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Part III - Cowboys
[[show Kael waking up on table, being unplugged, goes to stand beside Tank, joined by Trinity.]]
Kael: What's the plan?
Tank: (fingers flying as he talks), Morpheus, Switch, Apoc, and Cypher, are already in. Morpheus wants you in there too Trinity. We're meeting up with Alesis and a few others from the Dante, some new candidate they've found. We need to start a full trace. That's why Mouse and Kael are staying here, we're going to be vulnerable with this much bandwidth in use.
Trinity: How good a lead is this?
Tank: Too vague to know, nothing manifest, but the signs are good.
Kael: He's not going to initiate contact, is he?
Tank: No, Morpheus knows better than that. Just need to setup monitoring stations.
Trinity: (moving back to chairs) Load me in.
[[fade to black]]
[[from out of the blackness, a single small light begins flashing, accompanied with a quiet beeping. Somewhere behind the camera a lightswitch is flipped, and slowly, the incandescent blue cockpits lights fade out the blackness, and it's seen that the flashing light is some type of indicator. Dozer walks up to the indicator for a better look, then reaches over and touches a Communications Pad]]
Dozer: Kael, get up here - -
[[cut to shot of Kael, Mouse and Tank at the Operator station
Dozer: - - we got a potential contact at very long range, they don't see us yet.
Mouse: Shouldn't we get everyone out?
Kael: (thinks) Not yet, they're busy, but Tank, plot everyone's nearest exit. I'll go have a look.
[[Kael turns to go toward bridge, Mouse and Tank share a look]]
[[Kael enters cockpit, now fully lit]]
Kael: Show me what you got.
Dozer: (Indicates screen on opposite panel), Just a solitary sentinel out on a pattern search, probably has no idea we're out here. I'm not picking up any buddies, it may pass by us even on full power.
Kael: What do you Think it'll do.
Dozer: (looks up, touches comm. Pad) Tank, get 'em out.
[[cut to picture of switch coming out, assisted by Apoc.]]
Switch: (sitting up) Am I last again?
Trinity: (still lying down, just brought out) not quite.
[[Trinity looks next to her, Morpheus is still hooked in]]
Trinity: Where's Morpheus?
Tank: (into his headphones) Sir, we've got a sentinel on the way, I know you've got a good lead but the Dante crew can take care of it- -yeah.. I know, but - -
Tank: (looking at Trinity who's just approached his chair, now whispering to Morpheus) what are we going to do if we have to use the EMP?
[[cut to cockpit]]
Kael: (on Comm) Tank, are we all shut down back there? Our friend is getting curious
Tank: (comm.) Morpheus isn't out yet.
Kael: How much longer does he need?
Tank: uhh.. he might be awhile.. He's checking something out.
Kael: (looks to Dozer) What?!
Kael: (curses underbreath, hits comm pad) Apoc to the bridge, Tank you get him out now. Trinity, Convince him.
[[flashing light stops blinking]]
Kael: What does that mean?
Dozer: Means he's not on long range sensors anymore.
Kael: so he's gone?
Dozer: that, or he's just too clos-
[[big red warning lights start flashing]]
Kael: Oh shit.
[[Kael exits bridge, heading toward core, passes Apoc]]
Kael: Evasive maneuvers, do what you can.
Apoc: Par Dio, you've gotta be kidding! (both keep running opposite directions)
[[Kael enters core]]
Kael: Why's he not out Tank? You told him we have a sentinel?
Tank: (bewildred) he says it's worth it.
[[very loud clank sound, like an impact]]
[[Mouse's eyes huge, Trinity looks up at ceiling, Tank takes a deep breath]]
Kael: Worth it my ass. Switch, as soon as he's out you punch the EMP. Mouse, Trinity, get to the main deck, see if you can block the probe's transmissions.
Tank: Wait a minute, I know that look. Where are you going?
Kael: (cold) for a walk.
[[cut scene]]
[[show exterior of Neb, the aft top side section, big anti-gravs off to the side, with a large sentinel probe cutting through the Neb's hull. In the foreground, a hatch opens, a large plasma gun (as seen in the movie) sticks up out of the portal, then lies flat on the deck as Kael lifts himself up. Crouching, he engages some type of magnetic Device on his larger than usual shoes.]]
Kael: Get off my ship. (fires big power bolt thing)
[[shot hits one of sentinel's many arms, the arm goes dead, but Kael has now attracted the bot's full attention, all little red eyes turn in his direction.]]
Kael: (making a short hop, rather than the huge jump he was obviously hoping for) Fuckin' real world. (runs over and under ship parts, creature follow, he fires a few shots, a couple misses, one partial hit.)
[[portal opens in front of Kael, he looks down to see Dozer stick his head up, Kael jumps over, keeps running, Dozer ducks, looks after Kael, then looks back at oncoming probe, ducks down again.]]
[[we see the probe floating along after Kael, in his exact path of travel. Camera view is even w/ hull of the ship, as the probe gets close, apparently out of no where, a large metal shaft leaps out of the hull directly into the underbelly of probe, which flinches away from the craft, pulling the rod out of the hull, and with it, Dozer, still holding onto his makeshift javelin, and now grunting and whooping]]
[[various screaming, grunting, etc. Sentinel flails about some, Dozer climbs up rod, and from the viewpoint of Kael (who can' shoot w/ Dozer that close), we see a quick spark of blue light from near Dozer, then a shower of sparks, followed by a blue net of electricity encircling the probe, and Dozer being launched off the probe to somewhere beyond the edges of the ship. As soon as Dozer is clear, Kael hits the machine with a full force of the p-gun, hurteling it against the adjacent sewer wall in the Neb's apparently not-so-vast current cavern of choice. A moment after the sound of the Sentinel splashing into some liquid is heard, an EMP wave ripples across the ship, and Kael drops the now glowing p-gun.]]
