SCREEN IS BLACK. SOUNDS OF RAIN FALLING.

WE HEAR THE VOICE OF FIANNA BRAN. There's something Irish about the way she speaks. Not in the accent, she's American, but something about how she values the music of language.

FIANNA (V.O.)

This is the story of my last Summer. Of the last Summer on earth. This is the Summer I lost my virginity. This is the summer I killed my first man. This is the Summer of the planetkiller, 99942 Apophis. This is the Summer I fell in love. This is the Summer of Engines. This is the story of my Engine Summer.

PLACECARD READS: "NOT NOW, BUT SOON."

EXT. LOS ANGELES - THE NEAR FUTURE

Rain is pouring down. People pack the streets. Flickering, holographic projected advertisements hang in the air. Cars pack the streets, and "Spinners" zip overhead.

It’s the future, but it’s a future that has worn itself down. Everything is advanced, but it looks old. The cars are rusted. The holographic images flicker. Half the buildings look gutted. As they say, the future ain't what it used to be. Working through the crowd is a young woman - FIANNA BRAN.

She's got a light rain slicker on, she's got the hood pulled up over her head. Like everything else about this world, she may be new, but she looks tired. Except her eyes. Her eyes are clear, focused; she has the gaze someone gets when they're looking down a gun-sight.

Behind her, are a group of men. They're her family, the BRANS and they have the same expression.

They move like a unit of soldiers on patrol. That's because the Bran Family pursues a most dangerous profession - WRECKING. Or "WRECKERS" as they call themselves.

One of the young men is younger than Fianna, one is slightly older. These are her brothers, the younger named BANNING, the older named FARRELL. Behind them are the two adults. One is her uncle, KENNARD.

The other is her father, who will only be called "DA". And if the family looks tough, "DA" looks positively carnivorous. Moving through the streets, we notice that occasionally one of the people has a YELLOW BADGE (or "JUDE") stitched over their left pocket. The Badge is the symbol of an ENGINE GEAR.

The future, as they say, is a lot worse than it used to be. EXT. SUBWAY ENTRANCE

The family stops outside a descending staircase. Above the staircase is a flickering HOLO-BROADCAST of CNN.

It shows a ROCKET BEING PREPARED ON A LAUNCH PAD. The "ticker" underneath reads "LONGBOW STILL GO, SAYS NASA. LAUNCH WINDOW EXPECTED IN SEVEN DAYS."

The four men and one young woman all stand for a moment, looking up at that holographic rocket. And they're not alone;

everyone who heads down into the subway spends a lingering moment looking at that same image. And the expression on each face is the same: hope.

DA

God willing. And the whole family nods, saying softly-

BRAN FAMILY

God willing. Then they head down into the subway.

INT. DESCENDING INTO THE SUBWAY The family heads down the stairs.

The RUMBLING OF SUBWAY CARS is heard below. Every time they move, they form into a loose infantry formation, each Bran covering a different position. Its nothing they do on purpose; its simply habit.

INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM People coming and going, crowded.

DA

Take a knee. The family forms around him. He takes out two GLOSSY PHOTOGRAPHS - one of a YOUNG WOMAN ("THE JILL"), one of a YOUNG MAN ("THE JACK").

DA (point at the young man's picture) The Jack is a domestic.

(holding up the Young Woman's picture) This is the one you need to watch out for,

the Jill. She's a sport unit. She won't have any

combat training, but she'll be fast and strong.

Keep your distance, rely on your Hammer.

Everyone nods.

DA Farrell, you're with Uncle Kennan.

Uncle Kennan puts his arm around Farrell.

UNCLE KENNAN

Two generations of Wreckers, what a lovely picture.

DA

Banning, you're with your big sister.

FIANNA (quietly, to her little brother) Just don't get in my way.

DA

Weapons check.

Each family member reaches into their jacket, and pulls out what appears to be an enormous, matte-black revolver. While it is a weapon, its nothing like the gunpowder firearms of the early 21st century. These monsters are known as "HAMMERS". And whatever they're pointed at, is most assuredly smashed to pieces. Each family member checks theirs, Fianna clicks the safety on hers off, and there is a momentary high pitched whine as the pistol’s power-source comes to life. Satisfied, she holsters her pistol. The rest of the family does the same.

DA

Alright. He holds out his arms, and gathers his family together, into a close circle. It might be a huddle, it might be a hug. They press close. Da begins a prayer.

DA

Through the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel, be our protection in battle against all evil. Amen.

Everyone "amens."

DA

Remember your mother.

FIANNA For mother.

DA

Wreckers, be about your work.

They break, splitting into their teams. Fianna heads out, her little brother working to catch up.

BANNING You think they'll be together? Maybe

they split up. Why wouldn't they-

Fianna turns on him, gets him by the collar.

FIANNA

Shut up. He nods. She lets go, turns around, surveys the crowd. Then, her whole body tense.

FIANNA

(looking straight ahead) There.

BANNING

I don't see... Fianna heads into the crowd. Banning heads after her.

She steps onto a SUBWAY CAR thats just pulled up. INT. SUBWAY CAR

Half-full. Fianna and her brother enter. She looks down the length of the car, and sure enough, the JILL and the JACK are entering the opposite end. The Jack could be any teenage boy in the world. A little skinny, handsome, with ruffled hair and slightly over-sized sneakers.

