THE MATRIX V 3.03
EPSIODE 9 MARA
BY ROBERT ‘CHOI’ BOEHM
b4483@alltel.net
BLACK SCREEN
We hear a recording of Arbiter’s voice.
ARBITER (RECORDING)
Thank you for calling Aurora
Automotive Accessories. No one is
available to take your call now, but if you leave a message we will get back to
you as soon as possible.
There is a beep and we hear the voice of an unknown man.
MAN (V.O.)
Your order from Eastgate
Lumber will be delivered at
You hear the sound of a phone being hung up.
INT. NOSTRADAMUS CABIN
There is a knock on the cabin door.
Arbiter sits up in his bed, he is wearing sweat pants. He rubs his face for a moment trying to wake
up.
ARBITER
Come in.
Xandara opens the door.
ARBITER
What is it?
XANDARA
We got a message from the
Leviathan.
ARBITER
Send in Carnan and Aquanis
Xandara is a little confused by the combination as Arbiter lies back
down.
XANDARA
Carnan and Aquanis sir?
ARBITER
Or what ever two you feel like
waking up. Fuck if I care.
Arbiter pulls the covers back over himself as Xandara closes the door.
FADE TO:
EXT. CITY STREETS (NIGHT)
There is a red 1969 Detomaso Mangusta crusing along empty city
streets.
INT. MANGUSTA
Carnan is driving; Aquanis is in the passangers seat.
AQUANIS
I don’t know if you’re
thinking the same thing I am, but why in the world did Arbiter send you and I
in together?
CARNAN
It’s really all about who he
doesn’t mind waking up in the middle of the night. – Me and Arbiter take pleasure
in annoying eachother. You’re Balder’s
replacement, so you’re a natural target for his anger.
AQUANIS
Who was this Balder guy?
CARNAN
Balder and Arbiter went
through the orphanage together. They
both joined the fleet and once Arbiter was given command of his own ship,
Balder was his choice for first lieutenant.
Balder made Arbiter an easy going guy, but ever since his death Arbiter
is becoming more and more up tight every day. – Arbiter immediately placed
blame of his death on the
The car rolls to a stop at the post office. Carnan removes a key from his pocket and hands it to Aquanis.
CARNAN
Mail
Aquanis exits from the car and enters the post office. She finds
FADE TO:
INT. NOSTRADAMUS MAIN DECK
Carnan and Aquanis wake up from the Matrix. Xandara unplugs Carnan first, then Aquanis.
CARNAN
So what the hell was in that
disk.
Aquanis steps out of her chair.
XANDARA
I don’t know, let’s find out.
The three of them step over to the operator’s terminal. Xandara sits down and punches through a few
commands. A video of a man is shown on
one of the screens.
MAJOR XEHIRUT (RECORDING)
This is Major Xehirut; Zion
2947302. This is a code three message
form
AQUANIS
Should we tell Arbiter?
CARNAN
It can wait until morning,
let’s get some sleep.
FADE TO:
EXT SEWERS
We see the Nostradamus flying through the sewers.
FADE TO:
INT: NOSTRADAMUS BRIEFING ROOM
The crew of the Nostradamus is sitting around the table except for
Xandara (Currently piloting). Arbiter
is standing at the head of the table.
ARBITER
I shouldn’t have to express
the risk that we are going to be taking tonight. My better judgment say that Carnan and Tachyon should be Satin’s
contacts. You two weren’t the abductors
and she has seen less of you than she has of us; however I doubt that with that
unfamiliarity; Satin will be willing to just hop in a car and go cross town with
two strangers. And because Talon held a
gun to her head in our last encounter, our only option is myself and Aquanis as
contacts.
Tachyon stands up
TACHYON
That’s not our only option.
ARBITER
Really? I don’t see anybody else with plugs in the
back of their head.
TACHYON
Let Carnan and I tare care of
it.
ARBITER
What makes you think that
she’ll let you?
TACHYON
Back when I was still a
battery, I knew Satin personally.
TALON
What!?! You’re just now choosing to share this
information with us?
TACHYON
It’s been nine years. I didn’t find out until we were placing her
back in her apartment. I noticed a
necklace that I gave her and a tattoo on her hip.
ARBITER
So when you say you know her
personally, you mean…
TACHYON
Exactly.
