Owen and the Aliens - Episode 5 - "That Was Just a Run Through"

7/28/2019 Owen and the Aliens - Episode 5 - "That Was Just a Run Through"

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Owen and the Aliens

That Was Just a Run Through

Written by

Elliott Davidson


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ACT I

FADE IN:

EXT. PIRATE BASE - DUSK

A colossal escarpment stretches across the horizon.

Built into the cliff, like a metal wedge splitting thesheer rock face apart, is the pirate base.

The base is wider at the bottom, tapering as it climbs upand above the rock, ending in a sharp spire.

Near the bottom is an open hangar, a gaping maw of anentrance into the base.

The pirate command ship hangs in the air just below theupper tip of the base, docked to the spire.

The front of the ship is interlocked with the tower, as ifthe two have fused into one impossible structure.

INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK

The boys observe the base on the viewscreen.

OWENAre they going to know were here?

JOEAt this distance? Yeah, probably.

OWENSo ... ?

JOEIm working on it.

EXT. PIRATE BASE - DUSK

The beat-up spaceship coasts towards the pirate base.

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3/30

INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK

A portly pirate mans a control booth, feet up, watchingsome sort of alien show.

A monitor beeps beside him. He shifts his weight, scans themonitor, and smacks a few buttons.


The bridge is empty. The viewscreen blinks repeatedly.


The pirate waits for a response, scratches his head.

HANGAR PIRATEHello? Whos out there? Respond.

INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - STORAGE - DUSK

The boys rummage through the ships cargo.

JOEYeah, yeah, thats great, usethat!


The pirate sits up, looming over the console.

HANGAR PIRATEThis is hangar entry. Identifyyourself.

No response. The pirates increasingly wary.

HANGAR PIRATE

Identify yourself.

The pirate turns away and begins to access another program.

Then a comm window appears on the monitor. Its Owen andJoe. Now dressed as pirates.

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Owen and Joe sit in the bridge, their jumpsuits adornedwith rough odds and ends salvaged from the ships cargo.Rags, pelts, scraps of metal and plastics cover their suits

and their faces, just barely mimicking pirate garb.

The hangar pirate stares at them, impatient, suspicious.

JOE(surly like a pirate)

Sorry, sorry, were, uh, werehaving troubles with the comms onthis bird.

HANGAR PIRATE

What are you still doing outthere?

Owen and Joe share a nervous glance.

JOEJust testing her out. She brokedown, isnt running too good.

OWEN(surly like a pirate)

Needs a lot of work! Shouldveleft er behind back on ...that ... place.

JOEYeah, so, were going to bring erdown now, let someone else dealwith her.


The pirate chews on the boys words, scrutinizing them onthe monitor ... then shrugs indifferently.

HANGAR PIRATEAlright. Set her down before youcrash into something.

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The hangar pirate disappears from the viewscreen.

Owen and Joe share a moment of silence.

OWENNow what?

JOEI think we just fly in.

INT. PIRATE BASE HANGAR - DUSK

The hangar is filled with pirate attack crafts and stolenvessels. Pirates mull around the hangar floor.

The battered spaceship enters through the wide outerentrance, flies over to a vacant spot, and sets down.

INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK

The beat-up spaceships hatch opens, and Owen and Joe stepout into the hangar, a pair of diminutive pirates.

JOECaught a break for once, huh?

OWENWe were due.


Owen and Joe move through the hangar, surrounded byspaceships and genuine pirates.

The boys try to keep their heads low and remain unnoticedas they look around the place.

A group of pirates approach the boys. Owen and Joe slow.

The pirates nod and grunt in acknowledgment.

Owen and Joe, heads down and eyes cast aside, clear theirthroats, which is about the best their (human and alien)adolescent vocal chords can manage.

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OWENArrr.

The pirates look at Owen strangely. So does Joe. But the

pirates move along, and the boys hustle forward.

JOEWhat was that?

OWENI dont know. Felt pirate-y.

JOEIt wasnt. Dont do that, okay?

OWENOkay.


The boys reach Joes ship, its hatch open and inviting.

JOETheres my girl. I missed you,baby!

