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by Art Vandelay (npwolfie@hotmail.com)

Rated:

Genre: Action/Adventure User Review:

In the year 2045, one man has taken control of the last nuclear weapons on Earth. Taken by the belief that he is God, can the United Nations stop him before Judgment Day?

INT. OPENING CLIP SHOW - DAY

Clips of war scenes (still? moving?) accompany text that is
'typed' onto the screen.

TEXT
JULY 4, 2024
Muslims around the world celebrate
as the United States withdraws its
forces from the Middle East.

TEXT
AUGUST 15, 2026
Americans are stunned as a nuclear
device is detonated in Las Vegas.
The entire city is destroyed.

TEXT
DECEMBER 19, 2026
Astronomers around the world are
awed as a completely undetected
supernova lights up the sky for a
full week.

TEXT
APRIL 17, 2030
American-Chinese relations are
strained as investigations into
the Vegas bombing, now four years
later, reveal what the government
claims as "extensive Chinese
involvement".

TEXT
DECEMBER 29, 2030
General Iscariot of the United
States Joint Defense Committee
declares the Chinese government
responsible for the bombing and
recommends immediate military
action.

TEXT
NOVEMBER 1, 2031
A coalition of American, British,
Spanish, French, Japanese, and
Canadian forces declare war on
China and her allies. Vietnam,
Korea, and Russia all spring to
China's aid.

TEXT
MARCH 17, 2032
The Asian countries skillfully
blockade all trade in the Pacific
and Indian oceans. The economic
strains send prices skyrocketing.
The inability of conventional
forces to establish a beachhead
leaves American forces stranded on
the water.

TEXT
JUNE 26, 2038
All of the nations have pulled out
of what is being spoken of as
World War III except America and
China. Stalemates force the
countries to attempt drastic
measures.

TEXT
JULY 1, 2039
Nuclear blasts level the cities of
Beijing, San Francisco, Honk Kong,
and Atlanta. Nations call for the
UN to stop these unnatural uses of
force.

TEXT
MAY 25, 2043
Washington is destroyed. The
President and all of the Cabinet
members are killed. The UN
establishes peacekeeping forces in
America and China, and seizes
control of all nuclear facilities.

TEXT
NOVEMBER 21, 2045
The UN orders the immediate
decommissioning of all nuclear
facilities, effective immediately.
All countries are expected to
comply...

INT. HALL, MILITARY BUNKER - DAY

Black screen. Footsteps of three men are heard. Picture
appears.

ANGLE ON- BAPTISTA, SCIENTIST, and TECHNICIAN walking down a

hall. Perspective- From the ceiling of the corridor down.

The men walk past the camera, which swings to follow them.
The men reach a security door with an armed guard. All three
show ID to the guard, who swipes a magnetic card in a slot.
A red LED switches to green, the three men walk through.

ANGLE ON- Behind the men, as they walk to an elevator. The
SCIENTIST pushes a call button. The elevator doors open, and
the SCIENTIST and TECHNICIAN enter.

            BAPTISTA
      (puts down
       briefcase)
Thank you, gentlemen.
      (Pulls gun out of
       pocket)

Fade to black

SCIENTIST
John, what are you doi-!?

The screen is still black. Two gunshots can be heard. An
elevator bell dings, and the screen opens from the center as
an elevator door would, to reveal the main titles.

EXT. OUTSIDE THE BUNKER - DAY

ANGLE ON- A revolving door of a government-looking building.
BAPTISTA walks out and enters a waiting sedan. The camera
follows the sedan as it drives off.

INT. INSIDE THE SEDAN - DAY

ANGLE ON- Baptista in the back seat of the sedan, so that
the camera sees Baptista with the briefcase in his lap and
out the window. Baptista is looking out the window.

ANGLE ON- Subjective shot of Baptista's viewpoint. Passing
by is Detroit and Grosse Pointe, emphasize church shots.

Roll any remaining credits during this scene.

EXT. ST. PAUL'S CHURCH - DAY

Sedan pulls up to the front of the church. Baptista exits,
still with the briefcase, and walks up to the church doors.
Baptista opens the door and walks in.
ANGLE- Fixated so that the camera can follow the sedan
pulling up and Baptista enters. Perhaps two separate shots?

INT. ST. PAUL'S CHURCH - DAY

ANGLE ON- Baptista is standing with his back to the camera
in the narthex. As the mass ends, the crucifix is carried
out during the recession. Baptista waits until the church is
empty, then walks in.

ANGLE ON- Baptista walking up the aisle. The camera is in
the balcony.

ANGLE ON- Baptista in front of the altar. Baptista makes the
sign of the cross in front of the altar, then walks to a
confession booth. He enters the booth, sits down, and closes
the door.

