                        A Moment In Time
                        Daniel Keys Moran
 
BLACK SCREEN:
 
A female voice sings a capella:
 
A million young voices, screaming out their words
Maybe someday those words will be heard
By future generations riding on highways that we built
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
Hope they have a better understanding
 
So check it out
Where does our time go?
 
TITLE FADES IN: 96 MINUTES BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
INT. BEDROOM, 2000 -- NIGHT
 
SPIDER DEVLIN sits abruptly upright in bed, startled out of
a dead sleep.
 
                           SPIDER
               What?
 
FLASH: AN INCREDIBLY QUICK SHOT, BARELY PERCEPTIBLE
 
Spider standing at the edge of a bridge in the middle of
nowhere. An arrow pierces him, front to back --
 
RETURN TO PREVIOUS SHOT
 
Spider jerks as though he's been struck by the arrow, turns
toward the phone, reaching for it, his eyes catching the
light as he turns ... and the light in his eyes ripples in a
subliminally perceptible fashion. His hand hovers over the
phone, he's confused -- finally the phone rings.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
EXT. LOS ANGELES -- VIEW OF CITY -- NIGHT
 
EXT. FREEWAY -- ON SPIDER & HARLEY
 
He comes zooming to a stop at the side of an empty freeway.
A car has struck the center divider; Spider gets off his
Harley, walks to the car. We see him clearly for the first
time; a man of perhaps thirty-five, dressed in a long black
duster, black jeans, and cowboy boots -- no helmet.
 
EXT. THE CAR AS SPIDER APPROACHES -- FAVORING SPIDER
 
A dead man slumps over the steering wheel, a gun in his left
hand, brains all over the passenger seat. His radio's been
left running. We HEAR a extremely rapid voice:
 
                     RADIO VOICE (V.O.)
               ... nanovirus outbreaks in D.C.,
               Chicago and Los Angeles. A nuke went
               off in the harbor in New York --
 
FLASH: A GREEN MEADOW IN BRIGHT SUNSHINE
 
Spider is vaguely visible in the FG. Two little girls, six
and eight, run toward him.
 
                     RADIO VOICE (V.O.)
               -- New York ain't there anymore --
 
RETURN TO PREVIOUS SHOT -- TIGHT ON SPIDER
 
                     RADIO VOICE (V.O.)
               -- we have unconfirmed reports that
               the Pan Asian coalition has launched
               missiles and that we've struck back
               ... kiss your ass goodbye, people.
               This is the Big One.
 
Spider shakes his head numbly, takes the man's gun from his
hand, gets back on his Harley and zooms DIRECTLY TOWARD THE
CAMERA, looming to FILL THE FRAME --
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
EXT. DESERT, 2100 A.D. -- EXTREME LONG SHOT -- DAY
 
Spider walks out of the desert, walks toward the screen in a
long, long, LONG SHOT, taking our time, Spider resolving out
of a gray desert haze. He's wearing what we saw him in just
a moment ago ... black duster, black jeans and black t-
shirt, and a white long-sleeved dress shirt. He's carrying a
black tote bag slung over one shoulder. The CAMERA STAYS ON
HIM as he approaches, comes into the middle distance ... and
then the CAMERA PULLS BACK, pivoting to widen into a two
shot with Spider at the right side of the shot, and ANGEL at
the far left.
 
She looks like something out of a really good issue of Heavy
Metal -- a wild, dark-haired, dark-eyed, dark-skinned girl
or 20 or so, with muscles and Post-Holocaust-Chic clothes
designed to show them off, standing guard in front of a
bridge that connects her little island to the rest of the
world. She's buff, she's impressive, she knows it. She
stands with a compound bow in her hands, a quiver on her
back, an arrow notched and ready to go.
 
Spider comes to a stop and she raises the point of the arrow
at him, a small gesture, and stares at him.
 
                           SPIDER
               My time machine broke down.
 
                            ANGEL
                  (politely)
               Really. How did that happen?
 
                           SPIDER
               There was a black hole in the heart
               of the beast ... it turned me inside
               out and squirted me through the
               singularity. Unfortunately I broke it
               and the black hole fell free. It's
               fallen to the center of the planet
               right now, eating the world alive.
 
                            ANGEL
               What?
 
                           SPIDER
               You know on mattresses, those little
               tags that say Do Not Remove?
 
Spider shakes his head as though to say, There you go.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
EXT. LAB PARKING LOT, 2000 A.D. -- NIGHT
 
Superimposed: 84 MINUTES BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD.
 