They scan the area quickly before darting into the ship.

INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DUSK

Joe jabs away at the ships console, running antsy handsthrough his hair-tentacles. Owen stands behind.

JOECharts are all here, systemsoperational. I think shes good togo.

Joe pauses, then turns to Owen, hesitant.

JOEWe could go home, you know. Rightnow. And get help.

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OWENWhat if theyre taken somewhereelse? Or worse? I cant leave now.Can you?

JOENo. No ... but Ive got an idea.


The boys reach Arallas ship, nestled amongst the others.

JOEWe dont tell Aralla about thisuntil after we get out of here,you got that?


The hangar pirate continues to watch his show.

Owen and Joe appear once again on the second monitor.

JOEHey, we got another bird that weneed to check out, make sure sh-

HANGAR PIRATEYeah, yeah, just let me know whenyoure heading back.

The pirate cuts the feed and returns to his show.

INT. ARALLAS SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK

Owen and Joe stare at the ships blank viewscreen.

JOE

I like that guy.

Joe works at the controls. Alien script appears on theviewscreen, cycling through various characters.

JOEThere. Lets go.

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Owen and Joe zip down the ships external stairs as thelanding hatch closes behind.

They wheel around and watch as Arallas ship lifts off.

INT. PIRATE BASE HANGAR - DUSK

Arallas ship heads to the hangar exit.


Owen and Joe catch a last glimpse of the ship before itflies out the exit and away from the pirate base.

OWENI hope this works.

JOEItd better.

INT. PIRATE COMMAND ROOM - DUSK

Maleonas sits on a throne-like chair at the far end of awar table, his back to a wall of windows that look out ontothe dark grey expanse of the rocky planet.

A dozen idiot pirates sort through some of the spoils,littered across the floor.

Off to the side, unattended, hovers Dr. Vroons box.

MALEONAS(pointing at box)

Whats in that?

A few of the pirates bring the box out from the shadows.

They poke and prod at it, but the box remains closed.

Maleonas sighs heavily, looks out at the rock sea beyond.

Then gas plumes hiss out from spreading cracks in the box.It opens like a flower, unfolding onto the floor.

Maleonas leans forward in his seat, elbows on the table.

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The air clears. The box holds a circuitry-imbued metallichalo. Long grey cables hang from the back of the headband.

MALEONAS

Which one of you found this?

Dr. Vroons original pirate captor steps forward.

MALEONASAnd whom did you take it from?

INT. PIRATE JAIL - DUSK

Dr. Vroon watches the kids from his cell as they whisperamongst themselves across the room.

EXT. JUNGLE PLANET ORBIT - SPACE

A Security fighter exits hyperspace, appearing far abovethe crimson jungle planet.

INT. SECURITY FIGHTER COCKPIT - SPACE

Officer Urkfurk taps at the controls.

URKFURK

This is Officer Urkfurk,inspecting location one-oh-nine.Not that our scan window didntclose a long time ago ...

His sour expression gives way to surprise, and he leans inclose to check the readouts.

URKFURKIve got something. Its too smallto be all of them, but Im

detecting hyperspace tunnelling atlocation one-oh-nine. Repeat,detecting hyperspace tunnelling atone-oh-nine.

Urkfurk digs a little deeper.

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URKFURKThe trails too faint to follow.But Im also seeing some localizednoise on the planet surface.

Urkfurk scratches his pig-like stubble as he stares at thered orb that looms before him.

URKFURKIm going to take a closer look.

EXT. JUNGLE PLANET ORBIT - SPACE

The Security fighter zips off towards the planet.

EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING - DAY

Urkfurks fighter descends from the sky and lands in thecenter of the clearing.

The fighters hatch lifts up, and the hefty Securityofficer hops out of the spacecraft.

The occasional distant hoot drifts in from the junglebeyond the clearing.

Urkfurk looks around at the loose ring of abandoned junk,

some items old, some new.

He moves to the edge of the clearing and picks up a pieceof discarded booty. Its clean, relatively unscratched.

Urkfurk looks it over briefly, then drops it in the dirt.

He heads towards the abandoned ships.

