NESSWho?

EVERDREDMono...Monotoli. He sent

them...after me...

JEFFThe money you gave us.

PAULA is silently tearing up.

EVERDREDYes...his money.

PAULASo its our fault.

EVERDREDNo...no....none of this is yourfault. It was...my fault. Itmakes me wonder...

NESSWonder what?

EVERDREDAll my money. In the end...wasit...worth it?...

EVERDRED falls silent. PAULA hides her face in herhands. NESS looks back up.

NESSThats it. Were paying a visit toMr. Monotoli tomorrow. Everdred,were gonna make it worth it.


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63.

INT.FANCY HOTEL LOBBY

The receptionist ignores the kids at first.

NESSTwo rooms please.

RECEPTIONISTIm going to need your credit cardif you dont have any cash.

The kids exchange glances. PO steps forward and removes aruby earring from his ear.

POWill this suffice?

The RECEPTIONISTs eyes widen but she quickly regains hercomposure.

RECEPTIONIST(faking indifference)

Itll cover one room.

POIll have you know that this--

NESSIts fine.

JEFFIm not sure about only getting one

room. We dont want a situationlike last time.

NESSThese nice hotels always have oneof those pull-out couches and anair mattress or something.

INT.HOTEL ROOM

The hotel room is conspicuously couchless. The beds arebigger than in the last hotel, but there are still only two.

NESS...right. Well, its just for onenight. You two can get that bed,and Paula can have the other. Illsleep on the floor.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 64.

PAULANo Ness, you can...

NESS and PAULA look at each other for a moment. Meanwhile,JEFF sets his backpack of machine parts onto the floor andlies down on one of the beds. PO gets into the samebed. They put as much distance between each other as

possible.

NESS(to PAULA)

Go ahead. Ill be back.

PAULA gets into the other bed and watches as NESS leaves thehotel room.

INT.HOTEL HALLWAY

NESS looks out the window at the end of the hall. He can

see the many lights and hear the traffic of downtownForeside outside, yet it is strangely serene. Leaning onthe windowsill, he simply stands looking out. After aminute, he feels a hand on his shoulder.

PAULAHey, you alright?

NESSYeah. Just...remembering home.

PAULAHomesick?

NESSMaybe a little.

PAULAI like getting away from homesometimes. A break from all themedia following me around.

NESSHow do they know you havepsychokinesis?

PAULAThey found out a long time ago. Itwas something stupid. I must havebeen six or seven. I tried to opena door using it, but the doorknobcame off and flew across theroom. A lot of people saw it.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 65.

NESSSo how come Ive never heard of youbefore?

PAULAIts stayed kind of a local

legend. Makes me glad were inForeside. Not everyone in theentire town will know me by name!

They share a quiet laugh.

NESSAbout Everdred--

PAULAI dont want to talk about it.

NESS

Yes you do. I dont need to be amind reader to know that.

PAULAYoure right. Its just...Ivenever lost a friend before likethis.

NESSNeither have I.

PAULAAnd now that hes gone, it makes me

scared.

NESSScared of what?

PAULAScared that with all this Giygasbusiness...I might lose morefriends.

Silence.

PAULAWell, Im going tosleep. Goodnight.

NESSNight.

PAULA heads back down the hallway. NESS stands by himselffor a minute, then goes back to the room.


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66.

INT.HOTEL ROOM

NESS stands by the door for a moment. JEFF and PO are fastasleep, and PAULA is sleeping under the covers on the secondbed. NESS quietly makes his way to the second bed and liesdown on top of the covers.

INT.OFFICE BUILDING

NESS walks up to the receptionist desk in the lobby.

RECEPTIONISTHello, welcome to the MonotoliBuilding! Do you have anappointment?

NESSNo. We were hoping to see Mr.

Monotoli.

RECEPTIONISTIm sorry, nobody may go to the100th floor without an appointment.

NESSOh, alright.

NESS goes over to the other 3 kids, who are standing by theelevator doors, hiding behind a newspaper. They all enterthe elevator and the doors close. PAULA pockets thenewspaper.

NESSYeah, they wont let us.

JEFFThats a shame.

JEFF pulls a panel off the wall of the elevator and fiddleswith some circuitry inside.

JEFFNext stop, 100th floor.

They exit the elevator at the top floor of the building andenter the only door in the otherwise bare hallway. Throughthe door is a huge, fancy office filled with gold objectsand statues. There is a gold victrola in a corner playing agold record of Sousas "Liberty Bell March." In the middleof the room, sitting on a golden chair at a golden desk, isPORKY.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 67.

