Edward Powers, by James Patrick Buchanan

(Fade into an archetypal bachelor’s unkempt bedroom.  The audience sees a rapid montage of images of a young man in his mid-twenties getting up, showering, shaving, brushing his teeth, eating oatmeal for breakfast, and lastly donning a sports jacket.  Chobits and To Heart posters, along with RayEarth and Sailor Moon calendars hang on the wall.)

Ed Powers (early version)

Ed is a mid-twenties office worker.  He is slightly overweight, has pale skin, and his medium brown hair is in a mullet-style haircut.

Montage images include (video)

Ed sitting at work, Ed sitting at home while listening to Japanese pop music, Ed sitting on the Central Corridor Streetcar line, Ed sitting at bowling, Ed sitting watching romantic comedy Anime, Ed sitting at the office party - office workers talking around him.

Ed:  (The montage voice over - audio):  “Welcome to the very exciting life of Edward James Powers.  I recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in computer programming.  I’m earning a comfortable income at a St. Paul-based auto, home, and life insurance company.  My off hours include bowling Thursday nights, watching Anime at the local University of Minnesota Anime Club Sunday nights, attending Anime and science fiction conventions, and occasional office parties.”

Montage turns to

Ed facing the camera as if he is facing a mirror, he is trying to tie a tie or some other mundane pre-date preparation.

Ed:  “But, that might change today.  I finally landed a hot date with Nancy, a beautiful blonde lady from our accounting department.  Usually, she is far too absorbed in her sports training to get a spot on America’s Olympic beach volleyball team to notice me at all.  We’re taking the Central Corridor streetcar to the Minnesota State Capitol building to see all those unearthly Alien artifacts they found in Antarctica and on the other worlds.  Who knows?  Something exciting might happen.”

As Edward closes the front door to his modest home, he says out loud and to no one, “Who am I kidding?  Nothing ever really exciting ever happens to me.”

Cut Scene.

(Edward is standing in a very long, single file line inside the Capitol building.  A tall, robust, blonde woman fidgets nervously in front of him, occasionally remarking to Ed.  She is complaining about the stink of the crowd, her uncomfortable high heel shoes, and that she is powerfully hungry, etc.)

Ed:   “So, Nancy, are you hoping you got the right stuff to walk the Fringes?”

Nancy:  “What, and leave my chance to win an Olympic gold medal behind?  Besides, I can’t live without my weekly shopping trek to the Mall of America.”

Ed   “Don’t worry.  According to the guidebook ‘ . . . only one in a hundred thousand is attuned to the portals and can travel on the roads to infinity.’  Who writes this stuff?”

Nancy:  “With those odds, I’d rather play the Minnesota Lotto.”

They pass a display of a UNIDA “Future Warrior” battle uniform.

Nancy:  “I wouldn’t be caught dead in something that unfashionable.”

Ed:  “Yeah, I suspect it would be tough to add accessories.”

(Edward stops briefly to consider a floor to ceiling video display featuring UNIDA Colonel Sayuri Tanuma, her life and first explorations into the Fringepaths.  It is entitled, “Humanities First Fringe Explorer!”)

Narration (for display montage playing in the background while other action takes place):  The HK 45 slash four is an impressive bit of deterrent carried as a personal side arm for all off-world personnel.  When things go really badly, our teams can count on these, and other issued weapons, to provide a complete arsenal of options - from high explosives, to suppression fire, to non-lethal sleep.  Consequently, each team member carries the equivalent firepower of a late 20^th Century American army squad.

(Video in background)  A soldier wearing a Future Warrior Uniform, in his hand is a bulky and lethal looking, four-barreled handgun, while an equally impressive twin-barreled rifle is on a gun rack.

Narration:  “On the other hand, the Fringe presents many environments that require undercover operations on worlds similar - yet sometimes very different from our own.  Experienced UNIDA agents, like the well known Colonel Sayuri Tanuma must sometimes operate completely within the social framework of a different world’s social culture.”

(The camera slides back far enough to show Ed and Nancy silhouetted against the floor to ceiling display).

Video continues with pictures of Sayuri fighting against 1980's era Soviet infantry; talking with tall and muscular, Roman Empire, female gladiators; freeing Union prisoners from a Confederate prison camp, and lastly being photographed in the shadow of a huge sculpture of a bipedal alien.

Nancy walks away from Ed, who is paying attention to the screen and stands staring at the flickering images.

Nancy: “I don’t suppose we will get out of here in time to make our dinner reservations - look, they only let one person view the Crystal Key at a time, let’s just go.”