[[throwing the p-gun down the portal, Kael re-enters the ship, near the core. We see Trinity standing beside a just awakening Morpheus, Tank and Mouse both look shaken, and Switch's hand was on the EMP trigger still]]
[[Kael makes his way directly back to the main deck, but behind him we hear]]
Tank: You know, you cut that a little close.
Switch: He would have done the same.
[[Kael is joined by Apoc and then Switch in the dark main deck, they manually lower the claw, and look around for Dozer. Down, deep below in the darkness, we once again see a little blue spark-flame, and then more sparks. Then a tug on the chain lets them know to start cranking it up. Eventually, Dozer is pulled into view, burn marks along one side of his body, a small torch in his hand, and some sparking component tied to his belt by some loose wires. He has a grimace of pain, but also a very cocky smile on]]
[[as Apoc and Kael life him onto the deck]]
Dozer: So that's what it's like inside, huh?
[[Kael and Apoc give each other a look of amazement]]
Kael: yeah.. something like that
Switch: Just.. smaller machines
Kael: Better weapons
Apoc: Less Cohones.
[[Apoc pats Dozer roughly on the shoulder]]
Dozer: (looks up at Kael, still grimacing now and then) Nice shootin, Tex.
Kael: Nice ridin' Cowboy.
[[Apoc and Kael each get under a shoulder, carry Dozer to what flies for the med table, Tank meets them on the way]]
Tank: Dozer.. you ok?
Dozer: From now on, I'm stickin' to degreasin' engines
[[ They set Dozer down, Apoc and Tank stay w/ him, Trinity goes inside to help, Kael turns to Switch]]
Kael: Switch, as soon as power comes back online, get us the hell out of here. Take us deep.
[[Kael starts to leave, but is intercepted by Morpheus]]
Morpheus: (grabs one of Kael's arms in a friendly shaking gesture, obviously excited, holding a pad of information in the other hand) Kael, you won't believe the readings! He's a great candidate, already a bit old, but the potential! He calls himself Ne-
[[Kael forcefully knocks the pad out of Morpheus' hand, it skitters down the hallway]]
[[camera view from the side, w/ two large men facing each other dead off]]
Kael: (yelling angrily) I don't Fucking care about his Readings, Morpheus! You've lost your mind! You almost got us killed today, for what? Research! Morpheus, we're losing this war, and I'm starting to see why!
Morpheus: (straightens up, very serious) There's only one way we Can win this war, Kael.
[[camera pans around to show door into med center just behind and to the right of Kael, inside the door, we see Trinity watching the contest of wills.]]
Kael: Oh yes, You're Quest
Morpheus: Not my Quest, Our Quest. The Quest.
Kael: You know the Grail destroyed the roundtable, Morpheus.
Morpheus: (moves in even closer, still sounding calm) if you have a point, I suggest you make it. Metaphors are for those still blind to the truth.
Kael: (sarcastically, overly loud) No, no, of course.. You're right. Let's keep searching, hiding, running... until Zion falls. I hope this One of yours is a carpenter, Morpheus, because by the time he gets here we'll have to rebuild everything.
[[Kael storms off, Morpheus watches him go, a sad understanding look in his eye]]
[[Camera follows Kael as he storms and dodges equipment all the way back to his bunk. He enters his quarters, slams the large metal door behind him. Just after it shuts there is one loud thud, apparently a knock on the door. Camera Position is now in Kael's quarters, facing the door.]]
Kael: Go Aw-
[[Trinity bursts in, flinging the door aside, and stands glaring at Kael]]
Trinity: (up in Kael's face) Let's get this straight Kael, We don't have much here, but everything we do have is thanks to Morpheus. He's the one Zion trusts with the codes, the one Zion made captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, and so long as you're on This ship-"
Kael: Nebuchadnezzar! More like Noah's Ark, just holding out, waiting for the flood to subside, meanwhile our world, our kind, are being ravaged! We can't just sit here, waiting for a dove, a rainbow, or the One, Trinity. As for authority, I'm his first officer, not you, remember? What does it mean if even I question his orders?
Trinity: (still irate, solid) Not in front of the crew, Not like that.
Kael: Don't you think it's time someone did?
Trinity: He's a good man.
Kael: But is he a good Captain? I mean, this quest of his, the One, what are we doing?
Trinity: the Oracle told him that he would find the One.
Kael: And how's he coming with that? We have dozens of candidates each year, already three potentials have been killed, not to mention his mistakes. You know when he freed me he thought I was the One. How many mistakes can we allow him to make before-
Trinity: The Oracle told him-
Kael: You know what the Oracle told me, Trinity? She said that all the rebels, even the One, would someday learn from my example. What did the Oracle tell you, Trinity?
Trinity: (takes a step back, now a bit calmer) Never follow a Martyr.
Kael: I have a responsibility, a duty-
Trinity: We all do.
Kael: But I'm not going to run from mine anymore.
Trinity: We run because we have to.
Kael: Why? Because Morpheus says we have to? What if we stood our ground? What if we held? I'm not deluding myself, we can't stop them, not now, maybe not ever, but what if we could just slow them down some, make them a little scared, wouldn't that be something? Wouldn't that give Zion some time? Give our People some hope?
Trinity: (Coming to the realization... very matter-of-fact, but equally horrified) You're going to fight an Agent? No one's ever-
Kael: No Trinity, I'm not going to fight an Agent, I'm going to Hunt one down like they hunt us, and I'm going to kill it.
[[Scene fades to darkness, with a speck of light remaining in the top left quarter or the screen.]]
Part IV >
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