PORKYAh, Ness! I was sure youd make ithere eventually.

NESSPorky?! What is going on here?!

PORKYIm working for Mr. Monotolinow! Im...an intern. Yeah,thats it, an intern!

JEFFBy the looks of it, youre a bithigher up than that.

PORKYArent you going to introduce me toyour friends, Ness? Any friend of

yours is a friend of mine.

NESSI dont know how youre involved inall this, but Im going to put astop to it.

JEFFStarting with this music. Why doyou have a record player, anyway?

PORKYIts a gold record player with a

gold record of, I dunno, someclassical stuff! How much moreclassy can you get?

NESSClass for the sake of classdoesnt--

PORKY(approaching PAULA)

Oh, and I see youve got yourself alovely girlfriend, Ness. Tell me,sweetie, if you had a choicebetween this kid and the wholeworld--

PAULAAnything but you.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 68.

PAULA slaps PORKY across the face with the newspaper. Hegets a paper cut in the same spot as the one made by hisfathers newspaper. PORKY stands silently, begins tremblingslightly, and starts tearing up a bit.

PO

Its just a minor injury--

PORKY(shaking, violentlydistressed)

What do you mean its just--?!

NESSIts just a paper cut, Porky.

PORKY pauses and looks at NESS.

PORKY

Its not just a paper cut.

PORKY sniffles once, and tries to regain his composure.

PORKYYou...

PORKY snaps his fingers, and four handkerchiefs withpig-nose patterns fly into the air and gag the kids.

PORKY(suddenly manic, but stilltrembling)

Ive heard enough out of youall! As you can see, Master Giygasis gaining control over matteritself, and hes allowed me a tinypart of that power.

NESS(muffled)

Master Giygas?!

PORKY gestures, and the handkerchief gagging NESStightens. Meanwhile, JEFF secretly tosses a tiny device onthe floor. It rolls toward PORKY and sticks to his shoe.

PORKYYou know that saying, if you cantbeat em, join em? Well, I joinedem. And its great. At least, itwill be after pathetic whiners likeyou arent around to pester meanymore.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 69.

PORKY gestures, and the victrola starts shaking.

PORKYAnd since you dont like my music,my music doesnt like you. Illlet Mr. Suesue or whatever finish

you off!

PORKY snaps his fingers, and the record flies off thevictrola. The victrola begins walking toward thekids. PORKY runs off through a golden door labeled "RoofAccess." The gold record zooms toward NESS and cuts cleanthrough his backpack strap. The backpack falls onto theground. NESSs bat rolls out of his reach. JEFF tries tofire the laser gun but it shorts out. The victrola andrecord back the kids into a corner. Suddenly, a saxophonesmashes down on the record, shattering it into pieces.

GORGEOUS

I never liked Sousa anyway.

LUCKY removes the gags from the kids as the other four bandmembers fight off the victrola.

GORGEOUSWe figured youd find a way uphere.

After fighting the victrola for a bit, GROOVY deals thefinishing blow by smashing his bass guitar onto thevictrola, Pete Townshend style.

NESSPorky went to the roof.

They follow after PORKY.

EXT.SKYSCRAPER ROOF

PORKY and an elderly man, MR. MONOTOLI, are in a smallyellow passenger helicopter. The copter rises into the air.

PORKY(over loudspeaker)

Too late! Ahahaha! I wish I couldsee you again, Ness, but knowinghow Master Giygas plan isprogressing, I dont think I willbe!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 70.

MR. MONOTOLI(in a trance)

Im...h-happy!

MR. MONOTOLI tries to jump out of the open copter door, butPORKY restrains him. The helicopter flies away.

PAULANow well never find him.

JEFFNot so fast. I attached a trackingdevice to Porky. Hopefully we canfollow him straight to Giygas.

NESSNice going, Jeff!

JEFF

Oh, it was nothing. Thanks.

EXT.CITY STREETS

The kids and the Runaway Five exit the Monotoli Building.

NESSSo, why did you come to find us?

GORGEOUSTo return yer little friend.

NESSWhat?

They enter the tour bus parked by the building. MR. SATURN1 is sitting on a passenger seat.

MR. SATURN 1Hi hi hi!

GORGEOUSWe found him hiding under aseat. Funny little guy, isnt he?

PAULAMr. Saturn, what are you doinghere?