The JILL is built like a track star. She's tall, clocking in at six feet. She and the Jack sit down.

Fianna touches her throat. WE SEE - THERE'S A SMALL "SUBVOCAL" MICROPHONE PRESSED AGAINST HER FLESH.

FIANNA (on microphone) Northbound Six.

BANNING

Should we wait? We should wait.

Fianna starts walking down the car. As she's walking, a transformation takes place. She begins chewing on non-existent gum. She smiles brightly. She laughs out loud, turns to Banning, calling out to him in a musical voice.

FIANNA

I'll save you a seat.

She keeps the act up, moving towards the JILL. As she goes, she's slowly slipping her hand into her jacket. Banning is doing the same thing.

Fianna turns, the Jill is looking straight at her. Fianna smiles.

The Jill doesn't return the smile.

Fianna keeps walking, then after another step, whirls around, pulling out her Hammer.

JILL WRECKERS!

The Jill comes to life. And just as warned, she's fast. Super-humanly fast. She lunges at Fianna, knocking the revolver out of Fianna's hand.

Still moving with that impossible speed, the Jill kicks out, slamming her foot into Banning's chest. He goes flying back a dozen feet.

The Jill grabs Fianna by the jacket, slams her against the side of the car. Fianna shouts in pain, the Jill HURLS her across several seats. The Jill grabs the Jack.

JILL

RUN! She takes the Jack's hand, and the two run down the car, just as its sliding to a stop at a STATION. The doors open, the Jill and the Jack dash out the door. Fianna rolls up, grabs her revolver, exits the car.

EXT. STATION Filled with people. The Jill is pushing people out of the way.

A subway car opposite Fianna comes to a stop, her older brother & uncle come running out, their massive revolvers at the ready. Fianna points at the fleeing pair. Uncle Kennan shouts at the top of his lungs:

UNCLE KENNAN RUNAWAY ENGINES!

An immediate fear washes through the crowd. He might as well have yelled "BOMB"!

UNCLE KENNAN

GET DOWN! People hit the deck. Everyone is laying flat, except for three: a MAINTENANCE MAN, A MAN WITH GROCERIES, and a WOMAN WALKING A LITTLE DOG. Each of them has the YELLOW "JUDE" BADGE stitched over their heart. They stand silently, mildly watching the action. Banning and Farrell open fire. There's no dramatic BANG! When the Hammers let loose, just a humming as the electromagnetic rails inside each revolver accelerate their rounds. The "bullets" surge through the air, discarding bits of their "SABOT" coating, revealing the armor-piercing cores underneath. The rounds slam into those three still-standing people.

Where the guns fall to generate noise, the rounds they fire make up for it. Each round EXPLODES like a small bomb. The Maintenance Main is blown off the platform, the Man with Groceries smashed into a wall, and the Woman walking the little dog is spun like a top.

UNCLE KENNAN Christ, check your fire!

Fianna charges after the fleeing pair. She steps right over the Woman that was just hit. The Woman is reaching towards the dog's leash with a trembling hand. The Jill and Jack jump off the platform, Fianna looks back at her family. Uncle Kennan waves at her.

UNCLE KENNAN Go, go!

Fianna nods, leaps off the platform, onto the track.

INT. TRACK She races after the two young people, the chase taking them into the SUBWAY TUNNELS. Fianna stops, spreads her feet wide, raises the Hammer with both hands, in a perfect marksman's poise. She fires once, the Hammer humming in her hand.

There is an EXPLOSION up ahead as the round connects with the JACK. He shouts in pain, stumbles, is pulled up by the Jill.

Fianna aims again, but the LIGHT OF AN APPROACHING SUBWAY CAR APPEARS. She presses against the wall, into a "WORKMAN'S DITCH", and the subway car ROARS by. As soon as its past, the tunnel is silent again. She jogs down the track, touches her throat-mike.

FIANNA (on mic) Da? Do you read me? Da? Uncle Kennan?

No response. The tunnel gets darker around her. She reaches up, and touches a small DEVICE that's attached to her temple. Immediately a HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY shimmers over her face. WE SEE - THE DISPLAY IS A "NIGHT VISION" HEADS-UP. Fianna keeps jogging down the track. Ahead, she sees a POOL OF CLEAR LIQUID.

She kneels down, touches it, brings her fingers up.

FIANNA I've got you.

WE SEE - THE FLUID MAKES A TRAIL, ALMOST LIKE SOMEONE WERE LOSING BLOOD. The trail leads into a MAINTENANCE TUNNEL. Fianna heads into the little tunnel.

INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL Narrow, with steam pipes. Fianna creeps ahead, the revolver at the ready. She turns a corner, and sees the JACK, sitting on the floor, holding his side.

He's the source of that clear fluid. It’s leaking through his fingers.

He looks up at Fianna, his face pulled tight with fear.

Fianna raises the revolver, aims it straight at his head.

JACK

Please...

Before Fianna can pull the trigger, the JILL emerges from the shadows, slams Fianna into the wall. The revolver goes flying, Fianna staggers back. The Jill stands directly over the Jack. She watches Fianna painfully stand up.

JILL

I don't want to hurt you. But I will.

FIANNA Cool.

