Script
Scene 1 : Prologue
Black screen with title card – THE SOUND OF MILK.
Font's lips fill the screen; full and voluptuous. They are still while
her voice continues.
FONT's voice (casual & conversational)
"The world's tectonic plates have undergone drastic realignment.”
Scene 2 : Periphery Desert (a)
Font's face fills the screen. Still waters and disembodied clouds are
behind her. Her lips remain still while her voice continues.
FONT's voice (continued)
“The upper third of the planet is glacial. Australia has geologically
morphed into the swirling mass of South East Asia. Life clings to the
Southern Hemisphere."
We see Font clearly now: she is in her early 30s, lithe. Her extremely
close-cropped hair frames her Oriental features within a clean oval.
Calm and relaxed, Font is playing back a tape recording on a small device
which she holds in her hands.
FONT's voice (continued)
" All traces of European & Caucasian physiology have disappeared.
We are ... Pan-Pacific.”
Font kneels in lotus position on a mound of red dirt. A vast desert
seeps outward from her into the beyond.
FONT's voice (continued)
“What were once the Male & Female genders have become distinct
species.”
A breeze brushes across Font's face. Chilled, she looks out from her
post and continues playing the recording, surveying the alien terrain
deep in thought.
FONT's voice (continued)
“Divisions of race, nationality and class have been replaced by
a single, prime difference: sex."
Clouds roll past as we continue to hear Font’s voice recording.
The recording continues as Font places two small, gelatinous red marbles
on her temples and presses in. A subtle tone is heard as they massage
her skin. Font now leans back and lays on the ground. She closes her
eyes.
FONT's voice (continued)
“Gender War has been waged for over six hundred years and shows
no sign of ending …."
Scene 3 : Dimensional Wall
Where WoSpan and the Periphery Desert fold into each other lies the
Dimensional Wall: a vaporous sheet streaming up high into the sky, dense
and multi-layered with vertical geysers of red, orange and yellow. Proportionate
to its immensity is a deafening roar of rich, white noise.
Through this shimmering wall appears a Skeleton - emaciated, ragged,
tall, late 20s. Like a zombie, he drudges forth. The Skeleton becomes
conscious of his surroundings.
He is confronted by Font standing some metres away. With grim resolve,
Font holds a StunGlobe: a parabolic disc with a handle at its rear.
Protruding from its concave centre is a small tube. She points the device
at the Skeleton’s stomach. The Skeleton freezes and stares hard
at the StunGlobe. He telepathically speaks to her:
SKELETON
"Finger on the trigger, eh?”
Font keeps her eyes fixed on the Skeleton's eyes. She is totally still;
emotionless.
SKELETON (continued)
"Maybe you could buy some info from me about men over in Lock1,
hey babe?"
Font still keeps her eyes fixed on the Skeleton's eyes; totally still;
emotionless. The Skeleton leans slightly toward Font and inhales deeply.
SKELETON
"Fuck, you smell good. (...) You know we're doin' more CrossOvers
then you Grillers can handle with your shitty little border patrols.
One way or another, you can't stop us. (smirks) We're gonna piss on
every square centimetre of your precious little home."
Font remains frozen as the Skeleton continues.
SKELETON (smirks)
“We're gonna piss on every square centimetre of your precious
little home."
Font remains frozen. A cold breeze blows on her face. A pregnant pause
ensues as the Skeleton fails to psych-out Font.
SKELETON
"Fuckin' bitch -"
Font hits the trigger before he can finish: he collapses to the ground
like a dead weight, almost like he was sucked down. Font remains tensely
fixed in her defence position, then slowly relaxes her arms.
Font touches her brow and looks at a droplet of sweat on the tip of
her index finger.
Scene 4 : Lock 1 cityscape (a)
Night sky hangs thick over Lock1 – one of the Men’s biggest
cities. Complex cloud patterns slowly swirl and evolve. Occasional flashes
of sheet lightning silently suggest themselves behind this heavy curtain
of cloud.
