NO HOPE!!!  By Peter Bloome


PAGE ONE

A.  
On an alien world rocky and sandy, smoke erupts from the ruins of a crashed ship.  On the back of the ship is a bumper sticker that says "Fly or Die."  The pilot side door is open.  There are 5 bags of various sizes and colors thrown about the ground near the ship.  Some of the bags are open with various parts and equipment pouring out.  At the bottom of the panel is the back of a black shoe.  This boot belongs to ISSAC CARLSON.

ISSAC CARLSON VOICE OVER #1
So.  I bet you are wondering how this happened?  No
it's not about the Tucson job.

ISSAC V.O. #2
It has nothing to do with Naarp and his constant yapping
about the Zealand Contract or the Spitfire Crusade.


ISSAC V.O. #3
And it absolutely has nothing to do with my mother
constant pestering about who I plan to bring to my sister's wedding.   

ISSAC V.O.#4
Although her Maid of Honor, Ziya is really cute.


PAGE 2

A.
While viewing the display from some binoculars, Isaac notices a dust clouded mass is approaching.  In the bottom right hand corner of the view screen is a magnification indicator of 20.

ISSAC V.O.
I can hear her now.  Isaac why don't take Lily?






B.  
The view screen shows that the magnification indicator is now at 40.  The cloud has now broken down into 12 individual shapes.  

ISSAC V.O.
Lily?  I don't even know a Lily.  Do I?  

C.
The view screen is at 80 now and things are as clear as day.  The 12 shapes are now 12 distinct aliens and they are pissed.  They are slowly walking towards the crash-site.

ISSAC V.O.
Huh!  Ok that's pretty God Damn clear enough for me.


PAGE 3


A.
As aliens approach we see the back half of Isaac.  He is standing there holding a baseball bat towards the ground in one hand while throwing a black goo ball into the air.  The ball is the same size as a regular baseball.  On the wrist holding the bat is a metal clamp.  His demeanor should be calm and cool.  

ISSAC V.O.
So again you're asking what's this all about?  

B.  
Isaac hits the ball into the air above the aliens.      

ISSAC V.O.
Baseball.

C.  
The ball explodes over the aliens as black goo rains down on them.

ISSAC V.O.
I'm Isaac Carlson.  I solve problems.







Page 4.  

A.
The alien creatures swarm Isaac.  They all have little bits and drops of black goo on them.  A smaller alien attempts to punch Isaac but he dodges it.

ALIEN 1
Grabs him now!

ISSAC
C'mon guys!  Where's the fruitcake?  Didn't the
home owner's association teach you anything?

B.
One of several small aliens jumps on Isaac's back and starts punching him in the back of the head.  Isaac begins to reach up.  

ALIEN 2
Nap.  Nap.  Nap.  Nap.

C.  
Isaac rips the little guy off his back and throws it at the biggest guy on the block.  

ISSAC
There ya go Smiley.

D.  Isaac is grabbed from behind the neck and lifted off the ground.  Isaac winces.

E.
Isaac is tossed to the ground when he lands it will be hard.  But he is still falling unconscious about to hit the ground.

ISSAC V.O.
That went well.











PAGE 5

A.
Isaac hit's the ground in a dungeon-like prison cell.  

ISSAC V.O.
This game is all about endurance.

B.
A fat gelatinous globe of an orange alien, wearing a stained white chef's apron and a yellow handle bar moustache with the side burns to match throws a bucket of water on Isaac.

ZID
Wake!  Wake! Har!  Har!

C.
Isaac has been taken to the head office which looks awful.  No style no trophies and no imagination just cold and drab.  Isaac is sitting at a plain table the type used in police interrogations that you would see on shows like LAW AND ORDER and NYPD BLUE.  On the other side of the table is a brilliant turquoise blue colored alien with bright red-orange eyes and four arms.  He is slim and of average height.  He wears a cheap suit that someone would wear on the set of a 30' gangster movie trying to do their best James Cagney impersonation.  He should be a walking cliché of those days.  This is SASPARILLO he runs things here.  Isaac should be smiling an obnoxious "welcome neighbor" grin.  

NARATION
Head Office of the Zunda Crime Family.

ISSAC
So you must be THE MAN, around here?

D.
Sasparillo cracks his neck and smiles back a not amused grin.  This guy tries to give the appearance of all business.  

SASPARILLO
Who are you, again?







PAGE 6

A.
Sasparilllo leans forward wearing an annoyed look.  All four heads are doing the Mr. Burn's finger twirl.  In the background a lot of Sasparillo's muscle should be walking around.  Little globs of black goo should be dancing around unnoticed in the background.  

SASPARILLO
Give me your name and you walk outta here some change
in your pockets.  So again I ask who are you?

B.
Isaac is relaxed and calm.

ISSAC
The Prince of Egypt.

C.
Isaac cracks his head to the side.  He pretends to give the illusion of not caring or being lost in thought.  

ISSAC
Does Egypt even have a Prince or is that Paraguay?

D.
Sasparillo slams all four fists on the table in a rage.  The anger is so intense that he could burn down whole forests with a glance.  

SASPARILLO
DAMMIT!  Who are you?

ISSAC (off panel)
Egypt it is.

E.  
Isaac gives a cold hard grin that reveals nothing.  

ISSAC
No.  I wont give you my name however I do bring a
tale to spin.

SASPARILLO
I don't have the time for stories.

