The Washington Monument comes down from the sky like a huge spear piercing the Earth.
An American flag flutters to the ground.
ALEC'S OFFICE
The Heads of State begin offering thanks and congratulations as they disappear, one by one, off the monitors.
The wall screen displays only static.
Piren emerges from a shadowed corner of the room.
PIREN
You did what you had to do. The Kek on
your planet are very resourceful, but
they know nothing of technology. They
were all born in the wild. If their
spacefaring friends were to spread across
your planet, there would be no stopping
them.
ALEC
I just destroyed the capital city of my
country. That's high treason.
PIREN
Your actions may have saved your world.
ALEC
Tell that to the families of the people I
just killed. Not to mention the police,
the military, and what's left of the
government. But you're right, it had to
be done.
MONTAGE:
SEVERAL VIDEO BROADCASTS IN SUCCESSION:
A POLITICIAN is speaking at a podium. The Texas State Seal displays on a wall behind him.
POLITICIAN
This man just destroyed Washington, D.C.
and killed untold thousands of people.
He should be shot on sight. Who is this
Alec Strickland, anyway?
He waves a blurry photo of Alec above his head.
POLITICIAN (CONT’D)
He comes out of nowhere, no verifiable
birth certificate, no past that can be
accounted for. We don't even know if he's
a legal citizen of the United States.
A BRIGADIER GENERAL is speaking at a press briefing.
BRIGADIER GENERAL
We've all seen the video. Hostile alien
beings had infiltrated the nation's
capital. Mr. Strickland made the hard
choice and did what had to be done. I
would have done the same to protect this
country and this planet. As it stands
now, Microcore may be our best defense
against another incursion by these alien
aggressors. We see no reason to remove
Mr. Strickland from his duties there.
A SWEET OLD WOMAN is being interviewed on the street.
SWEET OLD WOMAN
Microcore killed those horrible creatures
and kept my family safe. Who cares about
those fat cats in Washington, anyway?
The BRITISH PRIME MINISTER is speaking at a news conference.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
This was probably the most unselfish act
in American history.
The INDIAN PRIME MINISTER is making a public statement.
INDIAN PRIME MINISTER
