TRIUMVIRATE SE Chapter Twenty-One
By The Host
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GAULIEUS – BRIEFING ROOM - LATER
Dawson stands before the Black Aces in the spare ready room.
A layout of the Corporate Tower is projected behind him.
DAWSON
As you know, the Corporation has
for some time been secretly
manufacturing a deadly biological
weapon that it presumably intends
to unleash upon the peoples of
this nation. It is being
manufactured in highly secure
underground facilities beneath the
Corporate Tower; there, in the
midst of the greatest military and
civilian center in the United Star
Systems, the CEO feels it is safe
from attack. He is mistaken. Your
mission is to destroy these
manufacturing centres.
The image behind him zooms to the underground facilities and
highlights them as Dawson speaks of them.
DAWSON (CONT’D)
There are dozens of massive
weapons caches strewn throughout
the lower levels of the Corporate
Tower. Not just lasers, but bombs.
If they go up, the tower shall
come down. You are to infiltrate
the Tower and hack their system to
modify atmosphere. Fill the place
with methane and raise the
temperature; eventually something
will spark.
MACY
But there must be safety systems
that can prevent that sort of
thing?
DAWSON
Safeties that can be overridden by
one man alone – the Chief
Executive Officer. The CEO is a
good captain. He will go down with
his ship. You will find him in his
office atop the highest floor.
More detailed instructions will be
relayed en route.
They all get up to leave, save for Joggins and Dawson. Then—
DAWSON (CONT’D)
Mister Davies, a word?
The others silently file out. Davies approaches Dawson, who
pulls a small bullet-shaped object out of his pocket and
holds it to Davies. Joggins, in the rear, silently watches.
DAWSON
For you, Jack. It will keep us in
constant communication.
Davies takes the object, looks at it.
DAVIES
The others have one of these?
DAWSON
Just you, Jack.
DAVIES
Why?
DAWSON
So that I can help you, Jack. The
CEO is a clever man, and
persuasive. He might try to
persuade you. But you know his
nature, and you must remember it:
he is a liar. I can help you to
remember this, and I will, but
ultimately I cannot make your
choices for you
(Smiling a fatherly smile)
I have the greatest confidence in
you, Jack. Speed forth to victory.
Jack Davies solemnly nods, weighs the bullet in his hand,
drops it in his pocket, and salutes. Dawson, still smiling,
salutes him back. Davies turns to leave when Dawson calls to
him again.
DAWSON (CONT’D)
Oh, and Jack?
Davies turns.
DAWSON (CONT’D)
I want you to bring the CEO to me.
Alive, please.
Jack nods, turns, and leaves. Dawson sighs and turns around
as Joggins approaches from the rear.
JOGGINS
Why him? Why not send in a war-
ready batallion?
DAWSON
Davies has something in greater
measure than any other soldier in
the Fleets. Something that might
occasion the downfall of nations
and the rise of emperors.
JOGGINS
What?
DAWSON
Trust, Exler Joggins. Absolute,
unadulterated trust.
EXT. MAGNAPLOIS - NIGHT
At the feet of mighty towers life carries on, MERCHANTS ply
their wares amongst thronging crowds of CITIZENS and
TOURISTS on the dark streets. TROOPS in black uniforms
marked with the simple insignia of a white cross parade
through the streets. They are flanked by heavily-armoured
crawling vehicles, like massive grotesque cockroaches
slithering through the city.
INT. CEO’S OFFICE - NIGHT
A door slides open revealing a streak of light into the
sable dark of the CEO’s office. The CEO remains seated at
his desk shrouded in shadow, playing with something in his
right hand.
ATTENDANT
Your Holiness, Admiral Dawson
wishes to speak to you.
The CEO doesn’t answer. After a moment, the attendant
tentatively speaks again.
ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
Sir—
THE CEO
Yes. Put him through, of course.
The attendant curtly nods and the door slides closed. Dawson
suddenly materializes before the CEO’s desk; the light
projected by his holographic image is the only light in the
room save for the stars and city lights beyond.
DAWSON
You will lose this battle.
THE CEO
Then we all lose. You know what
threatens this nation.
DAWSON
(Beat)
I’ll win.
THE CEO
Yes.
An icy pause.
DAWSON
You made your decision long ago.
THE CEO
So did you.
DAWSON
Even before we parted ways. You
know, there was a time when I
thought that our little
Triumvirate was a force for good,
protecting the people from an
alien menace?
THE CEO
It still could be.
DAWSON
Look at yourself! Holed up in your
silly dark little office,
Presidential manservant, telling
yourself you wield great power.
Well, you could –- but you’re too
goddamned afraid to use it.
THE CEO
What would you do? Attack us?
Rebel? Isn’t that what the aliens
would call ‘divide and conquer’?
DAWSON
You give me no choice.
THE CEO
Tell the truth; it’s about more
than that. You said yourself –
we’ll all lose, every last one of
us, except for you.
DAWSON
When threatened, the fight for
survival emerges as humanity’s
most basic instinct. Prepare for
war.
Dawson disappears. The CEO remains seated but lets his right
hand open. A white cross on a chain falls from it onto his
desk.
EXT. GAULIEUS –- DAY
Great starships assemble in the harsh skies above Gaulieus
as before. Dawson’s great lumbering flagship, the Gemini,
slowly passes by.
DAWSON (V.O.)
