Ichor Screenplay Teaser

TEASER

FADE IN:

EXT. THULE - NIGHT

Heavy rain pummels a dark ocean. Lightning torches the sky and illuminates a tropical archipelago with a large central landmass. This island chain is Thule.

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

Amid this oceanic storm, a small buoy struggles to stay afloat. A flash of lightning reveals TWO SILHOUETTES, looming underwater beneath the tiny beacon.

INT. CELLAR - NIGHT

In a fallout shelter like room, a boy watches an ant crawl between his fingers. As the insect reaches his palm, he CLAPS and SQUEEZES his hand. This boy is LASZLO (10, hard eyes).

Lightbulbs blink as rainwater drips from above. Laszlo relaxes his grip; the ant emerges from his hand and GROOMS itself.

EXT. SHORELINE, THULE - NIGHT

TWO HUMANOIDS in DARK GREEN FUTURISTIC WETSUITS trudge out the ocean. They are MONA (37, radiant) and RHYS (35, regal), the Parents.

EXT. SHANTYTOWN - NIGHT

A mucky, fenced-in town that neighbors a landfill. A group of catadores play craps inside a candle-lit shack.

Beyond this favela, across a stretch of water and on another island, is a seaside town overflowing with activity and marvelous lights, untroubled by the ongoing storm.

EXT. SHANTYTOWN - NIGHT

The Parents hustle through a warren of puny huts. Mona pauses and looks through a window. Inside, Mona sees:

A family of children nestled together on a single mattress, under a mess of blankets. Each one, raggedy and scarred.

Among the castoff flash furniture, at a desk littered with junk, a girl counts coins and sorts through rummage. Her name is LAPH (12, sallow). She wears a BRIGHT BLUE BANGLE.

Rhys pats Mona and spurs her onward.

INT. HUT - NIGHT

The Parents enter an unoccupied hut flooded by rainwater. At the center of the room is a rusty car engine, a relic. Rhys effortlessly lifts and tosses the old thing aside...

Mona points her left palm at the floor; the logo on her suit, a SUMAC LEAF, glows green. In an Iron Man like fashion, light emits from her palm and reveals a hatch.

INT. CELLAR - NIGHT

As the hatch opens, rainwater splashes onto Laszlo, pressed against the corner and gripping a DECORATED "KASH" KNIFE.

MONA

Laszlo?

LASZLO

Mother?

RHYS

Hurry up!

MONA

Come on Laszlo, we're going home.

Mona lowers her hand.

EXT. DOCK, THULE - NIGHT

The family rushes towards the dock. The storm calms...

RHYS

Come on, Ewan, you promised me a boat!

MONA

Over there, Rhys!

INT. OCEAN - NIGHT

As a commuter boat drives to the dock, AN UNDERWATER SHADOW stalks it from behind. The shadow ACCELERATES.

EXT. BOAT - NIGHT

The HELMSMAN waves at the family. A familiar symbol is branded on the Helmsman's uniform: the SUMAC LEAF.

Behind the Helmsman... crawling on board are TWO ATLANTEANS in DARK BLUE FUTURISTIC WETSUITS.

The Helmsman turns around and YOWLS as he spots the deep-sea humanoids advance. The Helmsman reaches for his gun.

BANG! BANG!

The male Atlantean, LUFT (30s, mastodon) bulldozes through the bullets, tackles the helmsman off-board and takes him all the way down...

EXT. DOCK - NIGHT

Laszlo watches his father, Rhys, tremble as he recognizes the female Atlantean standing on the bow of the boat.

This Atlantean is CARLA (22, aquiline). Her bone-white face is decorated in ritualistic scars.

RHYS

Damn it!

Carla dives into the ocean. Her entry, her form is terrifyingly olympian.

Rhys grabs Mona and urges her to flee. Mona shrugs him off.

RHYS

Run!

MONA

No... No more running.

RHYS

You need to go, Mona. Laszlo and I will be fine. You must go!

MONA

This will not be my life, Rhys.

RHYS

I can fix this. I will come back for you.

Carla has arrived. She hops out the ocean and struts toward the family. Rhys locks eyes with Mona.

RHYS

(to Mona)

Please...run.

Rhys begrudgingly meets Carla halfway... Face-to-face, Carla exhales and bows before Rhys in a sardonic manner.

CARLA

It's been a while your highness.

RHYS

How did you find us?

CARLA

Your colorful friend told us to follow the boat.

RHYS

Ewan gave us up? Why would he do that?

