Eraser Game

START

 

EXT. JAPAN, TOKYO, MONUMENT SPACE. AFTERNOON.

Fade in from black to feet running, they have brown boots on. We can hear distant gunfire and see smoke. Cut to black.

 

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING. FITH FLOOR

JAPANESE SOLDIERS in camouflage green uniforms run through the halls with rifles in their hands, past SCARED CIVILIANS until their point man comes up to a blasted hole in the structure, where they can see the brown attired FREEDOM FIGHTERS dashing their way across the space below, where a statue of the Prime Minister stands. Cut to black.

 

EXT. RAISED ARTILLERY POSITION.

Some way away OFFICERS give orders via radio near mortars and howitzers, while three FREE STATES RETRIEVERS dressed in grey armour, survey the scene with binoculars from near a black van. Cut to black.

 

EXT. MONUMENT SPACE.

Close shot of the FREEDOM FIGHTER'S faces, all breathing heavy. Not a lot of them have proper armour, they're heavily armed with rifles and bazookas though. Cut to black.

 

INT. AMBUSH POINT

Shot of different group of JAPANESE SOLDIERS hiding in a dug in point in the side of a house near the monument square. All are sweating. Cut to black.

 

EXT. MONUMENT SPACE

A close shot of a female FREEDOM FIGHTER, a young woman with a modified AK47 with a bayonet on it, she also has an RPG on her back. She is JAPAN. Cut to black.

 

EXT. BEHIND APARTMENT COMPLEX.

A large mobile army group wait with armoured cars and tanks behind a shot up apartment complex. The JAPANESE SOLDIERS are keeping as quiet as they can. Cut to black.

 

EXT. MONUMENT SPACE.

The FREEDOM FIGHTERS run a little way closer to the statue before coming under fire from several positions by the JAPANESE SOLDIERS, the ones behind the apartment complex coming out too. Various shots of battle ensue, leaving none of the gore of real war out. We get young men and women getting their heads blown in. Concentrated fire on ambush positions, grenades blowing FREEDOM FIGHTERS to pieces while rockets do the same to JAPANESE SOLDIERS. Tanks shells reducing human beings to fine red paste, with the hundreds of rocket tubes soon turned to the several armoured shellers to seek fiery revenge. Vehicles explode, shrapnel shreds JAPANESE SOLDIERS, while the FREEDOM FIGHTER'S find what ever cover they can.

 

EXT. ENTIRE MONUMENT SPACE

A long shot view of the entire scene, hundreds of shooters on each side, with mortars just coming down on the FREEDOM FIGHTERS.

 

EXT. MONUMENT SPACE.

The explosives detonate, scattering those who hadn't already gotten to cover, the blast also knocks down the statue of the Prime Minister.

 

INT. TV IN BROKEN DOWN HOUSE NEAR MONUMENT SPACE.

It's on a news channel, with a news reporter on the screen, sounds of battle in the background.

 

NEWS REPORTER

V.O (In Japanese, with English subtitles) More news in today from Tokyo, where rebels are continuing to push further in-city despite strong resistance from the military. The Army Press Office has refused to comment on the situation save reminding everyone still in Tokyo to evacuate while they can. In related news the Prime Minister and numerous other key political figures have announced their departure from Japan under advisement from the Free States, with the joint notion that they no longer feel safe operating in their own nation. Where they will relocate and what they mean to accomplish when they get there as of yet remains unclear, with many citizens airing concern that the leadership has merely given up on the country all together.

 

TV is smashed by the butt of a rifle, dozens of FREEDOM FIGHTERS soon filling the space. The camera swiftly goes to JAPAN, who sits shoulder to shoulder with her comrades in arms against a jagged, chest high concrete wall facing opposite the Monument Square and to the camera. She reloads her AK47, reapplies a rocket to her Bazooka and then takes a moment to rest, the sounds of mortars outside making her stay. For a moment she just stays there with some others as as more animated fighters go about various tasks in front of her, bringing in wounded, marking maps, shooting, spotting enemies, in the midst of all this she just sits there: looking ahead to nothing while occasionally coughing or scratching her nose. The mortar sounds eventually stop, making the gunfire easier to hear.