MR. SATURN 1Followed. Then big buszoomed! Not Saturn Valley anymore.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 71.

PAULAWe need to get you back home.

A loud whirring noise outside gets their attention. Theyexit the bus. Outside the bus, a beaten-up Sky Runner isfloating overhead. DR. ANDONUTS yells down to the ground.

JEFFPerfect timing.

DR. ANDONUTSHey, son! Whats new?

JEFF(yelling up)

We know where to go next, but weneed to get this...thing...homefirst!

DR. ANDONUTSNo problem! The Sky Runner is allfixed up! I even added landinggear!

DR. ANDONUTS tosses a rope ladder down, and JEFF climbsaboard.

POThis does not look safe.

NESSIts fine. Id trust Dr. Andonuts

with my life.

PO hesitantly climbs aboard the Sky Runner.

PAULA(whispering)

Really?

NESS(quickly)

No.

NESS and PAULA, who is holding MR. SATURN 1, board the SkyRunner.


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72.

INT.SKY RUNNER

DR. ANDONUTSAnd were off!

The Sky Runner lurches and jerks, but successfully startsmoving.

JEFFWhat still baffles me is howPorky--

DR. ANDONUTSExcuse me, sorry, but where are wegoing?

JEFFWe need to take this guy--

PAULA

Mr. Saturn.

JEFF...Mr. Saturn...back home to SaturnValley. Here are the coordinates.

While JEFF talks, MR. SATURN 1 curiously wanders over to thewindow. When he sees how high up they are, he zooms back toPAULA and hides his face against her, quivering.

JEFFAnyway, how did Porky end up sohigh-up with Monotoli soquickly? Ness, didnt you say heonly left home a day before youdid?

NESSYeah. I think Giygas must beinvolved somehow. Monotoli wasacting just like Carpainter. MaybeGiygas led Porky to Monotoli.

PAULABut why?

NESSI cant think of any reason Giygaswould want Porky on his side.

JEFFIf Porky is Giygas top choice foran ally, this is one stupid alienwere dealing with.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 73.

POThats my fear.

JEFFWhat?

POIf Giygas is acting erratically,were in even more trouble than wethought.

NESSWhy?

POIt means he has absolutely norestraint. A reckless enemy is themost dangerous enemy of all.

DR. ANDONUTSAlright, were arriving in SaturnValley.

EXT.SATURN VALLEY - EARLY AFTERNOON

The Sky Runner crash-lands in the middle of thevillage. The MR. SATURNs gather around, intrigued. JEFFand DR. ANDONUTS exit the Sky Runner.

JEFFYou said this had landing gear!

DR. ANDONUTSI didnt say it worked.

MR. SATURN 1 dizzily stumbles out of the Sky Runner.

MR. SATURN 1All your things fall?

NESS, PAULA, and PO exit the Sky Runner.

PO(to JEFF)

I think my first project should bemaking some landing equipment.

DR. ANDONUTSToo late for that. The SkyRunners totaled.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 74.

NESSSo how are we gonna follow Porky?

JEFFWell figure that out later. Fornow, lets find out where hesheaded.

JEFF pulls a small device out of his backpack. He turns iton and studies the small viewscreen.

JEFFAccording to this, Porkyis...here. Ness, check thesecoordinates on your map.

NESS...theres nothing on the mapthere. Just a blank spot.

DR. ANDONUTSThe Deep Darkness.

PAULAWhat?

DR. ANDONUTSA small island out to sea sodangerous that it has never beencharted. There are rumors thatanyone who sails close to theisland is eaten by a great seaserpent.

JEFFImpossible. Sea monsters are justa myth.

DR. ANDONUTSAgreed. But theres something outthere, and its deadly.

NESSMaybe Giygas has been there a lotlonger than we thought. Eitherway, we need to get theresomehow. Po, can you teleport us?

POI dont think so. I can onlyteleport to places I can seeclearly in my mind. I would need apicture of the destination.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 75.

DR. ANDONUTSThere are no pictures of the DeepDarkness. Nobody has made it therealive.

PAULA

Then how can we get there?

MR. SATURN 2Found thing to catchbirdies. Doesnt catch birdies.

They turn to see the MR. SATURNs have brought the oldsteamboat into Saturn Valley. It has been given a Mr.Saturn-colored (light skin tone) coat of paint, and theflagpole now sports a large red ribbon.

JEFFPerfect! I can modify this to get

it sailing again!

