A Date...With Destiny: Chapter 18
This is your captain speaking. We've turned on the fasten seat belt sign on account of some expected turbulence. Also...there are no seat belts.
INT. PRAV’S SEA PLANE - SUNRISE
The day's first rays of light stab directly through the cockpit glass, and everyone is up and at 'em.
Winston, Melanie, Carter, and Rachel have all gathered near the front of the plane to watch as Prav pilots.
He maneuvers, turning their plane, and through the cockpit glass they get a good view of the earth below.
Rocky desert sprawls in every direction, dunes and crags as far as the eye can see.
And off-center, sticking up from the earth like fangs of a snake, are two mountain peaks that look quite familiar.
PRAV: We're right there. Beginning our descent now.
Winston leans in. Eyes scan the land beneath them.
MELANIE: We're not parachuting in again?
PRAV: Oh, no, I only have two chutes.
RACHEL: Dude! Could you not have told us that before we boarded Tetanus Airlines?
Prav grits his teeth, the expression somewhere between a smile and regretful grimace.
WINSTON: ...descent? You said descent. Prav?
Prav looks to Winston.
WINSTON: I'm not seeing any airfields down there, good buddy. How are we--
ABOUT A MINUTE LATER:
Everyone SCREAMS THEIR HEADS OFF. Sheer terror across all four faces as they CLING TO THE PLANE'S INTERIOR FOR DEAR LIFE.
In the pilot's seat, Prav STRAINS EVERY MUSCLE IN HIS BODY.
He holds tight against the RATTLES and SHAKES of impact as a cacophony of cries rings in his ears.
A puffy THWOOM blasts the cabin as a huge wave of sand crashes over the cockpit’s window, and they’re all thrown into each other.
ABOUT ANOTHER MINUTE LATER:
Everyone, almost sweating through their clothes, has wide-eyed looks of shock and terror across their faces.
Prav, too. His knuckles are about to pop from his grip on the control stick.
PRAV: Hey, that went really well.
The plane groans. Then, it COLLAPSES to the left, leaving the entire hull lopsided. Rachel yelps from the impact. Prav amends his statement…
PRAV: Hey, that went oka--
Winston shoots his hand over Prav's mouth.
WINSTON: Don't. Don’t jinx it. Please.
EXT. PRAV'S SEA PLANE - CONTINUOUS
We see Prav has crash-landed his plane along the edge of the mountain . One of his landing wheels has broken off.
EXT. THE TWIN MOUNTAINS - MOUNTAIN FACE - LATER
Carter, Melanie, Rachel, and Winston descend along the rocky face of the mountains.
Their CLIMBING CABLES reach toward the sky, eventually disappearing along the peak where Prav's plane rests.
CARTER: Hey, you're doing great.
Carter watches as Rachel descends with surprising finesse.
RACHEL: Had an ex who loved rock climbing.
Melanie whizzes past, descending in long, devil-may-care leaps.
MELANIE: Ew.
Carter double-takes at Melanie’s reaction.
CARTER: Is that a thing?
Above, Winston digs his boot into a foot-hold.
WINSTON: What's wrong with guys who climb?
RACHEL: Nothing.
Far below, Melanie shouts back up.
MELANIE: Climbing guys are the problem.
WINSTON: That's what I just said. No?
Carter shakes his head, then continues along his descent.
RACHEL: No. You said guys who climb.
MELANIE: Guys who climb are definitely not climbing guys.
CARTER: Well what's the difference?
RACHEL: When you meet one, you'll know.
Rachel buries a distant memory and refocuses on the task at hand.
Carter looks up to Winston. Both of them are still entirely clueless as to what sort of distinction was just made.
They turn their attention toward finding the next foothold, and get back to work.
EXT. THE TWIN MOUNTAINS - NARROW PASS - LATER
Rachel and Winston work to loop up the loose cable from their descent.
Melanie scouts out the parked vehicles of the convoy ahead.
Carter speaks into an earpiece, neck craned skyward.
CARTER: Made it down in one piece. You seeing any movement up there?
PRAV (via earpiece): No, Mister Carter, sir. You’re all clear.
The ground then shakes, a faint rumble audible.
But, it stops as soon as it started.
RACHEL: Watch it!
She shoves Melanie aside just as a bit of rock SLAMS into the sand where she had just been standing.
CARTER: The hell was that?
Melanie looks down to the rock. Then, nods to Rachel, her way of saying “Thanks”.
PRAV (via earpiece): Mister Carter? I see something.
CARTER: Shit.
The group huddles into the shadows, filling in a small crevasse along the mountain's base.
Melanie peeks around the corner, looking up along the convoy.
EXT. PRAV'S SEA PLANE - CONTINUOUS
Prav leans out over the edge of the mountain. He looks down at the rows of vehicles parked below.
