Perish

By Daniel Slack

A simple young man signs up to a military base on an alien planet to be trained for war by tyrannical mad men.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Slack
• Release date: Mar 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370698721

Daniel Slack

I'm Daniel Slack, author of The DSU (Daniel Slack Universe). This is a collection of stories written in the form of screenplays - movies. These stories are all encompassed in science fiction, but incorporate a multitude of genres such as romance, horror, action, adventure, crime, drama, war and western. What brings this universe together is both spatial and thematic. Whilst the stories are connected, they are all individuals - at times, they may even seem like non-sequiturs. So, it is not likely you will be seeing many reoccurring plot-lines or characters. However, all of these stories interweave and support each other as to build a universe of my design, one that if you want to explore further, you'll have to investigate yourself.

Book preview

Introduction

This is apart of The DSU, a network of stories that support, expand and deepen each other across a complex, growing universe.

So, to explore further...

Join the DSU

Titles include:

1. Inaffection: The Absence

2. Virtue's Ploy

3. For Annabelle

4. Apologetic?

5. Receptacle Infinity

6. Fallen Legacy

Contacts:

@DanielSlackDSU

[e-mail]

facebook.com/DanielSlack

Before we start...

This is a story told in the rough form of a screenplay - a movie.

This format works best with lower font sizes, especially on smaller devices.

If you've never read a screenplay, you'll need to know the following:

EXT - Exterior. Found in scene headers to indicate we are outside.

INT - Interior. Also found in scene headers, but to indicate we are inside.

(O.S) - Off screen. Found next to character names.

(V.O) - Voice over. Also found next to character names.

(CONT'D) - Continued. Used to indicate continued speech next to character names.

SUPER: - Superimpose. To indicate text is seen over images.

The rest should be self-explanatory.

Enjoy...

Chapters:

1. A Warm Welcome

2. Signed Up

3. First Tastes Of Training

4. Awakenings

5. C&I

6. Lucifer Rises

7. The Gorge

8. Loosening Grip

9. Resolve

10. Main Phase

11. Motions

12. Final Assessment

13. Blow-Out

FADE IN:

INT. CORRIDOR - MORNING

A line of men in casual clothing silently file into an assembly hall.

The corridor is large yet confining, bright with the only light sources being the high windows - outlets to no more than plain blue skies.

Announced and clear, the corridor looms. As is the decor of this place.

Someone breaks from the line, a young man, about 20 - JAMES. He stops against the wall near a blue public telephone. He's physically nondescript, timid, out of place.

Pulling at his nose, he stares with apprehension, eyes locked onto the old phone.

He reaches toward the receiver but stops himself, letting fear overwhelm.

James throws a glance over his shoulder at the passing men, then bends down to pretend to tie his laces.

Most men ignore him as they file past, but a few throw down glances of derision, often looking to others to be backed up.

INT. ASSEMBLY HALL - MORNING

Two-hundred men sit in rows of chairs facing a small stage. There are two blocks of them leaving an aisle up the middle. All hold a small sheet of paper. None dare make a sound.

On the stage are ten middle-aged men, team leaders, hard-faced and dressed in plain tracksuits, not at all impressed. They stand proud before a screen with the organisation's symbol on: plainly, a fist, the back of the hand faced toward us, thumb just visible.

Nine of these men stand in a line, arms folded. Up front, one prepares to speak. This is IRON, hardest of all, unforgiving, the kind of guy you couldn't imagine loving anyone.

He always shouts:

IRON

I am Iron. You will call me just that because it is the name I have given myself. This is station forty-two, but you will call this place Perish.

James shifts uncomfortably in his seat, trapped in a mass of people he's never met before.

IRON

Though this base has a formal name and number, there is no other place like it. Make no mistake, this is not the army. You are not soldiers. I am not your drill instructor. And neither will be any of these men.

(points behind him)

Maybell, our enemy, is waiting for you. She is patient, she will wait nine months. Nine months until you are born again. You all have birth certificates. You used them to sign up, to get the seats under your asses. Forget them. You are not enrolled in this team. To enroll, you need a new name. Spit.

SPIT, the least formidable of the team leaders, comes forward with a small collection box.