We go now to fight. Some go to
die. All go to conquer.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SPACE –- LATER
The Gemini again passes by, now pulled by tugs, leading the
fleet toward a massive hypergate.
INT. GEMINI –- HANGAR
HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS fill the lofty hangar inside the
Gemini; there is a sense of grim order restraining chaos as
men make their ways to their fighters. The Black Aces are
huddled around Hawk Macy below a large two-seater gunship,
similar to the one flown by Davies and Johnson before Jack’s
capture so long ago. Macy reads from a glowing hand-held
monitor.
MACY
It’s all very incognito. We’re
split up at first; Steve and
Willem, you’re in that gunship—
(Looks up and points to the
vessel above them)
Jack and Robert, you’re in the one
over there—
(Points to another gunship
nearby)
And I’m in a single-seat fighter.
We stay apart over Magnapolis, and
stay out of contact with each
other – we’ll be like rogue ships,
and hope they don’t pay any
attention to us. Then we’ve got an
eight-minute window. We’re
supposed to all auto-destruct and
eject – I guess not in that order
– over the Greenfields between the
Corporate and former Presidential
Towers. We do it separately, and
they won’t bother to track our
movements on the ground. We
assemble at a point marked on your
PDAs by fourteen-hundred and make
it to the tower from there. There
are millions of soldiers on the
streets, so we’ll blend right in.
(Looking up)
Well? What are you waiting for? Go
on, get the hell out of here. And
kick some ass. I’ll see you at
fourteen hundred.
Macy nods and disappears. Jack and Robert turn to cross the
floor to their fighter.
STEVE
Robert.
Johnson and Davies turn back. Steve shakes Robert’s hand.
STEVE (CONT’D)
Good luck out there. Don’t get
dead, man.
Johnson solemnly nods.
STEVE (CONT’D)
And you, too, Jack.
Jack holds his arm up to Jack in a sign of victory, then
turns away. Davies says nothing. Willem smiles.
WILLEM
God be with you.
Jack nods, Willem turns, and Robert and Davies then cross
the floor to their gunship. Ladders lead up to the cockpit
and gunpit; Davies climbs the former and Johnson the latter.
JOHNSON
You’ve got a good crew here, Jack.
DAVIES
I guess.
Johnson clambers into the gun pit.
JOHNSON
You guess?
INT. DAVIES’S GUNSHIP -– CONTINUOUS
The window by which Robert entered the cramped cockpit
swooshes closed around him. Jack is already in the cockpit,
getting a feel for the controls.
DAVIES
They like you more than they like
me.
JOHNSON
I missed you, Jack. I tried to
transfer.
DAVIES
You had your chance to come here
with me months ago.
JOHNSON
Jack, c’mon, now’s not the time-
DAVIES
I’ve changed a lot since then, you
know. Dawson-
JOHNSON
I hear you two are close.
DAVIES
(Slightly surprised)
Close? I – No, I wouldn’t – He’s a
very great man. He’s helped me. He
sees promise in me.
JOHNSON
I don’t trust him.
DAVIES
You don’t know him.
JOHNSON
I hear that he and Copley and the
CEO go way back.
DAVIES
Not true.
JOHNSON
You don’t know that.
DAVIES
He would have told me.
JOHNSON
He’s like a father to you?
DAVIES
(Quickly)
My father’s dead.
(Terse pause)
No. But because of Dawson, now I
know why you said you’d be willing
to die.
JOHNSON
You’d give your life for the USS?
DAVIES
I’d give my life for him.
AUTOR'S COMMENTARY:
Another long chapter. There are parts of this I like and
parts I don’t. The two monologues – one by Dawson, one by
Macy – outlining the mission seem to my mind to go too long,
though I’ve tried to pare them down in this edit. I can’t
help but wonder if the entire mission itself is rather
dubious – there must be better way to blow up the Tower. I
actually paused in writing just before these chapters for
several months while I agonized over how to get these boots
on the ground. If anybody can think of a better set-up
please let me know.
It is really from this point on that Triumvirate differs
from Gemini’s Redemption. GR ended with the heroes attacking
the United headquarters on Earth and Corporate headquarters
on the moon; it ended with the moon blown up, the Earth
destroyed, and Davies betrayed by Johnson. Oh, and virtually
all of the main characters were killed off. And the ending
was a downer: basically, the good guys lost.
Some elements of the older story leak through here. It was
largely abandoned, though, for several reasons: first, it
was very similar to other films (notably Star Wars); second,
it was far too depressing; third, it basically through all
semblance of plot and character development out the window
in favour of big shiny things blowing up. You will see that
the next act is significantly different from what I had
written before.
A few final notes about this chapter: I almost deleted the
scene between Dawson and the CEO. It doesn’t add much to
plot and character and, again, seems to slow the headlong
rush toward the end. I ultimately decided to keep it because
it represents the only real conversation between Dawson and
the CEO in the entire film, and foreshadows the ending a
little more clearly. Speaking of foreshadowing, there’s a
lot of that in this chapter generally. Those that read the
original version of Triumvirate (all two of you) will notice
that I’ve changed both the dialogue and the relationship
between Jack and Johnson in this chapter. In the previous
version they were happy to see each other and reminisced.
Here, Davies seems a little (or more than a little) bitter
towards Johnson. It also establishes his commitment to
Dawson, and reveals just a little about Davies’s history.
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4/11/2003 10:26:23 PM
(Updated: 4/12/2003 5:54:30 PM)
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