Fianna reaches into her coat and pulls out a long knife - another tool of the trade, the VIBROBLADE. She holds the blade up, thumbs the safety, the blade begins to vibrate so quickly it becomes a blur.

Fianna drops down in a knife-fighter's pose. The Jill nods "OK" and comes straight at her. Fianna slips each punch, like a boxer. Every time the Jill hits something, she smashes it. Fianna doesn't hack-and-slash. She doesn't take a single swing; she retreats slowly, eyes bright. And when the opening comes, she takes it.

She drives the blade into the Jill, the blade moving so fast it cuts into the girl like butter.

The Jill gasps, goes stiff, and then sinks to the ground.

JACK

NO! Even though he's wounded, he drags himself over to the still Jill. Fianna steps back, picks up the hammer.

JACK

Apophis is going to come! Your rocket is

going to miss and Apophis is going to kill you, all of you. Like the dinosaurs!

The Jack touches the Jill's face for a moment, then looks back to Fianna. Tears are streaming down his face, and Fianna takes step back, shocked. She looks like a person who's just watched the sun rise in the west.

FIANNA

...you're...crying...

JACK Go ahead. Do it. I'm not afraid.

FIANNA

You can’t cry.

JACK

I'm not afraid! Fianna's hand trembles as she holds the revolver. The Jack turns, looking into the unseeing eyes of the Jill.

JACK (quietly, to the Jill) Together forever, forever and ever in the great space, until Mother comes and makes the world new.

Fianna points the muzzle at the Jack. JACK

Forever and ever.

She fires.

The round smashes into him, bursting his chest open, exposing the complex mechanical systems underneath.

The Jack falls forward, his head landing in the Jill's lap. We see both the young people are actually incredibly sophisticated ROBOTS. A moment of silence. It almost appears as though the Jack has laid his head in the Jill's lap for a thoughtful moment. Fianna kneels down, traces the tears on his still face.

CUT TO: INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM

Fianna walks stiffly from the darkness, loosely carrying her Hammer in one hand. Her face is bruised and dirty.

She emerges into the light, blinks, like she were coming out into the world for the first time.

Her father, standing on the platform, sees her.

DA

Daughter!

He helps her up as the family gathers around her. Behind them, a CROWD OF PEOPLE is watching with a sort of car-crash interest.

DA You do them both?

She nods.

BANNING How'd you take them?

FIANNA

One with the Hammer, one with the Blade.

FARRELL

Which engine got the blade?

FIANNA The Sport.

BANNING

The strong one, with a knife! Da grabs her, beaming with a great fatherly pride. He hugs her close, then turns her around, so she's facing the crowd. Like he were presenting her at her wedding.

DA (shouting to the crowd) MY DAUGHTER, A WRECKER OF ENGINES!

The crowd bursts into applause. But Fianna is looking back, down the tunnel, to that little space where two machines are laying silently, smashed to pieces. (WHAT HAPPENS: Fianna and her family return to their "ARCOLOGY", a massive apartment building. A new family is moving onto her floor... she meets a young man, "MERCY", who is the oldest brother of the family. He's handsome, a little strange, and about Fianna's age. Mercy has two sisters, one older, one younger (the older is "BAST" the younger is "DUSK"). Fianna is immediately attracted to Mercy. Fianna has a fight with her father over how she was surprised by the Jill. We see he's really, really hard on her. Fianna blows up, then feeling bad about it, goes looking for her father.) EXT. ARC ROOF GARDEN

The roof of the huge arcology sprawls out in every direction. A part of it has been sectioned off, and the remains of a roof-garden still stand: the old wooden boxes, the steel watering scaffold, some weather-warped benches. It has the feel of a cemetery that's gone a decade without a new resident.

Fianna climbs up from the fire-escape.

FIANNA

Da? There's some movement in the dark, Da calls out.

DA

Here. Fianna walks between the long planting boxes. They're still full of earth, but no evidence of flowers remains.

She finds her father sitting in the center of it all.

DA Daughter.

FIANNA

Hi...

DA

You've got your Hammer?

FIANNA Of course.

DA

I was trying to remember the names of all your mother's flowers...

He stands up, starts walking down the length of the deserted flower boxes. Fianna follows.

DA The ones here were red, and the ones

here were orange. And they'd mix up, and

when they were all wrapped around each

other, you could imagine them bursting into

flames. He brushes his hand across another box.

DA And these were little tiny pink and

gold flowers, no bigger 'n a button. And there were

sunflowers over there, huge things, they looked like old men waiting for a parade to pass on by.

(he looks down the length)

But I can't remember the damned names. Do you remember?

(Fianna shakes her head)

Your mother brought you up here all the time.

FIANNA

She'd sing while she worked on the flowers.

DA

She did?

FIANNA And Banning, too.

DA

After she...

FIANNA

...passed...

DA After she passed, I tried to keep the

flowers alive. For you. But they wouldn't live for

me. They died, they all died.

He turns around, facing her.

DA I failed you.

FIANNA

Never-

DA I never gave you a proper childhood, you were Wrecking so young.

FIANNA

You didn't! Its what I chose! I'm a Wrecker's

daughter! I'm a Wrecker! He sits back down on the bench.

DA You certainly are. Best in the family.

Born to it.

She sits down next to him.

DA What sort of songs did she sing?

FIANNA

Old ones, across-the-water stuff.

DA

Do you remember any of them?

