Rise of The Kek Screenplay
John Joseph Burhop
RISE OF THE KEK SCREENPLAY
by
John Joseph Burhop
****
PUBLISHED BY:
Rise of The Kek
Copyright 2010 by John Joseph Burhop
FADE IN:
INT. SCOUTSHIP - EARTH ORBIT
A small-framed humanoid sits in the spacecraft's tiny cockpit. He has four equidistant arms and four equidistant legs. An opposable thumb centers each of his nine-fingered hands. He is a CIDEBAN named PIREN.
A screen on the console displays STOCK FOOTAGE of human scientists splitting the first atom. A chronometer below it reads "1932"
A red light begins flashing, BEEPING. Piren activates a voice recorder.
PIREN
Cideban Scoutship Sol Three reporting.
Auto Return has activated. Earth year
1932. The humans have split their first
atom. First contact may be possible
sooner than we thought.
EXT. EARTH ORBIT
The scoutship rotates away from Earth, then darts off at incredible speed.
INT. SCOUTSHIP
The screen's image freezes in frame as the chronometer rapidly advances to "1975"
EXT. OUTER SPACE
PAN DOWN - CONTINUOUS
A speckled yellow moon rises into view. Communication and observation equipment protrude from its upper half.
Sport climbers are visible on its lower edge. Their clothing ranges from spacesuits to coveralls as we descend.
EXT. PLANET CIDEBA - DAY
We arrive at the moon's base, grounded on an ocean covered planet.
A storm cloud flickers in the distance.
ZOOM IN on storm cloud.
Four columns of fire BURST through its underside: Braking thrusters.
They illuminate a large spacecraft descending. Eight massive ribs surround its huge octagonal shell from bottom to top.
Lowering.
GROWING LOUDER.
Slowing.
The braking thrusters incinerate the landscape below.
The spacecraft touches down. It is a KEK SHIP.
Large spider-like aliens come swarming out of the ship in waves. They are eight feet in length with large, serrated mandibles and razor sharp claws. They are KEK.
ZOOM IN on a single Kek. It dips down with a slow, steady hunch.
It HISSES loudly before tackling and killing a fleeing Cideban.
The Kek flings the Cideban off to the side.
Two other Kek scurry over.
They perform a creepy dance above the body before devouring it violently.
The Kek ship begins MOANING, CREAKING.
Its ribs tear away from the top. They extend upward and outward in eight opposite directions. They arc over and come down hard into the scorched terrain.
The ribs become legs that hoist the central shell into the air.
The ship has transformed into a mobile mechanoid.
It lumbers clumsily toward a well protected facility.
A lame leg drags across the ground, carving a long scar through the facility's perimeter forest. The mechanoid advances unimpeded, snapping trees like twigs.
EXT. ABOVE PLANET CIDEBA
Piren's scoutship barrels into the system. It rapidly decelerates.
A barely visible beam pulls it down toward the planet's surface.
INT. HANGAR FIVE - PLANET CIDEBA - DAY
The beam is emanating from a small spacecraft docking port.
The scoutship is guided smoothly into it.
Piren looks around confusedly. He activates an intercom.
PIREN
Hello?
A SLIGHT TREMOR vibrates the docking port's support. Piren is startled by it. He grows visibly impatient.
A uniformed Cideban comes running into the hangar, waving all four arms above his head. He is GEDDEN.
GEDDEN
I'm coming, I'm coming.
Gedden rams a power cable into the side of the scoutship. He releases a pressure seal, then pushes up the canopy.
GEDDEN (CONT’D)
Welcome home, Commander Piren. I'm
Administrator Gedden.
PIREN
Protocol requires the presence of at
least two docking engineers for all
arriving scoutships.
(unbuckling from the seat)
What if the docking program-
GEDDEN
I'm sorry, sir. You were supposed to dock
in Hangar Six. Uh, we've got a slight
emergency on our hands.
PIREN
What kind of emergency?
Gedden waves Piren over to a computer terminal near the hangar's entrance.
Piren climbs out of the cockpit while Gedden codes in.
A contour map of the planet's surface displays. More than a hundred red pixels flash over its full range. INTRUDER ALERT displays prominently across the screen.
GEDDEN
The Kek captured one of our scoutships
and were able to reverse engineer its
NEUTRINO DRIVE.
