ANDROID ARMY

"ANDROID ARMY"

INT. CARNUBIUM MINE -- DAY

A pick axe SLAMS into solid rock, breaking off a chunk.

The prisoner lowers his axe and wipes sweat from his brow.

Muscled arms, a trim body, alien face partially covered by

the nose piece from a rebreather tank. MERRITT is a hip

alien with a sarcastic wit and a kick back attitude, sentenced

to 25 years for hijacking cargo ships.

A GUARD nudges Merritt with a rifle, prompting him to work.

MERRITT

Hey! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?

Merritt hefts the axe ad gets back to work.

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PRISONERS working the mine:

Aliens like Merritt.

Humans like PRATT, a burned out three time looser with a

weight lifter's body.

But more than half the prisoners are chrome fingernailed

Androids, sentenced for killing humans on Earth. None of

the Androids wear re-breathers... they don't need them.

RALPH 124C41 is the leader of the Android gang. A HUGE mean

looking droid with metal fingernails and grey eyes, guilty

of brutally murdering more than fifty humans. He slams his

axe into the rock... Imagining it's the Warden's head.

Working beside Ralph 124C41 are his two henchmen: SMITH EE17,

a wiry Android with slicked back hair, aluminum teeth, and

pincher claw hands.

And COBLENTZ HL2000, whose body is criss-crossed with baseball-

like seams where he's been sewn together after knife fights.

Coblentz HL2000 breaks through a wall, exposing a vein of

glimmering Carnubium.

COBLENTZ

The fucking motherlode. Vein of

Carnubium!

Merritt wrinkles his nose under the rebreather.

(CONTINUED)

2.

MERRITT

Shit, Coblentz, what you found is a

damned Deros Cave. If you weren't a

fucking Android you could smell 'em.

Let's get out of here before we're

lunch.

SUDDENLY, a slimy DEROS worm breaks through the opening in

front of Coblentz and EATS the PRISONER next to him.

The other PRISONERS yell and scramble out of the mine.

One of the GUARDS fires his rifle, forcing the Deros back.

EXT. MOUTH OF THE CAVE -- DAY

The PRISONERS sit along the side of the mountain, taking a

break. Merritt looks up when NOWLAN nudges him with his rifle.

NOWLAN

Warden wants to see you.

MERRITT

Must be my lucky day.

JACK NOWLAN is head guard of the prison mining colony. Tough

but good natured, he's Esau to Merritt's James Dean-like

Jacob, here on the twin sunned planet Isaac.

Nowlan clips magnetic leg shackles onto Merritt, then nods

for his assistant AL BESTER to take over.

Bester is a farm boy prison guard. Not only second in

command, but Nowlan's best friend. He wears a cowboy hat,

has a small town attitude. Bester gestures for Merritt to

get to his feet.

Nowlan prods Ralph 124C41 with the rifle, and the Android

grabs the barrel. Nowlan pulls the gun back, then JAMBS it

into Ralph's gut.

NOWLAN

Warden wants to see you.

RALPH

Screw you, screw.

NOWLAN

I've got the gun: Screw YOU. Now, you

going to cooperate, or am I going to

have to shoot you again?

Ralph snarls and Nowlan clips on the magnetic shackles.

(CONTINUED)

3.

Nowlan prods Ralph to his feet, escorts the prisoners away.

EXT. PRISON BUILDING - ESTABLISHING -- DAY

The Prison Building scorches under Isaac's twin suns.

INT. GERNSBECK'S OFFICE -- DAY

Nowlan and Bester prod the two prisoners into chairs across

from Warden Gernsbeck.

In his tailored suit and gold Rolex, VERNON GERNSBECK is the

type of slimy, bigoted, corrupt warden they make prison movies

about. Trophies and political photos adorn the office,

obscuring the UN flag in the corner.

On his desk, near his polished brass name plate, is a photo

of his pretty twenty year old daughter, GARBY.

GERNSBECK

(sarcastic)

My two favorite prisoners. Merritt.

Ralph 124C41.

MERRITT

What do you want, Verne? I'm a busy

man.

