Don't mess with me!

Masterlist


CASTLE CROSS SHOPPING MALL TAKE 1:
In the bowling alley, it’s busy and several games are going on. A girl gets a good shot.
Girl: Yes!
We zoom in on the three pins the girl has left standing, an anomaly opens behind them.

CRETACEOUS TAKE 1:
The girl’s bowling ball rolls down a hill on the other side of the anomaly, a very large claw comes into shot as something investigates the ball.

FOREST OF DEAN TAKE 1:
NICK CUTTER is standing in the middle of the forest. A series of clips from s1 play as we recap the season 1.
Nick: My name is Professor Nick Cutter. Eight years ago, my wife, Helen, disappeared. I discovered she had stepped into the past through ruptures in time called anomalies. Now, creatures from the past threaten the future of the human race. There’s only a small group of people who know the truth, my research team. Stephen Hart, Connor Temple and Abby Maitland. And Government officials James Lester and Claudia Brown.
I return from the past to find something has gone terribly wrong, and Claudia Brown has vanished as though she was never even born. I’ve come back to a different world and Helen and I are the only two people who know it.

Opening titles.

FOREST OF DEAN TAKE 2:
Nick: Oh my god.
Nick is standing in front of the anomaly. CONNOR TEMPLE, ABBY MAITLAND and STEPHEN HART are standing facing him, along with a bunch of soldiers. Connor has a compass to measure the strength of the anomaly.
Connor: It’s closing.
Nick tries to run back through, Stephen and Connor grab him a pull him back.
Stephen: No.
Nick: No, no, no. No, I have to go! I have to make things right!
Stephen: Don’t be stupid, you’ll get marooned there.
The anomaly closes. Stephen lets Nick go. JAMES LESTER is in the background on his mobile phone.Lester starts to walk off, Nick runs after him.
Nick: No, no, Claudia Brown. Claudia Brown, she’s been with us since the beginning, she was in charge of the day-to-day running of the anomaly operation.
Lester: No, that’s Leek, Oliver Leek. You can’t have forgotten him, you saw him at the ARC this morning.
Nick: The what?
Abby: The ARC. The Anomaly Research Centre.
Nick: No, no, you mean the Home Office.
Abby: No, we moved from that place ages ago.
Lester: Sorry, is he having a nervous breakdown? Anyhow, I’ve got a meeting, so if someone could call an ambulance…
Abby: He’s fine.
Lester walks off to his car. Nick looks as though he’s been punched in the gut and falls to the floor, everything becomes muffled for a moment.
Lester: Getting a little old for imaginary friends, Professor.
Nick gets up and follows the others to the car. He gets in and Stephen drives off.

CASTLE CROSS SHOPPING MALL TAKE 2:
There is a shot of the escalators running in the empty shopping mall. The CCTV is playing in the security office, and shows that everywhere is empty apart from cleaners. SECURITY GUARD 1 is watching them; SECURITY GUARD 2 comes in with a cup of tea.
Security guard 2: Quiet night?
One of the videos captures a bowling ball rolling down the gutter the wrong way.
Security guard 1: What the…
Security guard 2: Spoke too soon. Probably kids.
Security guard 2 takes a torch and a radio and leaves to check it out.
He walks through a room full of pool tables and video games, and down the bowling alley. The other security guard is watching on the CCTV. Security guard 2 crouches by the pins and shines his torch past them. There is a snarling sound.
Security guard 2: Alright, fun’s over.
A half eaten pin rolls to the security guard’s feet. The other guard peers at the screen.
Security guard 2 (on radio): I need back up, we’ve got an intruder.
Security guard 1 leaves the office.
Security guard 2: Don’t make me come in there and get you.
Security guard 2 is walking down the corridor behind the alleys. His torch shines on the tail of the RAPTOR. He gets closer and the light hits the eye of the raptor, which leaps on him. Security guard 1 hears the scream and runs down the bowling alley. He hears screeching noises and backs up. The noises continue and he runs down some access corridors. He reaches the doors to the main mall, but gets leapt on. He grabs the corner of the wall and tries to get away, but the raptor kills him.