 

A group of FREEDOM FIGHTERS move out of the space, and from outside a WOUNDED FREEDOM FIGHTER comes bounding it, soon applying himself to the MEDIC of the staying group in front of JAPAN.

 

WOUNDED FREEDOM FIGHTER

(Japanese with English subtitles). It's coming back.

 

JAPAN

What's coming back?

 

WOUNDED FREEDOM FIGHTER

The tank, it should be making its way down that street now. Trying to flank us.

 

JAPAN looks over the cover to the place he means, if the armour makes it through it'll end up right behind the bulk of the FREEDOM FIGHTERS, who have their attention on he opposite direction. She comes back down and sees the look of those in her squad

 

JAPAN

Shit. (She takes a breath. To the others in her squad.) Mountain Team on me, we'll rocket rush it before it can get here. (She pulls up her bandanna over her mouth. All the others do the same)

 

She rises with her team and they run out of the place.

 

EXT. STREET.

They come upon a wide street where a few dozen FREEDOM FIGHTERS are already engaging the tank and its protective contingent of infantry. With RPGs out, MOUNTAIN TEAM run past their dug in allies, letting off rocket shots where they can, with the Tank steadily approaching. A few explosions rock the armour's frame and kill off some of the surrounding JAPANESE SOLDIERS, but the Tank remains largely unharmed, leaving it free to fire with its main gun right in the centre of the enemy mass. Cars blow up, and bodies go flying, JAPAN ends up getting smacked against the wall. As the turret and JAPANESE SOLDIERS rip her allies to shreds she gets up and disorientated, and finds a JAPANESE SOLDIER coming up on her. She gets out her AK47 and both shoot on each other, but she ends up hitting her mark as he misses, putting holes in the guys waist and then head. She steps forward to get a better position on the tank but soon enough a group of JAPANESE SOLDIERS comes out from doorway to her side. She slits the throat of the point man with her bayonet just as he opens the door, and then unloads her magazine on the other four, killing them all. Her rifle out of ammunition, she gets out her RPG and begins running to a good spot before she can be ambushed again.

 

She dashes towards the Tank and fires her weapon, getting shot in the middle in the process, the explosion engulfs the metal frame as she rolls to cover. Several of her team-mates do the same, their rockets impacting on the Tank until a groaning JAPAN reloads her RPG and blasts the armour with one final rocket, making it explode. Their main weapon destroyed, the remaining JAPANESE SOLDIERS flee, and the FREEDOM FIGHTERS start running after them. JAPAN'S squad go to her, it turns out JAPAN has kelvar on, so she is only winded.

 

MOUNTAIN TEAM MEMBER 1

(To JAPAN) You okay?

 

JAPAN

Yeah, just winded. Everyone here?

 

MOUNTAIN TEAM MEMBER 2

No. Oda and Junko didn't make it.

 

JAPAN

Fuck. (Looks to some of their wounds). And everyone injured...

 

Stray shots fly over their heads.

 

MOUNTAIN TEAM MEMBER 2

We should find somewhere safer to recover.

 

JAPAN

Agreed. We'll move this way.

 

JAPAN leads the five of them away.

 

EXT. BACK ALLEYWAYS.

JAPAN leads her squad through a system of alleyways.

 

MOUNTAIN TEAM MEMBER 3

Do we have any morphine? My leg is killing me.

 

MOUNTAIN TEAM MEMBER 2

No.

 

JAPAN

We can probably get some off the other teams, just wait a little longer and we'll -

 

All five of them turn the corner, waiting for them is the three FREE STATES RETRIEVERS in front of their black van, standing along with a squad of six JAPANESE SOLDIERS. The FREE STATES RETREIVERS have scoped, and laser sighted M16s with what looks like attached grenade launcher tubes. The JAPANESE SOLDIERS have Type 95 rifles. All but JAPAN are gunned down before they can react, with JAPAN herself being knocked off her feet by a rubber shell from one of the rifle's tubes.