PAGE SEVEN


A.
Isaac is narrating his story.  The first panel will feature three crime lords side by side profile shots.  They are Sasparillo; Terro, a small green fellow with yellow speckles and Don Zero, a human.  The names should appear above their heads.

ISSAC V.O.
Now, my tale starts with what you already know.  How
you, Terro and Don Zero had a bitter rivalry spanning decades.

B.
A space gang war is going on.  Humans, aliens, space ships and robots are all kicking the crap out of each other.

ISSAC V.O.
One of you thought that this was all entitled to one of you.

C.
Don Zero cradles a dead woman while the world burns around him.

ISSAC V.O.
Twenty years ago, the game changed on the very day
Zero's wife was torn down.  

D.  
All three bosses are shaking hands.  Sasparillo and Terro were cautious looks on their faces.

ISSAC V.O.
Zero surprised everybody when he went after a truce
instead of blood vengeance.












EIGHT


A.  
The three react to the truce in different ways.  Sasparillo is taking care of business.  Terro is counting the money.  Don Zero is watching his young daughter as she is playing the violin.

ISSAC V.O.
All of you dealt with the truce differently, for you it
was business as usual.  Terro counted the money.  Zero
spent the time looking over his daughter.

B.
Years later and a different picture reveals itself.  Zero's daughter walks away from her father as she hates the man he really is.  Terro is running away from the cops.  Sasparillo uses all four of his arms to brutally beat down his competition.  

ISSAC V.O.
Eventually the cracks showed themselves and well…

C.
Small picture of Isaac with a sarcastic look on his face.

ISSAC
You guys didn't really think those days would last
did you?

D.
Terro and Sasparillo make an alliance while Zero's daughter waits tables at a piano bar.

ISSAC V.O.
    Did Zero ever talk about his daughter and her need
to separate herself from the life.

E.
Sasparillo draped in the shadows looking over the girls dead body while Terro holds the smoking gun.

ISSAC V.O.
She was killed because of that need.  Zero was not going to
let this slide  



F:
Zero strangling Terro while in the background he is giving Isaac the gooey black ball

ISSAC V.O.
It took him a few years Zero pieced together evidence
that the Truce was being targeted.  First his daughter,
and Terro was killed a few days ago.


NINE

A.
Sasparillo gives Isaac a surprised look.  The black goo is moving onto Sasparillo's shoulders.  

SASPARILLO
How did Terro die?

ISSAC (off panel)
Zero said that I didn't need to know.


B.  
Sasparillo slides back into his chair slightly confused.  All of the six or so people and/or aliens should have some of the goo on them.  There should be little splatters on the walls too.

SASPARILLO
Why couldn't Zero just call and express his concerns?

ISSAC
I'm a nobody who cant be traced back to Mr. Zero's
business dealings.

C.
Sasparillo has now become very interest in what Isaac has to say.  Sasparillo's guards start to approach him.  Their names are Kirkel and Tristan.  Kirkel has a purplish red skin with 3 eyes, 6 arms and very pointy knees. Tristan has purplish green skin with nine eyes and 8 arms.  Goo should be on this wall.  

SASPARILLO
Are there any leads to Terro's murder.



D.
Isaac starts to hoist him self out of his chair.

ISSAC
  He has his best people looking into it.  

E.
Sasparillo uses his bottom two hands to grasp and shake Isaac's hand while the top two does the finger twirl.  Rekta and Thricken begin to approach from behind Isaac and they are also scratching the backs of their necks.  

SASPARILLO
Well then, consider your message delivered.

ISSAC
I shall.

SASPARILLO
Please allow Rekta and Thricken to escort you back
to your ship and to give you whatever aid they can.

ISSAC
I thank you for all of your generous hospitality.


TEN


A.
Isaac walks ahead in the foreground as Rekta gives Sasparillo the look which is returned back.  

SASPARILLO
Take my fastest ship, we need to make sure Zero's man
makes his appointed round's.


B.
Sasparillo sits in his chair playing with coins.  A phone sits quietly on the far corner of his desk.  Isaac has now left and Sasparillo's right hand man, Victor is approaching the table.  He has six arms and should give the look of a standing spider.  He has seen many fights and has the scars to prove it.



C.  
Sasparillo scratches the back of his neck as he talks to Victor, who's standing over him.

SASPARILLO
We'll have to move faster than I expected.

VICTOR
Arrangements have all ready been made.

D.
Isaac has landed near the crash site.  He is walking toward his ship as Rekta and Thricken are following closely behind.  As they are walking to his ship Isaac is playing with the   bracelet on his left wrist.  Sasparillo's tower should barely be seen in the distance.

ISSAC
Did you want to know what's funny about your hospitality?  

REKTA
No?

THRICKEN
What?


ELEVEN

A.
A close-up of Isaac holding the bracelet clasped in one hand with his thumb over the top of it.

ISSAC
Your people never searched me.

B.
His thumb pushes down on the trigger.

C.
Sasparillo is aggressively rubbing his neck as the beings nearby start to fall from the goo exploding.  

SASPARILLO
What the hell is wrong with my @#$%.



D.
The keep explodes as the goo on Rekta and Thricken's necks go off as well.  Isaac is talking on a communications device in one hand and carrying his baseball bat in the other.

ISSAC
Hello Zero.

E.
Isaac's hands put the finishing touches on his new acquisition as a "Fly or Die" sticker is on the back window.

ISSAC
It happened as smoothly as planned.  

ISSAC V.O.
I'm Isaac Carlson and I solve problems.


-30-