The Means to Travel: A U.S. History Screenplay Assignment (Scenes 13-14)

SCENE 13

The trio falls into a patch of grass. The area around them is civilized, small houses that all look the same appear. People of the same ethnic group wander, children kept close with the aid of a parent's hand nearby.

CARMON looks around, her mask finally quieting as the air clears. She notices the groups of people, the language, the signs. Confusion flashes across her expression.

CARMON:

Hey . . . No, this isn't right.

KHAILEN turns towards CARMON, brushing dirt off of her clothing. She sees the same things.

KHAILEN:

Wow . . .

DAKOTA doesn't say a word. His eyes are locked on the familiar blue screen that appears before them once again.

Congrats on completing your first Quest! To continue getting home, proceed with your next one.

Quest: Stay Silent and Read

Terms: Unlisted

The screen flickers out, allowing the group to walk forward through the grounds. As they do, white letters pop up to explain.

The Executive Order 9066 had authorized military commanders to exclude civilians from military areas. Although the language of the order did not specify any ethnic group, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command proceeded to announce curfews that included only Japanese Americans.

On March 29, 1942, under the authority of the executive order, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4, which began the forced evacuation and detention of Japanese-American West Coast residents on a 48-hour notice. Only a few days prior to the proclamation, on March 21, Congress had passed Public Law 503, which made violation of Executive Order 9066 a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.

From the end of March to August, approximately 112,000 persons were sent to "assembly centers" – often racetracks or fairgrounds – where they waited and were tagged to indicate the location of a long-term "relocation center" that would be their home for the rest of the war.

DAKOTA sighs.

DAKOTA:

We must be in one of those relocation centers.

KHAILEN nods in agreement.

KHAILEN:

This is terrible.

CARMON:

No one deserves this . . .

The trio is given one last moment to look around and observe what is going on before they are pulled backwards, and in a white flash, they are transported away once more.

The screen flickers away from KHAILEN, CARMON and DAKOTA, revealing HOPE, DASEE and RAYLENE instead.

RAYLENE is standing near several screens. The room is dark and each screen is monitoring something different. Several keyboards are laid out in front of her and she is typing different important details in.

DASEE is standing in front of a bulletin board. She's pinning up photos of the locations they have seen the trio in, thanks to the use of the tracker that's embedded in KHAILEN's radio. Some of the photos show a more modernized and futuristic version of the Harbor the trio was at, others show a barren waste land that holds nothing at all, as if it was never used.

The door to the room slams open and the camera spins to lock on HOPE as she storms into the room, a clipboard in hand.

HOPE:

Is there any feedback on where they could be now?

RAYLENE:

No, we lost connection again. This is the second time they've been moved. Whatever is happening, I can't trace it.

DASEE:

Neither can I. I've done research on the locations they've been located at. There's barely anything. Our history shows nothing out of place.

HOPE:

There has to be something. This isn't just happening for no reason. We may not have the history, but someone must.

RAYLENE turns. Pushing her glasses up, she locks eyes with HOPE.

RAYLENE:

What are you suggesting?

HOPE:

(Looking at her clipboard)

I don't think they're going through this because of our history. I think it's someone else's.

DASEE:

(Scoffing)

That's so unrealistic.

HOPE:

I'm being serious. Think about it. If we can find something, anything that shows any connection to why they are going where they are, it can help us get them back. I swear it.

RAYLENE:

Are you sure this will work?

HOPE:

(Nodding)

I'm positive.

RAYLENE:

Okay . . . Let's change directives. Instead of looking into our history . . . Let's see what else we can find.

HOPE:

I hope this works.

DASEE:

Look, Oliver named you Hope for a reason. It has to work. It will work.

The group return to their sections, now with a new objective in mind. HOPE leaves the room, the door shutting silently behind her. The camera spins, pointing towards DASEE's wall of photos before zooming into one that is all black.

**End SCENE 13**

SCENE 14

The trio is dropped into a familiar room. A building with floors that are shiny, freshly waxed. The walls are familiar too. They've been here before.

DAKOTA lets his back hit the wall behind him. He remembers.

As does CARMON, who goes to support him as best as she can, since she, herself, only just caught her breath.

KHAILEN takes a moment to observe. Almost nothing has changed. The walls are the same, the doors are the same, she knows.

KHAILEN:

I remember this place . . .

CARMON:

We were here last time. When America joined the first war this world had.

KHAILEN nods. At least they are all on the same page. She moves, grabbing the door handles and pulling the door open. The blue screen flashes before her before she can peer into the room. This time, it only said one thing.

Listen.

It flickers away, giving her a view to the interior. Several people are sitting in chairs around a circle. She goes quiet, almost holding her breath.

PERSON 1:

Japan has gone crazy! They're attacking everyone!

PERSON 2:

Something is setting them off! We have to avoid them.

PERSON 3:

Let's think logically. We can't just avoid Japan, they called the war on us.

PERSON 1:

That shouldn't matter. They've already destroyed our territories in Asia.

PERSON 3:

So? They've also destroyed Britain's territories too.

PERSON 1:

This has been going on for 2 years now! This started in 1941, it's 1943. When will this be over with?

PERSON 4:

We can't rely on how long it's been, this could go on for decades if Japan really wanted it too.

PERSON 5:

No, they don't have resources for that.

PERSON 3:

Look, I think we should focus on aiding Britain and defeating Germany before we focus on Japan.

PERSON 2:

Okay . . . Okay, that sounds like the safest thing to do.

PERSON 3:

Exactly.

The blue screen flashes in front of KHAILEN again.

The United States and its allies in Australia and New Zealand first blunted Japan’s advance and then began a long counterattack across the Pacific. The invasion soon became the hallmark of the Allied counterattack. As they advanced westward toward Japan, Allied forces repeatedly bombed and stormed Japanese-held territory, targeting tiny islands as well as the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines. The goal was to dislodge the enemy and to secure airfields and supply bases that could serve as the launching points for future attacks.

KHAILEN sighs. She's pulled back once more, alongside CARMON and DAKOTA as a white flash brightens the screen.

**End SCENE 14**