PIREN
(referring to the red pixels)
Those are all Kek ships?
GEDDEN
I'm afraid so. We received an emergency
transmission from the pilot just before
he was captured. It revealed that the Kek
have been spinning out spacecraft at an
alarming rate.
PIREN
How did they breach the orbital defense
net?
GEDDEN
They caught us completely off guard.
Their ships' energy signatures matched
those of early model scoutships. We have
older ships coming in all the time.
A MORE POWERFUL TREMOR rattles the hangar.
PIREN
Is that the Kek?
GEDDEN
Must be.
Piren scowls at Gedden.
Gedden Pulls Piren out the door.
EXT. LAUNCH FACILITY - PLANET CIDEBA - DAY
The Kek mechanoid approaches from just outside the facility's perimeter.
Piren is struggling to match Gedden's stride as they run toward a nearby hangar.
PIREN
Where are we going?
GEDDEN
There's a Neutrino Drive in Hangar Six
that needs to be evacuated.
INT. HANGAR SIX - PLANET CIDEBA - DAY
They scramble into the hangar.
Gedden enters a code on a wall safe. He pops it open.
He retrieves a rectangular block of metal approximately one foot long. A small circular hole runs through its length. It is a Neutrino Drive Engine.
Gedden thrusts the engine into a carry bag.
Piren snatches the bag from him.
They scoot out the door.
EXT. LAUNCH FACILITY - DAY
They race back toward Hangar Five.
The mechanoid is now inside the facility's perimeter.
Its lame leg drags across the ground, launching huge chunks of rock and soil into the air with distant, slow motion arcs.
Fodder rains on several nearby hangars.
Another leg IMPACTS the ground.
Piren nearly falls.
INT. HANGAR FIVE - DAY
Gedden and Piren enter the hangar.
Piren climbs into his scoutship. He nestles the carry bag behind the pilot's seat.
PIREN
(buckling in)
What are you going to do?
GEDDEN
Don't worry about me. Just resume your
mission to Earth. That satisfies the
evacuation order. Warning beacons were
/> sent to all Class Three worlds. That
means Earth has already been warned.
Gedden yanks out the power cable. Pulls down the canopy. Seals it. Waves Piren out.
A Kek emerges from a dark corner of the hangar and engulfs Gedden.
Another Kek quickly cocoons itself to the scoutship without Piren's knowledge.
EXT. ABOVE LAUNCH FACILITY - DAY
Piren's ship ascends.
Three Kek mechanoids are visible in the surrounding terrain.
EXT. CIDEBA ORBIT
Laser pulses BURST from the defense satellites.
Piren's ship rises between them, then accelerates out into space.
INT. SCOUTSHIP
Images of Earth's technological advancements flood onto the screen as the EARTH chronometer rapidly advances to 2018.
The scoutship arrives in Earth orbit.
Piren taps into a satellite signal. He conducts a query.
An image of a book appears. It reads: "THE E.T. SIGNAL OF 2018 BY ALEC STRICKLAND."
The COMPUTER begins reading it aloud:
COMPUTER
Little is known about the transmission
received from 58 Eridani...
EXT. ALEC'S HOUSE - DAY
CAPTION: Southern Wisconsin, April 14, 2018
Springtime.
The house is small, rustic. It sits on a long, dirt road. Vast fields of young corn surround it.
An AIRCAR hovers clumsily into the end of its long, gravel driveway. Its four
turbofans WHINE unnervingly.
Rocks pelt the front of the house.
INT. LIVING ROOM - ALEC'S HOUSE - DAY
ALEC STRICKLAND, 21, handsome, healthy, spots the aircar through the living room window.
ALEC
STEVE's here.
Alec spies Steve, 20, stocky, beer belly, through a slit in blinds.
KRISTIN, 19, athletic, brunette, enters the living room.
She places a snack tray and an ashtray on the glass top coffee table.
Alec flings the front door open just as Steve is preparing to knock.
ALEC (CONT’D)
Can I help you?
STEVE
There are rumors of a wild party at this
locale, sir. I'll need to inspect the
premises for beautiful women.
Steve pushes politely past Alec into the house.
