Mike Colonna's Scripts
Friday, November 14, 2025
Flash
SHORT SYNOPSIS OF ALL CHAPTERS (PAST + FUTURE)
Each chapter in two tight paragraphs.
✅ CHAPTERS 1–20 (Already Written / Implied)
Chapter 1 – Flash Gordon
Rick “Flash” Gordon grows up idolizing spacefaring icons and develops an obsession with exploration and frontier science. His natural talent and relentless drive push him into NASA’s elite astronaut track, where he stands out not only for his courage but his intuitive problem-solving.
When billionaire moguls begin competing with national space agencies, Rick becomes a symbol of old-school astronaut grit meeting new-tech ambition. Behind the scenes, the CIA quietly targets him for a mission too secret for NASA to ever acknowledge.
Chapter 2 – The Offer
CIA operatives approach Rick with a covert proposal: infiltrate Blue Coyote’s private Mars flight as a “routine crew specialist,” but secretly evaluate the mission’s real objective. Rick is torn between loyalty to NASA and the excitement of breaking barriers.
Ultimately, he agrees, becoming the first astronaut assigned to a dual mission — one patriotic, one clandestine, and both built on half-truths.
Chapter 3 – Training Begins
Rick trains alongside the Blue Coyote crew, quickly noticing oddities in mission design, classified compartments, and veiled power struggles between the mogul Stone Munn and government liaisons.
As trust fractures, Rick forms a tentative alliance with Trujillo and Hatch, knowing they may become the only allies he can count on once the ship leaves Earth.
Chapter 4 – Launch Day
Tensions explode as the crew executes a flawless, globally televised launch. Rick’s stomach churns — not from fear of space, but from the gnawing truth that he is lying to every person watching.
As the ship clears orbit, CIA channels come alive, feeding Rick secret updates, confirming this will not be a simple science mission. Something far more valuable awaits them on Mars.
Chapter 5 – The Long Journey Out
The long transit to Mars pushes the crew to emotional and physical limits. Rick experiences strange dreams tied to ancient landscapes and alien voices.
His intuition sharpens unnaturally, hinting that his connection to Mars began long before touchdown.
Chapter 6 – Marsfall
Landing is chaos: shifting storms, electromagnetic interference, and equipment malfunctions. They touch down miles off-target, right above something the instruments cannot explain.
Rick’s visions spike — the landscape feels familiar, as though he’s being welcomed.
Chapter 7 – Off the Map
The crew goes off-script to explore anomalies. Rick finds an inner chamber with carvings and symbols that tug at his consciousness.
The CIA orders silence, but Rick cannot ignore the sense that something alive is watching them from below.
Chapter 8 – The First Discovery
Rick descends into the first Vault entrance, discovering remnants of a memory-based alien network. Fossils, structures, symbols — all shockingly complex.
When he touches a shard embedded in the wall, something ancient awakens.
Chapter 9 – The Silence from Earth
Earth’s communication windows grow shorter. Messages become interrupted, distorted, delayed — or suspiciously censored.
Rick realizes someone on Earth already knows more than they’re revealing… and is intentionally keeping him in the dark.
Chapter 10 – The Mind in the Dust
Rick’s first true psychic encounter with the Vault mind nearly overloads his brain. He sees Mars’ past, its thriving oceans, and the meteor impact that destroyed it.
The Vault calls Rick “Carrier,” marking him as a chosen vessel for its knowledge.
Chapter 11 – The Memory Vault
Rick explores deeper chambers filled with crystalline memory matrices — a complete record of a lost civilization.
He sees their final days, their attempt to preserve knowledge, and their desperate hope that someone someday would awaken it.
Chapter 12 – What Wakes Beneath
The Vault mind begins shaping the environment around Rick — unlocking doors, manipulating gravity, guiding him toward a central node.
Rick discovers that the Vault can animate matter and even interact with biological forms.
Chapter 13 – Stone Makes His Move
CIA directives push Commander Stone to seize the shard and end Rick’s exploration by force.
A violent confrontation nearly kills them all when the Vault reacts defensively, throwing Stone and Hatch across the chamber.
Chapter 14 – First Contact (Human vs. Human)
The first true conflict isn’t with aliens — it’s within the crew. Rick pushes for truth; Stone pushes for control.
The Vault watches silently, judging.
Chapter 15 – The Shard Reacts
The shard fully bonds with Rick, granting him predictive flashes and deeper communication with the Vault.
Stone attacks him, leading to a brutal fight in the tunnels. The Vault intervenes, choosing Rick as its envoy.