GERNSBECK

Nowlan. Bester. Better stick around.

Nowlan and Bester nod, and keep their guns ready.

Gernsbeck lifts two manila folders, giving a false smile.

GERNSBECK

I've been looking over your files,

gentlemen. Interesting reading.

(to Merritt)

Mr. Merritt. Twenty five years hard

labor for the armed hijack of twelve

cargo shuttles...

MERRITT

Fourteen. There was two they couldn't

prove.

GERNSBECK

You seem to have trouble obeying the

rules around here.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

4.

GERNSBECK (CONT'D)

You've been disciplined by electroshock

forty three times.

(beat)

I have disciplined you more than thirty

times myself...

MERRITT

(sotto)

Sadistic fucker.

GERNSBECK

What was that?

Merritt just smiles.

Gernsbeck pulls the other folder and looks up at Ralph 124C41.

GERNSBECK

Ralph 124C41. Life without parole for

murdering fifty seven people on Earth.

It says here you were reprogrammed

twice, but kept on killing.

RALPH

Humans are scrap.

GERNSBECK

If it were my decision, I would have

you disassembled and melted down,

sold as slag.

MERRITT

Ralph the toaster.

Gernsbeck looks from Ralph to Merritt.

GERNSBECK

As you know, your labor has been leased

by Manrocci Industries to mine the

Carnubium deposits here on the planet

Isaac. Now that the Carnubium has

been depleted, this prison colony

will be closed down.

(beat)

The human and alien prisoners will be

reassigned to the mining colony on

Mars....

RALPH

And the 'droids?

(CONTINUED)

5.

GERNSBECK

The Androids will be set free... But

remain here on Isaac.

RALPH

What about a repairs technician?

Gernsbeck gives Ralph an evil smile.

GERNSBECK

No. If you break down, you're on

your own. Maybe you can repair

yourself...

Ralph goes berserk.

RALPH

You piece of scrap! I'm gonna kill

you! You and all the other human

scraps! I'll kill you ALL!

Nowlan and Bester hold him in his chair.

Gernsbeck hits a buzzer. Two other guards enter the office:

KLINE, a jokester ex-Marine, and STILSON, an attractive female

guard. Stilson and Nowlan exchange smoldering looks, sparks

of attraction between them.

KLINE SLAMS Ralph with his gun butt until he sparks, then

drags him out with Bester and Stilson's help.

Merritt scoops the photo of Garby off the Warden's desk and

studies the picture.

MERRITT

Come on, Verne. This is just an excuse

to keep me away from your daughter.

You know she wants me.

Gernsbeck pulls the photo out of Merritt's hands.

GERNSBECK

Keep your hands off my daughter.

MERRITT

Okay. But you better tell her to keep

her hands off of me... You KNOW she's

looking for some "close encounters".

GERNSBECK

I'll light you up like a Christmas

Tree. You'll get enough voltage to

fry that evil little sociopathic brain

of yours...

(CONTINUED)

6.

MERRITT

She must take after her mother, Verne,

because I don't see a lick of family

resemblance. Was your mail man a

handsome guy?

Gernsbeck is about to explode. He turns to Nowlan.

GERNSBECK

Get him out of here!

MERRITT

I was just beginning to like it, here.

Thinking about opening an ice rink..

Nowlan uses his gun to prod Merritt to his feet.

NOWLAN

Come on. Now.

Merritt lifts his hands and co-operates, allowing Nowlan to

escort him out of the Warden's office.

INT. COMMAND CENTER -- DAY

Nowlan escorts Merritt out of the Warden's office and across

the Command Center.

THE COMMAND CENTER is a circular room with work stations, a

security section where video monitors show various interior

and exterior views of the prison, and a vidmap of the prison

with lighted points showing where prisoners are.

A guard named CARTER is on security duty, watching the video

monitors in the security section. He nods as Nowlan passes

by, but ignores Merritt.

HALFWAY across the command center, they pass GARBY, Warden

Gernsbeck's pretty twenty year old daughter.

