VORTEX

                                                           Screenplay



FADE IN


Three quarter of this planet is water. There are a lot of strange phenomenons happening under our oceans on a daily bases. It is not our concern. We are only concerned with what is happening on our land, and in the skies. But what if visitors from the skies take refuge under our oceans. How will we know? In the case of Bill and Janet who decided to sail the ocean in their forty foot yacht with Fred, and Alice. This is their story.

EXT.THE SKY.NIGHT

Night falls and a strange spaceship comes out of the sky and dives into the ocean. It settles at the bottom. A light immerges from the top of it. There’s no full moon out. Therefore, it was not noticed. It was able to avoid the radar.

EXT. BOAT.DAY

Daylight arrives. Bill and his wife Janet are settling on the boat while Fred and his wife are unpacking their clothes down below.

               BILL
Janet? Did you bring the seasoning
for the fish we’re going to catch
and cook?

               JANET
Yes Bill. I told you I wouldn’t
forget it.

               BILL
I know. I just had to ask.

               FRED
Bill? Where do you want us to put
our equipment?

               BILL
There’s a compartment underneath
the bed. You can store your
equipment there.

Janet went down below.

              JANET
Is everyone ok down here?

              ALICE
Oh Janet. This is going to be just
the trip we’ve been waiting for. We
should’ve done this a long time
ago.

             JANET
I know. Just because we’re sisters
doesn’t mean that we should stay
apart from each other.

            ALICE
Yea, I know. It’s good that our
husbands were able to arrange
vacation time on their jobs for us.
Especially since one is a doctor
and the other one is a cop.

Fred went up on top of the deck to meet Bill.
.
            FRED
Hey buddy. Ready to cast off ?

            BILL
As soon as you can untie those
ropes from the pier.

           FRED
You got it.

Fred jumped off of the boat to untie the ropes. He tossed to Bill who caught them. Then Fred climbed back on board.

          FRED
Ok,my friend.

They both walked towards the bow of the ship. Bill took the wheel and started up the motor. The boat coasted out into the sea. He then sped up faster until he was at least a mile off shore. He stopped the motor.

         BILL
Lets raise the sails and let the
wind do the rest.

         FRED
Ok,Mate.

The sails were hoisted upwards and the wind did the rest.The girls came up topside to join their husbands. After about two hours later you couldn’t see the shoreline.

         BILL
We might as well lower the sails
and anchor off here.

Bill lowered the anchor into the water while Fred lowered the sails.

         BILL
Ok,break out the fishing rods.

The wives brought up the fishing gear for their husbands.

        JANET
I’ll make some sandwiches for
everyone.

        ALICE
I’ll help.

The men cast their lines into the water.

        FRED
You know Bill. This is the life.

        BILL
I know. We should do this once a
year.

        FRED
It’s so peaceful out here. Just
being away from all of that crime.
I even forgot that i’m a cop.

        BILL
When ever I’m out here I let go of
me being a doctor. It feels good
just being an ordinary person.
The wives brought up the sandwiches and the beer.

       FRED
At least DNR can’t spot us this far
out.

       BILL
"Yea, that’s the beauty of it.

The wives sat down on the chairs and started playing cards.It started getting dark.

       JANET
I’ll turn on the lights.

Janet hit the switch and the lights had turned on. The boat was brightly lit.

       ALICE
This looks beautiful, Janet.

The sun had went down. You couldn’t even see the water.

       FRED
Hey I got a bite. It feels like a
big one.

       BILL
Pull it in, Fred.

       FRED
I’m trying.

       BILL
Put your pole into the holder
that’s on the front of the boat,
and we’ll try to hoist it in
together.

Fred had given the line some slack so he could walk over and place it into the holder. The rod was secured. The line had stiffened up and the boat was being pulled.

       FRED
This must be a whale. It’s the only
thing that can pull this size of a
boat.

The wives walked over to the side of the boat.

       JANET
What’s that?

They all looked into the water. There was a light under the water that was moving towards the front of the boat. It went further ahead.

       ALICE
What’s causing that?