Chapter 16 – Command Decision
The crew narrowly escapes collapsing tunnels. Stone grudgingly agrees to follow Rick — but only until they return home.
The Vault warns Rick: unity is fragile.
Chapter 17 – The Storm and the Signal
A deadly Martian storm separates the crew as they reach the lander. A disturbing figure waits: a preserved astronaut from an earlier mission — reanimated by the Vault as “The Returned.”
It speaks with a voice layered and alien, calling Rick “Carrier.”
Chapter 18 – The Returned
The Returned informs the crew that the Vault is ready to judge humanity’s worth.
Rick undergoes psychic trials that test his memory, integrity, and future potential.
Chapter 19 – The Test
Rick faces moral and psychological trials inside the Vault’s mind. He chooses unity over secrecy, earning partial access to its intelligence.
But the Vault warns: the hardest decision is still coming — what he will tell Earth.
Chapter 20 – The Broadcast
Rick transmits a global, unrestricted message revealing the existence of ancient Martian intelligence and the Memory Vault.
Earth panics. Agencies mobilize. Nations scramble. The truth is out — and so is the chaos.
🚀 FUTURE CHAPTER SYNOPSES (21–30)
Set up your full finale and sequel potential.
Chapter 21 – The World Reacts
On Earth, riots, worship movements, global alliances, and hostile responses erupt simultaneously.
NASA tries to contain fallout; the CIA and world militaries prepare contingency plans — including seizing Rick upon return.
Chapter 22 – The Betrayal at Red Horizon
Stone receives secret orders: secure Rick, secure the shard, suppress the truth.
But faced with the enormity of what they’ve uncovered, Stone agonizes between duty and conscience.
Chapter 23 – Earth Answers Back
A chilling live transmission reaches the crew: Earth demands immediate asset containment.
Rick realizes humanity is as dangerous as any alien threat.
Chapter 24 – The Line in the Dust
Rick draws a literal line outside the lander.
The crew chooses sides — truth vs. obedience — and Stone unexpectedly joins Rick.
Chapter 25 – The Return of The Returned
The alien entity reveals its final condition: Rick must carry the shard home as ambassador… or the Vault will choose someone else — possibly someone darker.
Chapter 26 – Ascent
The crew launches from Mars under increasing storm activity and psychic interference.
The Vault manipulates the spacecraft’s systems, guiding and testing them one last time.
Chapter 27 – Earthfall
Approaching Earth, multiple nations scramble missiles, interceptors, and corporate fleets to intercept the Blue Coyote craft.
Rick realizes the war for alien knowledge has begun.
Chapter 28 – Seizure
Upon atmospheric entry, global forces attempt to seize the ship. A rogue faction (CIA or foreign power) boards mid-flight.
The shard responds violently.
Chapter 29 – The Last Decision
The shard reveals its final truth: the Vault can uplift humanity — or quarantine it.
Rick must choose whether to bond fully with the shard, becoming a conduit that unites minds…
…or destroy it to prevent civilization-ending conflict.
Chapter 30 – The Landing
Rick makes a choice that reshapes humanity’s future.
The book ends on a massive revelation or cliffhanger — depending on whether this becomes a trilogy.
🚀 OPTIONAL: TRILOGY SYNOPSIS (Book 2–3 in 2 paragraphs each)
If you want, I can write:
BOOK TWO — THE CARRIER
Humanity grapples with the alien intelligence now active on Earth. Nations clash as Rick becomes a symbol of unity — or threat. Secret factions seek to harness or eliminate the shard’s power.
The Vault awakens a second site (Europa, Antarctica, Sahara, or the Moon), forcing humanity to confront a far older cosmic story.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Now and Dead
NOW AND DEAD
Logline: While College sweethearts drive down a rural road they’re distracted by paranormal creatures hanging from trees and crash. Doctors replace broken limbs with cadavor parts from a deceased college professor that studied supernatural phenomenon.
Paranormal creatures distract a young couple during a midnight ride through Northern Michigan.
Synopsis: Bruce Davis, a recent graduate of Michigan State
University and his young girlfriend Dana drive down
a rural eastern Michigan road in an older two door
pick up truck. Their two year old German Shepherd
is sitting quietly in the short bed.
The weather is cool and we see the two having an
intense conversation from the side windows. Their
conversation becomes very animated. They are not
paying attention to the road.
While they travel at a high rate of speed we see
Bruce making an exaggerated point while looking at
Dana, his companion.
Dana appears to be preoccupied texting. They've
driven through a roadblock that posts "Dangerous
Cliff Ahead." Road Closed." They have no idea what
lies ahead. Bruce is still focused arguing with
Dana, he notices something peculiar outside of her
window, unworldly creatures hanging from a trees.