INT. CONFESSIONAL - DAY

ANGLE ON- Portrait side shot of Baptista. Behind his face, a
SHADOWY FIGURE can be seen.

BAPTISTA
(With feeling)
My God, I am sorry for my sins
with all my heart. In choosing to
do wrong and failing to do good, I
have sinned against you whom I
should love above all things. I
firmly intend, with your help, to
do penance, to sin no more, and to
avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered
and died for us. In his name, my
God, have mercy.

Forgive me, Father, for I have
sinned.

FIGURE
Ah, Doctor Baptista. So good of
you to come. How long has it been
since your last confession?

BAPTISTA
Far too long, Father.

FIGURE
Have you procured the package?

BAPTISTA
Yes, of course.

FIGURE
I hope it wasn't too difficult.

BAPTISTA
(smirks)
I had to dispose of two of my
colleagues, but UN sanctions on
such highly illegal devices make
any official investigation into
their deaths highly improbable. I
assume that the arrangement we
made is still in effect?

FIGURE
Yes, my son. For your faith, you
will be rewarded. Remember that my
Father�s house has many rooms.
Leave your burden where it lies. I
absolve you of your sins. You may
leave in peace.
(Closes the screen)

EXT. TIBERIUS' HEADQUARTERS - DAY

ANGLE ON- Front lawn of the manor.Highlighting the UN flag
on the front and the circular driveway.

A limousine enters the driveway and stops in front of the
manor. The OFFICIALS, one with a black briefcase, get out
and approach the manor. They enter nonchalantly, but with an
air of business. A greeter is just inside the door.

GREETER
Right this way, gentlemen. You've
been expected.

The OFFICIALS follow the GREETER into the conference room.
Inside are General Tiberius, Captain Marcus Pilates, and two
bureaucrats. The bureaucrats are wearing suits, the military
men have dress uniforms. Both General Tiberius and Captain
Pilates have many medals, General Tiberius has many more
than Pilates.

TIBERIUS
What can I do for you, gentlemen?

OFFICIAL 1
Thank you for seeing us on such
short notice, General. We have a
very serious problem on our hands.
As you are well aware, the Treaty
of Geneva made all nuclear weapons
(MORE)

OFFICIAL 1 (cont'd)
illegal. The United States, as a
show of good faith, was the first
to disarm their arsenal.
Unfortunately, the Pentagon, as a
security precaution, decided to
keep seven silos operational
without the knowledge of the
United States government or
people. Since no one person knows
the location of all of America�s
missile sites, nobody knew which
sites were still operational.
Because no person could be
trusted, the sites were placed on
automation, with the activation
codes to be transferred to the
Pentagon computer mainframe.

TIBERIUS
Implying that the codes were not,
in fact, transferred.

OFFICIAL 2
Unfortunately, sir, you are
correct. The codes were
consolidated in a federal
building, where they would then be
rewritten and recoded before being
sent to the Pentagon. Three days
ago, the recoding was to have been
completed and the codes sent with
three government scientists to the
Pentagon. When the codes never
reached their first checkpoint, an
investigation team was dispatched.
Two of the scientists were found
dead; the third, a Dr. John
Baptista, and the codes were
missing.

TIBERIUS
Are you saying we have a Pandora
situation on our hands?

            OFFICIAL 1
It would seem that that�s the
case, sir. Which is why we�re
here. We need the UN�s help in
tracking down Baptista and
recovering the codes. Here�s what
we know of Baptista, mostly from
what he filed with the government.
      (hands PDA to
            (MORE)

OFFICIAL 1 (cont'd)
Pilates)
Here�s his official file with his
last known address. Good luck,
gentlemen, and may God help you.

INT. TIBERIUS' HEADQUARTERS - DAY

Back inside mansion. TIBERIUS and PILATES are present, as
well as both OFFICIALs and a U.N. INVESTIGATOR. Slide show
in background accompanies INVESTIGATOR report on BAPTISTA.

            INVESTIGATOR
If everyone would take a seat,
please, we can get started.
      (Slight shuffling
       sound as people
       take seats)
Good afternoon. I believe we have
a key suspect in this truly scary
situation. Though the whereabouts
of Dr. Baptista are still unknown,
the search of his apartment
yielded several interesting finds.
We discovered several documents
that show that the Dr. had a fair
amount of interaction with the
Trinity Corporation. As I�m sure
most of you know, Trinity is a
world wide corporation that made a
name for it self by discovering
miracle cure for most of the
worlds diseases through genetics.

OFFICIAL 1
Excuse me; doesn�t Trinity have a
monopoly on the UN sanctioned
terraforming of Mars?