Beneath the restless, vaporous sky, a centre cluster of tall block towers
assumes dominant position, with a variety of smaller and wider building
blocks attached.
Scene 5 : Con Store
A ConStore: a small 24-hour supermarket nestled between nondescript
buildings.
Ra - early 20s, slim, petite, androgynous - exits the ConStore. She
inhales the dark night air and gazes up at the towering buildings of
Lock1. She idles forward - and shuts her eyes. A wavy line of light
outlines her body. Ra starts dematerialising. A surge of white noise
sizzles - as she gradually disappears. A deep sucking boom sounds once
she has totally gone.
Scene 6 : Lock 1 downtown street (a)
A dark, narrow street, illuminated by high down-lights. The scene is
lit in murky hues. Mechanical hums abound. Ro - 30s, lean, brooding
- looks out at the distant mass of Lock1’s buildings from a side
alley.
Lock1’s buildings are imposing and deafening. Ro ponders their
massive spread. He moves back into the lane.
There, Shon - 30s, gargantuan, imposing - is inspecting something at
his feet …
… a SexDroid: a semi-clothed, ultra-realistic human woman's body.
This one is badly mutilated; its metallic underskin is visible. Ro impassively
watches Shon studying it. Shon studies it closely.
Ro, Shon and the SexDroid are dwarfed by the tall shadowy buildings
which branch into overheard structures. Dark clouds creep around the
buildings’ upper reaches.
Scene 7 : Periphery Desert (b)
Font squats on a rocky ridge in the desert. Suddenly Font’s psychic
sense is activated. Font jumps up and speedily raises her laser gun.
Suddenly - only 2m in front of her - Ra materialises, running in a frenzied,
disoriented state. Font keeps the gun aimed at Ra and fires. Ra keeps
running toward her, oblivious to Font's presence. Just as Ra is upon
her, Font fires. Ra still keeps running toward her. Font is rebound
by a shock wave. Font falls unconscious. Ra reaches where Font has fallen.
Ra stops and stands over Font, panting.
Now time has passed. Two moons converge in the heavens above. Font becomes
conscious. Ra has calmed down and is looking up at the sky.
Dusk settles as the two moons converge. Ra is mesmerised by this nocturnal
beauty; Font is fixated on Ra’s tenderness. We hear Font’s
voice-over:
FONT's voice
"Having not produced sperm for over a millennium, men use Skeletons
to enter WoSpan and continue their desperate drive to discover the secret
of organic life. Gender War has been waged for over six hundred years
and shows no sign of ending …."
Scene 8 : Lock 1 cityscape (b)
Sheet lightning continues flashing deep behind the hazy blur of Lock1's
night sky. Flashing continues behind Lock1’s tall block towers.
Scene 9 : Lock 1 downtown street (b)
Ra materialises into a dark, narrow street in Lock1. She looks drained
and disoriented as she moves forward with a zombie-like momentum.
Scene 10 : Laboratory
Tork - mid-40s, chubby, unkempt – holds up an X-ray sheet to the
light. It features both skeletal & mechanical components. He is
virtually camouflaged in his small, dark, cramped laboratory. Numerous
spot-lamps illuminate the gadgetry scattered across the room. Elaborate
cabling sprouts from the computer terminals and climbs into the darkness
of the ceiling. A tone is sounded. Tork breathes deeply.
Hydrogen vapours burst forth from a small, round refrigerator as its
door.
Tork pulls out a glass vial full of thick white gel and holds it up
to the light.
Tork contemplates the vial of white gel.
Scene 11 : Apartment
Boushinja - large, stocky, early 50s - He holds up a similar vial, studying
it closely.
Boushinja is standing by a large window in his penthouse apartment located
in the upper sector of one of the tall block towers of Lock1. Through
his large window, one can see Lock1 beyond: strange complex buildings
are surrounded by a swirling grey blanket of smog.