THE ARC TAKE 1:
The team enter the ARC and go into the locker/kitchen area, where some soldiers are already changing. Stephen, Connor and Abby all head in different directions – Stephen to get a drink, Connor to his locker for a skateboard, Abby to get a snack – leaving Nick in the middle of the corridor.
Man: It’s a predator.
Nick spots a locker with his name on it. He walks down a corridor, passing people along the way.
Woman: Evening, Professor.
Nick goes through a set of double doors, into the main room of the ARC. Soldiers are patrolling on the balcony, and Lester meets OLIVER LEEK and they walk down the ramp.
Lester: What have we got?
Leek: New creature reports. An intercepted emergency call at the Castle Cross shopping mall. A security guard screaming something about a monster.
Lester: A shopping mall? God help us.
Leek: I’ve instructed the police to stay out until we’ve investigated. Oh, Professor, glad to see you back well and safe. Although I gather your wife won’t be joining us.
Nick: Who the hell are you?
Abby and Connor enter the room. Abby walks off to the side, but Connor watches the conversation.
Lester: Oh, yes. Professor Cutter’s suffering from some kind of stress related amnesia. He seems to have forgotten, well, pretty much everything really.
Nick: No, I haven’t forgotten a thing. Wish I could.
Lester: Now he’s being enigmatic as well. What a vivid repertoire. You really telling me you don’t know who this man is?
Nick looks off to the side and sees Connor watching, looking worried. He turns back to Lester and Leek.
Nick: No, of course, it’s Leek. Oliver Leek. I know exactly who he is.
Lester: Is this some kind of industrial action, or did no one hear that we have a creature sighting in a shopping mall.
Stephen enters the room.
Stephen: Guys, come on.
Stephen leaves, closely followed by Abby. Nick hesitates before following, and Connor also hangs back for a moment.
Lester: Cutter’s always been eccentric, but I’m beginning to think he’s just plain deranged.
Leek: Well, I suppose all brilliant men are a little bit unusual, sir.
Lester: I’m brilliant, Leek, and I’m not the least bit unusual.
Leek smiles nervously.

Nick and Connor are walking down the corridor towards the locker room.
Connor: You didn’t have a clue who Leek was then, did you?
Nick: Nuh-uh.
Connor: Okay, you’re officially freaking me out. Let me get this straight. You’re saying that something’s changed because of what happened in the Permian anomaly? Like evolution has just, what, altered course?
Nick: Glad somebody was listening. You believe me?
Connor: All right, I’ll buy it.
Nick: I could kiss you, Connor.
Connor: That’s really sweet, but maybe not while those people are watching. One thing, though. How do I know I’m different? When I don’t know what I was like before?
Nick: Apparently some people never change.
Nick walks away.
Connor: Is that a bad or a good thing?

CASTLE CROSS SHOPPING MALL TAKE 3:
The team have arrived in the underground car park of the shopping mall. Nick is standing apart from the others. Abby and Stephen are preparing tranquiliser guns whilst Connor watches.
Stephen: What are we using?
Abby: Ketamine phenyl, but it would help if I knew what size creature we were dealing with. I’ve had to guess at the dosage.
Connor: Where’s my gun?
Abby and Stephen look amused.
Connor: Abby’s got one.
Stephen: She knows how to use it.
Abby: How many animals have you tranquilised?
Connor: I’ve played darts. You know, sometimes I think you don’t trust me with firearms.
Stephen: Don’t know what gives you that idea. You ready?
Abby: Yeah.
The three of them close the equipment cases and head over to where Nick is standing.
Stephen: So what now?
Nick: We go in.

The team walk down a corridor, the end of which is blocked by a solid metal shutter. As they reach it, there is a banging on the shutter. Abby and Stephen raise their weapons. The shutter lifts to reveal the SHOPPING MALL MANAGER.
Nick: Who are you?
Manager: Duty manager.
Stephen: Tell us what happened.
Manager: We got an emergency call from one of our operatives. We haven’t been able to raise him since.
Nick: What did he say?
Manager: He didn’t really say anything, he just sort of screamed.
Nick: Did you see anything in there?
The manager shakes his head.
Nick: I want you to close these shutters behind us, and I don’t want you to open them again until I tell you it’s safe, because whatever happens, it mustn’t get out.
Manager: What mustn’t get out?
Nick walks off and the others follow him. The manager goes into the corridor and presses the button to close the shutter.
Manager: Hang on, who the hell are you lot?

Nick and Stephen walk through the central area of the shopping mall. Abby and Connor are a little way behind them.
Stephen: Are we okay?
Nick: About what?
Stephen: Can’t ignore what happened.
Nick: Oh, you mean the fact that you slept with my wife? Stephen, if you’re looking for closure, I’m a little bit busy.
Abby and Connor exchange uncomfortable glances.
Stephen: I don’t blame you for being angry.
Nick: Look, Helen never cared about either of us. She’s mad.
Stephen: Mad?
Nick: Took off through an anomaly for eight years, does that strike you as well balanced? Just forget her. I’m finished with the past. It’s just, I don’t know if it’s finished with me.
Connor: Don’t you hate it when people bring their personal lives to work with them?