INT. DERELICT SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DAY

Urkfurk enters the ships bridge, inspects the controls.

URKFURKWiped clean.

EXT. DERELICT SPACESHIP - DAY

Urkfurk steps out of the spaceship, walks a few paces.

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He takes in his surroundings. The clearing is desolate,lifeless, still.

URKFURK

They were here. I missed them.

FADE OUT.

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ACT II

FADE IN:

INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY

Owens parents have joined the Administrator in thecolonys command center. Mr. Adamson paces back and forth.

MR. ADAMSONOkay, one more time. I want tomake sure I have this right. Youthink that there was some sort ofalien landing, here, out in thedesert.

ADMINISTRATORCorrect.

MR. ADAMSONAnd that our son was at thatlanding site when it happened.


MR. ADAMSON

And that whatever landed has sinceleft the planet. And our son - forwhatever reason - went with it.


Mr. and Mrs. Adamson share an anxious, desperate glance.

MRS. ADAMSONSo what do we do?

ADMINISTRATORWe wait. And hope that theyreturn.

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INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR CORRIDOR - DUSK

One could almost mistake the pirate base for a gigantic antcolony, its hallways cut out of the bare grey rock.

Metal doors, hanging lights, random equipment and exposedcables grace the otherwise raw tunnels.

Our two short pirate impostors make their way through thehalls of the hideout, sneaking around in plain sight.

OWENThis is so weird.

Joe dodges a drop of stagnant water that falls from above,joining a murky puddle in the middle of the floor.

JOECozy.

Owen glances at the ship-filled hangar they leave behind.

OWENAnd I thought being stuck on theirship made me nervous.

JOE

At least we dont have to hide.

OWENTrue.

JOESo do you have a plan here?

OWENWhat, the one step at a time thingisnt working for you anymore?

JOEYeah, yeah, upon furtherreflection, not my favouritecourse of action.

OWENThey could be anywhere ...

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Owen walks over to a nearby door. It opens before him. AndOwen stares straight into a hulking pirate belly, furry andslovenly, inches from his face.

Owen looks up and meets the pirates eyes.

OWENUh, sorry, wrong room.

The pirate shakes his head, grumbling, and walks off.

The boys watch the departing pirate, then share a glance.

OWENWow.

JOEHow are we supposed to find themin this place?

OWENI take the doors on this side, youtake the doors on that side?

JOEIf you say so.

The boys split, each taking one side of the hallway.

OWENWheres a directory when you needone?


The kids huddle together in their cell.

ARALLAIm not waiting any longer. Youguys ready to make this happen?

Arallas friends each nod in response.

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KOBORTess, time to play the princesscard.

TESSARACTA

I suppose it is.

Tessaracta moves up to the bars, stares directly at thelone guard by the door, and clears her throat.

TESSARACTAHey, you, peon. On your feet. Now.

KOBORYikes. Here we go.

The guard gets out of his chair and lumbers over.

GUARDWhat did you say?

TESSARACTAI am Princess Tessaracta of theTolonok Hive Empire, and I willnot tolerate this confinement amoment longer. You are going toescort me to the person in charge

of this pathetic excuse for apirate band this instant, so thatI may negotiate fair payment formy immediate release.

The guard postures up and moves in closer to the bars.

GUARDIm, Im going to what now?

TESSARACTA

I said, you are going to open thiscell, apologize for confining me,and escort me to your master sothat I may discuss my release.

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GUARDMy master? Now look lady, thishere is a pirate cooperative. Fairshare of the spoils, based onpirate merit.

TESSARACTAPlease, I know a drone when I seeone.

The guard, riled up, moves in even closer. The other kidsshuffle over to Tessaracta, lining up against the bars.

GUARDDrone? Im no drone! Im a willingparticipant in this criminal

enterprise, here on my own freewill.

TESSARACTAThats what they want you tothink. Mindless, like the rest.

Now the guards steaming, standing right in front of thebars, half a foot from Tessaracta and the other kids.

Tessaracta turns to her friends. Theyre speechless. Same

goes for the prisoners in the others cells.

TESSARACTAKobor, do you have anythingpersuasive to add to thisdiscussion?