He exits the room. From high in the darkened ceiling, four thin cascades
of heavy sand fall into separate corners of the room. Each flow falls
onto unseen flat metal dishes; each dish is individually tuned, so that
the falls of sand create a granular chorus of soothing, resonant noise.
Boushinja sit deep in thought.
Boushinja shifts his concentration back to the cityscape seen from his
window.
Scene 12 : Lock 1 downtown street (c)
Lock1’s strange and complex architecture as viewed from street-level.
The din is huge.
Font materialises into a darkened Lock1 street. Buildings shoot high
into the unstable clouds above her. With grim determination she marches
forward.
Scene 13 : Dimensional Wall
Ro and Shon stand at the outer periphery of Lock1. They wear mirrored
eyepieces with connecting nose plugs.
They stand in front of the roaring, shimmering Dimensional Wall.
Ro squints his eyes and peers into the wall’s wavering mass.
Suddenly the figure of Kuhlshahl emerges from the wall: a large woman,
wearing a heavy visor which totally masks her eyes. She approaches them
across the hazy sand. The deafening roar of white noise resides to a
faint rumble; Kuhlshahl telepathically communicates to Ro and Shon.
KUHLSHAHL's voice
"A message to Zoners. Leave now."
Shon and Ro look at the atmosphere changing around them Ro keeps his
icy eyes fixed on Kuhlshahl.
KUHLSHAHL's voice
"A message to Men. The fold between our dimensions is frayed and
faltering. Do not get caught in its unravelling thread."
Ro and Shon keep their eyes fixed on Kuhlshahl.
KUHLSHAHL's voice
"Those who dream of genes will be embalmed by their vision."
Ro impassively takes this in.
KUHLSHAHL's voice
"Those who dream of genes will be embalmed by their vision."
Kuhlshahl remains relaxed – then she slowly raises her visor.
From her eyes, two deadly concentrated laser beams strike forth.
Scene 14 : Lock 1 cityscape (c)
Lock1 is on the verge of destruction. Its night sky has turned deep
red, with a thin band bleeding to orange on the horizon. Fast trailing
veins of bright red head south, resembling a mammoth carpet of blood.
Jagged lightning sprouts upward along the horizon.
The central block towers are visually blurred by the electrical ether
activity; the rumbling soundscape is gashed by the cracks of lightning.
We hear Font’s voice:
FONT's voice
"Tell me again about The Before & After."
A series of distant explosions shoot skyward.
CASSANDRA's voice
"Before - men & women were of the same type."
Scene 15 : Periphery Desert (c)
Font’s head is resting in the lap of Cassandra – a mature
and elegant woman in her 50s. Font continues to remember Cassandra’s
words:
CASSANDRA's voice
"They each had the other in them. They shared inner and outer space.
"
Cassandra smiles faintly at Font.
CASSANDRA's voice
“They were interchangeable."
Font falls asleep in Cassandra’s lap. They are ensconced high
on a rocky ridge.
CASSANDRA's voice
“After - they were defined by their genetic difference.”
Cassandra looks up to the skies.
CASSANDRA's voice
“Men became beams of light - "
The distant explosions continue; their red clouds of deadly fall-out
spread.
CASSANDRA's voice
“- aimed and fired at will. We became waves of sound - "
Font lies sleeping in Cassandra’s lap.
CASSANDRA's voice
“- dark, sonic, sensory."
Cassandra’s face is darkened as night falls.
CASSANDRA's voice
"Where men protrude, we do not venture; where women be, no man
can occur."
Scene 16 : Periphery Desert (a)
We return to the present. Font appears drained from her recollections.
She remains still, gazing down at the recording device which has been
playing back her report.
Font ends the recording and remains deep in thought. She thinks to herself
an addendum to her report:
FONT
"Gender War has been waged for over six hundred years. We hope
it will end one day."
Font recedes into the distance ….
END
Credits roll.
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