INT. BELIEVE-1
CONTACT TEAM ALPHA-BRAVO is strapped in tight to the sides of the Skyranger as the ship pitches and buckles. MUPOD is double-checking her rocket launcher, rapidly disassembling and reassembling a component. Stencilled on one side is a large arrow and the legend “This Way Towards Assholes”.
INCENDIARY
Everyone online?
TIGHT ON COOLASJ19, who is strapped in, inexplicably sound asleep.
SQUOIG
(o.s) Corporal’s asleep. How can he sleep through this?
FEONIX
That’s just how he do it. Cold as ice, that one.
CHASING COMETS
This ain’t the kind of situation where I could be cold as ice, that’s for damn sure.
DECOYPLATYPUS leans over. He is smoking a cigar, and gestures with it while he talks.
DECOYPLATYPUS
The Corporal may be an asshole, but he knows one thing for certain: he’s got our back and we’ve got his. That clear?
ALL
Hut!
Mupod punches the rocket launcher back into compact mode and manages to sling it over her back, despite being seated. She looks ill at ease.
MUPOD
Freaking same-day ops. Run me through the op again, Decoy?
DECOYPLATYPUS
Rescue and Retrieval. All contact lost, in come the cavalry.
MUPOD
But why volunteers this time?
INCENDIARY
If the Ops come through council lines then SOP is suspended. Their missions are… different.
SQUOIG
Different? Different how?
INCENDIARY
…different.
Squoig and Mupod exchange significant looks. Incendiary shrugs.
INCENDIARY
This ain’t Wey-Yu, folks. If the brass knew anything specific, they’d tell us.
DECOYPLATYPUS
Besides, if ya’ll wanted to bitch, you should’ve thought about that before you bloody volunteered.
FEONIX
They must have some hint though. Two shotties on one op? More explosives than I’ve ever seen in one place outside of the armoury? Vests? This is way out of the norm.
DECOYPLATYPUS
If you’d been paying attention in the briefing, you’d remember.
FEONIX
Yeah?
A warning klaxon sounds, red lights blare. Coolasj19 slumps forward and opens his eyes woozily.
BIGSKY
(o.s; distorted over the P.A.) This is BigSky Airways, coming in for a beautiful landing in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. Please return your seats and trays to the upright position, and remember: if you leave any guns behind on this here aircraft, they’re mine by right. Outside temperature is -1 degrees celcius with a high chance of a lot of dead aliens sometimetime soon. Thanks for flying with BigSky Airways and we hope for your continued patronage in the future.
Coolasj19 groans.
COOLASJ19
“Site Recon”, they call it. Site Recon my a- my butt. Christ… this ain’t gonna be just any walk in the park, Alpha-Bravo. Be ready for anything. And I friggin mean anything.
EXT. BELIEVE-1
The ship emerges from cloud cover, a soaring view of the frozen wastes of Newfoundland. The sun is just setting, providing a brilliant view of a small fishing village, apparently devoid of life. The ship roars past, smoothly lowering itself to just above ground level. TITLE CARD fades in:
OPERATION PURPLE CROWN