Spider pulls screeching into the lot, and the wide double
doors to the lab explode open. Two men in contamination
suits come charging out as Spider dismounts, descend on him
and pull him toward the lab.
 
INT. LAB SHOWERS -- TWO SHOT SPIDER AND GENEVIEVE
 
Spider's showering, naked, standing beneath a device that's
blowing foam down on him, then rinsing. GENEVIEVE, the Lab
Director, is a woman of 50 or 60. She stands a few feet
away, outside the reach of the spray, wearing a surgical
mask. She doesn't appear to notice that Spider's naked.
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               You didn't see anyone, you didn't
               touch anyone on your way here?
 
CU SPIDER, SHOWERING
 
FLASH: SPIDER PICKING THE GUN UP OUT OF THE CAR
 
RETURN TO PREVIOUS SHOT
 
                           SPIDER
               No.
                  (finishes rinsing; yells)
               Where the hell are my clothes?
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               Being irradiated -- to kill any
               viruses.
 
A quiet beat. Spider stares at her, dripping wet and naked.
 
CLOSE ON SPIDER -- HE LOOKS DEVASTATED
 
                           SPIDER
               They bombed New York.
 
WIDE ANGLE -- ON CAROLINE
 
A scientist of about 30 -- she charges into the room and
tosses Spider's clothes to him. She's wearing jeans and a
blouse and a distinctive silver-turquoise Indian necklace.
 
                          CAROLINE
               Here, Spider, I nuked these. Nothing
               left alive on any of 'em, I promise.
 
ON GENEVIEVE
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               I'm so sorry, Spider.
 
INT. LAB CORRIDOR -- TWO SHOT SPIDER AND GENEVIEVE
 
As they walk we SEE, in BG, entire families -- small
children, husbands and wives. Spider's dressing as they
walk, buckling belt, buttoning shirt --
 
                           SPIDER
               Holland still hasn't shown?
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               We called and called and couldn't get
               through. Then the phones went out.
 
                           SPIDER
               Just as well, I'd probably kill that
               motherfucker right now anyway --
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               Spider!
 
                           SPIDER
               He's a military asshole and he's
               better off -- wait. Who are we gonna
               send --
                  (realization sinks in)
               -- through? Get real.
 
INT. LAB -- THE TIME TRAVEL PORTAL -- TRACKING SPIDER
 
He enters with the Genevieve.
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               Who else am I going to send, Spider?
 
                           SPIDER
               Anyone would --
 
He stops and looks around the room -- filled with elderly
scientists, lady scientists, fat scientists, etc.
 
NEW ANGLE -- FAVORING JIMBO
 
JIMBO, is a relatively young tech. He's heard Spider; he
speaks without even looking up from his instruments.
 
                            JIMBO
               Not even in your dreams.
 
Spider's obviously the only Stud Hero type in the room. He
turns toward the Time Portal, and the CAMERA PIVOTS WITH HIM
until the Spider is framed in the center of the shot, with
the Portal in the BG.
 
                           SPIDER
               I need my bike.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
EXT. BRIDGE, 2100 -- TWO SHOT SPIDER AND ANGEL
 
A bird hangs upside-down in FG, on an ancient power line.
 
                           SPIDER
               You wouldn't believe the day I've had
               ... You know, that bird's either dead
               or it's invented gravity boots.
                  (quickly back to Angel)
               What is your name?
 
Angel looks at the bird as Spider takes a step toward her--
 
                       SPIDER (CONT.)
               And what year is --
 
Angel looks back, sees Spider moving, and lets fly.
 
CLOSE SHOT -- SPIDER IN FG, ARROW IN BG FLYING TOWARD CAMERA
 
Spider twists aside and catches the arrow, pulls it out of
the air. (Again, almost subliminally, the arrow should
ripple just before he touches it.) Spider stares at her ...
opens his hand to look at the arrow. The arrowhead sliced
his palm as it went by, and he's bleeding.
 
INSERT -- ECU SPIDER'S HAND
 
The blood drips down his hand ... drops to the dry desert
sand. The CAMERA FOLLOWS the blood down ...
 
TWO SHOT -- NEW ANGLE
 
Spider twirls the arrow a couple of times, casually, like a
baton, and then grins at Angel.
 