As the truck moves faster down the road, more of
these creatures are hanging from trees.
They resemble, half human, wolf looking, vampires, flashing
fangs and claws of lycanthropic beasts.
Daylight turns to darkness. The wind begins to howl.
Basko, their German Shepherd, begins making strange
noises. Rain begins to pour, hail pelts the pickup
truck. Visibility is close to zero.
As the truck keeps moving forward, the creatures
multiply. Bruce motions Dana to look outside. Dana
sees the unbelievable, she's shocked.
2.
Fog is settling in, rain begins to pour, some of the
vampire like creatures are morphing their appearance.
Their eye sockets are filling with ocular fluids and
the creatures muscles and cartilage can be heard
adjusting and forming into whole vampires.
Basko is howling, Bruce tries to slow down, but too
late. The rain is blinding, and Bruce cannot slow
the truck down, the pedal is stuck. The truck
catapults off a 100 foot cliff.
Basko manages to leap out before the truck hits large
trees. As the truck slams into large branches
breaking it's fall, we see the young couple bouncing
around the inside of the cab. As each branch breaks
the trucks fall, the couple moan and groan with pain.
Blood is everywhere.
The pickup finally slams into the side of a large
tree. A small fire starts up under the hood. We
hear screaming and moaning.
Two young hikers witness the crash, they call 911
and rush to the scene of the crash. The couple is moved by helicopter to a local Michigan Hospital.
We see the two laying in hospital beds in life
threatening condition.
The doctors have operated on both using the latest
life saving techniques that include transplanting
cadaver bones, marrow and fluids from the local
Medical University's cadaver bank.
Dana dies on the operating table after losing too
much blood.
Six months after the operation his personality has
changed and now Bruce day dreams about Dana, the
3.
crash and the creatures that rushed past them before
the horrible event.
He acquires the records from the accident and
researches the donor of the bone transplants.
Bruce discovers the cadaver bones belonged to a
professor at the Sandusky's Medical repository.
They donor a Professor Irving Shamsky. He died two
months before Bruce and Dana's accident, under strange
circumstances.
The professor, was in his late 50's, was born in
Eastern Europe, he studied Vampirology and received
a PHD at Bucharest's University of Medicine in Romania.
His studies in Bucharest were in researching ancient
Rumanian burial caves that were allegedly inhabited
by Vampires.
Bruce is now sure that he and Dana were received
Shamsky's cadaver bones and body fluids.
Months of sleepless nights and visits by strange
creatures hanging from the ceiling dripping blood
would haunt Bruce's dreams. The dreams turned into
nightmares.
Bruce, must get to the bottom of his nightmares and
find out if there is a connection between Professor
Shamsky and his accident.
Bruce travels to Eastern Europe.
When he arrives in Bucharest he investigates Professor
Shamsky's past. He finds two students that graduated
from Shamsky's classes.
Ivanna, a young attractive, former student and now a
producer for a local TV station, and Koman, who now
teaches Vampirology and Folklore at another local
4.
university in Romania. Bruce is intent on finding
out why his nightmarish visions tie into Professor
Shamsky's cadaver transplants.
Before Shamsky left Romania he was researching
sightings of locals residents rising from the dead.
They took on traits that resembled Vampires, they
were walking among the living.
Bruce discovers that many of the murders of suspected
men and women that rose from the dead were
mysteriously killed during Professor Shamsky's tenure
at the University.
Bruce learns that Shamsky was a professor by day,
and butcher by night. Local Rumanian police
investigating local murders were tracking Shamsky
to the dead and missing.
A few days before he would be charged, Shamsky left
Romania. He revised his resume applied for and was
admitted as a full professor at the Medical Hospital
in Sandusky, Michigan.
Bruce together with Ivanna and Koman begin to search
grave sites of Shamsky's alleged victims. Most of
the missing or murdered were residents that lived
while Shamsky was a professor at the University.
Bruce, and Ivanna, would wait till midnight to visit
the cemeteries where the Shamsky's alleged victims
were buried. The dead people they found were in
excellent condition.
Their skin was fresh, their
lips were vibrant, their eyeballs were black, and
their teeth were coated with blood. When the bodies
were touched they would hiss, and bare fanged teeth.
Bruce, Ivanna and Koman discovered underground tunnels
where the dead bodies were buried.
Bruce, had crawled through many of these tunnels,
finding bones and other human remains. DNA and
pictures were used to identity of the dead.
5.
One night, while secretly digging Bruce, Ivanna and
Koman observed Vampire like creatures, floating
around the cemetery, hanging from trees, morphing
from skin to bones, howling...., their black webbed
wings fluttering.
