ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 020

 ACT 020: EXT. GUSTAV – ROAD TO CHELONIA

The Gustav travels quickly down the hardened road, a main route to the city of Chelonia; the ground has become a firm and solid surface due to the amount of traffic it sees.

Chelonia — vast and immovable, a fortress-city the size of a mountain. At rest it looks less like a Zoid and more like a living island. Its armoured shell, hollow and open to the sky, creates a protective wall in which the city rests. Layered with towers, hangars, and terraces, the citadel bristles with life. Salamanders patrol the skies above while cranes shift cargo along its edges. From a distance the legs are invisible, hidden beneath the earth, leaving only the impression of a city grown out of the ground itself. Its head lies still, mouth wide open — the entrance to the city.

Danny hangs from a harness, a wielding torch in hand as he patches up the damage to the side of the Gustav, Nyssa stands above him on top of the shell, checking on Danny and lowering needed tools and Sheets of Polymer to the Young man.

NYSSA (leaning over the edge, holding her own harness)
You OK?

DANNY (looking up, a smile on his face)
Aye, almost done. Despite the depth and length its pretty much just armour damage. Caught a couple power nodes, hence the internal bang, but they’re sorted.

The torch bursts to life and Nyssa closes her eyes and looks away. Danny squints through the blearing light, his eyes more than use to it.

NYSSA (looking down at the eye protection he left up with her)
Don’t let Tilly find out you’re doing that without the goggles.

Danny laughs as he concentrates on the repairs.

INT. GUSTAV – CABIN – APPROACHING CHELONIA – DAY

The interior hums quietly as Chelonia grows larger outside. Tilly sneezes, her nose tickled. A blip on the console

TILLY
Heads up. We’ve got incoming—Salamander class, one contact.

PAIGE (worried)
What’s that? Is it one of the bad ones?

She instinctively moves closer to NEKU, eyes wide. Neku stiffens, unsure. That question still lingers in her mind—What are you?—but she looks down at Paige, a young girl, she sees the fear, the trust.

A beat.

NEKU (soft)
No. It’s just Brandt. He’s with Chelonia’s security. Just making sure we’re who we say we are.

She wraps one arm around Paige.

TILLY (leaning forward, cheerful)
And we are. Mostly.

Paige smiles faintly, still nervous but comforted.

EXT. SALAMANDER – FLYING – DAY

The large flying Zoids glides by making its first sweep, then arks around and returns to the Gustav’s side, hovering above it. Danny still hanging from the side of the large Pill Bug waves frantically.

VIRELLI (Piloting the Salamander)
Welcome back kids, I count two Foxes and an unregistered Sea Panther.
I’ve clocked Nyssa with Danny, but no Darkhorn and Skarfi’s Heavy Arms is also absent. Everything OK.

TILLY (over comms)
Hiya Brandt, Skarfi stayed at the Reservation, helping with some repairs. Unfortunately we lost the Darkhorn. I can confirm that despite the loss we’re all safe and happy to be home.

VIRELLI
Sorry about the Darkhorn Nyssa, but as long as your all safe that’s what counts. Welcome home.

NYSSA (over comms)
Thanks Brandt, Its good to be back.

VIRELLI (a smile on his face looking down at Danny)
Speaking of safe, I see Danny wielding without his goggles.

TILLY (over comms)
GOD DAMN IT DANNY!!!

Laughter

EXT. GUSTAV – MOUTH OF CHELONIA – DAY

The entrance to Chelonia is the mouth of the gigantic Turtle Zoid, wide open, the lower jaw buried below the ground; it looks like the entrance to a tunnel in the shape of a turtles upper head. The Gustav, tiny compared to the opening slowly moves forward entering the throat of the Elder Pantheon Zoid.

INT. GUSTAV – MOUTH OF CHELONIA – DAY

Paige eyes wide with wonder and a touch of fear as she looks though the cockpit window at the huge structure, her hand firmly holding Neku’s for comfort. She sees other Zoids moving about, including the Gurantula that Danny mentioned earlier in their journey, skittering around, doing repairs and carrying cargo.

PAIGE (a face of wonder)
We’re going into its mouth?

NEKU (Also looking through the cockpit)
Yeah, (She laughs) I never really thought about it before

PAIGE (her face turning to worry, as she spins to look at Neku)
What if it swallows?

Danny laughs, now returned from his repairs and also sitting in one of the cockpit seats.

DANNY (sniggering)
It’s the chance we take, 50 50, if it swallows, then that’s the end.

TILLY (scolding)
Danny behave.

NEKU (reassuring)
It cant swallow us. Chelonia has been asleep of hundreds of years.
This is just a tunnel that leads to the inner walls of Chelonia

TILLY
Well be through in fifteen minutes

The Gustav continues as the Daylight fades replaced by neon lights marking the route ahead. The tunnel seems segmented like it can turn in any direction; huge panels and joints maintain a constant pattern as the Gustav slowly moves deeper.

After a small while, sunlight hits the Gustav’s canopy, the transport Zoid comes out of the tunnel and into the sunlight, a large area, filled with the hustle of a communal Hub. Zoids move around doing what needs to be done, Iguan, Godos, Double Sworder’s and other Zoids all moving with a purpose.

She spots Brandt’s Salamander settled in the distance, a tall lift beside it allowing access to the cockpit. Brandt talking to an engineer, he pulls himself free of the Zoid. He waves at the Gustav.

Paige’s face is full of awe; she’s never seen an area so busy, so full of life. Her eyes dart around taking in all the sights, standing and leaning on the dash, her face nearly pressed into the glass. Danny and Neku watch the teenager, her joy filling their hearts, smiles spread on their faces.

Tilly navigates the Gustav in to its designated spot and then sighs a relief as she powers the Zoid down and pops the cockpit.

TILLY (as she stands and faces Paige)
Welcome to Chelonia Paige, Welcome to our home.