       BILL
I don’t know. I’ve never seen
anything like it before.

       FRED
Neither had I.

       BILL
What’s it doing?

The light started spinning around. Faster and faster. The water started swirling around.

       ALICE
Lets get out of here.

The water started rising. Only it wasn’t rising normally. It started forming a vertical circle of water.Like a vortex and the boat was being pulled inside of it.

       BILL
I can’t break away from it.

       FRED
You got to ,Bill.
We’re going towards the circle.

       BILL
I know that and I can’t turn it
around.

The vortex was right upon them.

       FRED
Ok, we’re going in.

       BILL
Girls.Go downstairs and hold on to
something.

Janet and Alice ran downstairs to hold on to the railing that surrounded the boat. Bill and Fred was preparing
themselves for the impact.

       BILL
Here we go, Fred. Hold on to
something.

The boat started spinning around the vortex. As it came closer, it started spinning faster.

       FRED
I can’t hold on.

Bill grabbed Fred and tied his belt around his waist and the railing. The vortex was upon them.

       BILL
We’re going in. Fred, hold on
tight.

Fred held on tight and then they were all inside of the vortex. As soon as they were inside of it the vortex was gone and the water was calm again.

      BILL
What just happened?

      FRED
I don’t know. I’ve never encounter
anything like that before.

       BILL
I’ll go check on our wives. Hold on
to this wheel, Fred.

Bill went downstairs to check on Janet and Alice.

       BILL
Is everyone ok?

       ALICE
We’re fine here. What happened up
there?

       BILL
We’re trying to figure that out
ourselves.

       ALICE
Is Fred alright?

       BILL
Fred’s fine. He’s holding on to the
wheel. You can come up topside if
you like.

       JANET
I do like.

       ALICE
Me too.They all went topside to
join Fred.Is there rain in the
forecast?

       ALICE
No, why?

       FRED
Because the sky looks kind of
strange, that’s all.

       BILL
Strange? Like how?

       ALICE
Look at it. The clouds are not
right.

Bill looked up at the sky and so did the rest of them. The sky was clear except it looked kind of wavy. Behind them the liquid vortex was dwindling into a mist. Then it was just a light fog.

       FRED
There’s fog all around us.Except in that direction.

       BILL
The ships compass is not pointing
anywhere. It’s just going around in
circles.

       JANET
So I guess we’re lost.

       ALICE
We can’t even navigate by the stars
since they’re not there anymore.

       FRED
Hey Bill. Do you have any
binoculars?

       BILL
Yes. Why?

       FRED
What do you see straight ahead?

       BILL
I can’t make it out. It looks like
some kind of shoreline. I’ll go get
the binoculars.

Bill went down below to find the binoculars while the rest of the crew stared out over the bow of the boat, trying to make out if what they were seeing was indeed a shoreline.

       BILL
Ok. I ’ve got them.

Bill put the binoculars in front of his eyes to take a look.

       BILL
Fred. You’ve got to see this.

       FRED
What did you see?

       BILL
Look for yourself.

Fred put the binoculars in front of his eyes.

       FRED
That is a shoreline but there’s no
island out here.

       JANET
An island?

       BILL
That’s what it looks like.

       ALICE
Let me have a look.My God, Janet.
You’ve got to see this.

Alice handed over the binoculars to Janet.

       JANET
There’s an island out there. How
could we have missed it?

       BILL
We didn’t miss it. It’s not suppose
to be out here.

       FRED
I’ve read somewhere that a volcano
can rise out of the ocean at
anytime.

       BILL
Well maybe so, but Janet and I were
just here last year and there was
no sign of any volcanic activity
going on.

       FRED
Well, I suggest we go and
investigate it.

       ALICE
Just like a cop for a husband.
Always sticking his nose into
something that might one day kill
him.

       FRED
That’s what I’ve been trained for
honey. That’s why I’m a detective.
If something strange is going on, I
should detect it,ok?

       JANET
Hey.Hey.There’s no reason to argue
with each other about it. We’re on
a vacation. I agree with Fred. Lets
investigate it. We’ll call it an
adventure that we didn’t plan on,
but we went on it anyway,ok?