INVESTIGATOR
Yes, that is correct. The owner of
the corporation is an enigmatic
man named Joshua Christianson. He
is the genius son of a steelworker
from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He
single-handedly created Trinity
and is credited with most of their
medical breakthroughs. He is one
of the richest men on earth. Yet
despite his fame few have ever
seen him. He is supposedly a
religious zealot and he is
credited with creating the
(MORE)

INVESTIGATOR (cont'd)
mysterious Christian sect known as
the Cult of the Apocrypha. He is
the self proclaimed leader of what
has become an underground, yet
world wide phenomena. His cultists
are called the elect, and his
closest advisors are called the
Twelve. Their meeting places are
unknown. This is one of those
fairly apocalyptic groups, so I
think it might be prudent if we
investigate. That�s it for this
briefing.

Lights come on, and people file out, until TIBERIUS and
PILATES are left.

TIBERIUS
(to PILATES)
So looks like we have a real crazy
on our hands. This guy doesn�t
just think that he�s got God on
his side. He thinks he is God. And
if he is the one with the nukes,
judgment day is a lot closer than
it used to be.

INT. UNKNOWN MEETING ROOM - NIGHT

There is a table at which twelve people in white robes are
seated. A dim light shines on the table but no ones face is
visible. The walls of the room are also in darkness. A
thirteenth FIGURE stands at the head of the table and
address the group.

            FIGURE
      (As the FIGURE
       speaks, the
       camera pans left
       and right to show
       all twelve men)
The time has come my brothers and
sisters, for the ancient word to
be brought to completion. For soon
is the day when not one stone will
be left upon another; all will be
cast down. Great wars have been
fought. Nation has risen against
nation and kingdom against
kingdom. Earthquakes and floods
and famines have ravaged the
world. My chosen people have been
            (MORE)

            FIGURE (cont'd)
persecuted. The great portents and
signs have occurred and the
ancient prophecy is about to be
fulfilled. For I come not with
peace but a sword. Soon the
mountains will crumble and the
seas will break their shores. The
greater reaper shall gather the
wheat in bundles, but the chaff
and weeds; they shall be cast into
the fire, the great furnace where
there is much wailing and gnashing
of teeth. The high and mighty
rulers of the world will be cast
down and only those elect who
follow me will be spared. The
narrow door is open to you; the
crooked way made straight. Your
faith has separated you from the
masses, my chosen people. You will
soon dwell with me in the kingdom
of heaven. Only your faith has
saved you. For what my father
giveth, he may also taketh away. I
am the Alpha and the Omega; the
beginning and the end. I can sense
the fear you have, but do not let
your faith falter on the final
step before the Golden Gate of
paradise. For though one among us
may betray me,
      (Here, one robed
       man shifts
       nervously, on
       camera)
my will be done. Steel yourselves
for the battle coming. Let your
faith be your shield and no one
shall stop the will of God.

INT. TIBERIUS' HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

Night has fallen. TIBERIUS is in his office, with his
uniform loose, showing that he is about ready to head home
for the night. The phone rings.

            TIBERIUS
      (picking up the
       phone)
Hello?

10.

Shot change. We are in a dark room with a light overhead. A
man in an old United States Military uniform, whose face
cannot be seen, is speaking quietly.

JUDAS
(secretly)
Is this the UN residence of
General Tiberius?

            TIBERIUS
      (Shots continue to
       switch back and
       forth between
       JUDAS and
       TIBERIUS talking)
This is General Tiberius. Who am I
addressing?

JUDAS
Someone who is very afraid. Do you
know of the missing nuclear
weapons?

            TIBERIUS
      (Snapping to
       attention)
What? Is that you, Baptista?

JUDAS
(laughing softly)
No, no. If I had allowed myself to
get as close to him as Baptista
did, I probably would not be
speaking to you now.

TIBERIUS
Him who? Christianson? Are you one
of the Twelve?

JUDAS
Never mind who I am. What would
you give me for the location of
Christianson?

TIBERIUS
There is a one hundred million
dollar reward for the location of
the nuclear weapons.

JUDAS
That information I do not have,
nor would I give it if I did. I
require thirty million dollars,
(MORE)

11.

            JUDAS (cont'd)
sent to the following Swiss
account
      (punches number in
       on phone)
In return, I will tell you where
and when Christianson, Baptista,
and the Twelve will all be
together. The knowledge of the
nuclear weapons will die with
them.

TIBERIUS
Very well. It seems you leave me
no choice. You will have your
money at 0800 tomorrow.

            JUDAS
Thank you, General. May you taste
victory.
      (On this shot of
       Judas, the camera
       zooms out to show
       a white robe
       draped over a
       chair.)

