EXT. PLATEAU - NIGHT Two GUARDS, RICOCHET and MISSILE, are at their posts. RICOCHET This is one of the few stories I remember. MISSILE Hit me. RICOCHET Some guy named Moses. He's a Jew in Egypt, during a time and place where things aren't very good for the Jews in Egypt. MISSILE Sucks for him. RICOCHET So he goes to the Egyptian king, and he's like, "I'm going to take my people out of this crummy place. And if you don't like it, a whole bunch of bad things are going to happen to you." He knew this because he was doing what God wanted. MISSILE Ah, jeez. RICOCHET I told you, this is a biblical story. MISSILE Go on. RICOCHET So the Egyptian king laughs in Moses' face. "You and the Jews? Leaving? Good luck." So then all these bad things start happening... MISSILE Bombs start fallin' from the sky? RICOCHET There weren't any bombs in these times. I'm talking like, rivers turn to blood, neverending darkness, and swarms of bugs that eat anything and everything. MISSILE So what happens to the Jews? RICOCHET The king releases them. But only after God decided to kill the king's firstborn son. Rivers of blood and swarms of bugs didn't phase this guy, apparently. MISSILE And where did the Jews go once they left? RICOCHET To the middle of the fucking desert. MISSILE That was a terrible story. Behind them, BOMBER sets IEDs in the dirt. He shoots Richochet and Missile a dirty look. BOMBER Can you shut up for a second? I need peace and quiet to time these properly! MISSILE Just do your fucking job, Bomber. RICOCHET (to Missile) This better be the real thing. I'm steamed thinking how much fuel we've wasted to get here. Nearby, no-nonsense leader CLUTCH checks the engine on the rusted-out four-wheeler they drove out here. LOCKSMITH swigs from a canteen as he taps on a laptop in the front seat. MISSILE Clutch thinks there will be chocolate. RICHOCHET You can forget soap, clothing, wrenches, guns, all the things that make a man a man. You mention chocolate and I'm done for. (seriously) I'd kill someone. BOMBER Bombs are set! Clutch calls from the four-wheeler: CLUTCH Let's go! Ricochet, Missile, and Bomber come stand behind the four- wheeler. Locksmith logs a few more keystrokes on the computer. LOCKSMITH All good to go. Ready when you are, Clutch. Clutch takes a long look at the empty, scorched earth that stretches out before them. Like the rest of his crew, Clutch is a hardened veteran of this landscape, and has suffered for too long in whatever circumstances have led to setting nighttime bombs in the middle of nowhere. CLUTCH Let 'er rip. Locksmith enters a final command. A timer appears on the laptop's screen. LOCKSMITH Sixty seconds. He takes the laptop and his canteen, and joins the rest of the crew on the side of the car opposite the IEDs. They wait. MISSILE I was thinkin'. BOMBER Oh, here we go. MISSILE I don't know any stories at all. Bibilical or otherwise. My mother used the sound a computer makes when it's running to help me fall asleep. I'm not going to be able to share that with anyone. CLUTCH A big piece of your soul you didn't know you were missing. MISSILE Yeah. Thanks again for that awful story, Ricochet. RICOCHET My pleasure. CLUTCH Missile, with any luck, you'll get to create some stories of your own before you die of disease or starvation. LOCKSMITH You killed those Locusts from a hundred yards away. That's somethin'. Missile pulls out some gilded trinkets from under his shirt. MISSILE Took their daddy's jewelery too. Was gonna hang the next Locust from a tree with these. But they're growing on me. BOMBER Guys! Shut up. The countdown's stopped. Sure enough, on Bomber's laptop, the countdown has reached zero. BOMBER Something's not right. (trying to contain his panic) Maybe I got my wires crossed. There was nothing I could do. I didn't have enough time to work with this batch before leaving base camp. It's all-- BOOM! The ground ripples with the force of the explosion. The four-wheeler tips slightly on its tires. Sand and rock shoot high into the air and rain down on the crew. When all is quiet, Clutch moves from behind the barricade and returns to the detonation site. His comrades follow. There's a hole in the ground the size of a child's swimming pool. Its near-perfect circular shape indicates a detonation of impressive precision and accuracy. A set of stairs lead downward into the hole. CLUTCH (to Bomber) Need to have a little more faith in yourself. Good