Interviews with family members of the dead revealed
many of their loved ones were students at the
University's Medical Center. And Shamsky was one of
their professors. All fingers pointed to Shamsky's
as the butcher responsible for their death.
Further investigation of Shamsky revealed DVD's of
interviews he filmed of himself. He discussed his
need for human blood, described the taste and aroma,
and how he chose his victims.
After each kill, he would tape the event, describe
how he lured his victims and then buried them alive.
Bruce and Ivanna watched hours and hours of Shamsky's
DVD's each interview described the horrific details
of each death and burial.
The DVD's would map out where each body was buried.
At night Bruce and Ivanna would dig up grave sites
they found dead bodies that appeared recently buried.
They bodies seemed to still have the ability to be
brought back to life.
Through it all, Bruce and Ivanna became close friends.
The end of their investigation shocked Ivanna and
Bruce.
During their grave digging they discover Shamsky's
body in perfect condition. Breathing!
The End
Bum
THE KHE SANH BROS
by Mike Colonna
Synopsis:
The Battle of Khe Sanh was a 77-day siege in 1968 during the Vietnam War where U.S. Marines and their allies defended the Khe Sanh Combat Base from a massive North Vietnamese Army offensive. The battle involved intense artillery bombardment, air power, and a disrupted supply line, eventually leading to the relief of the base in April 1968 and the later abandonment of the base. The strategic significance of the battle remains a topic of debate, with some believing it was intended to distract from the Tet Offensive, while others see it as an attempt to seize a strategic area. Five Marines led bThe 5 Marines served out their time, retired were considered heroes, but as time would have it all became homeless, and reconnected on the Pacific Coast Highway, 7th Street and Bellflower. Each manned a traffic light panhandling and sharing their “wealth” at the corner Jack N The Box on Bellflower Blvd. Their lives would change after witnessing a road rage accident and a murder that resulted.
FADE IN:
EXT. LONG BEACH — SEVENTH & PCH — DAY
Heat halos vibrate off asphalt. TRAFFIC chokes the intersection.
A MILK CRATE. A cardboard sign: ARMY VET — ANYTHING HELPS.
BOB PURNELL (60s), lean, sun-cut, eyes like rangefinders, posts up beneath a lamppost. He scans lanes the way a sniper scans tree lines.
A BLACK DODGE CHARGER weaves, bass THUNDERING. The windows rattle.
In the adjacent lane: a SILVER SEDAN, pristine, ribbon on the rearview.
JOSEPH PARKIN (58), Marine posture, suit, boutonniere, white knuckles on the wheel.
ON BOB — head tilts, listening.
BOB (V.O.)
Hear the jungle before you see it. Always.
The light turns RED. The Charger skids. TIRES SCREAM.
JAMES GONZALES (24) explodes out, ink up his neck, a TIRE IRON in hand.
INTERSECTION — CONTINUOUS
Gonzales SLAMS the sedan hood — BOOM.
PARKIN steps out, palms raised.
PARKIN
Take it easy, son—
WHACK! The tire iron arcs. Parkin STAGGERS.
WHACK-WHACK! Ugly, wet impacts. Screams. A BABY cries. A PHONE lifts, filming.
BOB half-steps forward... stops. He locks on the plate.
INSERT — LICENSE PLATE: “7XR-L92” (OR SIMILAR)
Bob MOUTHS the plate, rhythm like a radio check.
WHACK! Parkin crumples. Gonzales breathes hard, eyes VACANT.
He jumps back into the Charger. PEELS OUT. A crown STICKER flashes on the rear glass.
ROAR of ENGINE fading EAST.
Bob’s jaw sets.
BOB
(semi-salute at Parkin)
Hold fast.
SIRENS swell.
EXT. INTERSECTION — MOMENTS LATER
OFFICER STEVE FOLGER checks Parkin’s pulse — grim.
OFFICER STANLEY CHAVEZ pushes the crowd.
BOB
I got the plate!
OFFICER CHAVEZ
Back up, sir—
BOB
(precise, firm, calls it out)
Seven. X-Ray. Romeo. Lincoln. Niner. Two.
The officer FREEZES, keys mic.
OFFICER CHAVEZ (INTO RADIO)
Broadcast: 7XR-L92, black Dodge Charger, eastbound Seventh.
EXT. INTERSECTION — LATER
Crime scene tape. YELLOW. Humming.
DETECTIVE LARRY AMBROSE (40s), suit defeating the heat, studies Bob.
AMBROSE
You read it or you kept it?
BOB
Both.
AMBROSE
You drinking?