Connor is sitting in front of the CCTV screens. Nick, Stephen and Abby are peering over his shoulders.
Nick: Can you get any closer? Come on, show us what you are.
The raptor flashes across one of the screens.
Nick: What’s that?
Connor: Not sure.
Connor rewinds the video and they see the raptor.
Nick: Cretaceous era, theropod dinosaur. Genuine article.
Connor: Raptor. I always thought we’d get one someday.
Nick: It’s beautiful.
They all jump back as one of the cameras is attacked by the raptor and the screen goes to static.
Nick: I said it was beautiful, I didn’t say it was friendly.

The team are in the bowling alley. Nick and Stephen head in different directions, Connor goes back the way they came.
Abby: Oi, where are you going?
Connor: I’m going to get a slushy. Shh.
Abby: Oh!

Nick is in what appears to be a boiler room. He rounds a corner and spots the anomaly. He ducks as a spanner flies past his shoulder. Stephen joins him.
Nick: Gets me every time.
Stephen: You think the raptors have gone back through?
Nick: When was life ever that simple?

Connor is getting himself a slushy. Abby joins him.
Abby: Oi! Hope you’re going to pay for that.
Connor: Yeah, if you can lend me a fiver.
Abby gets out the money and hands it over with a shake of her head.
Connor: Thank you, Abby.
Abby walks away. Connor is putting the lid on his cup when he hears a noise. He freezes as a raptor knocks over a gumball machine. The raptor starts to chew on the spilled sweets as Connor slowly backs away. Abby hears a noise and turns around, seeing Connor backing up.
Connor: Abby!
Abby: What?
Connor: Close the shutter.
Abby: Okay.
Abby runs over to close the shutter as the raptor notices Connor.
Connor: Abby, quickly.
Abby presses the button and the shutter starts to close. The raptor screeches and lunges forwards. Connor runs.
Abby: Run, Connor! Connor, run! Come on!
Connor races towards the shutter, the raptor knocking over sweet stands as it chases him. He turns and chucks his cup of slushy, hitting the raptor in the head, before sliding under the shutter as it closes. There is a thudding as the raptor hits the shutter. Nick and Stephen come running.
Connor: Oh, I hate that.
Nick: What?
Connor: Brain freeze from the slushy.
There is a screech and another thud as the raptor hits the shutter again. Stephen raises his gun.
Connor: Phew.
Nick: Right, go check the atrium, make sure we can contain her.

The team are walking through one of the upper levels of the mall. Nick and Stephen in front, Abby and Connor behind.
Stephen: We need more firepower. This is a raptor.
Nick: I’ve just lost a friend because we interrupted nature once too often and I don’t intend to let it happen again.
Stephen: You’re sure you’re ok?
Nick and Stephen stop walking.
Nick: Under the circumstances, I’d say I was doing pretty well.
A hissing sound is heard. Nick holds up a hand to stop Connor and Abby.
Nick: Whoa. Abby, give me your gun. Stay here.
Nick and Stephen advance down the corridor.
Nick: You’re good? Go.
Nick and Stephen lunge around the corner, weapons raised, to find a cleaner riding a buffer machine.
Cleaner: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don’t shoot.
He switches the machine off as Stephen lowers his gun.
Nick: Abby, Connor, get this guy out of here.
Nick hands the gun back to Abby, and she and Connor escort the cleaner away. Stephen’s phone rings.
Stephen: Hello?
Abby: Come on, you’ll be fine
Stephen: Where else is he going to be? Lester wants to know what’s going on.
Stephen passes the phone to Nick.
Nick: We’ve got a confirmed anomaly and one very angry raptor.

THE ARC TAKE 2:
Lester is walking along the balcony as he talks to Nick. Leek is with him, paperwork in hand.
Lester: I’ll put armed back up on standby and tell the owners there’s been a security scare. They’ll have to stay closed as long as it takes. Leek, has the concept of personal space ever been explained to you?
Leek: Sorry, sir. It’s from the Ministry, and it is marked Top Priority.
Lester: “Private Sector Public Relations Manager”. What am I supposed to do with one of those?
Leek: The minister thinks we need more help with the media. He feels that the situation is kind of getting out of hand. His words, sir, not mine.
Lester: The last thing I need is some greasy PR supremo sucking up to the press. This isn’t a reality TV show. (To Nick)Let me know the minute it’s safe to re-open, and keep in touch. You know how I worry when I don’t hear from you.
Lester hangs up.
Lester: A raptor in a shopping centre, how am I going to explain that to the owners? I think a PR person might not be such a bad idea after all.

2x01 Part 2