       BILL
You’re sure about this,honey?

       JANET
As sure as I want to be,dear.How
about you,Alice?

       ALICE
Well,if you all are so set on
seeing this thing, then I guess I’m
in.

       FRED
I love you, babe.

       ALICE
Yea,right.

       BILL
Ok,I’ll start up the motor.

Bill started up the motor and headed for the island.They were about a mile away.

       BILL
Will you look at that thing. It
reaches all the way up through that
fog. You can’t even see the top
part of it. I suggest that we drop
anchor here and ride the dinghy to
the shore.

       FRED
I agree.

Fred and Bill lowered the dinghy.Bill climbed down to steady it for the ladies to climb in. After Janet and Alice had climbed in, Fred tossed the life jackets down to them.

       FRED
You better put these on.

Fred put on his life jacket then climbed down into the dinghy.

       BILL
Are we all ready?

EXT-THE ISLAND-DAY

They all said that they were ready.Bill started the motor.A short while later they were on the shore. They stepped out of the dinghy and turned around to look at the ocean.

       ALICE
This is all so strange to me.

       JANET
Yea,look at that ocean. It looks
different. Like from a dream.

       FRED
I can’t get over at the way the sky
look.

       BILL
Hey look over here.

They all turned around to look at what Bill was pointing at. It was a cave.

       FRED
I don’t see anything else out here.
I suggest that we go inside.

       ALICE
What if there’s a bear in there?

       JANET
How could bears get out here,
Alice?

       ALICE
Well, suppose something alive is
inside of there?

Fred reached into the back of his pants, and pulled out his cop gun.

       FRED
If something is inside of there we
won’t be defenseless against it.

       BILL
Gee, Fred. We’re supposed to be on
a vacation.

      FRED
A lot of strange things can happen
while people are on vacations.

       BILL
Lets go then.

INT.CAVE.DAY

They all walked inside of the cave.

       FRED
Do anyone have a flashlight?

       BILL
I have a lighter.

      FRED
Good. We can use that so we don’t
trip over anything.

      JANET
The cave leads into a corridor and
it’s going down.

The lighter started getting hot.

       BILL
Ow! That’s it. There’s no more
light. Wait a minute. There’s light
coming from somewhere over there.

They walked over to where the light was coming from. They were at the edge of an opening.

       JANET
My God! What is it?

       FRED
It looks like a city. A whole city
and look at the people. It looks
like it’s right out of a science
fiction movie.

       ALICE
Those aren’t people. Lets get out
of here.

Alice ran back into the cave. She was followed by the rest of them. When they came out at the other end they couldn’t find the dinghy.

        JANET
What happened to the dinghy?

       BILL
What happened to my boat?

       ALICE
We’re stranded on this island and
with those monsters.

       FRED
Look around for the dinghy. It must
have drifted with the current.

They all walked around the edge of the mountain.

       BILL
This is a dead end.

       FRED
Here too.

       JANET
It’s as though someone wanted us to
stay here.

       ALICE
Someone? You mean like those things
in there?

       JANET
I’m just being realistic. It’s the
author in me.

       FRED
Well, someone took the boat for a
reason. I’m beginning to believe
that Janet is right.

VOICE FROM BEHIND
There’s no reason to be afraid.

They all turned around to see a skinny seven foot man standing in front of the cave. He was wearing a white robe and sandals.

       FRED
Who are you ?

       ISHTAR
I am Ishtar.

       BILL
What do you want with us?

       ISHTAR
Only to show you something and to
let you take with you a message.
.
       JANET
What’s the message?

       ISHTAR
First, I must show you what you’ve
been denying for so long.

       ALICE
Then will you let us go home?

       ISHTAR
I will send you on your way.

Ishtar turned and walked inside of the cave. He was followed by the rest of them. Once they had arrived at the edge, Ishtar had disappeared.

       JANET
Where did he go?

       BILL
There he is.