 

JAPANESE SERGEANT

Cease fire!

 

The men do so. The JAPANESE SERGEANT notes that JAPAN is alive.

 

JAPANESE SERGENAT

(To FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER) She's all yours.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER

Appreciated.

 

JAPANESE SERGEANT

(To his men) Move out.

 

The JAPANESE SOLDIERS exit the scene. On the floor, the dizzied and even more winded JAPAN coughs up blood as the three FREE STATES RETRIEVERS crowd around her, two of them holding down her arms while the other takes the weapons away.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER

Nice work guys, let's see if it paid off.

 

The FREE STATES RETREIVER kneels down and looks at JAPAN, taking her chin and looking at both sides of her face as if examining her, after a moment he speaks.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER

Yeah, ticks all the boxes. Let's get her in the van.

 

JAPAN is brought up and handcuffed by the other two, the boss opening the van doors so the others can push her in. Inside the van, JAPAN regains some power over her throat.

 

JAPAN

Wha... what's going on?

 

The FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER brings her in by the collar and balls up his right fist.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER LEADER

Twist of fate.

 

He punches her hard in the face, rendering her unconscious, before letting her go, closing the doors and getting in the shotgun seat of the van. We get a shot of the van's behind as it drives into the daylight of the war torn city. Cut to black.

 

EXT. ENGLAND, LONDON. NIGHT

Eagle eye shot of a city in tatters, with the sound of police sirens and the view of bands of people running through the streets as cars hound them.

 

EXT.. HOUSE.

The place looks grimy. With graffiti on the walls in places.

 

INT. HOUSE. KITCHEN

A nineteen year old guy, BRITAIN, is searching his kitchen with his six year old younger brother: TERRY. The sound of a TV on a Wildlife channel can be heard in the next room.

 

BRITAIN

Anything in the cupboards?

 

TERRY

No.

 

BRITAIN

(Sighs, keeps searching) Must be something about here. Didn't you used to keep sweets in your room?

 

TERRY

Sure.

 

BRITAIN

(Looking down at his brother) So?

 

TERRY

(Looking back up) Well I ate them didn't I?

 

BRITAIN

(Smiling as he continues the search) Little rotter...

 

From a high cupboard he feels something.

 

BRITAIN

Hello...

 

He pulls out a plastic bag with some rotted green bread in it.

 

BRITAIN

(Putting it on the table) Shit...

 

TERRY

We could eat around the... mould.

 

BRITAIN

This is ridiculous. We might be hungry but we shouldn't be reduced to eating... this.

 

TERRY

Well what else are we going to eat?

 

BRITAIN

Nothing from this house, and nothing from the shops either unless we want to get arrested.

 

TERRY

The police can't have taken all the food stores can they?

 

BRITAIN

You'd better believe it... they're seizing everything.

 

TERRY

(Sits down) Arseholes.

 

BRITAIN

Yeah they are.

 

BRITAIN pauses and thinks.

 

BRITAIN

Though they've been spread pretty thin since the army left... maybe it would be worth a look, just to check out how much manpower they really have.

 

TERRY

What?

 

BRITAIN

Go and watch tele with mum and dad.

 

TERRY

(Quietly) You're going outside aren't you?

 

BRITAIN

(Quietly) Rations were promised a week ago, Terry, and we're all hungry. I haven't seen them round the local supermarket yet.

 

BRITAIN nods and shifts his eyes to the other where their parents are.

 

BRITAIN

Go on, if there's too many I'll come straight back.

 

TERRY

(Hugs his brother) Be careful.

 

He goes.

 

INT. HOUSE. STAIRS

BRITAIN walks up them.

 

INT. HOUSE BRITAIN'S ROOM.

BRITAIN goes into his room and gets a baseball bat from his desk as well as his backpack from his chair.