KOBORWha? Oh, right.

Kobor reaches out, grabs the pirate by the shirt, and

smashes the pirates head against the bars of the cell.

The pirate guard slumps to the ground, out cold.

TESSARACTAApology accepted.

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LOOTHUTouchy fellow, wasnt he?

The kids drag the limp guard towards the cells controls.

Aralla grabs the guards hand and jams it against theconsole. The cell rumbles open.

ARALLA(to Kobor)

Open the rest of them.

KOBORYou got it.

Kobor pulls the pirate by his collar towards the other

cells, opening them one after another.

The guard stirs, mumbling. Kobor knocks his head againstanother set of bars. The guard goes back to sleep.

KOBORKeep napping, buddy.

INT. PIRATE BASE - JAIL ANTECHAMBER - DUSK

A nondescript vestibule leads into the jail.

Ten feet from the jails entrance, a lone pirate sits at asmall console, elbow on desk, head in hand, trying his bestnot to fall asleep.

Aralla and Kobor peek their heads out from the doorway.They spot the pirate, his back to them.

Kobor steps into the room and walks up to the pirate.

KOBOR

Hey.

The pirates limbs kick out in surprise and he spins aroundto spot the source of the greeting.

PIRATEWha?

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PIRATES POV - DUSK

Fist meets face.


Kobor drags the second pirate into the jail and leaves himon the ground beside the other guard. He claps invisibledirt off his hands, nods, pleased with his work.

All of the cells are open, and the fifty or so prisonersstand together in the middle of the room.

Aralla looks over Dr. Vroon and the stately, dignified, andnot particularly imposing group of aliens.

ARALLAYou all want to get out of here?

DR. VROONReady when you are, my dear.

INT. PIRATE BASE - JAIL ANTECHAMBER - DUSK

The prisoners stream out of the jail, the kids in front,Dr. Vroon right behind.

The groups cautious, but not quite creeping on tip toes.

INT. PIRATE BASE - HALLWAY - DUSK

The kids step out into the hallway. Deserted, both ways.

KOBORAnyone got a pick?

Collective indecisiveness. Then Aralla points down one ofthe two options.

ARALLAEither were lucky, or were not.

The kids lead the way, the others follow.

They approach a bend in the hallway.

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The prisoners turn the corner. They come face to face withthree rather startled pirates fixing a busted down conduit.

KOBORHere we go.

Kobor throws himself at the nearest of the pirates. Arallajoins in, then Tessaracta and Loothu.

Kobor quickly outmuscles his opponent. The pirate is liftedabove Kobors head and tossed aside, yelping as he slamsinto a wall.

Tessaracta grapples with her pirate, the shoving match

going back and forth, the stronger pirate evenly matchedagainst Tessaractas many limbs.

Loothu climbs onto the pirates back, smacking tentacleshit home, and the pirate is subdued.

Arallas left. And shes not having as much success.

The third pirate cowers over Aralla, gripping her wrists.

A hefty tool swings down and connects with the back of the

pirates head.

The pirate keels over, revealing a riled up, hunched over,tool wielding Dr. Vroon.

Vroons eyes are on the unconscious pirate, then Aralla.

ARALLAThanks.

Dr. Vroon nods, offers a wily grin.

All of the prisoners take in the scene.

LOOTHUI dont think were going to beable to keep up the quietapproach.

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INT. PIRATE BASE - ELEVATOR HUB - DUSK

A circular elevator platform waits in the center of theroom, hovering above the ground. The platforms open to theroom, lacking any sort of walls or ceiling.

The elevator sits below a wide shaft, access to the basesvarious levels.

A railing surrounds the elevator, broken where fourhallways lead into the hub, orthogonal to one another.

The boys enter the hub from one of the hallways.

A handful of pirates move about, some hopping on theelevator platform, others mulling around on the near side

of the railing. Theyre oblivious to the intruders.

OWENI totally get that were allaliens and everything, but I keepexpecting them to notice me, likeIm the odd one out or something.

JOEOwen, believe me, you look just asweird to my eye as they do.

OWENThats sort of comforting.

