Nation Undead Angeline Cheever: Lifesaver By Travis Olson

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Japanese Garden Section- Night

A strong moonlight shines through the domed building. Agent Smith is standing near a botanical map of the conservatory; the plants in the conservatory are in good condition; there is an opening in the plants with benches surrounded by a red tile brick border. Angeline Cheever is pacing with an earpiece in her ear; Agent Smith is watching her concerned.

Angeline Cheever: Hotako... Hotako… Hotako! Listen to me. Russo is not picking up my calls! He told me to get to the conservatory, I’m here and he’s not picking up… I take it that since I got a hold of you, I’m still one of the Partners and that this isn’t some power play to get rid of me. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but you listen to me, Hotako, I can still bury all of you…

Angeline stops pacing and waits; she is drawing out her threat to let it sink in.

Angeline Cheever: …Now, I am at the conservatory. You get Russo to send me a submarine or whatever the damn contingency for this was, or better yet, you just have the good General call me so I can hear his own sweet words about where he’s going to pick me up at and then his apology for all of this…

Angeline taps her ear piece and screams; she glances over and makes eye contact with Agent Smith, who tries to look away. Two Agents come running with hand guns at the ready and scan the area; they see Angeline is safe and then look to Smith who gives them a hand signal that tells them “false alarm”. The two agents walk away; Angeline slightly embarrassed at witnesses to her frustration looks to Agent Smith.

Angeline Cheever: Agent…

Agent Smith: …Smith, ma’am.

Angeline’s face contorts with annoyance.

Angeline Cheever: I don’t care what your name is… I need to make some private calls, go secure the area or something…

Agent Smith nods his head and starts walking away slowly; Angeline watches him go and when he gets a safe distance taps her earpiece. Agent Smith stops around a curve in the path and tries to eavesdrop on Angeline.

Angeline Cheever: …Call Peter Wittgard…

Agent Smith leans against a tree as another Agent walks up; Agent Smith waves the “Stop” hand signal and the Agent obeys. Agent Smith resumes eavesdropping.

Angeline Cheever: …I don’t know if you’re getting these messages… I could really use your simplicity right now… Russo’s not calling and I can only get a hold of Hotako…

Agent Smith realizes Angeline isn’t making important calls; this is her vulnerability coping with the situation and walks toward the waiting Agent.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Pathway- Night

Agent Smith and Agent walk along the path.

Agent Smith: We’re secure?

Agent 1: Yes sir, but we may have an issue with Wilcox…

Agent Smith: …He’s still jumpy from the trip over?

Agent nods yes.

Agent Smith: Alright, stay by The Wolf, but stay out of sight.

Agent Smith walks away from Agent.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Rear Entrance- Night

Agent Smith walks around a curve in the path to the rear entrance of the conservatory; He cocks his head as he looks at Agent Wilcox’s peculiar position. Wilcox is lying on his back with his knees up and pistol aimed through his legs at the Rear Entrance Door; there is a window in the door. Agent Smith clears his throat but Wilcox doesn’t flinch.

Agent Wilcox: That you, sir?

Agent Smith: Yeah…

Agent Wilcox: They tell you I’m acting Squirrelly?

Agent Smith walks to Wilcox’s side and kneels down; Wilcox never looks away from his sights.

Agent Smith: They’re saying you’re a bit jumpy… What do you say?

Agent Wilcox: …I say they’re not the ones watching this door.

Agent Smith looks to the door and sees nothing through the window.

Agent Smith: …Something wrong with this door?

Agent Wilcox: We got us a prowler… Six foot male, brown hair, brown eyes, early twenties… He’s been taunting me, sir…

Agent Smith: I’ll have Franklin come relieve you…

Agent Wilcox: No sir. That’s not necessary. See, Franklin, he doesn’t know what I know about this guy…

Agent Smith watches Agent Wilcox as he speaks but never looks away from his sights.

Agent Wilcox: …See this guy’s got history. He was born about twenty miles from here, and except for a senior class trip to Mexico, he never really went more than thirty miles from his house… This guy graduated high school but didn’t go to college, he never saw the need to but regretted that decision as he learned that all his friends went their own ways after all the graduation parties ended… He got left behind to work at the garage that his Daddy worked at, course he got fired for his many mistakes he made because he hadn’t really grown up yet, this made his dad look bad. Feeling the guilt of his Dad made him move out prematurely and put him in debt after his new job at the grocery store didn’t give him enough money to pay the rent for his apartment and his cell phone. He felt like more of a failure when he moved back in with Daddy and never got to rectify his situation because he got sick… He got sick and died… Then to fulfill his inability to do anything right, he came back to life…

Agent Smith: …Is that so?

Agent Wilcox finally makes a movement as he nods his head yes but still aiming; Smith glances to the window and sees a twenty-ish, brown haired Zombie looking through the window. Smith stands up slowly staring at the Zombie in the window.

Agent Wilcox: …His name is Markus…

Agent Smith looks down to Wilcox.

Agent Smith: …Jim?

Agent Wilcox: Sir, we have One of the Six Partners of Soteria here and she is going to be rescued by her friends… It’s not going to be an easy extraction and some of us are going to die but some of us are going to live so long as she stays alive and if Markus here, finally, decides to man up and come through that door, I’m going to own him and then I’m going to own anyone else that comes through after him… I’m just not going to have the time to think up their life stories…

Agent Smith looks back to Markus.

Agent Smith: …So, you’re just bored?