 

INT. HOUSE. STAIRS.

With the sound of TERRY talking to his parents NATHAN and SHELLY, in the living room close to the door, BRITAIN sneaks down the stairway.

 

INT. HOUSE. HALL TO DOOR.

He sneaks his way a few feet, quietly undoes the locks and opens the door before going outside.

 

EXT. STREET.

BRITAIN turns a corner and looks around nervously, the sounds of police sirens and shouting can be heard in the distance. He passes a Metropolitan Police sign saying 'Curfew time: 6pm - 9am'.

 

HIGH WALL.

A security camera looks from side to side.

 

BELOW HIGH WALL

We see BRITAIN is hugging the wall to get past it unseen.

 

STREET.

BRITAIN makes a few turns and jumps over a gate to the local park.

 

PARK

Here everything is sheer darkness. He goes forth uneasily through the space of trees and grass plains, looking his uncertainty at a shabby looking GROUP standing around a bin in a field with its contents burning inside of it.

 

STRANGER 1

(In continuation) - and now they've gone and built a stadium in the countryside. Can you believe that? We're all starving out here and they're getting ready for the fucking Olympics.

 

STRANGER 3

Course I can believe it, government has been steadily gutting us for years.

 

STRANGER 3

It's like I keep saying, man, the war messed everyone up. Not just physically like either, it put our minds out of whack too. No one cares about anyone else any more. It's just a free for all.

 

STRANGER 1

I hear that.

 

BRITAIN sneaks away.

 

PARK END

Eventually he gets to the end of the park, where only small fences block his way from the street beyond. He positions himself amongst the leaves and sees some METROPOLITAN POLICE loading food from a supermarket into their van in a car park. He thinks a moment, then decides to go for it. After planning his route, he moves gets over the fence and moves out.

 

Using the cars as cover, he makes his way past the patrolling METROPOLITAN POLICE in the car park undetected, reaching the side of the supermarket. Just as he's about to walk down to the alternate entrance. Five FREE STATES RETRIEVERS come walking his way, he ducks behind a bin as they pass.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER 1

I'm telling you, I got a good feeling about Russia.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER 2

Get out of here, Iran for sure.

 

FREE STATES RETRIEVER 3

Bullshit, have any of you even seen Kenya?

 

They go and BRITAIN takes a breath. He moves forward a little more and gets to the alternative door, but before going inside he sees a POLICE INSPECTOR talking to a FREE STATES OFFICIAL some way off. In no danger of being seen, he stops to listen.

 

POLICE INSPECTOR

That's it huh?

 

FREE STATES OFFICIAL

That's it. 19 to 21 and Male

 

POLICE INSPECTOR

You guys aren't that picky are you?

 

FREE STATES OFFICIAL

Not our order, we just bring them in.

 

POLICE INSPECTOR

I'll see what I can do. Shouldn't be that hard... a lot of people going missing these days.

 

FREE STATES OFFICER

(Lighting the other man's cigarette) Turbulent times indeed.

 

BRITAIN has a worried expression at this, but with his hunger guiding him on, he goes inside and closes the door quietly behind him.

 

INT. SUPERMARKET.

BRITAIN stands and wanders about for a bit, soon coming upon a box of food. He drags it to a back room and unpacks as much as he can into his back. After the deed is done, he sneaks back from where he came from... and runs into a female POLICE OFFICER along the way. The pair stare at each other before anything happens.

 

BRITAIN

Don't -

 

She blows her whistle. Panicked, he pushes passed her and goes out the alternative door.

 

EXT. SIDE OF SUPERMARKET

He sprints out and heads for the car park, catching the attention of the POLICE INSPECTOR and the FREE STATES OFFICIAL behind him.

 

POLICE INSPECTOR

Hey! (Into his radio) All units we have a trespasser on grounds.

 

Both run after him. He gets to the car park, but it soon surrounded by the two dozen METROPOLITAN POLICE and the six FREE STATES RETRIEVERS who have stun batons. Given no option but to fight, he gets out his bat.