Owen and Joe take a few more steps into the room. Joe looksup into the gaping elevator shaft. Theres no way to tellhow far it goes.

OWENWhoa.

JOEGuessing that bad boy goes rightto the top.

Owen and Joe stare down the other possible routes. Left.Straight ahead. To the right. And of course, up.

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OWENThis could take a while.

FADE OUT.

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ACT III

FADE IN:


The prisoners rush through the pirate base, a stampede.

Its a flood of bodies pushing through the base,brandishing pipes and pieces of furniture as clubs.

Pirates are pushed aside, squashed against walls, trampledunderfoot, and left behind.

None of them are quick or courageous enough to try tosubdue the escapees. Theres no time to shoot, no time to

sound the alarm, just barely enough time to panic.

The kids lead the way, and the prisoners are increasinglybrazen, cheering with each subdued pirate.

Dr. Vroon is particularly energized, bopping gawkingpirates on the head with his newly found club.

ARALLAOld mans feisty.

KOBORNo kidding.

Kobors approach is blunt and direct as he ploughs forward.

Aralla and Tessaracta are speedy, elusive, coursing aroundpirates before slamming them into walls.

Loothu takes the opportunity to crawl along the ceiling,rushing ahead of the others.

He reaches a small group of dumbstruck pirates, then dropsdown onto the one in the middle.

Loothu wraps tentacles around the pirates head, obscuringthe pirates vision, and grabs onto the pirates wrists.

Like a puppeteer, Loothu directs the pirates limbs,smashing commandeered fists into unsuspecting pirates.

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Loothu lifts up off his dummy pirates head, and makes thepirate punch himself right between the eyes.

He hops off his unconscious and now useless mount, and

stands proudly by his handiwork as the others catch up.

Kobor looks over the pile of bodies, impressed.

KOBORDidnt know you had it in you,slimy.

Loothu grins, flexing his tentacles like a bodybuilder.

Then the prisoners are back on the move.


Owen and Joe make their way around the elevator railing.

A growing rumble echoes throughout the hub. The fewlingering pirates look around, then amongst themselves.

OWENYou hear that?

Owen and Joe look down the far hallway. The mob ofprisoners comes around a corner, heading straight for theelevator hub.

JOENo way.

The throng of aliens let loose a mighty battle cry.

The prisoners take on the handful of pirates. It isnt muchof a stumbling block. Then they set their sights on Owen

and Joe.

The prisoners wrap around the railing, coming at Owen andJoe from both sides.

JOEUh, Aralla?

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The boys stare at the prisoners, then at each other. Andthen they take in what theyre both wearing.

OWEN / JOE(pointing at each other)

Your clothes!

Owen and Joe frantically try to tear off their pirateaccessories in the face of the charging prisoners.

OWEN / JOE(to prisoners)

Wait, wait, wait!

The boys manage to uncover their faces just as theprisoners are on top of them.

ARALLAJoe! Owen!

TESSARACTAYoure alive!

Kobor turns to the other prisoners, keeps them at bay.

KOBORHold on, hold on, theyre our

friends!

The kids share ecstatic embraces.

LOOTHUI dont believe it!

ARALLAWhat are you doing here?

OWEN

Were here to rescue you!

ARALLARescue us?

KOBORHowd that go last time?

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JOEBefore? That was just a runthrough.

TESSARACTA

What are you two wearing?

JOE / OWENDisguises.

ARALLABoys, we are so past the point ofdisguises.

DR. VROONCome on, enough talk, lets get

moving!

JOEWait, whos this guy?

DR. VROONDr. Elimat Vroon. And now is notthe time, my wiry green fellow.

JOEWell if today aint just one new

friend after another. Hangarsthis way!

EXT. JUMP RING - SPACE

Urkfurks fighter comes out of hyperspace. Its not alone.

Some Security fighters make their way towards the Ring.Others continue to appear, blinking in from hyperspace.

INT. SECURITY FIGHTER COCKPIT - SPACE

Urkfurk checks the displays, taps at the controls.

COMPUTERDocking initiated.

Urkfurk slumps back in his seat, looks out at the stars.

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EXT. JUMP RING - SPACE

Urkfurks ship flies towards the Jump Ring, joining thecloud of returning Security fighters.