PRAV: Near the front of the motorcade. Looks like they're coming out of the mountain itself.
Sure enough, a squad of SOLDIERS comes pouring out of seemingly nowhere.
They're followed by about a half dozen more.
PRAV: They're headed your way. Careful.
EXT. THE TWIN MOUNTAINS - NARROW PASS - CONTINUOUS
Carter pops out and hurries along the mountain edge.
He breaks off and takes cover behind one of the Jeeps marking the tail end of the line of cars.
CARTER: Likewise, buddy. Stay safe.
Rachel joins him behind the Jeep at the back of the convoy.
Across the pass, opting for cover behind one of the Hummers, Winston and Melanie peek out ahead.
They watch as soldiers flow through the rows of cars.
Each seems to stop at a different vehicle. They open the doors and search for something inside.
Further up the pack, an OFFICER barks orders to them.
OFFICER: Whatever charges we've got left, round them up. We're close!
Carter, through listening, creeps along the back of the Jeep and starts to advance up along its side.
RACHEL: What are you doing?
Carter pauses at the front of the jeep and turns back.
CARTER: Trying to keep up with her.
He nods to the side. Rachel follows the motion to find Melanie leaping across the tops of the parked vehicles.
She's moving fast, slick enough to remain unseen thus far.
Winston, left alone behind the Hummer, mumbles to himself.
WINSTON: Shit.
He huffs as he advances along the cars, hurrying, but struggling to stay hidden.
One of the soldiers emerges from a Hummer further up the way with ARM-FULLS OF EXPLOSIVES.
Above, Melanie LEAPS toward him from the top of a canvas supply truck.
He tries to scream, but is preemptively silenced by the steel of her knife as it PLUNGES into his neck.
The half-dozen soldiers in the immediate area take notice of Melanie as she pulls her blade from the dead body.
One soldier drops the EXPLOSIVES he had found and tries to ready the rifle strapped around his torso.
DESERT SOLDIER: It's the traitor!
Just as he takes aim, Melanie whips the explosives from the dead body up, holding them out as a highly, highly, HIGHLY reactive shield.
OFFICER: Wait! One stray bullet and we're all paint on the canyon walls.
DESERT SOLDIER: But...sir!
OFFICER: Do not shoot the charges!
Melanie raises the hand holding her knife, then drops the weapon.
It clinks harmlessly against the sand-laden rocky ground.
MELANIE: Shoot the charges.
Winston pops out from cover behind her, revolver aimed and ready.
He FIRES at one of the soldiers further up along the convoy, the one holding the explosives.
The bullet IGNITES the charges. The soldier, then his comrades, and most of the Jeep next to him are practically ATOMIZED.
The wake of the blast sends most of the soldiers stumbling.
Melanie drops down and plucks the pistol from the body beside her.
She immediately sprays the pistol's entire mag at the soldiers, the suppressive fire forcing them into cover.
MELANIE: Carter? Ready?
CARTER: Heave it!
Satisfied she has an opening, Melanie drops the pistol and starts to spin like a discus thrower.
A moment later, the bundle of charges is sent SOARING through the air, right toward the squad of soldiers ahead.
Melanie runs and dives under the supply truck she had leapt from.
She catches a look at Carter as he lines up a shot with his pistol, arm steadied along the hood of a pickup truck parked within the convoy.
BANG!
The shot connects and the explosives burst into a VIOLENT INFERNO OF ENERGY.
The soldiers who aren't shredded from the blast are showered in the RAINING FLAMES.
After a few moments, Carter, Winston, and Melanie pop up from their cover to admire the macabre light show on display in the canyon.
Behind them all, Rachel stands, hands on her hips, astounded.
RACHEL: Was I supposed to know that would happen?
Melanie, now out from under the truck, dusts herself off. She just shrugs, then walks up along the convoy.
Rachel runs along to catch up with Carter as he looks through the pickup truck for any good weapons.
RACHEL: Was that planned? Did I miss the signal or something?
Carter pulls a pump shotgun from the truck. He jumps out and continues up the convoy.
CARTER: Eh...
Rachel chases after, unsatisfied with that answer.
Winston rounds out the group as he falls in behind her.
WINSTON: You do this long enough, you all start having the same bad ideas.
Rachel thinks on this for a moment.
RACHEL: Are they bad ideas if they work?
WINSTON: They can be.
RACHEL: Well, then how do you tell?
CARTER: It's if you know they shouldn't work. Those are the bad ones.
They continue along, passing between the cars, keeping their eyes on their corners the whole time. Rachel, still not understanding, trails behind them.
RACHEL: But you still do them anyway? That doesn’t make any sense!
Another indifferent shrug from Melanie.