 

FREE STATES OFFICIAL

One question before we start, you wouldn't happen to be 19 to 21 would you?

 

BRITAIN

What if I am?

 

The FREE STATE OFFICIAL clicks his fingers and points to BRITAIN, his FREE STATE RETRIEVERS descend upon the young man, savagely beating him with their electrocuting weapons.

 

FREE STATES OFFICIAL

(To POLICE INSPECTOR) No need for your officers to dirty their hands here, Inspector. We've got this covered.

 

The last shot is from BRITAIN'S point of you as he is mercilessly beaten down on the floor. Cut to black.

 

EXT. GERMANY, BERLIN. CONSTRUCTION SIGHT. DAY

With a bright sun blazing down on a construction sight, GERMAN TROOPS are seen helping injured CIVILIANS and INSURGENTS out of wreckage to be seen to by MEDICS who take them to ambulances on stretchers. This is obviously the aftermath of a battle, with the healthy blue attired INGURGENTS being lines up and taken away in Military Vans. After a moment of surveying the overall scene, our camera settles on GERMANY, a female trooper wandering about the site with a Heckler and Koch G3 battle rifle in her hands and a Heckler and Koch 8 pistol on her side. After walking around for a few moments with a bemused grin on her face, she hears something, and heads towards the sound. It turns out to be screaming, and a little more investigation yields that the source is a injured INSURGENT that has been crushed underneath a wall at the far end of the sight, away from the notice of most.

 

GERMANY goes over to the man.

 

INSURGENT

(In German with English subtitles) Please, help me!

 

She looks as though she's about to assist, when with a stretch of her arms she sits on the wall keeping the INSURGENT down, and after putting her rifle down and stretching out all her other limbs, she addresses him.

 

GERMANY

(In a warm manner with a smile) Hi.

 

INSURGENT

What are you doing? I'm dying, send for a doctor quickly.

 

GERMANY

Mmm, you don't look well at all. Of course you're not the only one having a bad day you know.

 

INSURGENT

I need to-

 

GERMANY

(Cutting him off) Take me for instance, a few weeks ago my rather wealthy boyfriend had the gall to break up with me, over such a little thing as my sleeping around with some of his friends. He was crying and moaning, a little bit like you actually, he was there: threatening to kill himself because he was so distraught and his heart was broken and all that nonsense. It was excruciatingly tedious. I mean really, how insecure can you get? I told him right there and then that he could either suck it up and keep me, or continue being a spineless little cur and lose me forever. So he dumped me, severing my entertainment trust fund entirely. But the worst part was still to come you see, for it turns out he was serious about committing suicide, and the very next day blew his brains out all over his father's bear skin rug. Can you imagine? All over that nice rug. Of course now his family blame me for it and are doing everything in their power to try and send me to jail. They don't have a case at all of course but their lawyers continue to hound me like rabid dogs after a rabbit. (She cracks her knuckles) Fortunately being in the military grants me some immunity from that sort of thing, at least on missions anyway. But nevertheless it's still a bother. So you see? You're not special, angel. We're all suffering.

 

INSURGENT

Can you please help me?

 

GERMANY

Oh but I've just sat down.

 

INSURGENT

You sadistic bitch!

 

GERMANY

Oh now that's just rude. I might have helped you if you'd been polite and sung a sweet melody or two for me, but since you're being such a brute. (She takes out her pistol and aims it at his head so he can see). I shall treat you like a brute.

 

INSURGENT

No, you can't!

 

GERMANY

Let's count. Five...

 

INSURGENT

Help! Somebody help!

 

GERMANY

Four...

 

INSURGENT

She's going to kill me!

 

GERMANY

Three...

 

INSURGENT

Oh god!

 

GERMANY

Two...

 

INSURGENT

Someone help!

 

GERMANY

One...

 

INSURGENT

Nooo!