INT. JUMP RING - PILOT LOADING BAY - SPACE

Disengaged fighter cockpits rise up from the shafts below,settling at floor level.

Canopies open, and Security officers hop out.

All eyes are on Urkfurk, but no one says a word.

The loose group of officers hustle towards the exit.

INT. JUMP RING - SECURITY COMMAND - SPACE

The Admiral, Commander Rofolo and the rest of the Commandoswatch the displays, talking amongst themselves.

Urkfurk appears at the entrance, a throng of hushed fellowofficers behind him.

The Admiral and the Commandos look up. Urkfurk takes a fewsteps into the command room.

ADMIRALOfficer Urkfurk, is it?

URKFURKYes, sir.

ADMIRALWhat do you have to report,Officer?

Urkfurk shuffles nervously, clears his throat.

URKFURKI saw where they landed. Piratesleft some junk behind. Pickedthrough what they stole, took thegood stuff, left the chaff.

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ADMIRALProbably a regular waypoint fortheir raids.

URKFURK

But they were gone. And the trailswere cold. No indication of wherethey went from there.

ADMIRALI see.

The Admiral turns his back to Urkfurk.

Something flashes on the monitors. Commander Rofolo hunchesover the system, investigating.

COMMANDER ROFOLOSir? Were getting a distresscall.

Rofolo works the controls. The others move in close.

A scene outside the Jump Ring pops up on the viewscreen.Arallas ship is right in the middle.

Rofolo continues to check the information as it streams in.

COMMANDER ROFOLOShip just appeared out ofhyperspace. Started calling themoment she came through. Thecalls a recorded comm, waiting onus to answer.

ADMIRALLets see what they have to say.

Another window opens on the monitor. Its Owen and Joe,sitting in the bridge of Arallas ship, dressed as pirates,looking downward at the controls.

JOEOkay, its recording.

The boys look up at the screen. Joe waves.

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JOEUh, hey. Hows it going? Um, ImJoe, this is Owen

OWENWhat are you doing?

JOEIm introducing ourselves.

Owen pushes Joe to the side, shaking his head, and looksstraight at the camera.

OWENWeve got a problem over here ...


A handful of pirates, including Dr. Vroons captor, ridedown the floating disc of an elevator.

They set down floor level. Amongst a handful of unconsciousbodies.

PIRATEUh oh.

INT. PIRATE COMMAND ROOM - DUSK

Maleonas stares out the windows, hands behind his back.

A comm window appears on a wall monitor, displaying one ofthe pirates, now in the jail room.

Behind him, the cells are open and empty.

The only aliens that remain are the two pirates that filled

in for Kobors punching bag, who both lay sprawled on thefloor, groaning.

PIRATESir, theyre gone.

Maleonas wheels around to address the monitor.

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MALEONASWhat?

PIRATEThe prisoners, theyve escaped.

They must be somewhere in thebase.

MALEONASSound the alarm. Find them.

INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR ENTRANCE - DUSK

Owen and Joe lead the escapees. The hangar is just upahead, Joes ship visible from the hallway.

JOEWere close, my ships rightthere!

ARALLAHey wheres my ship?

JOEYeah well worry about that later.

Then the alarm sounds, a mechanical wail that pulses

through the base. The prisoners slow down, cringing.

OWENOh no.


The pirates in the hangar draw their laser guns.

INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR CORRIDOR - DUSK

The kids and the other aliens race forward.

A pirate appears from behind a ship in the hangar, spottingthe prisoners as they hustle down the corridor towards him.

PIRATE(to other pirates)

Over here!

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Pirates stream out from other rooms, from behind ships andequipment, rushing to the lone man at the entrance.

INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR ENTRANCE - DUSK

The prisoners stop just short of the hangar, blocked by awall of pirates, laser guns pointed at them.

Another wave of pirates appears behind the prisoners.

The momentum, the energy, the bravado and hope that thegroup of prisoners displayed drains from their faces.

Theyre trapped, with no where to go.

FADE OUT.

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Owen and the Aliens - Episode 5 - "That Was Just a Run Through"