Garby is one of the few people on the planet not dressed in

prison denim or guard uniforms. She's dressed in a VERY

sexy outfit.

MERRITT

Well hello.

Nowlan tries to pull Merritt away from Garby, but she changes

course so that she can run her hand across Merritt's body

sensually.

GARBY

Is it true what they say about 'Smovs?

(CONTINUED)

7.

MERRITT

Depends upon what they say.

Garby whispers something in Merritt's ear, and he laughs.

MERRITT

Well, that's true about ME.

GARBY

Is it?

They exchange flirtatious smiles, and Nowlan YANKS Merritt

away from her, dragging him to the doorway marked AIRLOCKS.

Merritt looks at her over his shoulder.

MERRITT

Until we meet again.

GARBY

I'll be waiting.

They exit and Garby crosses to her father's office and pops

open the door.

ON THE VIDMAP

We see two red dots exit the building and cross the terrain

to a section labeled: Carnubium Mines.

INT. CARNUBIUM MINE -- DAY

Ralph 124C41 slams the pick axe into the rock, grumbling to

himself. He's about to explode in anger.

Pratt cracks through some rocks and a cloud of dust billows

into his face. He takes a step back, covering his eyes...

bumping into Ralph.

Ralph spins, using the head of his axe to press Pratt back

against the wall of the cave.

RALPH

Human scrap! Don't ever touch me.

Merritt sets down his axe, moves between Ralph and Pratt.

MERRITT

It was an accident, tin man. No reason

to blow a fuse.

RALPH

I do what I please.

(CONTINUED)

8.

MERRITT

Back off or I'll piss on you while

you sleep and rust your ass.

Ralph lowers the axe head from Pratt's neck... and JABS it

at Merritt.

RALPH

Screw you.

Merritt grabs the axe head quickly.

MERRITT

We can do without the axe, can't we?

Settle this like men... Oh, I forgot.

You're not anatomically correct, are

you?

Ralph lets go of the axe and rushes Merritt.

The two begin fighting, and it spills out of the cave into

the twin sunlights.

EXT. MOUTH OF THE CAVE -- DAY

Ralph and Merritt fight. A circle of prisoners around them.

ON ONE SIDE OF THE CIRCLE, Human and Alien prisoners cheer

on Merritt. On the opposite side, Android prisoners with

chrome fingernails cheer on Ralph 124C41.

WHAM! WHAM!

Ralph 124C41 lands a pair of solid punches to Merritt's chest,

pressing him back.

RALPH

Ready to die, Alien?

MERRITT

No. I'm ready to pound you into sheet

metal.

Merritt blocks Ralph's next punch, lands a SOLID hit to the

Android's jaw. The Human and Alien prisoners CHEER.

Coblentz HL2000 yells at the cheering crowd.

COBLENTZ

No one can fight an Android and win.

PRATT

Yeah? Merritt will turn him into SCRAP!

(CONTINUED)

9.

Both sides CHEER and JEER at each other. Tension and hatred

runs thick between steel and flesh.

Merritt tries a combination to Ralph's face, hitting with

his right.... But Ralph plucks his left hand out of the air

before it can make contact and SQUEEZES it.

Merritt screams and we can hear the snap crackle and pop of

bones breaking. Merritt kicks Ralph in the chest, forcing

the Android to let go of his hand.

Merritt staggers back, cradling his injured hand.

THE LINE OF ANDROIDS pushes Merritt back towards Ralph.

Merritt stumbles right into Ralph's arms. The Android grabs

Merritt's neck and squeezes, cutting off his air. Merritt

tries pulling the Android's hands off him, but can't.

RALPH

No air, no life.

Merritt is beginning to turn blue, when he pulls back his

head and SLAMS it into Ralph's.

Ralph lets go of Merritt, staggering back from the force of

the head butt.

Merritt takes a deep breath from the rebreather tank, and

goes into action. He spins, kicking Ralph in the head.

RALPH AND MERRITT exchange kicks and punches.

It's a battle of the titans.

Merritt is a great fighter, but his blows do little to slow

down Ralph 124C41... No one can fight an android and win.

COBLENTZ