Agent Wilcox: Ain’t nothing boring nowadays…

Agent Smith gives a quick smile; he feels confident in Wilcox’s mental status as he turns to walk away, he stops and looks back.

Agent Smith: What happened to his Dad?

Agent Wilcox: …Plane crash…

Agent Smith walks away from Wilcox.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Pathway- Night

Agent Smith walks along path; he stops and looks up tree; he nods to Agent Franklin who wears night vision goggles and has a high powered rifle in his hands. Agent Smith continues walking.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Front Entrance- Night

Agent Smith follows path to the front entrance. Two Agents are posted at the doors; one door is slightly off it’s hinges but barricaded with a bench. Agent Smith walks to the Agents.

Agent Smith: Johnson?

Agent 2: He hasn’t returned yet, sir.

Agent Smith looks through the opening in the door.

Agent Smith: Well, he got the satellite uplink established, Ms. Cheever is still making calls.

Agent 3: We gonna get out of here, sir?

Agent Smith: She’s still got some pull, boys… Wilcox has a prowler in the back, you guys?

Agent 3: They just keep walking passed the building toward the Zoo…

Agent Smith nods acknowledgment and turns away; he begins walking along the path again.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Pathway- Night

Agent Smith walks along path; he stops as a humming sound begins, he starts looking around and then looks to the ceiling. The humming grows louder and a loud popping noise is heard.

Agent Smith: …Oh Johnson, you stupid bastard…

Agent Smith begins running as the lights of the conservatory turn on and illuminate the pathway. Agent Smith looks angry as he runs; gunshots are heard in the distance and he stops, he looks around desperately to figure out where the shots came from. Silence overtakes the conservatory and Agent Smith begins running again.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Japanese Garden Section- Night

Agent Smith rounds a corner and is back to Angeline Cheever’s location.

Angeline Cheever: …Bout time you got the lights on.

Agent Smith draws his gun and looks about the several pathways leading to the area; he turns his ear to the pathways and listens. Angeline is unwrapping a hard candy; Agent Smith glances at her as she puts the candy in her mouth, he raises his gun and fires a shot behind her.

Agent 1: It’s me Smith!

Agent Smith lunges for a shaking Angeline and pushes her to the ground as Agent 1 comes walking from the garden.

Agent Smith: Secure her under the bench.

Agent 1 grabs a struggling Angeline and pushes her forcefully under a bench; she lunges to get out but Agent 1 stands in front of the bench blocking her. Agent Smith maintains his watch on the paths; several gunshots are fired.

Agent 1: That’s Wilcox.

Agent Smith nods yes.

Agent 2: We’re coming around…

Agent 2 and 3 come rushing around corner guns raised; the four Agents surround the bench.

Agent 3: They’re inside! At least ten, the lights turned on and they swarmed up the steps.

The Four men point their weapons in opposite directions as the loud rustling of plants and heavy footsteps are heard in the distance.

Agent Smith: …Keep an eye out for Wilcox and Franklin…

The Agents each fire several rounds as the first wave of Zombies appear; The Zombies collapse but the Agents put extra rounds in them. The Agents reload quickly and then wait with odd patience as the sounds begin again from a distance away.

Agent Franklin: Coming in!

Agent Franklin rushes into the clearing with night vision gear along his forehead; the Agents are relieved that another friend has arrived.

Agent Smith: Where’s Wilcox?

Agent Franklin: He ran outside… I think he’s trying to do something about the lights…

An explosion is heard; then seen through the dome as the lights flicker wildly.

Agent Smith: …Oh fuck…

The lights go out and it is pitch black.

Agent Smith: …Franklin?

Agent Franklin: Already on…

Agent Franklin turns on night vision goggles;

Agent Smith: You’re the eyes Franklin! Tell us where to shoot!

Agent Franklin looks around and sees the onslaught of Zombies creeping through the darkness toward them.

Agent Franklin: …We’re all dead…

Agent Franklin watches as a Zombie is nearly upon Agent Smith.

Agent Smith: Franklin!

Agent Franklin raises his rifle and shoots Agent Smith in the head; then systematically takes out the other three Agents. Agent Franklin’s night vision looks down his own smoking barrel.

Int. Indoor Garden Conservatory: Japanese Garden Section- Day

A Zombie is eating from Franklin’s exposed Skull; a gunshot rings out and the Zombie’s head cocks to one side and falls over. Agent Wilcox walks into view; he looks at the scene. Fallen Zombies and Fallen Agents are sprawled about; some eaten, some untouched and bullet ridden.

Agent Johnson: I didn’t mean for this…

Agent Johnson walks into view; Agent Wilcox sees Angeline’s hand from underneath a bench behind fallen Agent1. Agent Wilcox walks to the bench.

Agent Johnson: …The uplink needed a stronger power source otherwise the range would only get close distance calls… The emergency generators only needed some gas…

Agent Wilcox pulls Angeline out from the bench and looks into her blood shot eyes; he has a perplexed look as he looks at the vomit on her chin. Agent Johnson walks over to Agent Smith’s body and kneels in front of it.

Agent Johnson: …I didn’t want to let him down, you know…

Agent Wilcox looks at the ground by Angeline and sees the opened hard candy wrapper; Agent Johnson looks at Wilcox. Agent Wilcox reaches his hand into Angeline’s mouth and begins digging inside until he finds what he’s looking for. He pulls his hand out and holds the vomit covered circular candy in front of his face.

Agent Johnson: What’s that?

Agent Wilcox: …Lifesaver…

Agent Wilcox drops the candy onto Angeline’s body; he gets up and walks away.