FIANNA I remember one.

She sits for a second in recall, and then, raises her head and with a clear voice begins to sing "MY LAGAN LOVE", an Irish love song. Da listens for a moment, and then puts his face into his hands. Fianna puts one arm around his shoulder, and keeps singing.

(CONNECTING SCENE - we see Mercy and his two sisters in their new apartment. They have almost no furniture or possessions. The two sisters get ready for bed-) INT. BEDROOM Hardly any furniture at all, besides a bed and a dresser. Dusk is already in the bed, covers up to her neck.

Bast enters, stripping down naked. Bast's body is so symmetric, the muscles so lean and defined, she looks like she were put together with a slide-rule. She climbs into bed next to Dusk. Mercy enters, leaning against the doorframe.

DUSK

Where were you?

BAST

With the Wrecking-girl.

MERCY Her name is Fianna.

BAST

She told you her name-

MERCY -she did-

BAST

-did you tell her yours?

MERCY Of course.

BAST

Not "Mercy." Did you tell her your real name?

MERCY

Don't be silly.

BAST Do you think she'd be so nice if you

did?

MERCY I don't know...

BAST She'd kill you.

Mercy walks over to the bed.

MERCY That's for another day.

He sits on the edge of the bed, his two sisters watching him.

DUSK

Tell us about heaven. MERCY

Again?

DUSK Again.

Mercy picks up a CHILD'S BALL that's halfway under the bed. Holds it in his hand like he were weighing it. He reaches into his boot, pulls out a combat knife. While he talks, he begins making small, precise marks on the surface of the ball.

MERCY

Its a place where you can go anywhere. And it goes on and on, its corner's are

infinite. One moment it will be dark and sleepy,

the next it'll be brilliant white light.

He keeps working on the surface of the ball. His hands are moving so fast that sometimes they seem to blur.

MERCY Its full of new things. Everything is

new. Every place you go is undiscovered. Every

thing you see, you're the first to see it.

He holds the ball up, checks it over. He's carved all these little points into the surface. Satisfied, he cuts a small hole at the bottom, and slips in a little ELECTRIC LIGHT.

MERCY And if you find a place you like, you

can stay there as long as you want. By yourself

or with anyone you chose-

DUSK

I don't want to be alone.

MERCY You don't have to be. We'll there.

DUSK

You will...?

BAST Forever.

MERCY Forever and ever.

DUSK

Forever and ever and ever?

MERCY That's a lot of forevers.

DUSK

That many!

DUSK I'm afraid we won't get there, Mercy.

MERCY

Of course we will. I won't let anything happen to you. Neither will Aunt Beast.

He reaches into the ball and turns the little light on. We see what he was cutting - all those little pinpoints he's carved into the ball allow light to pass through them- Just like it were a projector at a planetarium- the whole room is filled with PROJECTED STARS. Like the bed were floating gently through space.

DUSK Heaven!

Mercy kneels down, kisses her check, then kisses Bast on the mouth.

MERCY I'm right outside if you need anything.

Dusk grabs his hand.

DUSK We're a family, aren't we?

MERCY

We sure are. He leaves. Dusk and Bast embrace, in the dark, watching the stars slowly rotate around them. INT. LIVING ROOM A big, dusty room with a few tables and chairs. Mercy walks over to a BAG that's left in the corner.

He pulls out an ASSAULT RIFLE. He checks it over, then pops in a clip, charges the weapon.

He sits in a corner, the rifle balanced on his knees. He watches the apartment door.

He seems perfectly calm, like he could sit there for hours. Which he will.

EXT. ARC ROOF GARDEN

Fianna climbs up onto the roof.

She's standing in her mother's garden when she hears some movement behind her.

She drops down into a shooter's crouch, one hand pushing into her jacket.

Mercy steps out of the shadows, hands held high. He doesn't look the least bit alarmed.

MERCY

Hello.

FIANNA

You shouldn't sneak up on people.

MERCY I wasn't aware I was sneaking.

FIANNA

Well, you were.

MERCY Of course. I apologize for sneaking.

Fianna stands up, slips her hand out of her jacket.

MERCY What's under your coat?

FIANNA

Nothing. What are you doing up here? He walks on past her, past the garden, into the dark of the roof.

FIANNA I said-

MERCY (from the dark) -I heard you.

She waits for an answer that isn't coming, then she jogs after him. EXT. ROOF MECHANICALS The section of the roof where all of the buildings ventilation systems terminate. Most of them are broken & rusted, the rest rumbling painfully on.

Fianna finds Mercy sitting on the ground. He's looking out into the dark. She walks over, stands behind him.

FIANNA

There's nothing up here.

MERCY Have you looked?

FIANNA

Of course I've looked. I grew up here.

MERCY Maybe you missed something.

He reaches into his pocket, takes out a little neatly wrapped paper package. Unwraps the package, we see slices of meat. He lifts one off, tears it into pieces. After a moment an OLD CAT comes slowly out of the shadows. It stands about ten feet away, watching them.

MERCY You didn't know about the cats?

FIANNA

Sure I know about the cats. They live up here.

I thought you were talking about something

special.

Mercy throws the meat to the cat, who eats it quickly.

MERCY Well I think they're special.

FIANNA

They're cats.

Mercy throws another piece. As he does, a few more STRAY CATS appear.

