ZOIDS ASTRAY ACT 026

 ACT 026: INT. CHELONIA – COMMAND ROOM – EVENING

The room is quiet, everyone stunned and lost in their own minds, pondering the information that was just given to them.

Nicholla rubs the bridge of her nose, then sits up straight, stretching. She places her hands on the table and regains her composure.

NICHOLLA
You want to wake Chelonia and get it to move out into the ocean?

CLAIR
Correct. The journey isn’t far—in fact, Chelonia’s tail acts as our city’s docks and is already in the ocean. It would just be a matter of turning around and moving forward.

DANNY (joining in)
I know it sounds crazy, but as we said, it doesn’t look like Virodahaka can go into the ocean.

NYSSA (bluntly)
Because it’s not watertight. That’s a goddamn guess, Danny—we have no proof.

DANNY (pointing at the monitor)
Look at the route it’s taken, Nyssa. It’s avoided every body of water. If it hadn’t, it would be here by now.

NICHOLLA
Say the theory is sound—we still need to stop it at some point.

CLAIR (thinking)
That’s true. But at least it would buy us more time.

NICHOLLA
And who is going to pilot Chelonia? We can’t have it going rogue with us all sitting on its back.

DANNY (concerned)
That’s the unknown factor, and why we’re approaching this problem on two fronts.

NEKU (taking everything on board)
The valley plan?

CLAIR (with a smile)
Correct. As it passes through the valley, we blow the walls at the thinnest point, burying it. In theory—although not as effective as water—the masses of stone, dust, etcetera should clog it up. If it doesn’t stop it, it will at least slow it down.

BRANDT (head lolled back, hands on face)
But that will cut off the south. The reservation, Dunston, and the other villages—they’ll be cut off.

LIBRARIAN
Potentially. But they can still go around, though it will increase their journey time by several days.

NEKU
Could we not evacuate them onto Chelonia?

NICHOLLA
There is more than enough room for them. But that thing is between them and us.

BRANDT (sitting up)
Whale King. We can use it to do a pickup.

INU (shocked)
Does it even still work?

BRANDT (rubbing his chin)
It’s not been woken in a while, but Dom’s still around to pilot—so I can’t see any issues. I’ll take Sally and escort with a couple of guys.

NYSSA (bluntly)
Joran won’t leave Tor and his bloody cows.

NEKU (nodding)
This is true.

BRANDT (standing)
Better get a move on then.

Brandt looks over to Nicholla, who gives him a nod. He turns and leaves the room.

NEKU
I guess that’s one ball rolling.

Inu looks up at her sister and smiles, adjusting herself in her seat and turning her attention back to Nicholla

NICHOLLA (face hard)
Regardless of our course of action, they’re safer inside the city.

NYSSA (confused, bluntly)
Are they? Isn’t that thing actually past them, on its way here? (raising her voice) We’d be bloody safer going to them.

IRIE (sternly)
Please, Nyssa. Calm yourself.

NICHOLLA
That would be true, Nyssa—but we don’t know, do we? It could change its mind and head to any one of the smaller villages at any time. With everyone under Chelonia’s protection, we can one hundred percent predict its movements.

Danny, Clair, and Neku all nod in agreement.

LIBRARIAN
A sound observational conclusion.

CLAIR
We should push for both strategies. I’ve located the best point in the valley to place explosives, giving us the best chance to stop—or at least slow—it down.
(she points to the map on the monitor)
As for our turtle—we’ve already been and checked the Core. It’s set on standby and just needs to be seated. We just need to find someone who can establish a bond.

NEKU (concerned)
We’ve seen what happens when there’s no bond. The Salamander bombed C-block and then sunk itself in the ocean when Arlow tried his luck. Idiot.

CLAIR (looking at Neku)
There are signs—you can see if there’s a bond present without inserting the Core. Twitches, pings, flags that we can monitor.

NEKU (sarcastic)
We gonna invite everyone in the city to pop their hand on the core one at a time?

LIBRARIAN
I can compile a list of everyone who could have a potential bond. Family history with roots to early settlers. People who have worked on or around Chelonia in a more custodian capacity.

NICHOLLA (to Librarian)
Please do.
(to Danny and Clair)
Do we have what’s needed for the explosives?

DANNY
I’ve checked the stores. There’s more than enough—it’s just a matter of getting them rigged and in place before it gets there.

CLAIR (cutting in)
Which is why we need a diversion. Long-range tactics. From what we’ve seen, the tendrils have a reach of about forty feet.

DANNY (continues)
Saying that though—we’ve not seen it actively attack with them. It cripples its prey first, and then they strike.

Nicholla sits in silence, her mind racing. Concern fills her entire being.

NICHOLLA (stoic, looking down the table)
I don’t know if any of this will work—but we have to try. The Dragoon Nests need to be prepared and ready to go. We’ll use them as lifeboats if and when the time comes. Once we’re ready, I want every civilian and non-essential personnel evacuated, boarded, and on stand by for the order to flee.

LIBRARIAN
This is unlike anything in the historical archives. Chelonia hasn’t moved in over three hundred years of recorded history. Its limbs are long buried—they’ll need to be excavated before we attempt to move her.

CLAIR (flustered)
I didn’t even think of that. How did we miss that?

NICHOLLA (smiling faintly)
Considering everything we have to do—that’s the least of our worries.

(she stands, her hands still on the table)
Let’s begin.