job. EXT. UNDERGROUND CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS The crew inches down the stairs with guns drawn. CLUTCH Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. LOCKSMITH Like what? CLUTCH Evidence that someone's been here within the last fifty years. Above them, a camera embedded into the rock records their every move. Lights and small computers on their rifles are the only sources of illumination in the passageway. The crew comes to a fork in the road. RICOCHET Which way do we go? Instructions said this was a straight walk. BOMBER Look. Bombers points to the right with his rifle light. Something gleams. Out of the shadows emerge the ghostly silohuettes of three white commercial trucks. BOMBER Oh man. The sides of the trucks bear the red, white, and blue logo of The Winston Corporation. They look as if they could have been parked here yesterday. LOCKSMITH How'd all this get down here? CLUTCH Because there was a time when the earth wasn't made of chemcial ash and smoke. When the planet was good for human life and industry. When there would have been roadways, and parks, and clean water to drink. Recalling this overwhelms Clutch, but he regains his composure quickly. CLUTCH If we find what we're looking for, what we'll essentially be doing is stepping back into the past. And I want you guys to respect that. A door is open on one of the cabs. Ricochet rummages through the glove compartment and under the seats. RICOCHET No food. Nothing. For a truck that hasn't been driven in hundreds of years, the interior is surprisingly clean. This strikes Ricochet as odd, but before he can fully process this -- LOCKSMITH Guys! Look! Ricochet, Missile, and Clutch join Locksmith by the door. Locksmith already has an encryption device running on the adjacent panel. He shines his rifle light around a corner. LOCKSMITH We missed it in the dark. A skeleton lays against the wall, wearing the tattered remains of a workman's uniform. There's an ancient-looking gun in his outstretched hand. RICOCHET Must've been trying to get in. A beat as everyone takes in the sight of the skeleton. CLUTCH How long before decryption, Locksmith? LOCKSMITH Should be about now. Locksmith's laptop beeps. The door slides open. CLUTCH Let's grab what we can and get out. Missile and Ricochet rush inside. MISSILE I'm. So. Hungry! CLUTCH Where the hell is Bomber? Bomber stands at the back of one of the trucks, trying to lift the steel door. It won't budge. He inspects the lock - the bolt and locking mechanism appear to be fused together. BOMBER (contemplative) How did this happen? CLUTCH Bomber! BOMBER Coming, Clutch! INT. BUNKER - DAY A switch is flicked. The lights and electronics buzz to life. There's a bunk bed. A small kitchenette. A computer console. Security monitors. Dusty books in a pile on a small dresser. The crew tries not to gape at the bounty of civilization before them. Instead, they enter rooms and corridors and secure the bunker. One by one, they shout the all clear. Missile and Ricochet kick open the door to the pantry. MISSILE & RICOCHET Clear!! The they promptly stuff their faces with energy bars and survival meals. Bomber places his ear to the wall. He raps his knuckles; a panel slides open. There's an assortment of weapons in here - knives, pistols, automatic rifles. Locksmith and Clutch are already at the computers. Locksmith slides a data card into a slot. Files are scanned and downloaded. Clutch types a report from his laptop. CLUTCH "Bunker 4 taken. Day 1356 After Impact. Same condition as the others. Ample supplies of food. Generator working." RICOCHET (from down the hall) The faucet works! Woohoo! CLUTCH Available water supply. CLUTCH "Would provide good base for Locust reconaissance missions." (to Locksmith) Let's turn this bunker into Survivalist territory. LOCKSMITH Running the codes now. The boss will know when we're online. It's hard to tell whether Clutch is relieved or exhausted. CLUTCH Three hundred miles through hazard zones and Locust territory on a busted front tire. All to hack into one computer. LOCKSMITH You alright? CLUTCH Yeah. You want me to see if there's hot chocolate in the pantry? LOCKSMITH That'd be great. Clutch removes a communication device from his belt. CLUTCH Lookout, we've secured base. Standby for instructions. He places the device on the counter, and inspects the boxes and jars taken from the pantry by Ricochet and