IRON

You have all been given paper. You should all have pens. If you do not, you are out. It is not hard to get into Perish. You merely need to sign up. There is one requirement: bring a pen to induction. A simple measurement of willingness and self-organisation.

All the men produce pens from their pockets. All but one. An OVERWEIGHT MAN sitting in the back row. He fidgets, ignoring the constant glances.

IRON

Using that pen, you will give yourself a new name. You are all young and stupid. As were they.

(gestures behind him)

As was I.

(hand to chest)

These names will serve as reminders of how stupid you truly are; a reminder that nobody grows up, that nobody is better than they once were. You will all live by your mistakes and your apparent stupidity because, quite simply, there is such a thing as consequence - an idea you better befriend yourselves with--and quick.

Most men are already consumed with dread, staring at the blank pieces of paper in their fidgeting grip.

IRON

You will have ten seconds to give yourself a new name. Do not give it much thought, just get it down and sign the piece of paper. The unconscious mind is the most sensical thing about a person, so use it. We, the collective idea of human fucks and bother, haven't got time for feelings, thoughts, emotions, identities, personage, whatever. The next ten seconds should show you that. Now, write.

For ten seconds the men panic, grin, grimace and think in silence as they write and rewrite names on their bits of paper:

X, Gav, Fire, Dragon, Death, Angel, Sue, Ben, Yuppie, Fucker, Hard-ass, Big-dick, Kipper, Han-solo, Theresa, Karl, Gooner, Alex, Heller, Piper, Batman, Justin, Joe, Lilly...

James looks to his left and then right, both men shielding their paper from him.

IRON

Time!

James quickly scribbles JIM on his paper then signs it.

IRON (O.S)

Spit will now collect your new birth certificates. Pass them down to the person in the...

INT. GYM - MORNING

The men sit on rows of bleachers, a trepidatious buzz filling the air as they talk. Five of the team leaders eye them from the front, stalking back and forward, intimidating the men on the first few rows who say nothing, only look on.

All around James men talk, turned away, isolating him. He keeps his eyes down, listening to snippets of conversation:

MEN

... that fucking trip over... fucking stasis, man... I hear they can be carcinogenic... ball fucking cancer... I don't know, it was here or a station in Klump region... no fucking pussy... little fag... asshole... I put down Megatron... your fucking mother... suck her cunt... I know you made a mistake...

James' isolation is broken when the guy sat next to him accidentally digs an elbow into his side. James defensively perks up and throws a smile. The man ignores him.

Three team leaders led by Iron, backed by Spit, enter.

Silence falls.

Iron stands up front. The team leaders line up behind him.

He takes a moment to have his control recognised in the vacuum of silence...

IRON

There are two-hundred of you here. You will be split into ten groups of twenty. Simple math, I hope you all got that. There are two sets of bleachers, the ones you sit on and the ones behind me. When your asses touch those bleachers...

(points behind him, eyes following)

... you belong to Perish, you will almost have a new name and your training will commence. Spit.

Spit hands Iron ten piles of scrap paper held together by rubber bands.

Iron passes Spit back a pile and he goes back into line.

IRON

These men are being assigned their teams. That's you. Listen closely, for these are not only the men you will report to, but they also have names. You have all given yourselves names - if you can remember that far back. If you hear that name repeated at any given point, you will have to fight for it.

Eyes widen, heads turn, nobody dare say anything.

IRON

But, more on that later.

Iron calls out the names of the eight other team leaders. They take a pile and return to the line:

IRON

Bunny. Mantra. Six. Eyeball. Nemo. Henry. Leno. Penelope... and that leaves me.

Iron steps back into the line of team leaders.

IRON

Your names will now be called out. If you hear yours you will stand and make your way down to your team leader. Shake his hand and take a seat. The first man to shake the team leader's hand will be apart of his squad. If you hear your name and more than one of you stands, do not charge to get down here. It won't help your chances of keeping your name and we are all equally as pissy, so each team will be treated with the same disrespect and inhumanity.

First in line is BUNNY, the men's attention follows.

BUNNY

Ok. Killer.

Three men stand.

They all look at each other...

Two sit, leaving the least apprehensive to make his way down.

MANTRA

Boner.

One man stands and makes his way to Mantra, not sure where