Ishtar had turned to walk down the edge of the mountain.Apparently there was a passage way that goes downward. They all walked the path that Ishtar had taken and were soon at the bottom of the mountain. Ishtar was waiting.

       ISHTAR
If you would follow me.

They walked into the city.

       ISHTAR
Some of the people you see here
have been here for thousands of
years. Here, time does not exist.
There is but one purpose and that
is to maintain each culture. We’ve
tried to make ourselves known to
you but you act like we are not
here. Take a look around. What do
you see? All kinds of people living
together. They are from different
planets and from different
galaxies. They are your neighbors.

       FRED
Ishtar? My people are not ready to
meet visitors from another world.

       ISHTAR
Your world is going to face it’s
own doom in two years and we will
live on top as the new species.
Your people are so worried about us
taking over the planet, they just
choose to ignore our existence.

       ALICE
Ishtar? What’s wrong with the sky?

       ISHTAR
This city was built under water and
as you can see. An energy field is
holding it all up in place.

        FRED
Do you mean we are under water and
the ceiling over our heads is the
water?

Just then ,a little gray creature had walked up to Ishtar.

       GRAY
Ishtar? Some of the mothers are
getting tired of nurturing the
children and the half-breeds are
getting restless.

       ISHTAR
Come, follow me into the nurturing
center.

They all walked into a large stone building. Inside were thousands of babies being nurtured by half-breed women,human women, alien women.

        ISHTAR
A lot of the helpers came from
different time periods.

        FRED
You mean you can manipulate time?

       ISHTAR
Yes. I can go back into your
planets time period and take back
people who are only seconds away
from dying and bring them back
here. Therefore, a paradox would
not start.

        ALICE
How long have you been here?

       ISHTAR
Since the dawn of mankind.

       BILL
Wow. Were you here when the
dinosaurs roamed the land?

       ISHTAR
Yes, I’ve transported a lot of them
to other worlds where they could
survive. Man and beast in that time
period could not live side by side.
Mankind would lose.

       JANET
What message do you want us to
deliver to mankind?

       ISHTAR
Asked for our help. Admit to our
existence. Ask for us to appear and
we will come with open arms. We can
save your planet and help you to
grow. Be willing to except us as
neighbors.

       BILL
But our people will not listen to
us if we start talking about you.

       ISHTAR
You have to try. You see. We can’t
interfere, but if you invite us
into your home we will see that you
will prosper.

       BILL
Ishtar? What if our people won’t
listen to us. Then what?

       ISHTAR
Your planet will be doomed in two
years.

       BILL
Well, how can we get back? I don’t
even know how we got here.

       FRED
The boat is gone too.

       ISHTAR
Your boat is waiting.

       ALICE
How can we find you if we get the
right answer?

       ISHTAR
Ask your leaders to announce it on
your broadcast stations. Then we’ll
come.

       JANET
I guess we better go.

       ISHTAR
Yes. You should go. I’ll pave the
way for you to return home.

EXT.OUTSIDE OF THE CAVE.DAY

They all left through the cave and was out through the other end.

        BILL
Hey,there’s the boat and there’s
the dinghy.

EXT-THE BOAT-DAY

They all ran to the dinghy. Got inside and made their way back to the boat. Once inside Bill started up the motor and they left towards the open sea.

        BILL
There’s only one direction to go.
The direction where there’s no fog.
That’s the only direction where I
can see open water.

       FRED
I’m for that.

They headed for the open fog that led to the open sea.

      BILL
I’m steering straight ahead.

      JANET
Go ahead honey. Lets get out of
here.

A few miles out the water began to swirl again.

      BILL
Hold on tight. Here we go again.

The water started to rise and form a circular vortex that pulled them through. Once through the vortex the water was calm again. They looked back and there was no more island or fog. The sun came out. Bill checked his compass.

       BILL
My compass is working again. I can
take us home.

       FRED
So Bill. What do you make of that?"

       BILL
That’s just it. Were we asleep or
did what we see really happen?

       JANET
We couldn’t have dreamed the same
dream could we?