Missile. BOMBER Clutch. CLUTCH Yeah? BOMBER I found three pulse rifles. In different areas around the bunker. CLUTCH So? Bomber examines the pulse rifle he carries. BOMBER Scientists made the first pulse rifles through salvaging micro-generators from destroyed laboratories. This is an After Impact gun. So why three of them are in a pre-AI bunker is anyone's guess. Clutch rips a hot chocolate packet open with his teeth. He pours some powder in his mouth. CLUTCH Ricochet. Missile. The two stick their heads out of the bathroom, hair dripping wet. Clutch signals for them to follow him. He drops a faded, lined schematic of the bunker onto a table and points. CLUTCH Fortify the entryways. Could be a swarm nearby. Ricochet and Missile head off. CLUTCH (to Bomber) Protect Locksmith. Clutch throws a hot chocolate packet in Locksmith's direction. Locksmith knows a protocol's been set without moving from his seat. Bomber unspools a coil of wire around the computer console. BOMBER How much time? LOCKSMITH Three minutes. BOMBER Can't you shorten it? LOCKSMITH I can't get these computers under Survivalist control any faster. Do your job, and let me do mine. CLUTCH Bomber, don't bug Locksmith. Clutch reaches for his comm device. CLUTCH Lookout, you awake? Area One is a storage shed at the back of the bunker. Ricochet and Missile switch on a light. The latter stands guard as the former unzips his vest, revealing an array of circular gadgets hanging from the inside. Ricochet sets two on the floor and starts pressing buttons. Missile looks around the room, confused. MISSILE Where's the outside door? The gadgets project a series of holographic red dots on the surfaces of the room, connected by dotted lines. A dot on the far wall emits a pulse. Ricochet points. RICOCHET It's supposed to be there. In the main area of the bunker, Clutch's device crackles. MISSILE (on comm device) Clutch. CLUTCH Yeah? MISSILE There's only one door in here. Clutch examines the schematic. CLUTCH That's not what my blueprints say. In the storage room, Missile stares at the pulsing dot. MISSILE There's no outside entry point. The only door here connects to the rest of the bunker. Clutch and Bomber's eyes meet. MISSILE (on comm device) Standby. Missile approaches the far wall. All the walls of the storage room have pegs and holsters for rusted tools. And that's when Missile notices that the wall in front of him is a carbon copy of the wall to his left. He takes a step back. Two saws hang from the same place. The same three rows of rope. A workbench in the corner, missing a small chunk out of the back leg. MISSILE Ric, I think we've got a-- A electrified blade emerges through the wall and penetrates Missile's stomach. The wall in front of Missile shimmers and disappears, revealing six masked and armed LOCUSTS, and the actual wall of the room several feet beyond them. There's a squish of flesh as a Locust withdraws his blade and kicks Missile back. Missile drops to the floor, blood seeping through his shirt. RICOCHET (into comm device) Invasion, invasion. Area one, six count. In the main area of the bunker, Clutch listens to Ricochet, horrified. There's a series of thunks. The soft whir of gears. Deliberate, intermittent beeping. BOMBER Take cover! Bomber ignites a force field around the computer console, and dives for Clutch. He covers Clutch with his body as the partition attached to the garage explodes. Locksmith watches helplessly from behind the force field as his comrades are buried in chunks of rock and metal. In the storage area, three of the Locusts start toward Ricochet and the injured Missile. The former activates the circular gadgets on the floor. A hail of bullets ricochets off the red dots on the wall, destroying boxes, tools, and furniture. The advancing Locusts promptly fall to the ground, dead. The other three Locusts begin firing as Ricochet drags Missile behind a stack of pallets. A standoff ensues. Ricochet tries, with limited results, to bandage Missile and shoot at the same time. MISSILE Oh, let me! Missile swipes Ricochet's gun. He leans back so that his face and neck are unobscured by the pallets, and fires. A Locust takes a shot to the head. Grimacing in pain, Missile sits up, takes careful aim through a pallet, and fires two more shots amidst the hail of bullets coming from both sides. Another Locust is hit in the neck. From behind a crate, the third Locust cocks one of the