MERCY Haven't you ever been hungry.

FIANNA

Sure...

MERCY ...so hungry you thought you'd die from

it? (Fianna doesn't answer) Its a terrible feeling.

FIANNA

I suppose you have. Been so hungry you thought you'd die from it.

MERCY

Yes.

FIANNA Bullshit. Where.

Mercy peels off more strips of meat. There are about five cats now.

MERCY Do you want to try?

FIANNA

Why would I want to do that?

MERCY To see how it feels.

(he holds up the meat) To see how it feels to take away a little bit of suffering. To take away the smallest amount of suffering in the world.

Fianna sits down next to him, takes the meat.

FIANNA

What do I do?

MERCY Haven't you ever had a pet?

MERCY

(she shakes her head, "no") Just hold it out.

The Old Cat isn't budging. All the cats, now assembled like a feline council, are regarding the two young people.

FIANNA It won't come.

MERCY

You can start by not calling him "it".

FIANNA It's a cat.

MERCY

He's a cat.

FIANNA What's the difference.

MERCY

The difference between a living thing and a dead thing.

FIANNA

...he won't come.

MERCY Patience. Kind acts are slow to take hold.

Fianna keeps holding the meat out.

MERCY In Brazil. That's when I was so hungry

I thought I'd die. In the desert, where the

rain-forest used to be. My team was put there-

FIANNA -you were in the army?-

MERCY

-yes. My team was put there to stop a thing from happening. And when we finished, they decided we weren't worth the effort to rescue. So we had to walk. It was a long, long walk.

FIANNA

You made it.

MERCY I made it. (Fianna starts to ask a question) Look, there...

Very slowly, the Old Cat approaches Fianna. He stands in front of her, and then takes the food out of her fingers.

Right then, the other cats comes forward. The Old Cat gets up in her lap, rubs his head against her chin, she bursts out laughing.

She and Mercy feed that cats more. The cats are all purring loudly.

FIANNA The sound they make

MERCY

So, how does it feel?

FIANNA I...didn't realize. How good it would

feel.

MERCY That garden by your unit-

FIANNA

-my mother's.

MERCY She doesn't work it any more?

FIANNA

She's gone.

MERCY Our mother is gone, too. But we're

going to get her back.

Fianna turns to him, when Banning can be heard shouting-

BANNING

GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR, WE'VE GOT A RUNNER!

Fianna moves the cat, jumps up.

FIANNA I have to, I have to-

MERCY

Kill a runaway.

FIANNA

I don't... kill... they're engines...you can't....

MERCY

Of course not. Good luck with it. He's grown somehow cold. Fianna stands there for a second, unsure of what to say. Mercy looks up at her, with sharp eyes.

MERCY

You'd better go; how terrible it would be if

one of them got away. He turns away from her. She takes a few steps back, then runs for the ladder. CUT TO: INT. VAN

Fianna and her two brothers are in the back, with the gear. Her father is driving, her uncle is in the passenger seat.

DA

Where were you, daughter?

FIANNA Talking to the new boy. The one who

moved in down the hall.

UNCLE KENNAN

Is he a nice sort?

FIANNA I suppose.

She looks up, sees her father is looking intently at her through the rear-view mirror. EXT. STREET

The van pulls up, the door open up, the family of Wreckers climbs out.

DA Weapons ready!

They all unlimber their Hammers.

DA Come together, family.

They press together into their little huddle. DA

Saint George, give this family strength to set our boots upon the throats of all manner of serpents that crawl across the earth. Amen.

FAMILY

Amen.

DA Wreckers, be about your work.

The Family splits up, Banning along with Fianna. They start moving down the street, weaving between people. Farrell comes on their communication system.

FARRELL (on radio) Got them! Three runners, heading

towards you sister!

Fianna starts running through the crowd, she's got her Hammer out, Banning right behind her.

BANNING

There! There! She looks through the crowd.

FIANNA

I can't see- But a moment later, she sees the three RUNNERS, two men and a young woman, pushing through the crowd.

Fianna shoves a pedestrian out of the way, clearing her field of fire.

She shoots once, and the first Runaway Engine is BLASTED against the wall. People on the street immediately burst into panic. The two remain Runaway Engines sprint down an alley. Fianna and Banning run after them.As she and her brother hit the mouth of the alley, the rest of her family catches up.

FIANNA

Down there!

BANNING Only two left, sister pinned the third.

DA

Good girl! Fianna, always the point of the spear, leads the family down the alley.

EXT. ALLEY

A big industrial alley. The Runaway man and young woman are seen up ahead.

Fianna and her brothers open fire.

The Runaway man shoves the Runaway young woman down a side alley.

He pivots, rushes the family.

DA Oh, the clockwork wants a fight! Give

him one, boys!

Banning and Farrell holster their Hammers, pulls out their vibroblades.

DA (to Fianna) Get the girl!

Fianna nods, heads for the little side alley. She looks back, sees her two brothers circling the Runaway man while her father shouts encouragement.

EXT. SIDE ALLEY Steam is rising up from service grates. Its almost impossible to see anything.

Fianna works her way slowly through the steam, revolver held out in front of her. As she stalks through the steam, up ahead we can hear a SCRABBLING SOUND, hands digging against concrete. The mist parts, the alley dead-ends, and we see whats the source of that desperate struggle.