INT. TIBERIUS' HEADQUARTERS - DAY

The camera shows Tiberius' office, the next morning. The
clock on the desk reads 0825. TIBERIUS is sitting at his
desk, on the phone. PILATES walks in, looking very haggard
and unsure, and closes the door.

            TIBERIUS
Understood. I'll dispatch the unit
immediately.
      (to Pilates)
Captain, we�ve just received hard
evidence that Christianson has our
Pandoras. Seems he plans to
destroy the world and take his
elect to what he calls the Kingdom
of God. Funny that he should chose
the planet of the war god as his
eternal kingdom of peace. Anyway,
seems that he had a Judas in his
midst. All the better for us. We
know where Christianson is. I�m
dispatching your team to the place
where Christianson and his elect
are holed up. The location will be
provided at the briefing. I want
            (MORE)

12.

TIBERIUS (cont'd)
you to shut this blaspheming son
of a bitch down before he nukes
the world. What�s wrong Michael?
You seem disturbed by something.

PILATES
(despairingly)
I�m sorry General, but this whole
cult thing has made me begin to
wonder. What if this really is the
end?

TIBERIUS
(Sternly)
Son, last time I went to church I
seem to remember some old priest
telling me about how Jesus died to
save us from our sins not destroy
for them. John 3:16, its all right
there. Jesus was all about faith,
hope, and love, and this cult
seems to be based on cruelty, fear
and hate. And I�m sure that he
will be welcomed in the innermost
circle of hell. But the man still
has the power to take life away.
So stop him before he brings about
the God damn apocalypse.

            PILATES
      (Snaps to
       attention)
Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.
      (Salutes, turns to
       leave)

            TIBERIUS
      (With a slight
       smile)
Oh, and Captain.

PILATES
(turning back)
Sir?

TIBERIUS
Godspeed.

EXT. OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE - DAY

PILATES and his hit squad are in a van outside the warehouse
where Christianson is hiding.

13.

PILATES
(into radio)
We are at the location. Do we free
the King or Barrabas?

TIBERIUS
(through radio)
Free Barrabas. Repeat: Free
Barrabas. Close the box. Godspeed.

            PILATES
      (into radio)
Understood.
      (to men)
Let's move!

Carmina Burana begins. On the opening bass drum rolls, cut
to a shot of a battering ram against the door of the
warehouse. On the vocal parts, cut to shots of the Twelve
inside the warehouse snapping to attention, grabbing
weapons, maybe Christainson barricading himself in an
office.

During early soft vocals, the hit squad moves through lower
levels of the warehouse, subduing Elect members, notable by
their brown robes. White-robed Twelve are nowhere to be
found.

At the end of the vocals, the men move by JUDAS in his
military regalia. His white robe is draped over one
shoulder, and he is frozen in stiff salute. PILATES salutes
back, and JUDAS points to a nondescript door. PILATES nods,
motions to his men, and they move off.

The camera lingers on Judas, who goes back into his office,
takes out a pistol, and shoots himself in the head.

The vocals explode and, on the bass drum roll, the men burst
into the command room. Members of the Twelve are crouched
behind tables, doors, chairs, firing at the hit squad. One
by one, they are all cut down with precision accuracy.

After the remaining eleven of the Twelve have been killed,
the hit squad moves to the door of Christianson's office.
The door is locked, so PILATES shoots the lock out.

Cut to the door leading into the Twelve chamber. A hand
reaches from behind and closes it- it is BAPTISTA, robed all
in black with two pistols. He takes aim and fires twice. The
first shot takes the ear off of a hit squad member, the
other hits PILATES in the back between the shoulder blades.
PILATES falls forward, and the other member drops to the

14.

ground screaming. The other members turn around and fire.
BAPTISTA is riddled by bullets and collapses, quite dead, to
the ground.

PILATES gets up, unharmed thanks to the Kevlar he wore to
the battle. He opens the door to the office, and
Christianson is sitting calmly at his desk, with a telltale
red button in his hand.

CHRISTIANSON
(calmly)
Forgive them, Father, for they
know not what they do.

Pilates fires once. Christianson slumps forward, dead.
Behind where his head was, a piece of paper is stapled to
the wall. Subjective shot of Pilates as he walks forward to
read it. The letters "INRI" are visible.

FADE OUT.

Feedback

From Patrick Scatamacchia	Date 8/4/2006
Very silly...Nuclear Weapons guarded by just a couple of guards...I just stopped reading after that...

From Nicole S. Porter	Date 3/9/2005
Clever. Very clever indeed. I particularly enjoyed the names and the lingo used. Action moves right along in a quick, clipped, easy fashion.

From Jillian	Date 3/9/2005
I have to say i am intrigued by this script... I'm no expert, but in my opinion it's very well descriptive. I love to watch movies like this, so i look forward to reading some more on this... keep up the good work.

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