ARBITER
This actually presents us with
a bigger risk. She probably thinks your
dead.
Tachyon shakes his head
TACHYON
She used to.
Talon raises her brow.
TALON
You’ve already made contact
with her?
TACHYON
Once personally, and a few
emails.
Talon utters to herself.
TALON
I don’t believe this
ARBITER
You screw this up and you’ll
get to know the stockade – personally.
That’s if we’re not all dead first.
Arbiter takes a deep breath and lets out some of his frustration.
ARBITER
Tachyon, make contact with
Satin, you and Carnan will pick her up at
PHASE
I know, close but not too
close.
Arbiter nods.
The crew stands up and leaves.
FADE TO:
EXT. VACENT INDUSTRIAL STREETS
Various import cars leave a parking lot at an otherwise vacant
industrial park. We follow a yellow
MR-2 Spider from the perspective of a helicopter. Soon after the Spider leaves a Brabus S 600 starts following
behind it. The two vehicles soon come
up to a stop light, the Brabus pulls up along side the left side of the Spider
and stops.
EXT. CITY STREETS
The driver’s side window of the Brabus rolls down, Tachyon is driving,
Carnan is in the passengers seat. He
looks over to the Spider, the window rolls down, Satin is driving, she smiles.
SATIN
Nice ‘Benz you got there
TACHYON (
It’s a Barbus actually.
Satin raises her brow.
SATIN
Nice where did you boost if
from?
TACHYON (
A place called the construct,
Satin
Satin pauses for a brief moment.
SATIN
Where did you learn that name?
TACHYON (
If you want to know, you’ve
got to catch me.
Tachyon bolts through the stop light.
Satin grins and gives chase.
EXT. CITY STREETS
About a quarter-mile behind Tachyon there is a RUF 911 Turbo, its
lights are off. Arbiter is driving;
Aquanis is in the passenger’s seat.
ARBITER
What in the hell does he think
he’s doing?
Arbiter slams the gear box into first and gives chase after the Barbus
and Spider. Arbiter pulls out his phone
and begins to call Tachyon.
AQUANIS
Are you crazy? The agents will pick up on that as soon as
you his send.
Arbiter pauses, looks at Aquanis, and closes his phone.
AQUANIS
Tachyon’s leading Satin
straight to the Exordium building and this isn’t exactly abnormal behavior for
Satin. – We’ll be alright.
Arbiter focuses on the road again and decelerates slightly.
ARBITER
I hope your right.
EXT. CITY STREETS
Tachyon leads Satin through the vacant city streets at break-neck
speeds straight to the Exordium building.
The Spider pulls up behind the Barbus in front of the Exordium
building. Tachyon and Carnan exit,
Satin soon follows.
SATIN
So where did you learn that
name?
TACHYON
Actions speak louder than
words. – Follow me.
Satin takes a look at Carnan, she has a puzzled look on her face.
SATIN
Do I know you from somewhere?
Carnan turns and says nothing.
He follows Tachyon inside the Exordium building. Satin follows behind. Just after they enter, Arbiter pulls up in his
RUF 911 Turbo.
INT. EXORDIUM BUILDING ROOM B-3
Carnan enters through a cast iron doorway into the same room where
they met the crew of the Delphi before. Tachyon follows behind and leads Satin
in. Somnus and another man (Vincent)
are there waiting for them.
SATIN
Vincent?
Vincent smiles
VINCENT (SNIPE)
Actually people around here
call me Snipe.
SATIN
Why are you here? I was wondering why you weren’t at redline
today?
SOMNUS
Perhaps you should be asking
why you are here.
Satin has a puzzled look on her face.
SOMNUS
You are here because fate has
led you here…
INT. EXORDIUM BUILDING BASEMENT HALLWAY
Arbiter and Aquanis are walking down a hallway toward the room where
Satin is at. We overhear Somnus’s
words.
SOMNUS
Believe it or not, fate has
put you in a dream and fate has brought us together to wake you up from this
dream.
Just before Arbiter and Aquanis get to the door, it slams shut. Aquanis and Arbiter look and each other puzzled
looks on their faces. Arbiter ruses up
to the door and tries to open it, but can’t.