BOB
Not yet.
AMBROSE almost smirks. Noted.
AMBROSE
Anything else?
Bob’s gaze tracks the lane where the Charger fled.
BOB
Passenger. Small shape. Long hair. And a sticker — white crown. Back glass. Driver wore a silver lion ring. Index finger.
AMBROSE clocks every word.
AMBROSE
You just gave me a second camera angle.
He tears a card, presses it into Bob’s hand.
AMBROSE
You sleep where?
BOB
Under PCH. Sea turtle mural.
AMBROSE
Stay close, Mr. Purnell.
Local TV Station Van’s arrive on the scene. One reporter approaches BOB.
RUSSEL PORTER
I’m RUSSEL PORTER KNBC can you tell me what happened?
BOB
That detective over there told me not to discuss this with anyone.
RUSSEL PORTER
Did you tell the officers what you saw.
BOB
Absolutely, everything!
After the live interview Bobs face was all over the news.
Detective AMBROSE was Police Headquarters Downtown piecing all the details of his conversation with BOB, and looks up from his desk at the TV.
RUSSEL PORTER
This is a KNBC News Bulletin. A Homeless Viet Nam Vet has witnessed an alleged murder cause by road rage in Long Beach. Bob what did you see?
BOB
I saw it all, gave Police all the information they requested, hope they catch these guys.
RUSSEL PORTER
Sending it back to you at the Studio.
DETECTIVE AMBROSE
Dammit, I told BOB not to talk to anyone. Now we’ve got a problem.
Officer Chavez walks into the room half way through the TV interview and hears AMBROSE talking to himself.
OFFICER CHAVEZ
This guy just signed his death warrant.
DETECTIVE AMBROSE
Come with me CHAVEZ. I’ve go an idea.
EXT. UNDER PCH — NIGHT
TENTS, palle fires. The hum of freeway like distant rotors.
WALT PURNELL (50s) — Bob’s younger brother, charming wreck — drops onto the curb, new backpack still wearing its SPIDER SECURITY TAG.
WALT
Heard you went siren on ‘em. Bum Alarm, baby.
Bob stares at the darkness.
BOB
A man died.
Walt’s grin falters. He nudges Bob’s shoulder.
WALT
Got a line on a door gig. A guy with a big watch needs statues. Two hours. Cash, sandwich. You and me.
Bob listens past Walt. Beyond the freeway hum... a SCOOTER with a rattly chain passes above.
BOB
Chain’s off pitch.
WALT
That a yes?
Bob doesn’t answer.
EXT. BOB’S CORNER — DAY
AMBROSE arrives with COFFEE. Hands it over.
AMBROSE
We popped your plate. James Gonzales. Debt to a local set. Word is, he’s been doing hits dressed as “rage.” There’s a name behind him — TÍO. We’ve never seen his face clean.
Bob sips, watching traffic.
BOB
You want ears.
AMBROSE
And a mouth no one notices. You in?
A beat. A light turns green, the whole block exhales.
BOB
I’m in.
AMBROSE slides over a beater flip phone.
AMBROSE
One number. Me. You feel heat, hang up. I’ll hear it anyway.
EXT. LONG BEACH — VARIOUS — LISTENING MONTAGE
— Bob on his crate. CROWN STICKERS on beaters glide by.
— A kid in a DODGERS CAP whistles the same bar every day.
— A HONDA CIVIC with a blown speaker taps 3-2 bass knocks at the donut shop.
— A HAND with a LION RING raps change: ting-ting-ting... pause... ting.
— Bob’s thumb brushes the PHONE. He DIALS. Short intel drops. AMBROSE’s WALL fills with map pins and strings.
EXT. UNDER PCH — NIGHT
Walt bounces on his heels, wired.
WALT
Door gig’s tonight. Warehouse by the river. Dude called “Tío.” You coming or what?
Bob’s eyes narrow. He turns away, dials.
BOB (INTO PHONE)
Warehouse. River. “Tío.” Tonight.
AMBROSE (V.O., FILTERED)
Be a witness and live.
Bob pockets the phone. Faces Walt.
BOB
I’m coming.
EXT. RIVER WAREHOUSE ROW — NIGHT
A slit of moon. Sodium lights buzz. A corrugated door half-open like a jaw.
Inside: STRING LIGHTS sag. A dead forklift. Spray-painted CROWN, six feet tall.
Men haul UNMARKED BOXES. A boy flips a KNIFE open-shut-open, CLICK-CLACK metronome.
TÍO (50s?) emerges from shadow. Tie too formal, watch too heavy, face forgettable by design. On his INDEX: LION RING.
He measures Bob and Walt.