 

GERMANY

(Pushing her gun barrel to his head) Bang!

 

INSURGENT

Ah!

 

GERMANY

(Giggling) You fell for it... hehehe... eh. Two for flinching.

 

GERMANY whacks the INSURGENT'S head twice.

 

INSURGENT

Ow!

 

GERMANY

Now, let's try this again. Five-four-three-two-one bang!

 

She does the same thing and he flinches once more, sending her into hysterics that make her beat her feet on the ground.

 

GERMANY

Oh dear, you're really bad at this.

 

The camera goes to a GERMAN ARMY COLONEL as he storms into the scene.

 

GERMAN ARMY COLONEL

(At her, very angrily) Ohlinger!

 

She turns his way and in the same beat shoots the INSURGENT in the head.

 

GERMANY

(Smiling, with blood on her face) Oh my, Colonel you shouldn't startle me like that.

 

Shot of GERMAN ARMY COLONEL'S face in disbelief as menacing music rises as it goes into the next scene.

 

INT. ARMY BARRACKS.

GERMANY walks to her locker, muttering to herself.

 

GERMANY

Dishonourable discharge? For killing a terrorist? Absurd, and now they're questioning my mental stability...

 

She opens her locker and we see pictures of gore, dissected animals, weapon schematics and horror movie posters all about it.

 

GERMANY

Why I'm the sanest person in Berlin.

 

She packs some stuff into her bag, slams the locker door shut and storms away with a sigh.

 

GERMANY

What the hell am I going to do now?

 

As she walks by another FEMALE GERMAN TROOPER tries to approach her.

 

FEMALE GERMANY TROOPER

Oh there you are Heike, I wanted to-

 

In a casual manner GERMANY slams the girl's head against the lockers with one hand, knocking her out.

 

GERMANY

Not now.

 

GERMANY carries on, briefly looking to a poster on the notice board that is entitled Eraser Game before passing it. We then get the notice board's point of view looking at the lockers for a moment, before GERMANY comes back, walking backwards for a second look at the poster. She stops, and reads the text where we are, mouthing as she reads, and after she's finished: smiles.

 

GERMANY

And they say the lord never answers prayers.

 

Cut to black.

 

EXT. ENGLAND. COUNTRYSIDE ROAD. NOON.

The sky is cloudy, and after a moment of looking at a blank road. Our camera sees the first of many black trucks going along it. As they move along we get a glimpse of a vast grey circular wall in the middle of the forest overhead.

 

INT. TRUCK

Inside, rows of PRISONERS are being held, their hands tied behind them, bags over their heads. Going from their silence we can guess the FREE STATES GUARDS have hold them to keep quiet.

 

EXT. COUNTRYSIDE ROAD.

The trucks continue and head towards a stadium complex in front of a forest with the strange grey walling in it, cars are already parked up everywhere with PEOPLE buzzing about.

 

EXT. OUTSIDE THE STADIUM.

The trucks are parked up and the PRISONERS are walked out by the FREE STATES GUARDS, with the PEOPLE present seeing nothing wrong with this, even seeming to appreciate their being here. 236 PRISONERS are walked into to a facility on the side of the stadium. This place looks like a mix between a hospital and an insane asylum.

 

INT. FACILITY

With all white walls and flooring with bright lights glaring down and a FREE STATES GUARD or WORKER watching them go in every room, they are herded towards the assembly area.

 

INT. ASSEMBLY AREA

This is a large space with a big screen on one of the walls. After they are all properly lined up, the WORKERS take the bags off the PRISONERS heads, and they are revealed to be the young people that were taken.

 

JAPAN

Close shot of JAPAN'S face looking around.

 

BRITAIN

Close shot of BRITAIN'S face looking around.

 

GERMANY

Close shot of GERMANY'S face looking around.

 

ASSEMBLY AREA

After a moment, the screen blinks on to the letter E Eraser Game symbol.

 

MYSTERIOUS VOICE

V.O You are now property of the Free States.

 

(To be continued)