JP - Lt. Robin Hopper & Lt. JG Nathan Richards: World Beyond Zero (Part 4)
tas9303
((“STARLITE Drive In Cinema“ – Holodeck C))
Nathan glanced over at Robin, noticing she wasn’t really paying attention as the Starlite logo faded with the end of the little opening commentary.
Richards: Hey, ::waving his hand slightly:: You here? ::Chuckling:: The movie is starting.
Hopper: Hmm? ::Noticing that the preamble was finished:: Oh, um, just, um… Thinking. ::Lifting her drink from the cupholder:: What drink did you get?
She took a sip of her cola while a production studio logo crossed the screen to an old-fashioned fanfare.
Richards: I can’t quite remember. Some kind of medical drink? Dr…something? ::Taking a sip:: I never really drank soda when I was younger. Too much sugar. But this is pretty good.
Robin snickered at the ‘medical drink’ comment.
Hopper: Dr Pepper… I hate to break it to you, but there’s a lethal dose of sugar in that one too. But the cherry kind of hides it. So, you know, pace yourself.
Robin tried to shake off her doubts and questions and just enjoy the moment. Whatever else could be happening – what was happening was that she was watching her favourite movie, with one of her favourite people, and that was worth appreciating just for what it was.
The screen went dark, then a poorly-rendered field of stars, no doubt made of overlapping sheets of transparent celluloid covered in white dots, faded up into view as dramatic music introduced the names of the forever-unknown actors who had starred in the production. Nathan smiled, shaking his head at the production value. The music crackled over the small speaker as the names crossed the screen.
((On Screen, World Beyond Zero))
As the opening credits complete, the scene fades into a (matte painting) of a farm at night, the little homestead in the foreground evidently a set. A man and a woman stand in their kitchen, cleaning up from dinner, the man smoking a cigarette and eying the woman amorously. Then, there is a sudden crash – and a flash of light – through the kitchen window.
Harold: Esther, did you hear that explosion out by the barn? It sounded like a bomb going off!
Esther: Yes, Harold, I heard it too. What in the world could it be?
Harold: I don't know, but it doesn't sound good. You better fetch the boys and a gun, just in case. Lock yourself in the cellar… I'll go take a look.
Esther: Oh, be careful, Harold! And here, have a kiss for luck. ::She kisses him on the cheek and grabs a ladylike handgun from off-camera:: I'll go find the boys.
Harold: ::Chuckling nervously:: Thanks, honey.
The farmer grabs his trusty shotgun, leaning by the back door, and begins making his way hesitantly towards the barn – cigarette still smoking out the corner of his mouth. As Harold approaches the crash site, he can see that it is indeed a spaceship. But to his shock and horror, a massive, malfunctioning robot emerges from the wreckage and begins to awkwardly lumber towards him.
Harold: ::In disbelief:: Dear God! What is that thing?!
Robot: ::Damaged and malfunctioning:: Pre-Pre-Prepare For Subjugation-on-on! You Will Bow-ow-ow Before Robotikron Might!
Harold takes aim with his shotgun and fires, but the robot continues to lumber towards him. He fires again, and again, until finally the screen cuts to black…
((Back in the Car))
Nathan leaned back in the seat, taking in the authentic experience with every sense. The smell of the popcorn and desert air, the sound of the movie and gentle rustle of the wind through the distant sage brush. He took another sip from his drink and smiled.
He looked over at Robin, taking in the contours of her face as they were lit by the light from the screen. He felt a flutter in his chest. His smile waned slightly. They had chosen to continue as friends. It was a struggle for him, though. They spent quite a lot of time together and it was difficult to escape those repressed feelings. He had to put those thoughts aside, as much as he wanted to be able to act upon them. The flutter turned into a sinking feeling as he turned back to look at what was going on on the screen.
Hopper: ::Smirking:: We never find out what happens, by the way.
Richards: Never find out…::Confused:: What do you mean?
Hopper: ::Taking some popcorn from the shared bag:: Harold. We never find out if he killed the robot or if it got him. They just forgot to wrap up that plot thread. ::Chuckling:: It’s so bad. I love it.
Richards: Oh! Really? ::Chuckling:: Okay.
