TREATMENT FOR A MOTION PICTURE
RETURN FROM
TRANQUILITY
(Science Fiction Adventure)
BY
ALLEN BISHOP
(Based on a novel by the writer)
WGA Registration: 894269
Copyright 2004
LOG
LINE
RETURN FROM TRANQUILITY, Science
Fiction: A
revelation during a Native American spiritual ceremony is the catalyst for two
university students finding a long buried alien ship on an Indian
Reservation. Their incredible adventure and fulfillment of prophecy
occurs when they get it flying again.
TREATMENT
(Present Day)
The powerful gantry lights of launch
complex 39A at the
The security guard makes his checks
and departs the same way he arrived.
With visibility only a few feet and less than three hundred yards from
the poised Atlantis he swerves, barely avoiding a collision with an object that
suddenly appears in the middle of the road.
Stopping and investigating, he finds not another vehicle but a piece of
equipment twice the size of his truck completely blocking the road he had just
used minutes before.
In the days that follow, NASA
personnel conduct an investigation of the object’s components and serial
numbers. The results of the
investigation culminate in an above top-secret briefing in the White House
situation room. The President is advised
that the descent module of Apollo 11’s Lunar Module – Eagle, which landed at
the
(Four
Months Earlier)
Senior year at the
It is a time to reflect on the
future, as both have to deal with loss and change in their personal lives. Michelle’s parents recently died in a car accident
and Adam continues to struggle with the death of his mother and the subsequent
relationship problems with his father, BILL COLLINS (antagonist). With these difficulties, both seek comfort
and solace in the strength of one another.
Through the course of events over the next few months, they will become
more than just friends.
The first few days at the Reservation
are filled with ceremony, prophecy and incredible stories of ancient
visitors. What they learn from
Michelle’s grandfather JOSHUA BROWN (the tribe’s senior elder) and
discover during their wilderness trip, will profoundly change their lives and
those around them, forever.
Their journey begins with a sacred
tale told to them by Joshua. A tale
retold for thousands of years from one generation to the next. It is the story of the HISATSINOM (the
ancient ones). A Native American
story, which tells of “Indian hunters coming across some little people
who run into the rocks in the hills.”
The elders explained to the hunters that, “these little people were from
the sky, stranded here thousands of years ago.”
Following a remarkable spiritual sign bestowed on Adam during the annual
Eagle Dance, Michelle’s grandfather shares with Adam a long held secret of the
Ute Nation. Adam is shown sacred symbols
that were discovered hundreds of years earlier by Ute hunters. (A non-human skull, a mummified six-fingered
hand still clutching a small metal disk with unrecognizable markings.)
Unknown to Adam and Michelle, they
have been chosen through prophecy to accomplish a great task for the
Indians. They will soon become the main
characters in the Ute story of the HISATSINOM.
Having learned from Joshua’s story
that the objects were discovered over five hundred years ago at the base of
The glass tube at the center of the
room penetrates the floor into another darkness below. While directly above, the tube stops at the
ceiling. Adam has Michelle remain on the
main level while he steps into the tube and slides down to see what lies
below. Upon his descent he begins to
sense an awful smell. As he is about to
ascend back to the main level his flashlight catches something on the floor
just a few feet away. He hesitates, puts
his shirt over his nose and mouth and slides back down. As he moves closer to the object on the floor
it begins to take the form of a small bundle of clothes. As he stands directly over the mass in the
dim of his flashlight, the form of a very small body begins to take shape,
clothed in what appears to be a one-piece jump suite. As he stands above the mass, he moves it with
his foot just enough to cause the head to become dislodged from its old and
mummified torso. As the skull rolls over
to expose its facial side, Adam is startled at the face staring back at him. He involuntarily jumps back while goose bumps
immediately cover his body.
He returns to the main level staring
at Michelle with eyes wide. His only
comment, “There’s a body down there and I think it has the same head as the one
your grandfather has in his wooden box.”
Realizing the magnitude of what they
have discovered, they spend the evening contemplating what to do next. They both agree that they have unearthed
something alien and most likely the craft that brought these visitors to Earth. Who can be trusted with such a
discovery? Certainly not his father who
works on secret Defense Department contracts at the University and whose
interactions with Adam are less than amicable.
Michelle is not sure that they should reveal their discovery to the
elders, at least not yet.
Over the course of the next few days
they take notes on the symbols and finish exploring the interior. With notes, drawings and a sample of liquid
from below, Adam and Michelle return to school for the remainder of their
senior year. Adam is majoring in
physics, while Michelle is completing her studies in linguistics. Having decided to split the work in two, Adam
will attempt to determine the method of power and propulsion while Michelle
will focus on decoding the meaning of the hieroglyphs and the functions of the
many panels throughout the craft.