TÍO
You stand. You see. You say if anything wrong comes.
(to Walt)
Face the street.
(to Bob)
Face me.
Bob’s eyes catalog exits, head height, tool racks, footfalls. Vietnam muscle memory lights up.
The BLACK CHARGER slides in. Engine idles low, like a growl swallowed.
GONZALES climbs out. The PASSENGER door eases — a GIRL (19), bruised eye, hair curtaining shame.
TÍO
Where you been?
GONZALES
Here.
TÍO
You made music. Now uniforms know my song.
Gonzales swallows. The girl stares at the floor.
TÍO
(to the girl)
Go home. Not his. Yours.
She slips past Bob. For a breath, their eyes meet. She’s counting exits too.
TÍO
(to Gonzales)
You will fix what you broke. By dawn.
Gonzales nods like a boy promised detention. He starts to go, cranks the stereo reflexively — BASS SWELLS — catches Tío’s look, kills it. The Charger ghosts out.
Tío turns to Bob and Walt. Soft voice, harder message.
TÍO
Come.
INT. WAREHOUSE OFFICE — NIGHT
Peeling calendar of a beach. Metal desk scarred with cigarette burns. Tío sits. Bob remains standing.
TÍO
If uniforms come because of you, you disappear. No song. Understand?
BOB
I hear you.
Tío’s eyes flick to Walt — the leverage. Back to Bob — the fulcrum.
TÍO
Good listener.
He gestures — dismissed.
EXT. WAREHOUSE — DAWN
First birds. River breath. Walt trembles as adrenaline drains.
WALT
We can’t—
BOB
We can. We will.
Bob dials. Low, quick:
BOB (INTO PHONE)
Cars. Boxes. Crown. Lion. Gonzales out hunting witnesses by dawn. Office southwest corner. Loader bay chained. Third window painted shut.
AMBROSE (V.O., FILTERED)
Copy. Sit tight. Don’t be a hero.
Bob kills the call. Looks at Walt.
BOB
Be alive.
EXT. SEVENTH & PCH — PRE-DAWN
Gonzales’ Charger creeps along the curb — predatory. The corner is empty.
He frowns. Floors it.
INT. GONZALES’ CHARGER — MOVING — DAWN
Phone BUZZ. Unknown text: a CROWN EMOJI + a CLOCK. He grimaces, U-TURNS.
EXT. WAREHOUSE ROW — NIGHT
LATER.
Unmarked units black out. BOOTS hit gravel. A RAM pops the office door — CRACK!
LAPD SWAT floods in. FLASH-BANG — BANG—WHUMP! Light devours darkness. Men cough, hands up.
AMBROSE threads through chaos, eyes on targets.
AMBROSE
Hands! Hands! Don’t be brave!
A RUNNER bolts down an aisle. AMBROSE plants, BODY-SHOTS him into a crate — CRASH! Another suspect reaches for a drawer — TASER POP. Down.
Office safe yawns open — CASH, LEDGERS, a PHONE with contacts labeled in emojis only.
AMBROSE
Bag it. All of it.
No Tío.
EXT. ALLEY — SAME
A SHADOW — Tío — slips into a sedan and dissolves into city glow.
EXT. UNDER PCH — DAWN
Bob and Walt wait under concrete ribs. Sirens far away now, like thunder on a different shore.
WALT
We good?
BOB
We’re breathing.
Walt pulls out a CARBURETOR he’s been tinkering with, proud boy again.
WALT
Shop on Anaheim’ll teach if you show up twice in a row. Boss says I’m good with jets.
Bob eyes the part, its fluted precision. Nods.
BOB
Make it sing.
EXT. SEVENTH & PCH — MORNING
The corner wakes: coffee steam, bus brakes, dog walkers. A WOMAN in a green cardigan hands Bob a BAG and a NOTE.
WOMAN
He taught my son to parallel park. Thank you for hearing him.
She goes. Bob opens the bag — sandwich. The note in a child’s scrawl: Thank you for hearing my grandpa.
He tucks it next to the flip phone. The talisman beats the tech.
AMBROSE appears, bone-tired, jacket off.
AMBROSE
Gonzales is in a box. He sang some, choked more. We crippled Tío’s arm, not the body. But the boys running errands? They’re gonna need jobs that don’t pay in funerals.
He studies Bob — really sees him.
AMBROSE
I can get you a bed. Counselor’s good. No pressure.
BOB
Sheets are loud.
AMBROSE smirks, tips an invisible cap.
AMBROSE
You ever want quieter loud, call me.
He moves on.
EXT. SEVENTH & PCH — LATER
Midday shimmer. A BUS idles. A KID leans out a window.