meanest looking rifles this desert has ever seen. He fires at Ricochet and Missile. With a zap and a flash of light, the room is showered in splinters of wood. All is quiet. Debris covers the floor, fills the entryway. The third Locust finds Ricochet lifeless in the corner. He turns at the sound of a shuddering gasp to find Missile, legs buried underneath broken electrical equipment, struggling to breathe. He is covered in blood. Missile tries to point his gun at the Locust, but his strength fails him. The Locust calmly kicks the gun away. He kneels over Missile. Slowly, he removes his mask, revealing a man with a worn face, and eyes that have seen too much in his short time being alive. This is HUNGER. Missile gasps and shudders, but he does not look away from Hunger's gaze. The two are kindred spirits in a sense, as they are joined in experiencing the neverending sight of an extinguished world. HUNGER Give me back what you stole. Missile says nothing. His eyes roll to the back of his head. HUNGER Don't you die on me. Hunger props Missile up. He reaches for the gold chains around Missile's shirt. They're covered in blood. HUNGER These were my brother's. You're probably somebody's brother too. A shot rings out. In the main storage area, Clutch stirs underneath Bomber's lifeless body. He lifts his head to see Locksmith trembling at the computer console. The force field still remains. CLUTCH Blow it. Locksmith forces himself to type. He stops when he sees the gun pointed at Clutch's head. HUNGER Be a man and step away from the keyboard. CLUTCH Locksmith. A Survivalist would rather die than let a Locust take what's his. HUNGER We found this bunker first. And defended it. It's still a viable source of food, and shelter. And you would see this beautiful place destroyed if you can't claim it for yourselves. Typical. (beat) Locksmith doesn't want to die. He's just a computer nerd. He doesn't know how he got mixed up in this. Locksmith remains frozen at the computer. HUNGER (to Locksmith) There's a way out of this. A little bad blood is no reason for this place to be destroyed. Only a fool would refuse the choice that meant he didn't have to die. LOCKSMITH You killed my family. My dad, and my brothers. You snuck up from behind and shot them during the last raid, while they were defending the fuel tanks. It was dark, and I was shooting from above, but I remember you. There's an understanding. HUNGER So. This is the way it has to be. Clutch stabs his knife into Hunger's boot. Hunger recoils in pain. Clutch wrestles Hunger to the floor. Locksmith confirms a command at the computer. A 60 second countdown timer flashes on screen. He withdraws a gun from his jacket and tries to get a good shot at Hunger as he struggles with Clutch, but hesitates when he notices the force field in front of him. Clutch stabs Hunger in the chest. Hunger uses a good arm to punch Clutch in the mouth. The two reach fruitlessly for weapons. Locksmith kicks Bomber's wire, disintegrating the force field. He aims his gun a second time. LOCKSMITH Clutch! Hold him! Hunger sees Bomber's gun underneath a table. He grabs Clutch by the neck and manages to roll both of them several feet in that direction. Hunger lunges for Bomber's gun, pins Clutch down, and fires at Locksmith. Locksmith dies instantly. With the same hand, he re-loads the gun, and fires at Clutch. Clutch goes limp. The coutdown timer reads twenty seconds. Near the pantry, exposed pipes jut out of a hole in the bunker's floor. Hunger crawls, painfully, across the debris field toward it. The countdown timer decreases. 15...14...13...12... Hunger drops into the hole as the countdown reaches ten seconds. There's a terrible, relentless buzzing throughout the bunker. The lights in every room begin to flash. 5...4...3...2...1... The countdown expires. The walls of the bunker explode from the inside. A wave of flame washes over the hole containing Hunger, enmeshed in a grid of pipes several feet down. Walls collapse in a roar of noise. EXT. DESERT - SAME TIME The ground sinks. Layers of sand fall into an ever-widening hole. The tremendous rumbling is the sound of Hell opening, the apocalypse seconds away. Abruptly, all movement stops. Beyond the Survivalists' four- wheeler is a crater in the sand, at least a hundred feet wide. It seems large enough to devour the ashen sky, along with the hopes and feelings of everyone who's ever lived under it.