As finals come to an end and
graduation is celebrated, Adam and Michelle find themselves preparing to return
to the reservation with the knowledge necessary to, perhaps “awaken” the craft
from its long sleep. Not in their
wildest dreams do they think it will ever fly.
Upon their arrival they setup camp
inside the craft. Adam has determined
that the liquid sample he obtained during spring break was deuterium or heavy
water, a possible catalyst for a cold fusion reactor. He has brought with him several gallons,
which he has “borrowed” from the physic’s lab.
As he begins pouring the deuterium into the empty sphere, Michelle is
busy labeling the controls she has deciphered.
By evening they have completed their individual tasks with only silence
and darkness emanating from the craft.
Adam’s attempt to re-start the craft appears to have failed. In quiet disappointment they lie down on the
floor of the craft and go to sleep.
Michelle awakens to what she believes
is the early dawn light shining through the open door of the craft. She squints and nudges Adam. As he sits up and rubs his eyes, they
simultaneously look at one another and realize that the light is not the light
of the morning sun but the internal lights of the craft. Each panel surrounding the main level is
alive with light and color. The lower
level is awash in a blue hue emanating from the soft hum of the torroid that
surrounds the sphere that Adam refilled with the heavy water. Adam was right; the source of power IS fusion
and it has begun its nuclear process, bringing life to a ship that has been
asleep for over seven thousand years.
As they move around the ship and test
various controls, perhaps the grandest of all discovered functions is the three
dimensional viewer. A four-foot diameter
table, surrounded by a ring of controls with a circular indentation that holds
a disk exactly like the one discovered by the ancient Indians. The viewer is displaying a pyramid of blocks,
each of them embossed with the alien symbols.
As she reaches forward and touches one of the top most translucent cubes
it dissolves into another set of smaller cubes.
“Drilling” down through each successive layer of blocks, she eventually
causes a revolving view of the earth to be projected above the flat
surface. The image recreates a view of
the craft as it descends towards the Earth, then towards the Mediterranean Sea
with a slow arcing turn down the
After hours of “surfing” the viewer,
Adam is ready to determine if other functions can be deciphered using
Michelle’s translation program. As they
work their way around the main console, functions for environmental control and
lighting are identified and labeled.
Adam believes there has to be another level since they have not found
any functions that would control the craft in flight. He assumes that there must be another deck above
the main floor but a black panel blocks the clear tube above. Randomly touching the pads on the side of the
tube, Adam causes the black disk from above to silently descend and stop flush
with the main deck. Stepping onto the
black disk, he presses the upper pad and is immediately elevated to the deck
above. He has found the flight
deck. Four small seats surround a large
circular table similar to the viewer below.
Michelle soon joins him and begins
her process of identifying and labeling controls until Adam opens a recessed
panel. Warning him to wait until she has
had a chance to decode each control, he ignores her and begins randomly
pressing buttons. Almost immediately a
large explosion is heard and the craft is shaken violently. Immediately they descend to the main deck and
scramble outside. To their amazement the
rock surrounding the craft has been fractured from the top of the outcropping
down past the access portal. Whatever
the explosion was, it had released the craft from the grasp of its rocky tomb.
That evening they decide that if the
craft can move, it will have to be relocated somewhere else to remain
hidden. Michelle remembers an arched
cave she and her parents camped at years earlier.
Over the next hour Adam and Michelle
relocate the craft to its new home. As
Adam gently guides the craft past the stand of trees in front of the arched
sandstone cave, they bend beneath the force of the craft and with a few bounces
off the adjacent rock walls; the craft enters the cave and the trees snap back
upright providing a natural curtain.
That evening they make plans to test
the integrity of the door seals and flight controls during an extended flight
from the cave. To minimize detection,
they make their flight at night.
Closing the inner and outer access
doors, Adam and Michelle secure supplies, loose items, then proceed to the
flight deck with a homemade pressure gauge.
Adam engages the magnetic drive and using the faint light of the half
moon, slowly guides the craft out of the cave and hovers for a moment in the
moonlight. Then, with a sweating palm he
lifts up on the control ever so slightly and the craft begins to rise
vertically. Michelle has activated a GPS
mapping program on her laptop. Watching
the display she determines they have risen over 10,000 feet in mere
seconds. Soon they are looking out at the
lights of
Checking the homemade pressure gauge,
Adam continues to increase their rate of climb, Michelle reads off their
increasing altitude; 80,000 90,000 110,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 and at
260,000 feet Adam brings the craft to a hover.
Stationary at 264,000 feet or 50 miles above the earth’s surface, he
announces that they have attained official astronaut status, a NASA standard
used to validate attainment of that status.
There in front of them is the moon in
its half phase. Without the distortion
of the atmosphere, the larger craters are easily visible and the magnificence
overwhelms them both as they stare at a view that few humans have seen with
such clarity.
