ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 002

 ACT 002: EXT. LAKESIDE – EARLY EVENING

The Zoids sit idle beneath camo tarps. The forest reflects in the glassy surface of the lake. Neku stands knee-deep in the water, rinsing her hands, the breeze tugging at her sleeves. Nyssa steps up beside her, silent for a long moment.

NYSSA (quietly)
You okay?

NEKU (nods, sighing)
She's... not what I expected. Doesn’t remember anything. Doesn’t know anything. No fear. No confusion. Just... calm.

NYSSA (arms crossed, eyes watching Paige and Danny nearby)
That’s not normal. Kids don’t just wander out of the forest alone and naked.

NEKU (quiet)
She called me mother, Nyss. Out of nowhere. Like it was the only word she knew.

NYSSA (turns to Neku)
And what did you say?

NEKU (avoids eye contact)
What could I say?

NYSSA (flatly)
This isn’t a refugee story. This is something else. And until we know what that is… don’t get close Neku, don't get attached, we have no idea who this girl is.

NEKU (softly)
Nor does she.

Neku looks over to the two teenagers.

EXT. LAKESIDE – EARLY EVENING (CONTINUOUS)

Danny is crouched by the water’s edge, baiting a hook with practiced fingers. Paige watches intently, eyes wide with curiosity.

PAIGE
What are you doing?

DANNY
Finishing up — gonna catch dinner.

PAIGE
Dinner?

DANNY
Yeah. A big fat fish.

PAIGE
Oh...

(A pause, silence.)

PAIGE
What’s a fish?

DANNY (surprised)
You don’t know what a fish is?

(Paige shakes her head.)

DANNY
Well, fish are underwater animals, good eating but they weren’t always here. Humans, cows, other animals — they all came on the spaceship that crashed here about 2,000 years ago.

PAIGE
Zoids too?

DANNY
Nope, Zoids have always been here. They evolved naturally, but when humans came, we modified them — gave them cockpits, upgrades, and all that.

(Silence, bobbing float in water.)

PAIGE
Why do you always scan the Zoids?

DANNY
Oh, the Virus. It’s been around for about 15 years now. It infects wild Zoids and can mess up piloted ones too — that’s why we scan every day.

PAIGE
So Zoids get ill? What about the pilots?

DANNY
Not all Zoids have pilots. The wild ones usually run from the infected. The Virus sends out a signal they can detect.

PAIGE
Oh — (pointing at the water)

DANNY
hey, a bite!

(Danny pulls a fish from the water, showing it to Paige.)

DANNY
Dinner.

PAIGE (horrified)
It’s alive!

DANNY
Not for long.

PAIGE
No, you can’t! It’s living!

DANNY (apologetic but firm)
Sorry Paige. I gotta feed the team — and now you’re part of that. We have to eat to survive.

(Danny swiftly bashes the fish’s head with a rock. Paige sobs softly.)