Here is the third in my classic sci-fi adaptaion series.  This is one of the most well-known short sci-fi stories.  Anyone is welcome to direct/animate this, just like WARM.  Just let me know first.  Also, this is a quick read a`nd readily available on the internet, so enjoy the original story first if you haven't read it.  As an inside joke, near the end of the story, flight 1953 is announced, alluding to the year the original story was written.

And Sam Jaffe is an actor.  Never understood the connection, but I'm keeping this faithful to the original story, although I updated the original story's archaic technology for today!

Let me know your thoughts & comments!
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THE NINE BILLION

NAMES OF GOD

SCREENPLAY BY

MICHAEL C. TOURETTE

Based on a

Short Story by

ARTHUR C. CLARKE

BEGIN OPENING CREDITS

EXT. THE HIMALAYAS MOUNTAIN CHAIN - DAY

Two men, CHARLES WAGNER and GEORGE HANLEY, riding PONIES, ascend an extremely
steep path worn into a steeple-like mountaintop.  The ponies are also bearing
BOXES.

END OPENING CREDITS

CLOSE ON CHARLES.  He looks upwards.

POV CHARLES: Upon the sharp peak is a small Asian-inspired TEMPLE.

Charles Wagner (“Charles”) and George Hanley  (“George”) continue riding upwards
the path spiraling around the mountain.

CHARLES
In my entire career, I've never done anything this inconvenient!

GEORGE
Forget inconvenient.  I'm afraid of heights!

CHARLES
You and I both.  I'll just be relieved when we're inside that temple where we can
pretend we're safe at sea level.

INT. TEMPLE - DAY

The TEMPLE is filled with outmoded technology: an ABACUS, BRASS COSMOLOGICAL
MEASURING DEVICES, RELICS OF GREEK AND ROMAN CULTURE, and MANY BOOKS.  Also
adorning the monastery are CHRISTIAN and other faiths' RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS. 
CHARLES and the LAMA, an elegant bald man dressed in SILK ROBES, shake hands. 
GEORGE is opening the boxes, removing a 3D PRINTER, COMPUTER MONITOR, a GENERATOR
and related EQUIPMENT.  He proceeds to connect the equipment together.

CHARLES
This is a unique request, Lama.  We've never installed our Mark Five 3D
Fabricator in an... establishment without electricity.  We've never been asked to
replicate sheep skin parchment and berry inks, either.  May I ask what a place
like yours wishes to do with it?

LAMA
Gladly, Mr. Wagner.  Your Mark V can replicate books that conform to our
religious requirements.  We wish for you to print for us books of alphabetical
sequences.

CHARLES
I don't understand why.

LAMA
Three centuries ago, this monastery was founded to inscribe all the possible
names of God.

CHARLES
So, for three hundred years, you people have been writing, “God, Yahweh, Jehovah,
Allah...”?

LAMA
Those are all man-made labels.  We developed the most efficient alphabet, and we
believe all names of God can be expressed in nine or fewer letters.

George takes a moment from setting up equipment and raises his head.

GEORGE
You mean, like a URL shortening web page!

George resumes assembling the 3D printer system.

LAMA
I have no idea what that means.

CHARLES
Never mind.  It's an internet term.  My cell phone doesn't even work out here.

LAMA
There's a settlement sixteen miles from here.  They're well-connected.  That's
where we learned about your systems.  So, we believe God wants mankind to
systematically list all the plausible permutations of the nine letters.

CHARLES
So you want us to print you books filled with permutations from one A to nine Zs.

LAMA
Not every one.  We have algorithms to remove ridiculous combinations.  Like three
of the same letter in succession.

CHARLES
Three?  Surely you mean two.

LAMA
I mean three.  And thanks to your Mark Five Fabricator, what would take us
fifteen millennia will be accomplished in three months.

CHARLES
Really.  (whistles.)  uh, okay.  After all, the customer is always right.  We
will be able to produce the scribed pages for you, but we'll need some time.  We
have to set up the system, prep the raw parchment and ink materials, rev the
generators...

George, crouched, makes the final connection, then stands up suddenly, around him
a FULLY SET-UP MARK FIVE FABRICATION SYSTEM.

GEORGE
Ready!

INT. MONASTERY – DAY

The 3D FABRICATOR generates page after page of PARCHMENT PAPERS.  Several MONKS
are busy taking the papers from the machine and using some type of ADHESIVE to
glue the pages into BOOK COVERS.  There is a shut DOOR to another room behind
them.  The door opens.  Enter CHARLES, who briskly walks out, through the busy
room, and out the FRONT DOOR.