As the scene on the screen changed, revealing sweeping shots of the cosmos (Christmas lights poked through black cardboard) and a model of a spaceship flying by in the foreground, Robin patted Nathan’s arm excitedly.
Hopper: Now we’re in “Galaxy Zero”.
Richards: “Galaxy Zero?” More like Budget: Zero
Nathan couldn’t hold back his laughter at his own joke. He quickly quieted down and looked back towards the screen, not knowing if Robin was staring angrily at him now or not. Robin silently smiled and rolled her eyes, taking another handful of popcorn. He certainly wasn’t wrong. In fact, she was pretty sure the movie had lost money.
((On Screen, World Beyond Zero))
A confident man in a leather jacket saunters into the ‘cockpit’ of The Neutron – in reality, a dramatically-lit closet on a Hollywood backlot decorated with parts ‘found’ in the dumpster behind a laundry machine repair store. The fragile illusion is held together by the dedication of the actors, as star pilot John Mason, with his manly swagger and heroic chin, leans over his co-pilot, ‘Rusty the Robot’.
Mason: Now, what’s all this commotion about, you bucket of bolts? What’s so important?
Rusty: ::Vaguely English:: Goodness gracious! ::beeps:: It’s a rift in the galactic core, leading to a strange and unknown galaxy!
Mason: ::Looking at the Christmas lights space-radar display with shock:: That’s preposterous! You’re reading the datafeed all wrong.
Rusty: ::Blinks and boops with offense: How dare you! It is impossible for me to read it wrong. I am a robot.
Mason grabs the boxy display and shakes his head.
Mason: Well now, this is really something! ::A dramatic look ‘just past’ the camera:: If these readings are right, we might’ve just found ourselves a ticket to riches. ::Looking back at the display:: Yes… I can see our telemetry feed coming through now…
A wobbly crossfade begins, the cockpit fading away into a scene from 1960’s earth. A young blonde boy plays catch in the park with his father while his mother and sister sit at a nearby picnic table. It is the absolute picture of quaint nuclear America.
Mason: I’ve never seen such strange beings before! Why, they’re totally alien!
Rusty: Fascinating! I have a good feeling about this. ::mechanically beeps::
((Back in the Car))
Robin glanced at Nathan’s face, pleased to see him engrossed in the god-awful film already. There was something comfortable and cozy about watching an old-fashioned movie made on a shoestring budget. The dialogue may have been hammy, and the plotline a thinly-veiled commentary on the moral superiority of mid-20th-century American values over those held by the communist Soviet Union… but it didn’t matter. Even now, they could sit and revel in the creative energy that had been poured into its making.
She found her gaze lingering on him. Actually, Nathan reminded her somewhat of the movie’s protagonist, Mason. There was no denying he had the looks of an old Hollywood leading man, and the energy of a cocksure star pilot… but there was also a reserved depth to him that could never have been captured by the filmmakers of World Beyond Zero. She wondered what he was thinking about, but couldn’t muster the words to ask him. oO He’s probably just watching the movie… Oo she figured, trying to remind herself once more that giving in to her temptation would almost certainly result in regret.
The last time she had let herself be talked into a commitment, that was precisely what had happened. It had been her fault, of course. She should have known better. Falling in love and a life of adventure in the stars just didn’t mix – at least not in Starfleet. One moment you’re inseparable and the next, there’s a thousand light-years between you. The truth was, serving as a Starfleet Officer was, in many ways, a committed relationship in and of itself… a commitment to the people of the Federation and a responsibility to oneself.
She smiled, feeling truly content with their decision for the first time since their date. She didn’t need to love Nathan to appreciate him; They didn’t need to sleep together to have fun; And they didn’t need a commitment to treat each other with the respect they each deserved. She was happy, here and now, in this moment, just the way things were – no complications.
TBC in part 5/6…
Lt. Robin Hopper
Chief Science Officer,
Amity Outpost
V239806K11
Lt. JG Nathan Richards
Engineering Officer
Amity Outpost
A239905NR1
Ensign Doz Finch
Special Guest Star (Rusty & Terrora),
World Beyond Zero
C239809SH3