Adam pushes the control forward resulting
in the craft accelerating at a rate that pins both of them back in their seats
and sends the pressure gauge tumbling.
Barely able to reach back to the control and stop the craft’s
acceleration, Adam estimates that the G force exerted was nearly 6 Gs. Realizing that if he had applied full power,
the resulting g-force would probably have killed them both. Adam believes there must be a function in the
craft’s controls to offset the g-force through some form of artificial
gravity. Michelle searches her
translation database and in a few seconds presses a pad on her left arm
console. For a moment they both feel the
sensation of weightlessness, then settle back in their chairs under a normal
feeling of gravitation.
Adam once again pushes the control
forward and to their dual amazement there is no increase in g-force. No sensation at all. Adam continues to push the control forward
and the lights below begin to flash by like intermittent ribbons of light. Michelle checks the GPS interface on her
laptop and finds it no longer registering their speed or location. They have accelerated beyond the capacity of
the GPS unit to calculate their movement.
Following the flight test they decide
to return to the house for more supplies and dinner in town. Upon their arrival home Joshua advises Adam
that his father has called and wants him to call immediately. The conversation begins amicably but soon
becomes confrontational. Adam’s dad has
setup a trip for the two of them to go to the
Adam joins Michelle on the porch
explaining to her the conversation with his dad. He explains to Michelle that his father
doesn’t think he is focusing on a career or using his education wisely and that
he was invited to watch a shuttle launch but declined. Adam asks Michelle what he could do to prove
to his dad that he really is doing something important and worthwhile. Michelle suggests maybe a demonstration that
wouldn’t actually divulge the true nature of their secret project. After several minutes of relative quiet, Adam
explodes in excitement. He tells
Michelle that his father is planning to go to the
A plan is formulated to “snag” the
descent module using a cable and grappling hook, which they will attach to one
of the landing struts of the craft.
(They have no space suits so going outside the craft is not
possible.) They will then carry the
module back to the cave and plan its delivery to the
As they arrive at the moon and begin
slowing down, the hook and cable come flying forward, glancing off the ship’s
hull and ending up entangled around the three landing struts. Because of this near catastrophe, the planned
tour of all the Apollo landing sites is shortened to two, allowing them time to
untangle the cable, snag the Lander and return to the cave before sunrise.
The only problem with their plan is
the length of the cable allows the struts of the lunar descent module to extend
beyond the craft’s magnetic shield, making one of the module’s landing gear
pads occasionally visible to radar.
Unlike the craft’s stealth capability, the lunar descent module is
nearly perfect for reflecting radar signals.
This oversight plays a pivotal roll in the government coming closer to
discovering their secret.
The following night Adam takes a
circuitous route south through New
At this point the story “bookends /
wraps around” to the end of act one, to an isolated hangar at a South Carolina
Air Force Base. A small group of
government and military scientists are examining the Lunar Descent Module,
trying to determine how and why it was delivered to its original launch point.
A briefing is underway where agents
from the CIA, FBI, NSA and the DOD are receiving a status update on the recent
analysis. NASA scientists have
discovered that the module’s landing pads actually have moon dust still
remaining and in addition, they have discovered additional material that is not
from the lunar surface. The briefing
specialist advises the attendees that the other material is sandstone and pine
needles and is of a type that is only found in the southwestern area of the
Unknown to Adam, his father has been
part of an elite group of DOD scientists that have been identified for just a
contingency. (The recovery of possible
alien spacecraft) Once his father has been notified of the recall and briefed
on the situation, he begins to wonder if his son has anything to do with the
events of which he has just been advised.
Realizing that the military will soon be searching the area near where
his son and future daughter-in-law have been staying, he acts upon his hunch
and leaves for the reservation.
Within a few hours he is at the
grandparent’s house where he finds Adam and Michelle alone finishing
dinner. He sits down and begins asking
Adam and Michelle just what exactly they have been doing. He explains that something very extraordinary
has occurred and the military is close to solving the mystery. He explains that the government has a radar
track that leads to the four corners area and it’s only a matter of time before
they narrow down their search.
After a silent and uncomfortable
pause Adam is about to admit to the discovery they made when Joshua and three
elders walk into the room from the back of the house. Joshua takes over the conversation and tells
Adam’s father that the counsel of elders has known all along what the two have
been doing. He explains that prophecy
has predicted that a man from outside the Ute Nation would “release” the secret
of the HISATSINOM. He would discover the
secrets of a buried spirit and use its powers for goodness not evil. Before actually divulging the discovery,
Bill’s pager goes off. Reading the
display, Bill apologizes to Joshua and excuses himself to make a call. The call is to the program manager at NASA
who works with Bill on the component that he has designed. Bill is advised that the shuttle has just
been launched but has developed a problem and is unable to reach orbit or
maneuver for a safe re-entry. Within just
a few hours it will re-enter the atmosphere and disintegrate sealing the fate
of the crew and the destruction of the Shuttle and its secret cargo. As Bill hangs up he has a distraught look
upon his face. After a thoughtful moment
he shares the information with everyone in the room.