KID
Bum Alarm!
Bob SALUTES. The bus driver HONKS twice, friendly.
A PICKUP with a dust-dulled CROWN STICKER rolls by. Bob clocks it, files it, lets it go.
BOB (V.O.)
Not every crown wears a king.
A FATHER and SON in tuxes glide through the green, arguing cufflinks. The radio hums a wedding standard. No shouts. No iron.
Bob exhales. The corner breathes with him.
EXT. SHORELINE — SUNSET
Bob and Walt stand ankle-deep. The Pacific chews orange into silver.
WALT
They’re naming that corner after Parkin. Little sign. Still.
BOB
Good.
WALT
You okay?
Bob watches a wave break, rebuild, return.
BOB
Not where I was.
Walt nods, kicks surf. For once, they let the silence be a bridge, not a wall.
EXT. LONG BEACH — NIGHT
City lights blink awake. Somewhere: a door closes on a warehouse. Somewhere else: a badge clicks onto a hook. The freeway hum is almost a lullaby.
Back at the corner, Bob settles in. He adjusts the crate, squares the sign, sets his feet like a sentry.
He listens.
— A SCOOTER chain now true.
— A HONDA’s 3-2 bass knocks shift to 2-2 — new code, new day.
— Somewhere a PHONE goes up to film, then down to help.
Bob’s eyes lift to the light.
BOB (V.O.)
Take the first thing. Hear it. Say it. Live.
FADE OUT.
TITLE CARD: THE BUM ALARM
OVER BLACK:
SUPER: “In memory of Joseph Parkin — Marine, father, neighbor.”
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END
“The Bum Alarm” Logline: A former Army Vietnam Veteran now homeless help police solve a petty crime that accelerates into a murder for hire investigation. A homeless man panhandling on a busy intersection in Long Beach, California helped police solve the fatal beating by a group of gangbangers over a road rage incident. Synopsis: Bob Purnell was a fixture on the corner of Seventh Street and Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. After his release from the Army after two stints in Viet Nam, Bob’s mental condition was questionable.
His brother, also homeless, stood Bob Purnell, a homeless man, watched James Gonzales beat 58 year old retired Marine Joseph Parkin to death. Parkin a long time Long Beach resident tried to fight back but Gonzales used a blunt instrument to beat Parking to death. Gonzales got back in his car and sped off. Purnell memorized the assailants license plate and gave the tag number to police when they arrived at the scene. Police are searching for James Gonzales 24, for first-degree mur der. The road rage that day started when Parkin, who lives in East Long Beach, was traveling to his son's wedding and pulled into a speeding car driven by Gonzales going east on Seventh street past Recreation Park Golf Course. Purnell could hear loud rap music coming from Gonzales car the music got his attention. He witnessed the entire incident from his corner location.
Blue Column 4th Street.
The Blue Column
4th Street Shootout written by Mike Colonna
Exterior: Long Beach California-Late afternoon
An Orange colored Toyota Supra drives East on Fourth Street to Obispo. A young teenage girl and her boyfriend stop at a liquor store. She drives up to the front, her boyfriend hops out, enters. The girl still has the motor running, the boyfriend rushes out of the store to a hail of AK-47 bullets.
The Young girl ducks under the dash, her boyfriend does not make it to her car. A lone gunman pours bullets into the car, the young girl is protected inside the car. Police sirens are heard in the distance.
POLICE DISPATCH OPERATOR
All units in the vicinity of fourth street and Ximeno gang activity. Shooter is on the loose.
Police cars arrive on the scene. One lifeless body lays on the curb between the Liquor store entrance and a parked Toyota Supra. Officers enter the liquor store, others officers look inside the Toyota Supra and find a young girl sobbing, afraid for her life, is hiding under the dashboard.
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
Are you OK?
YOUNG FEMALE
I think so. My dads gonna kill me. He just gave me this car for my birthday.
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
Honey, don’t worry about that, I’m glad you’re not hurt in any way.
YOUNG FEMALE
How’s Bobby?
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
I’m afraid he didn’t make it.
YOUNG FEMALE
Oh no. (Sobbing) he was just buying some groceries for his mother.
Officers are checking out the Supra, dozens of holes around the hood, the windshield is shot up. Machine gun shells are laying across the intersection.
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
Come on honey, let’s get you out of here.
The young girl holds on to the Officer's hand and eases out from under the dash and out of the Supra. The young girl focuses in on a two Paramedics wheeling a gurney with her friend covered with a sheet from head to toe.
YOUNG FEMALE
Oh my god, oh my god. They must have been waiting for him.