CARLA

You committed an inadmissible crime. The council bids your return.

As Carla rises, she eyes down Mona. Carla chuckles and dances on Rhys's back with her fingers. She whispers in his ear:

CARLA

Perhaps I'll chain her to a rock and feed her to my darling raptors.

Carla sees Laszlo at Mona's side.

CARLA

So that's your bastard.

RHYS

Carla, we will not resist. Let us return to Atlantis and I will tend to any grievances the council may have. Laszlo, come!

LASZLO

I am not leaving mother.

Carla rubs Rhys's shoulder and brushes him aside.

CARLA

You defied The Instructions for this? You could have done better.

RHYS

Do not touch her--

Carla repels Rhys and knocks him to the ground. Luft approaches Rhys from behind and pats his back. He bearhugs Rhys and forces his vision away from Mona.

LUFT

Condolences, my prince. It would be best if you did not watch.

CARLA

The council knows about everything, and they have declared her dead.

Carla approaches Mona. Laszlo puts himself in front of his mother and brandishes the Kash knife.

CARLA

Ooo, I do like your boy, Rhys.

MONA

Why did Atlantis abandon us here?

CARLA

Thule was it? The name you heretics gave this land.

MONA

Heretics?

CARLA

Mere pests.

Laszlo lunges at Carla as she enters his range. Carla easily catches his wrist and stops his attack. She squeezes; the knife leaves Laszlo's hand and hits the ground.

CARLA

This is not a bludgeon, boy.

Carla looks down at Laszlo. He struggles to break free from Carla's vicious grip.

CARLA

You know very little. Do you even know what the decorations on the Kash means?

LASZLO

Does it look like I care?!

Laszlo swings his other arm at Carla's temple. As Carla blocks his haymaker, Laszlo hops and delivers a HEADBUTT.

Carla stumbles backward, hand over her nose. She looks at her palm and sees her BLUE BLOOD. Carla looks at Laszlo's bloody forehead and chuckles. Carla licks her blood.

CARLA

Hah! The bloodline has not been completely perverted... This will be your first and last lesson, boy.

Carla dashes at Laszlo. Mona pulls her son back, aims her palms and FLASHES Carla with a burst of light.

Carla SCREECHES. Mona seizes the opportunity. She picks up the Kash knife from the ground and lunges at Carla.

Carla GRINS. With her eyes closed, she violently disarms Mona, steals the Kash and lodges the blade into Mona's stomach. She twists the blade and kicks Mona off.

Mona drops. A pool of BLUE BLOOD stains the sands...

Laszlo runs to his mother's side. She's bleeding out... Luft releases Rhys; he scampers to Mona. Carla lets him.

RHYS

Mona?!

LASZLO

Father! Do something!

Rhys puts pressure on Mona's wound. Smiling proudly, Carla tosses the Kash next to Rhys.

CARLA

You can end her suffering. If you do, I will inform the council. Perhaps they will soften your sentence.

Laszlo aches as he witnesses the horror and futility of his father's attempt to save Mona.

Laszlo furrows his brow; his dread is replaced by pure, unadulterated frustration. He pushes his father aside.

LASZLO

Move!

RHYS

No, Laszlo. Don't!

LASZLO

Shut up! You're pathetic!

Laszlo performs a LAY ON HANDS on Mona's wound. Radiant orange light crackles as Laszlo mends. Mona's wound slowly regenerates. Carla is astonished.

MONA

Please stop, Laszlo. It burns.

CARLA

Origin?! Then--

Carla grabs Laszlo; he resists. Carla knocks him out, puts the boy over her shoulder, and flees to the shore.

RHYS

Hold on, Mona. This can be undone.

MONA

Rhys--

Mona's skin disintegrates and bubbles... She caresses Rhys's cheek and catches his tears.

MONA

Our family... The short time we had together... they were the only good years of my life. Please carry on our dream.

CARLA

Luft, go get him!

MONA

Don't blame him for this.

Luft races to Rhys, takes him, and lugs him toward the shore. Mona stares above the ocean, beyond the horizon. Dawn breaks.

... Mona EXPLODES.

Luft dives to the ground and uses his body to shield Rhys. Mona's blood splatters and MELTS Luft's back. He screams.

Mona's remains steam and solidify into blue, mercurial pools of metal. On Luft's back, the material has MERGED with him; he is on the verge of death.

Carla approaches Rhys, shaking on the ground.

CARLA

You kept him from us this entire time. You selfish fool.

Carla punts him.

END OF TEASER