The Runaway young woman is pressed against the dead-end wall, trying to find some climbing purchase.

She turns around, sees Fianna, and lets out an awful scream. The same sound a rabbit makes when a dog gets ahold of it.

The Runaway young woman, still screaming, sinks to the ground, hands held up.

Fianna raises her Hammer, but its as though a giant fist wraps around her body and squeezes. She can't bring herself to pull the trigger.

The Runaway young woman continues to scream. Out of the mist, behind her, Uncle Kennan appears.

He wraps one hand around Fianna's, and applies enough pressure that she pulls the trigger.

The Hammer fires, hits the young woman in the head.

She topples over, the keening scream immediately stops.

Uncle Kennan turns Fianna around. Looks into her eyes. He's searching for something specific.

After a moment he nods, puts his hand on her shoulder, and guides her through the mist. EXT. ALLEY Fianna and her uncle emerge from the side-alley.

Her two brothers are straddling the Runaway man, stabbing him repeatedly. Her father is watching proudly, arms crossed. He looks up from the butcher's work.

DA Did you get the Jill?

UNCLE KENNAN

Your daughter finished that one. (to Fianna) Isn't that right?

Fianna nods. She can't seem to manage words.

DA Good girl.

Uncle Kennan keeps his arm around Fianna's shoulder.

The whole family watches as Banning and Farrell continue to stab their blades into the struggling, mechanical body of the Runaway man. (WHAT HAPPENS - Fianna runs into Mercy again. She talks about how she's never seen the stars, the cloud layer over

the city is too thick. Mercy tells her he can show her the stars-) INT. ABANDONED ARC GARAGE

A series of old maintenance bays for the arcology. All empty now. Mercy enters, with a flashlight, leading Fianna.

FIANNA Where are we?

MERCY

A garage, I think. Someplace where they used to work on cars.

He plays the light over SOMETHING UNDER A TARP. He heads over to it, pulls the tarp away, revealing an ANCIENT MOTORCYCLE.

Fianna kneels down in front of the machine.

FIANNA What is this?

MERCY

Its a motorcycle.

She traces her hand over the body of the bike.

FIANNA And this is its engine?

MERCY

Yes.

FIANNA I read they worked by making explosions. Inside...here... inside the engine here. Is that true?

(Mercy nods) Is it dangerous?

MERCY

Engines are always dangerous. You should know that, you're a Wrecker.

FIANNA

I don't wreck engines like this.

MERCY Of course not, only the kind that think.

Fianna starts to protest, but he sits down on the bike.

MERCY

You still want to see the stars?

FIANNA Sure...

MERCY

Get on.

FIANNA On that?

MERCY

Yeah. Climb on, like you were riding a horse.

FIANNA

I've never ridden a horse. I've only seen them in zoos-

MERCY

-well, imagine, ok?

Fianna climbs on behind him, a little awkward.

FIANNA

Where do I put my hands?

MERCY You can put them around my waist-

FIANNA -um-

MERCY

-there are grips behind the seat. Reach back.

She reaches back, takes the grips, steadies herself. Mercy turns the ignition.

MERCY Ready?

FIANNA

Is it going be- He hops up, comes down hard on the kick-star, throttles up and the ENGINE ROARS, it fills the whole garage, it rattles right up Fianna's spine.

She shouts, its too loud to hear what she's saying. Mercy leans forward, the bike zooms out of the garage.

EXT. DIS-USED STREET

A street long left behind, with the old Arcologies rising up over it. The bike cruises along the street. Fianna leans forward, shouts in Mercy's ear-

FIANNA

TOO FAST! He throttles back, the bike slows to an easy roll.

MERCY Better?

FIANNA

...ok... where are we going?

MERCY

To see the stars!

Up ahead, we see A TOWERING BUILDING (THE "SPACE ELEVATOR"), RISING UP INTO THE SKY. It's unlit, so it seems almost a natural thing, like a single mountain.

Mercy navigates the bike towards the Tower. EXT. OUTSIDE THE SPACE ELEVATOR Old chain-link fences surround the building, falling down with rust. Mercy guides the bike through a gap, pulls up in front of the building.

Fianna climbs off, looks up. The Tower is huge, is rises straight up into the clouds.

FIANNA What is this thing?

MERCY

Its a space elevator. Or part of one, at least. It was never finished.

FIANNA

Its so tall!

MERCY If it were finished, it'd be even taller. It'd go right through the atmosphere and into space.

FIANNA

That's impossible. Mercy lays his hand on the side of the huge, forgotten structure.

MERCY It would have lifted up up, up, into orbit. To the tall ships waiting out there. Ships that would carry you as far as you could imagine... Farther, even.

FIANNA How do we get inside?

MERCY

I found a trick. He runs his fingers over the hull of the building, finally finding a SEAM that runs up and down.

MERCY Here.

He slips his fingers into the seam and PULLS- the bulkhead slides away, revealing an ELEVATOR. Mercy steps inside, Fianna stands outside.

Mercy holds out his hand.

MERCY Only way to see the stars is to go up.

Fianna doesn't take his hand, but she climbs in. INT. OLD ELEVATOR The elevator GROANS with their weight.

FIANNA This doesn' seem safe.

MERCY

Wonderful things never are.