EXT. MONASTERY BALCONY – DAY

GEORGE is leaning on the BALCONY, watching the MOUNTAINOUS VIEW below.  CHARLES
enters through the front door.

CHARLES
Start packing up, George!  We're in big trouble!  (pause.)  What are you doing
out by the balcony?  I thought you were afraid of heights.

GEORGE
I am.  But I imagine I'm up in our office back at that Manhattan skyscraper, and
somehow it goes away.

CHARLES
Well, it's time to get back to that skyscraper, right now!

GEORGE
You're crazy!  Have you been drinking?  You know it's disrespectful to dip into
their ceremonial wine.

CHARLES
I assure you, I'm sober, though I wish I wasn't!  I was just talking with ol' Sam
Jaffe in there, and he told me what this is all about.

GEORGE
Yeah, he did that already.  They're compiling books of gibberish they think is
all the names of God.

Charles takes a CIGARETTE and LIGHTER from his pocket and lights himself a
cigarette.

CHARLES
Well, Today ol' Sam watched Mark Five print the first page of Z names and became
very excited.  He saw me there watching and that's when he asked if I wondered
what it was all about.  I said, “not really.”  Then he told me.

GEORGE
Okay.  I'm up for it.

CHARLES
When they finish listing the nine billion names of God, the human
race will have achieved its mission, and there's nothing more to live for.

GEORGE
So what do they do?  Do they commit mass suicide, and take us with them?

CHARLES
Not necessary.  God steps in at that point and wraps everything up himself.

GEORGE
So Project Shangri-La...

CHARLES
Sh!  Not so loud.  Don't want them to hear us call it that.
(whispering.)  So Project Shangri-La is about bringing forth the end of the
world.

CHARLES
That's what I guessed.  And the Lama said, “No.  It's nothing so trivial.”  This
is bad, George.  When they're finished their work and life goes on, they're going
to blame us.  And who can tell how irrational fanatics will react?

GEORGE
They'll act irrationally, of course.  Maybe they'll overwhelm us and throw us off
this cliff, or worse!  And all this time my nightmares were about the monks
extending this project to names up to twenty letters, or a hundred letters, and
being here forever.

CHARLES
Look, the last names will generate at four AM in four days.  I say at sundown the
night before, we leave everything behind, and we can be in the city and on the
way to the airport by the time the last name spits out.  We'll be home free!

GEORGE
Walking out on a job?  Never did that before.  No, sir.  I don't like this!  I'll
say it again: I don't like this!

INT. AIRPORT – NIGHT

CHARLES and GEORGE are standing at the airport gate, watching their PRIVATE JET
approach.

GEORGE
I said it before, and I'll say it again: I still don't like this!

CHARLES
When we said goodnight, I got the feeling the Lama knew we were about to run out
on them.  He didn't care, though, so long as the fabricator was working properly
until the end.

GEORGE
Yeah.  I don't like leaving the system behind, either.

CHARLES takes a GOLD COIN or two from his pocket.

CHARLES
These are antique gold coins from China they paid us with, enough to buy twenty
Mark Fives and the Mark Six prototype.  They're happy, we're happy, we're all
happy in the end.

GEORGE
Well, all's not well that ends well when it doesn't end.  At least on this clear,
starry night, there won't be any delaying the flight.

CUT TO: Intercom

ANNOUNCER (v.o.)
Now boarding private jet flight one nine five three.

CUT TO: INT. AIRPORT – NIGHT, seen from outside through the window.  There is a
CLEAR, STARRY NIGHT. CHARLES and GEORGE are looking out, at the jet.

GEORGE
Isn't our jet a beauty?

CHARLES
She's a run-down piece of junk, but I couldn't be happier to see her.  Let's go.
Charles walks away.  George follows.

INT. PRIVATE JET – NIGHT

CHARLES and GEORGE are seated comfortably in the jet.  GEORGE glances at his
WRISTWATCH.

GEORGE
Should be there in an hour.  Meanwhile, the Mark Five should have just printed
the last page a few minutes ago.  I guess the bad news is just about to hit.  I
kind of feel sorry for them.

Charles is looking out the window.  He suddenly is shocked.

CHARLES
I don't believe it!  George, look outside, right now!

GEORGE
What?

CHARLES
No “what”!  It can't be explained.  Just look!

George looks out the window.  He goes into sudden shock too.

GEORGE
Oh, no.   OH NO!  This can't be for real!

POV GEORGE.  Overhead, there is a CLEAR STARRY NIGHT.  One at a time, without any
fuss and at an increasing pace, the STARS begin shutting off.

THE END.

Last edited by HoldingOurOwn (January 31, 2015 (09:38am))