Water begins trickling into the region.
ACCELERATED TIME LAPSE:
Thousands of workers plant crops in the sewage muck.
Crops grow, fields are harvested.
Livestock is imported.
Buildings are built.
Roads are laid.
Communities emerge.
PULL BACK into HIGH ANGLE.
The Central Sahara is green and habitable.
INT. CECIL'S OFFICE - DAY
Jeremy, Tara, and Steve are waiting. Cecil steps from the elevator and takes his chair.
CECIL
I apologize for making you wait. It's
good to see you, Tara. How was Africa?
TARA
Hot.
CECIL
I can imagine. So, what's up?
STEVE
I thought you called us here.
CECIL
Jeremy told me that he and Tara had an
announcement to make.
STEVE
I was hoping that you called me here to
tell me that I'd been accepted into the
spacer program.
Cecil lights a cigar.
CECIL
You've been here six months and Penny
says you're a hard worker. That's good
enough for me. How about we start your
training next week?
STEVE
That would be awesome. Thank you, Mr.
Millikan.
CECIL
So, what is it that you two wanted to
tell me?
JEREMY
We booked passage on THE HIMALIA.
CECIL
The Himalia? That's three whole years. I
thought that contraption was booked solid
before the first component was launched.
JEREMY
There was a cancellation.
CECIL
Below the Belt Tours. They would love to
beat me out to Jupiter, but they're not
going to. And now, two of my own people
will be onboard when they arrive in
defeat.
STEVE
What's The Himalia?
CECIL
There's a Chinese space agency called
Beyond The Belt Tours; The BBT. They just
completed their first luxury touring
spacecraft; The Himalia. Five hundred
people will get to risk their lives as
they venture out to Jupiter. Eighteen
months out and eighteen months back.
STEVE
You obviously don't like them very much.
CECIL
Let's just say they've been less than
responsive to my various offers of a
limited partnership. As I said, I've
decided to beat them out to Jupiter. I've