INT. EXORDIUM BUILDING ROOM B-3a
The room is filled with all the equipment necessary for
substantiation. Two crew members of the Delphi (except Somnus and Snipe) are
here. One member runs over to the door
into Room B-3; it has just slammed shut as well. He tries to open it, but it won’t budge.
INT. EXORDIUM BUILDING ROOM B-3
Carnan, Tachyon, Satin, Somnus, and Snipe are all confused and
slightly frightened as to what has just happened. They all ready their guns, all except for Satin of course. The shadows in the room begin to move toward
a single corner, making it completely pitch black. There is a sadistic laugh of a woman echoing through out the
room. Carnan, Tachyon, Somnus, and
Snipe point their guns at the pitch-black shadow. The shadow starts to dissolve away revealing a woman floating
inches off the ground. She is clothed
in a purple velvet and lace bustier.
She also wears skirt that falls down to her feet with a slit on the left
that runs all the way up to her hip.
As soon as the woman stops laughing, Carnan, Tachyon, Somnus and Snipe
open fire upon her. The woman holds out
her arms and lets the bullets hit her; however as soon as they do, the seam to
disappear in a puff of black smoke. Satin
quickley ducks down into the opposite corner as soons as the first shot if
fired. All to soon they run out of
bullets at exactly the same time.
The woman speaks in an old-English accent.
WOMAN
Can’t you see this is
pointless?
She extends both of her hands forward and their guns disappear in a
cloud of smoke. Satin starts to scream
as her body is being taken over by an agent.
WOMAN
Not so fast Mr. Smith.
The woman extends one hand toward Satin, her palm facing forward. As she does this Satin is knocked back, a
dark purple-upside down-mirrored kanji tattoo instantly appears on her forehead
(The kanji stands for paralysis). The
agent leaves her body, which goes limp and falls to the floor.
WOMAN
An agent with reason, you’d
think they’d learn their lesson with the vampires.
She laughs slightly.
CARNAN
What the fuck is going on
here?
The woman glares over at Carnan
WOMAN
I am only here to take control
over what is mine.
The woman looks over toward Somnus.
WOMAN
You – Yes, you are what is
mine.
SOMNUS
I – I can’t move.
Somnus’s feet slide across the floor as her body moves next to the
woman.
WOMAN
The rest of you, I will have
my fun with later.
Both the woman and Somnus disappear in black smoke. Carnan, Tachyon, and Snipe look at each
other, then down at Satin. Before any
of them can find anything to say, the door into the hallway opens. A man enters the room from a white hallway. He is wearing a white frog button shirt and
black pants.
CHERUB
My name is Cherub; you must
forgive me.
The Cherub instantly engages in combat with Carnan. The two exchange blows for a brief moment
until Tachyon and Snipe move to help him out.
The Cherub kicks Carnan into Snipe, Sending both stumbling to the
ground. Tachyon engages with the Cherub
and blows are exchanged until Carnan and Snipe find their way to their
feet. As Carnan and Snipe the Cherub
places a firm blow in Tachyon’s chest, sending him back into the wall. The Cherub quickly turns around and blocks
blows from both Carnan and Snipe until his is forced to dodge backwards. Once he does this he motions the others to
stop.
CHERUB
Impressive, Please forgive me
as you cannot genuinely know somebody unless fight them.
CARNAN
Can you tell me what the fuck
is going on? Or else I think you and I
need to get better acquainted.
CHERUB
The woman who abducted Somnus;
her name is Mara. She is what you would
call a Vampire or Necromancer as well. All
you need to know is the fulfillment of the prophecy is vital of Somnus’s safe
return.
Cherub grabs a key from his pocket.
CHERUB
You can use this key to get to
her, but it will only work on this door.
He motions to the door from which he came in, and hands to key to
Tachyon.
CHERUB
You must protect this door;
with out it you cannot return. I
suggest you dig in the adjacent room in order to protect this door.
He motions to the door opposite of the hallway.
SNIPE
Dig in? Are you crazy? Nobody has ever survived a dig in.
CHERUB
You are at a phone relay
station; the hard line cannot be cut.
There is also only one entrance into that room. Now, I must go.
TACHYON
What about Satin?
Cherub enters the white hallway and speaks.
CHERUB
Ask the appointed judge.
Cherub turns around and closes the door.
To Be Continued.