Nancy returns to Ed’s side.

Nancy: “Please, will you forget about seeing that crystal thing today?  I skipped lunch and now I’m so hungry!  Just what is so interesting?”

Cut to:  The big screen now features Sayuri Tanuma smiling, in a film clip of her on the Tokyo University swim team.  She appears to be shorter and slenderer than Nancy.

Sayuri Tanuma’s voice over: “I would never have believed that Humanity would be exploring other worlds in my lifetime.  I thank the Heavens that I was born Fringe Enabled!”

Ed:  “Whoa!”

Nancy: “Oh,  . . .   I see . . .  Well, have fun with your video girlfriend.”

Nancy turns and leaves as Ed continues to stare at the video screen.

High Angle Long Shot of the crowd.

Nancy walks briskly around the Crystal Key Display, and toward the outside doors.  Ed now realizes Nancy is gone, and then makes a bee line to intercept her after she has rounded the corner.  In other words, Edward must cut through the line, past a guard, and the big case containing the Crystal Key to give Nancy a face-to-face apology for ignoring her.

Ed:  Yells, “Wait” . . .   He bumps into an older man, “Excuse me”  . . .   then yells, “Nancy, I was caught up in the action.”

Guard: “Wait.  One at a time . . .”

Medium shot

Ed passes the main display - while a split screen extreme close-up shot shows the Crystal Key pulses a flaming blue for a second, then resumes a faint, but steady glow - Ed does not see this and runs on.

Close Up of UNIDA guard

Guard one:  (into his handheld telephone) “Got one  . . . ”

Guard two:  “Which one?”

Guard one:  “The runner!”

Guard two:  “What’s his problem?”

Guard one:  “How should I know, but stop that runner before he gets away!”

Guard two:  “Will do.”

MS of Entrance - Nancy leaves and two UNIDA guards step up to intercept ED.

Guard three:  “Sir, we have to ask you to step over here.”

Ed:  “But  . . .   I gotta go catch my date.”

Guard three:  “Sir, she’s gone, and I think this is a bit more important  . . .”

Cut to (interior conference room)

Bureaucrat one:  “Congratulation’s sir, you are Pathway Enabled or Fringeworthy.  You now have the opportunity to join UNIDA and IDET.”

Bureaucrat two:  “A new job, a new career.”

Bureaucrat one:  “To explore the Alternative Worlds, to bring back knowledge, medical drugs, and advanced technology for the betterment of humankind.”

Bureaucrat two:  “To live the ultimate adventure!”

Bureaucrat one:  “And, a one million Dollar signing bonus.”  Fade to Black.

Cut to Med. shot

Edward rides in the backseat of a Cadillac Escalade, a blank look on his face as he stares at a check he’s holding with both hands.  (Cut to close-up of check - Edward James Powers - $1,000,000 Dollars!)

Rapid zoom out to extreme LONG SHOT of cityscape (St. Paul) and up to Orbital view of our planet.

Montage with Heroic Music.

The next shots are of Ed doing intense bodybuilding, bicycling on Australian outback roads, learning to use firearms, studying in class, doctors giving Ed both standard and optional biotechnology and medical nanotechnology body augmentations, lastly being tailored for his first Future Warrior battle suit.  At Edward’s graduation ceremony, he clearly has shorter hair, tanned skin, and a more athletic body.

Ed is then shown in his Hatsumi crew quarters, posters of HK weapons, U.S. Marine Field manuals, and copies of Soldier of Fortune magazine are visible.

Next, we see Ed, with several other humans, all dressed in Future Warrior combat gear.  They are in a uniform formation.  The Team leader approaches.  It is Sayuri Tanuma.

Sayuri Tanuma:  “To the rookies, welcome to our team.  To the veterans, welcome back.  First reconnaissance of our target world showed it to be a low hazard environment.  But, keep your eyes and ears open, as we don’t know who or what may be hiding in the shadows.  Once our team arrives on our target world, we will form two person teams and then I'll give your teams their assignments.  We have an equal number of rookies and veterans.  Therefore, each rookie will be assigned their own veteran Mentor.  Rookies listen to your mentor and his or her knowledge and experience will keep you alive.  You have been briefed  . . .  Now, let’s roll.”

They climb into several armored military vehicles, and then drive up a ramp and through the center of a large rotating silver ring, with a dull black center.  The vehicles don’t exit from the other side of the ring, at least not on this world.

The beginning of Ed’s adventure

Copyright © 2007, James Patrick Buchanan