He kneels down, in front of a CONTROL CONSOLE. It appears to be dead. But Mercy leans forward, his back to Fianna. She can't see exactly what he does, but we do –

Mercy BREATHES on the control panel, and it LIGHTS UP.

Mercy touches a button. The door slides shut, and after a moment, the elevator stars ascending.

Its almost pitch black except for the light of the control panel.

FIANNA My ears-

MERCY

The air pressure is changing.

After another moment the elevator clunks to a stop, the doors slide open. Its dark beyond. Mercy steps out, Fianna follows. INT. STAIRCASE UP

A maintenance staircase is bolted to the side of the wall, its runs up, high up, into the dark. Mercy starts climbing.

MERCY Not much farther!

He heads up the stairs, Fianna following. Finally they come to a PLATFORM, with a heavy door. INT. PLATFORM Mercy leans his hands against the door.

MERCY Are you ready? Once I open this door,

you won't be the same person.

FIANNA

Don't be stupid. I'll be the same-

MERCY -you'll look the same. You'll sound

the same. But you won't be the same.

FIANNA

Just open the door.

MERCY Sure.

He throws open the heavy doors. Wind blows in, the kind of wind that you get when you're very, very high up. A silvery light flows over the two of them, Mercy steps out. EXT. THE TOP OF THE SPACE ELEVATOR The two of them step outside, on a big, unfinished observation deck. Its the very top of the platform, its all roughly constructed up here, the superstructure exposed around them. The tower has pushed through the clouds, revealing the starry sky above them. Its the kind of sky you'd only know if you've found yourself at night in the Utah Badlands - or

someplace like that, where there isn't civilization for five hundred miles in any direction. Its a brilliant sky. The sort of sky that rested over the earth right after creation. Naked, exact, radiant. Fianna stops cold. Her face is turned up to the sky. She blinks, the way you blink when you think your eyes are fooling you. Then she reaches up, reaches her hand towards the sky.

FIANNA I never knew...

Then she shouts with laughter, she yells out, her voice carrying straight up through the atmosphere-

FIANNA ITS BEAUTIFUL!

She turns around, to Mercy, who is watching her.

FIANNA I never knew, never! It's been right

above me, the whole time? This? This has

been right above us?

MERCY

Yeah.

FIANNA Why did we cover it up? How could we

let it get hidden away?

She dances out to the edge of the platform, still shouting with joy. Then she loses her footing, at the edge, she stumbles, not looking down, she slips, she topples over the edge. For a moment, she's tilting madly, she's looking down into that crushing abyss, when Mercy appears, grabbing her hand. He's laying flat on the platform, reaching down with one hand, wrapped around her wrist, and she's hanging in space, slowly moving like a clock's pendulum.

MERCY

Careful. He pulls her up, away from the edge. She presses into his chest, looking up at him. Then she turns back up to the sky, but doesn't break the embrace. She points to a particularly BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE SKY.

FIANNA That one is so bright...

MERCY

That's Apophis.

FIANNA Oh... it doesn't look so terrible...

but its going to kill everyone.

MERCY

Only if Longbow misses.

FIANNA The world feels so tired, Mercy. So

worn out and used up. Maybe it needs to close

its eyes for a little bit.

MERCY

You don't mean that.

FIANNA Will something good survive?

MERCY

If it hits us-

FIANNA -yes.

MERCY

Something good always survives.

She looks at him, and then with sudden ferocity, kisses him. He returns the kiss, the two of them wrapped together, under the stars. When he pulls away, she's flushed, come down with a sudden fever.

MERCY I should take you home.

FIANNA

I want to stay here forever.

MERCY Come on.

FIANNA

Alright, but I want to go fast. On your engine,

I want to go fast! MERCY

It can go pretty fast...

FIANNA It won't be fast enough!

CUT TO: EXT. DIS-USED STREET They're racing down the street now, Fianna is laughing, her hair flowing. She shouts-

FIANNA Faster! Faster!

Mercy leans forward.

MERCY Hold on!

He guns the bike, it rockets ahead, like it were shot out of a cannon. Fianna screams with laughter, wraps her arms around his waist, presses herself against him.

She lays her cheek against his back, her eyes turned up, towards the dark sky, watching the buildings overhead pass by. The big roadway sign reads, flashing: "RUNAWAY ENGINE. ALL CITIZENS ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS."

FIANNA Stop! Stop!

Mercy brings the bike to a stop. Fianna climbs off, looks around. They're in an OLD NEIGHBORHOOD. In the middle of the closed-down shop fronts is a MOVIE THEATER. Its lit up, the marquee reading : "ALL WEEKEND: RIDLEY SCOTT RETRO."

FIANNA There.

MERCY

We should go home.

FIANNA You should go home. I'm going to catch

that engine.

MERCY

By yourself.

FIANNA I'll be fine.

She starts walking towards the movie theater.

FIANNA It'll be in there.

MERCY

What makes you think-

FIANNA -they always go to public places, if

they can. She pulls out her Hammer, checks it.

MERCY You had that the whole time.

FIANNA

I'm a Wrecker.

MERCY Of course you are.

Fianna heads into the theater. There's nobody at the ticket booth, but the doors are open and the lights are on inside. As she's headed in, she passes by a "BLADE RUNNER" poster. INT. MOVIE THEATER LOBBY Really worn down. It has the same feel as one of those "wild-west" recreations, some sort of historical re-enactment, where everybody pretends to be from another century. A CLERK is sitting behind the dusty rows of candy. He sees Fianna enter, notices the revolver pressed against her side. As she approaches, he reaches into the cash register and pulls out some money. He holds out the cash.