       ALICE
Maybe we were suffering from mass
hallucinations.

       BILL
Look. All I know is. If we go and
try to tell important people about
what we had seen, we are going to
be placed inside of a mental
hospital.

      JANET
You heard what Ishtar had warned us
about. Are you going to stand by
and let it happen?

       FRED
Look. He said the world will be
doomed in two years. Maybe things
can change on their own. Plus,I’m a
cop. I have a career to think
about.

       BILL
Do we all agree that nothing will
be said about all of this?

      FRED
I agree.

      ALICE
Yea.Me too.

      JANET
I agree also.

      ALICE
Good. Right now, I just want to go
home and take a hot bath.

      BILL
Ok,home it is.

EXT.THE DOCK.DAY

Two years later.Bill,Janet,Fred,and Alice met on the dock.

      BILL
Well, here we are again. I’m glad
we decided to go on another fishing
trip.

      FRED
Yea,lets cast off.

They all sailed out into the open sea.

      FRED
The sun is just right for fishing.

      BILL
What’s that up above us?

      JANET
They’re planes. Jet planes. Over
fifty of them. Where are they
going?

      BILL
Bring up the radio so we can hear
what’s going on.

Janet ran down to the bottom of the boat. She grabbed the
portable radio and brought it up top.

      JANET
I have it.

Janet turned on the radio. They all listened.

      RADIO ANNOUNCER
There are sixteen nuclear missiles
heading towards the United States.
I was told to tell you to go to
your nearest bomb shelter. The
United States had retaliated by
launching nuclear missiles of our
own. This is it America. I’m
signing off.

      BILL
I don’t believe this. Ishtar was
right.

      JANET
I don’t want to die Bill.

Alice had placed her head on her Lapp and cried while Fred held on to her. The water started swirling around and a liquid vortex started to form.

      JANET
Look. It’s happening again.

They all looked up to see the giant vortex forming. They were being pulled in. Then suddenly a loud explosion and a bright light had appeared from behind them. They turned around to see the buildings crumbling around the mushroom cloud. The shockwave was coming towards them. Along with a
huge tsunami, but by then they were through the vortex. Everything had disappeared. The sea was calm again.

      ALICE
Did you see that?

      BILL
We all saw it Alice. Ishtar was
right. If only we had tried to do
what he had asked. Look. The
island. It’s straight ahead.

      JANET
We’re saved.

      FRED
Come on Bill. Speed this boat up.
We’re going to our new home.

      JANET
We’ll get to know our new
neighbors.

EXT-THE ISLAND-DAY

They anchored the boat. Jumped into the dinghy and made their way to the island.

      FRED
I can see the cave.

      ALICE
I have the flashlight.

      BILL
Lets go.

      JANET
I’m right behind you baby.

They all ran inside of the cave.

      FRED
It’s this way.

They kept on running.

      BILL
Wait a minute.

      JANET
What’s the matter?

      BILL
Something’s not right.

      FRED
What’s not right?

      BILL
There’s suppose to be a blue light
right about now.

      FRED
You’re right. The edge of the cave
should be right about here.

      BILL
Hand me the flashlight Janet.

Janet handed Bill the flashlight and Bill shined it straight down the opening of the cave.

      BILL
There’s nothing down there.

      FRED
What do you mean, there’s nothing
down there. They got to be down
there.

      JANET
Let me see. You all are not looking
in the right place.

      ALICE
They’re here. They got to be here.
Otherwise who sent the vortex?
The battery power was dying out.

      BILL
Lets get out of this cave before
the battery is completely out.
They ran out of the cave.

      ALICE
What will we do now? We’re stranded
without food or water.

      BILL
There’s food on the boat. It can
last us for at least a week. Maybe
something will happen by then.

      JANET
What’s that out there?

They looked straight ahead and then upward. That’s when they all started screaming. The liquid ceiling was coming down around them. It started out by where the vortex had appeared. The wall was getting closer and soon it was upon them. Their screams were suddenly muffled and they were crushed from the pressure of millions of tons of water.


                                                                                                               THE END


FADE OUT