MR. SATURN 2Doesnt catch birdies. What is?

JEFFThat? Its a ship, a boat.

MR. SATURN 2Ship boat. Is Saturn ShipBoat! Boing!

Five MR. SATURNs ladder up next to the boat. They paint

"SATURN SHIP BOAT" in the iconic Mr. Saturn font on the sideof the boat.

NESSThe S.S. Boat.

POIts very...straightforward.

JEFFWhats not so straightforward ishow were gonna get this to thesea.

DR. ANDONUTSOh, thats easy. Jeff, can I seethat Phase Inverter you weremaking?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 76.

JEFFOf course, the Phase Distorter! Ididnt realize you had it here!

JEFF tosses the Phase Inverter device to DR. ANDONUTS, whoinserts it into the Phase Distorter, a spherical metal

machine with a compartment inside, through an openpanel. It is painted the same color as the S.S. Boat, andhas a red ribbon tied to the antenna on top.

DR. ANDONUTSThat should do it. The PhaseDistorter is complete! Just put itnext to the boat and youll be set!

NESSWouldnt it have to be inside?

DR. ANDONUTS

Thats whats so great about warpbubbles! Objects in contact withthe source will be enveloped by thebubble! Fortunately the Earth ismuch too massive forthat. Otherwise it would bedisastrous. Here, help me withthis.

The kids, DR. ANDONUTS, and the MR. SATURNs move the PhaseDistorter so it touches the S.S. Boat.

DR. ANDONUTS

Alright, now you four just touch itand Ill send it off.

POAre you sure this will work? Fromwhat Jeff has taught me, astretched warp bubble is extremelyunstable.

DR. ANDNONUTSStable, schmable. Youll befine! Now, Im sending you toThreed, the closest town to theDeep Darkness.

DR. ANDONUTS types in numbers on the Phase Distorterskeypad.

POI am still not sure about this. Itmight put us miles away from--


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77.

DR. ANDONUTS punches one final button and the PhaseDistorter, S.S. Boat, and four kids disappear in a flash oflight.

EXT.MOUNTAINSIDE - AFTERNOON

The four kids materialize in a flash of light. They are onthe side of a forested mountain, but there is a view of acoastal town down below.

PO--the coast.

NESS, having landed right on the edge of a somewhat steepincline, wobbles and falls. Both JEFF and PAULA reach outto grab his hands, helping him back up.

NESSThanks. Jeff, is your dad trying

to kill us?!

JEFFHe means well.

PAULACould use a bit more focus.

POAnd some common sense. Look downthere. Theres a town.

NESSRight by the sea. Maybe itsThreed.

JEFFAnd with any luck the boat at leastlanded in the right spot.

NESSAlright, I think we should searchthe town now, before someone takesthe boat.

EXT.FOREST EDGE

The kids come to the border between the dense forest andThreed. The town is overrun with Starmen and othermonsters. Inanimate objects such as fire hydrants, streetsigns, and mail boxes have come to life and are rampagingaround the town. No human inhabitants can be seen; all thebuildings are locked and windows closed.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 78.

NESSOn second thought, maybe we shouldwait a while.

PAULA(quickly)

Yep.

JEFF(quickly)

Yeah.

PO(quickly)

Agreed.

EXT.CLEARING - NIGHT

A small campfire is barely staying lit in the middle of thegroup.

POThe fire is dying, and well freezeto death tonight without it. Weneed anything that will burn.

NESS tosses his backpack and everything in it to PO, whoputs it on the fire.

POJeff?

JEFFI just have these blueprints.

NESS looks in JEFFs pack.

NESSAnd this ruler.

NESS pulls out the wooden ruler which TONY had given toJEFF.

JEFFNo! Theres plenty of wood in theforest!

POIts too wet. Must have rainedrecently.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: 79.

NESSJeff, its just a ruler.

JEFF(hesitantly)

...its...just a ruler...

NESS tosses the ruler onto the fire.

POSo. It appears Giygas has alreadytaken control of Threed.

NESSYeah. Well have to make a run forthe coast and hope the boat isthere.

PAULA

No, we have to stay and help thepeople here!

NESSPaula, we dont have time forthat. We need to find Giygas.

PAULAI cant believe you!

NESSWhat?!

PAULAYou say were going to fight offaliens, but at the first realchance we get you want to run away!

NESSWere not running away,Paula! Listen, whats mostimportant now is Giygas. Its forthe greater good.

PAU

eb screenplay - rough second draft

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