FIANNA Jesus Christ, I'm not robbing you.

The Clerk sees what sort of weapon she's holding.

CLERK Hey, holy shit, you're a Wrecker!

FIANNA

Did anyone come in late? Anyone just come in?

CLERK

Yeah...yeah, couple of minutes ago. Went

straight in. Mercy appears behind Fianna. She turns to him.

FIANNA

Stay put, ok? I don't want you getting hurt.

(turning back to the clerk) What did he look like?

CLERK

Tall, and strong. Like an Arena fighter, blonde...

like a Cataphrac. (he gets it) He's an engine?

FIANNA

Are their many people in the theater?

CLERK I don't think so. Why would an Engine

come here?

MERCY You're playing "Blade Runner."

The Clerk shrugs that off.

CLERK Yeah? I don't know anything about the

stuff we play here. Its all two-dee. Who can

watch stuff in two-dee? Its like reading a book.

FIANNA

(to Clerk) You'd better get out of here.

The Clerk doesn't move.

CLERK You're going to bust it up? I've never

seen an engine get wrecked.

Fianna leans forward.

FIANNA

You ever seen what an engine does to someone

that gets in its way. CLERK

...no...

FIANNA It can pull the arms and legs off a guy

in a couple of seconds.

CLERK

Uh. FIANNA

Hang out. It'll be cool.

CLERK I think I'll take a break, actually...

He heads out of the lobby, double-timing it. Mercy looks at the movie poster.

MERCY Its a great movie. You'd like it.

FIANNA

Oh yeah?

MERCY Its about a guy that hunts down run-

away robots.

FIANNA

He's a wrecker?

MERCY In the movie they're called "Blade

Runners." Fianna heads towards the theater.

FIANNA

Pretty stupid name. Stay here. You get me?

Stay out here. Mercy watches her go. INT. THEATER Dark, big, a genuine "movie palace" with ornate walls mocked up to look like a castle. A painted sky with electric stars hangs overhead. The movie is near the end, with Decker chasing Roy through the building. There's one person in the theater. Whoever it is, they're sitting in the front row. Fianna brings her Hammer up, starts moving towards him. After a moment she tenses up-

FIANNA (to herself) Trap.

She pivots, quick, and sure enough, ~theres a BIG ENGINE right behind her, built like a football player. He's reaching for her, but she drops down, fires once. The Hammer takes him directly in the chest, the explosive round blasts him off his feet. She turns around, smoothly, but the guy in the front row is already up, he's pulling the chair he was sitting on right out of the floor. He HURLS it at Fianna. She fires, misses, the chair hits her square on. She goes flying up the aisle. Hits hard, loses her grip on the Hammer. The Guy in the Front Row is so fast he's standing above her before she can get oriented. He reaches down, picks her up with one hand, holds her a foot off the ground. Another Engine, looking the same - a big, blonde guy, appears. They're both looking at Fianna like she were a bug that needs squashing.

GUY IN THE FRONT ROW

"Ave Imperator, morituri et salutant." (LATIN: "WE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE,

SALUTE YOU.") Fianna, choking, fumbles for her knife, but she's blacking out. When her vision is nothing but starts, there's a CONCUSSION of some kind. She falls to the ground, gasping for air. She looks up, sees Mercy is STANDING DIRECTLY OVER HER. Both Engines have been knocked down. They stand up smoothly, almost at the same time.

MERCY (to the Runaways) Go.

They both face him.

MERCY I'm not going to let you hurt her.

FIANNA

Run, you idiot! These are gladiator units!

MERCY

Go. The two Engines come at Mercy. They're clearly combat-conditioned. They split up, taking him on from two different directions. It doesn't make much difference. Mercy springs into action; and as fast as the robots we've seen so far are, they're nothing in comparison to Mercy. He deliver's a series of attacks, kicks and punches, each one so cleanly executed that they could be textbook photographs. Its a savage fight. Mercy takes some hits, but he puts both Engines down.

On the screen, up above Roy sits down to die. The soundtrack of falling rain fills the theater. Mercy stands swaying over Fianna, looking up at the screen. She gets up. Mercy quotes along with the film, you get the feeling he's seen it a hundred times.

MERCY (speaking along with Roy Batty) "I've seen things you wouldn't believe.

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of

Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the

Tannhauser gate." He sits down, hard. Fianna follows him down, puts her hand against his side.

FIANNA How could you...

She pulls her hand away. Its slick with CLEAR NANOFLUID. FIANNA

You're an engine... you're an engine! She grabs her Hammer, points it at his head. He keeps watching the movie.

FIANNA You're an engine!

Finally he looks up towards her, and smiles.

MERCY I don't mind. Running is so hard. I

wouldn't mind closing my eyes for awhile.

She stands for a moment, the Hammer pointed at his head. Then with a shout, she whirls around, runs from the theater. Mercy turns his attention back to the screen. Roy is closing his eyes. EXT. DIS-USED STREET

Fianna runs out into the street, stands in the middle of it. She bursts into tears. She runs down the street, back towards her arcology. BLACK. (END)