Looking at Michelle, Joshua and then
at his dad, Adam tells his dad that they have the means to save the crew but
only if he will promise to maintain their secret.
Before Bill can respond, Joshua
suggests that they all leave for the sacred burial grounds where Adam can
reveal the secret of HITSATSINOM.
As they arrive at the site, Adam,
Michelle and Bill walk to the line of trees in front of the cave. As they approach, Adam’s dad begins to see a
dark form take shape behind the trees.
Then, as he reaches the top of the path, there standing before him is
the alien ship, graceful and dark as ink in the light of the rising full moon.
Michelle has opened the hatch and
extended the ramp. In silent awe and
disbelief, Bill follows his son into the craft.
Standing inside with the interior ablaze in light, he shakes his head
and asks the obvious, “Is this what I think it is?”
Adam and Michelle take him for a
quick tour ending on the flight deck where Adam explains his plan to rescue the
shuttle crew. He plans on intercepting
the shuttle, opening only the outer door and extending the ramp in the hope
that the crew will accept the implied invitation to leave the doomed shuttle
and transfer to the “alien” craft. By
keeping the crew inside the craft’s airlock they can maintain the illusion that
real aliens are performing the rescue.
Using his cell phone, Bill makes a
call to his program manager to obtain the orbital data of the shuttle. Using Michelle’s laptop, Bill is able to give
Adam the coordinates to intercept the shuttle.
Within minutes the craft is
positioned in front of Atlantis. With
the craft between the rising sun and the shuttle, a shadow passes inside the
shuttle cabin attracting the attention of the crew. Within moments three awe struck astronauts
are staring out at the black object in front of them.
Michelle opens the airlock’s outer
door and extends the ramp from the ship.
Adam slowly maneuvers the ship above the open shuttle bay doors, placing
the end of the ramp at the shuttle’s airlock door. After several minutes the cargo bay hatch
opens and three astronauts emerge, each grasping onto the ramp and crawling
along its surface until all three are safely inside the alien craft’s
airlock. With the shuttle crew rescued,
Adam’s dad asks where his son intends to drop them off. Looking at his dad with a devilish smile,
Adam replies, “The best possible place you could think of, the Little A-lien
Inn just outside of Area 51 in Rachel Nevada.”
With Michelle’s guidance, Adam
descends back to earth and navigates to Area 51 and the Little A-Lien Inn
where it hovers above the parking lot, lowers the landing gear and extends the
ramp. Within seconds the three shuttle
crewmen are standing in the parking lot of the
The craft returns to the reservation
where Joshua and the elders have wired the cave with explosives. Upon their exit from the craft, Adam shuts
all the functions down including the fusion reactor. Using the same mechanical crank that
initially opened the craft; he closes the door returning the craft to another
long sleep.
As all are standing together well
away from the cave, Joshua explains to Bill that the elders have concluded that
man is still not ready to accept the power of the HISATSINOM. They believe that the craft should be
re-buried until mankind is ready to use its secrets for the good of the earth,
not for evil. Looking at his dad, Adam
asks if he will keep his promise to not reveal the existence of their
discovery. After a long pause Bill
smiles and nods in agreement, evoking a loving hug from his son and for the
very first time, Adam hears his father tell him how proud he is of what he and
Michelle have accomplished.
As they all step behind a large rock,
Joshua activates the detonator causing the lining of the cave to fall upon the
craft, once again returning it to the earth.
As the group rides back to the house,
the sun is beginning to illuminate the distant horizon. Then off in the distance they see six Army
Black Hawk helicopters, with their distinct thumping sound, flying in formation
towards the four-corners.
Roll Credits
As the credits roll, the scene
changes to Area 51 and the Little A-lien Inn where the three astronauts are
sitting silently on the porch of the motel waiting for someone to come and open
up. Within moments the owner drives up,
parks his car and walks up the steps of the motel porch. As he is unlocking the door he glances down
over his glasses and says good morning to the three astronauts as though they
are typical costumed visitors hoping to get a view of secret alien spacecraft
recovered and flown by the government.
The crewmen get up and walk inside
where the motel owner slides the sign-in book towards them and asks if they
want separate rooms or just one. The
scene ends with one of the astronauts asking if he can use the phone to make a
call.
THE END
Contact Information:
Allen
P. Bishop
Phone: (303) 437-7835
Email: abishop@writersdreams.com
Website: www.writersdreams.com