It ascends above the clouds.
CONTINUOUS HIGH ANGLE on ascending rocket.
Its stages separate until only The Arcus spacecraft remains.
The entire hurricane shrinks into view below The Arcus.
The hurricane moves off as the west coast of Africa slips into view.
The Earth's terminator divides Africa in half.
The terminator moves past as the planet goes dark.
REAR ANGLE on Arcus.
The darkened edge of Earth is barely discernible from the star speckled black of space directly ahead.
Reflected sunlight glints off The Arcus.
The sun bursts into view.
Central America rolls beneath The Arcus.
The hurricane, now a small white spiral, moves past.
THRUSTERS FIRE.
The edge of Earth drops out of view as the moon moves into view.
The Arcus heads toward the moon.
EXT. ARCUS SPACECRAFT - LUNAR ORBIT
The Arcus landing shell disengages from the orbiter.
It descends.
Retro-rockets fire.
It sets down near the inner edge of Aristarchus Crater.
INT. ARCUS LANDING SHELL - LUNAR SURFACE - DAY
THE PILOT releases his safety harness.
He backflips out of his seat.
The rest of the crew prepares for debarkation.
EXT. LUNAR SURFACE - DAY
A horseshoe-shaped six-wheeled vehicle approaches The Arcus landing shell. Long benches cross through its middle.
Its DRIVER leans exhaustively on the roll bar, seemingly weary from the vehicle's lack of speed.
He parks beside the landing shell.
The Arcus crew cycles through the airlock.
They secure equipment and storage bins to the vehicle, then climb onto its benches.
They travel over a long gradual rise and down toward Site M-X a quarter mile away.
EXT. MICROCORE SITE M-X - DAY
A variety of supply pods and soil processing modules litter the site.
A huge boring machine sits near a large tunnel entrance which is sealed by an airlock.
Two of The Arcus crewmembers retrieve a storage bin from the vehicle.
They drag it out to an open area. Unfold its contents.
It is a full size facsimile of a NASA Lunar Module.
DRIVER
Look directly overhead, everyone.
They struggle in their bulky suits to look up.
The driver points out a bright object moving slowly across the sky.
DRIVER (CONT’D)
That's the NASA fly-by. Smile for the
cameras.
CLOSE UP on Jeremy. He flashes the speck of light a victorious grin.
A small object falls towards them.
It lands just beyond the site, burying itself into the dust.
THREE SPACERS emerge from the tunnel's airlock.
They climb into a vehicle and head toward the unidentified object.
They return with a damaged electronic device. It bears a NASA logo.
They promptly destroy it.
The Arcus crew begins cycling through the tunnel's airlock.
INT. MAIN INTERSECTION - LUNAR TUNNEL COMPLEX - DAY
The airlock opens into the main