He pulls a bottle of JACK DANIELS from a paper sack in his hand, and then drops down on the couch. He takes a long drink from the bottle.
ALEC
I still can't believe you bought that
thing. Didn't anyone you that aircars
were banned from public roads in 2016?
STEVE
Let's see. They're loud, dangerous, and
illegal. Sounds perfect to me.
KRISTIN
I've got to hand it to you Steve, at
least you're consistent.
Steve lights a cigarette.
He slumps forward and begins sampling from the snack tray.
Alec moves into the kitchen.
ALEC
Hey Steve. Think fast.
Alec tosses a bottle of beer to Steve. It sails over the coffee table.
Kristin watches in horror.
Steve catches it smoothly before guzzling half of it down in one long gulp. He then belches loudly.
ALEC (CONT’D)
Another?
Kristin shoots Alec a glance.
Steve finishes the beer, then nods to Alec.
STEVE
Hit me.
Alec retrieves two more beers and a pours a glass of wine for Kristin.
He rejoins them in the living room.
STEVE (CONT’D)
So, ten million copies, huh? I still
can't believe it.
ALEC
Either can I. There's nothing like
turning an old research paper into a best
selling book in three days. Thank god for
eBooks. It definitely pays to be first.
KRISTIN
The alien signal totally dominated the
news. Talk about free publicity.
ALEC
Most of my book is about the history and
evolution of radio astronomy. Very little
of it actually covers the signal itself.
The government hasn't told us anything
about its content.
KRISTIN
Yeah. Tell the world that we've received
an intelligent, extraterrestrial signal
and then try to bury it.
ALEC
They claim to still be
(quoting with four fingers)
deciphering it.
STEVE
Our government at work. Hiding the truth
as usual.
ALEC
It's pretty weird that the signal was
transmitted on a secure government
frequency. I mean, how would they know?
STEVE
How would who know? Where did it come
from?
ALEC
58 Eridani. It's a star about forty three
light years away.
STEVE
(raising his beer)
To The E.T. Signal of 2018 by Alec
Strickland.
They clink clumsily. Race to the bottoms of their drinks.
Kristin wins. She rises victoriously. Moves into the kitchen.
KRISTIN
(with an exaggerated slur)
Another round, boys?
STEVE
Sure.
Kristin reenters the living room. Hands them each a beer, then drops into a recliner.
Steve grabs his beer and stands up.
STEVE (CONT’D)
Come on. I want to show you two the
aircar.
KRISTIN
You guys go ahead. I'm pretty comfy at
the moment.
Alec and Steve head outside.
EXT. DRIVEWAY - ALEC'S HOUSE - DAY
A 1975 CADILLAC pulls in behind the sloppily parked aircar lying at the top of the driveway.
The Cadillac's driver side window lowers. The driver is a scrawny, red headed, pale, freckled faced girl. She is TARA.
TARA
(to Steve)
You bought an aircar?
STEVE
Look whose talking, Miss gas guzzler.
TARA
Where's your little brother?
STEVE
JEREMY will be by later.
ALEC
I didn't expect to see you here tonight?
TARA
Kristin invited me.
ALEC
You're driving a Cadillac? I thought you
were an environmentalist?
TARA
I think I've earned a little leeway.
They all enter the house.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The party is in full swing. Fifteen guests are present.
Jeremy, 18, small build, is conversing with Tara.
Alec scowls as he eyes Tara from across the room.
Steve is standing next to Alec.
TARA
The International Reforestation Coalition
has done more to improve the planet than
all the governments combined.
JEREMY
How do you figure?
TARA
In the last five years, we've planted
nearly a billion trees. Those trees
convert several million tons of carbon
dioxide into oxygen every year.
Tara notices Alec's displeasure. She smiles insincerely.
ALEC
I can't believe your brother is
interested in Tara. All she ever talks
about is the INRC.
STEVE
She's easy and he's eighteen. It ain't
rocket science, Alec.
JEREMY
How much carbon dioxide is released into
the atmosphere by a single tree?
TARA
Trees filter carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere, not into it. Other plants
help, but trees do the most.
JEREMY
I thought that plankton and oceanic
absorption filtered out most of the
carbon dioxide.
TARA
Well, the ocean does act as a sink for
carbon dioxide...
JEREMY
I'm just messing with you, Tara.