                           SPIDER
               Ever try to catch a bullet with your
               teeth? Your head rings for a week
               afterward.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
INT. TIME PORTAL, 2000 -- TRACKING SPIDER
 
SUPERIMPOSED WITH: 80 MINUTES BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD.
Spider pulls on his duster, stamps into his boots -- he
flexes his right hand, then brings it up and looks at it.
 
INSERT -- SPIDER'S RIGHT HAND
 
It's bleeding -- a faint mirror of the cut he made/will make
catching Angel's arrow.
 
PULL BACK -- TRACKING SPIDER
 
He shakes his head, puzzled, dismissing it, and wipes his
hand on his jeans, slings his bag over his shoulder and
mounts the Harley. Despite the situation Spider is grinning
a little, wired and manic. Lab techs tie down the portable
time Gate -- a device about the size of a small child -- on
the seat behind Spider. The portable Gate has an array of
controls and instruments on its surface.
 
                          GENEVIEVE
               What's in the bag?
 
                           SPIDER
                  (glances sideways at his bag)
               This? This is my stuff. I don't go
               anywhere without my stuff.
 
Genevieve looks as though she's going to argue, then gives
it up. Jimbo gets in Spider's face; they shout at each
other, drill-sergeant style, in what has the feel of an old
in-joke, but with real urgency, stepping on each other's
dialog, as the huge Time Portal starts to WHINE.
 
                            JIMBO
               Master Programmer!
 
                           SPIDER
               Master Engineer!
 
                            JIMBO
               That button right there!
 
                           SPIDER
               That button right there!
 
                            JIMBO
               Find a flat place, ride however far
               you have to, find flat ground and
               press it once, only once, when you
               get through to the other side! Don't
               touch anything else, you'll just
               screw it up!
 
                           SPIDER
               I'll just screw it up!
 
                          GENEVIEVE
                  (Good Citizen alarm)
               Spider, you're not wearing a helmet!
 
                           SPIDER
               Fuck the helmet ... there's no
               Highway Patrol where I'm going.
 
NEW ANGLE -- FAVORING CAROLINE AT A CONSOLE
 
                          CAROLINE
                  (watching equipment)
               Cycling!
 
PREVIOUS ANGLE -- FAVORING SPIDER
 
                           SPIDER
                  (laughs)
               That's cheap humor --
 
The WHINE grows VERY LOUD; Jimbo shouts over it --
 
                            JIMBO
               Go, damn it, go! Go!
 
                           SPIDER
               Hey! Hey! Where are you sending me?
 
                          CAROLINE
                  (tension broken; checks
                  instruments)
               Uh ... Los Angeles ... 2100. Within
               ... twenty miles of the lab?
 
Spider nods, glances at his watch --
 
INSERT -- DIGITAL WATCH READS 9:51:32 PM.
 
ANGLE FROM BEHIND SPIDER -- TIME PORTAL IN DIRECT BG
 
Spider hits the clutch and zooms forward, tires smoking,
into the Time Portal --
 
CLOSE ON JIMBO -- A VERY QUICK SHOT
 
                            JIMBO
                  (half-serious)
               What a total stud.
 
                                        CUT TO:
 
FLASH: EXT. BEACH -- NIGHT -- IN BLACK AND WHITE
 
A pair of seagulls flying away, out over the black ocean.
 
EXT. THE DESERT 2100, A SHIMMERING RIPPLE -- DAY
 
Spider rides through a wavering break in reality. He zooms
forward a hundred yards or so, at high speed, screaming,
whooping, making all sorts of appalling noises. Abruptly he
brakes, and the motorcycle slews to a halt, and Spider leaps
off it, barely taking a moment to see that it's standing
safely, leaping off to the desert sand. He slips and falls,
staggers back to his feet, laughing.
 
                           SPIDER
                  (at top of his lungs)
               I did it! I traveled through time,
               me, I AM THE MAN! I'm the first time
               traveler in the history of the world,
               the very first one! This is the
               future, this is so amazingly cool --
 
SHOOTING DOWN FROM ABOVE
 
-- Spider spins around, looking up at the frozen gray sky.
 
                           SPIDER
                  (flings his arms wide)
               HELLO FUTURE!
 
RETURN TO PREVIOUS ANGLE --
 
Predictably, the future doesn't answer Spider. His spin
slows, he turns in a circle, staring at the dead desert, at
post-Nuclear-Winter Los Angeles -- ruin of buildings nearby,
more ruins in the BG -- arms falling to his side.
 
                           SPIDER
               Look what we did.
 
~~~~~
 