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
Who must have been waiting for him?
The young girl starts sobbing.
Officer Stan Chavez supervises the removal of the dead teenager and walks over to Officer Larry Ambrose.
OFFICER LARRY AMBROSE
Stan, I see camera’s above the entry of the store, check on that for me.
INT: LONG BEACH - LIQUOR STORE - AFTERNOON
Officer Chavez enters the Liquor store, begins interviewing the owner.
OFFICER STAN CHAVEZ
I need a copy of your outdoor CCTV cameras.
LIQUOR STORE OWNER
Good thing we checked on them last week, they should be working. I’ll get them for you.
OFFICER STAN CHAVEZ
Thanks.
Liquor Store Owner returns, with the videos.
LIQUOR STORE OWNER
I know the kids family, they come in here at least once a week.
OFFICER STAN CHAVEZ
Do you know his name, where he lives?
LIQUOR STORE OWNER
Let me check, sometimes they pay by check, their address could be on one of the checks.
Liquor store owner walks to the back room, returns with checks, and looks at the officer. Has a remorseful look on his face.
OFFICER STAN CHAVEZ
What’s wrong.
LIQUOR STORE OWNER
I told the dead boy’s mother her check bounced, she told me she was embarrassed, I told her to bring me the balance when she had it.
Officer Ambrose looks at the check.
OFFICER AMBROSE
If you can wait a few days, we’ll take care of her check.
LIQUOR STORE OWNER
No problem officer. I’ll call her and tell the boys mother, it’s been taken care of.
Monday, September 29, 2025
Jupiter "The Europa Mission" Chapter 1
Jupiter “The Europa Mission” Kathy and Mike Colonna Chapter One At the "The Pentagon Extraterrestrial Intelligence Conference”, Moderator Alexis Klous asks Stanford University and NASA scientist Gary Nolan "Do You believe that extraterrestrial Intelligence has visited Planet earth?" Nolan's response, "100%. Liam Montgomery was deeply affected by the topic of UFOs. As a young child while sitting in the back seat of his dads 1962 Red Ford Falcon he was startled when two owls appeared outside his back seat window. He was later diagnosed with a form of "Indigo." Fast Forward...Liam’s life has been altered by his layoff from a social media Company. His buyout was in 6 figures. His plans of leaving his beach area apartment is now a reality.
"Liam," an animal lover, in his mid-30's, best friend is Rocky, his larger-than-life German Shepherd. They embark on a short trip to find a small house on a few acres, off the grid that he purchased sight unseen, somewhere in the California desert. Driving on Hwy 10 Liam passes a two-mile-long Union Pacific freight train headed for the Midwest. The 29 Palms off ramp takes him to the center of 29 Palms. Liam turns left on Old Women's Road, and travels through picturesque rock formations, pulls over and checks out his map and pinpoints the two acres with a small house in the middle of nowhere, below Goat Mountain, called Landers. He makes a left turn and drives a few hundred yards and has arrived at his destination.
A Tiny Home in Landers converted from a trailer, sits in the middle of a two-acre parcel, on a rustic road called Jupiter. Well Rocky, we found it. Liam and Rocky agree, this place will be their new home away from home. Liam’s parked outside a Palm Desert Escrow Company to sign paperwork. Rocky's sitting in the camper with his head sticking out of the window. He's greeted by Escrow Officer Samantha Fuller. Her blond curls and quick smile is unlike anyone he's ever met before. Your German Shepherd is awesome. That's Rocky, I'm Liam. He's my point man. How cute. Shall we get started.
She leads Liam to her office; her office has a clear shot to Liam’s camper. Rocky's head is poking out the window, taking in the scenery. I was looking at the title report where you're buying your property Liam up in the Landers area. I love the name of the street- Jupiter.2. 2. Yea, all the streets in the area are named after planets in the Universe. Liam comments on a picture sitting on Samantha’s desk. Isn't that a picture of a Giant Rock in Landers? It is. That's my great Uncle Joseph Fuller’s property.
I remember his friends talking about a trailer he converted into a small home. Maybe that’s why the name Jupiter sounds familiar. My great uncle had a great imagination. Before he died, he told his friends that a spaceship from one of Jupiter's moons woke him up one night. The aliens invited him on board a flying saucer and flew him on a secret mission exploring the rejuvenating of the human body. When he returned he wrote a journal and built a museum that relived his experience on the spacecraft near Goat Mountain. He was buried in an unmarked grave site between Goat Mountain and the Giant Rock.
We can't find the spot. Some folks think that some aliens from planet Jupiter found his burial spot, exhumed his body, and brought it back to Europa, one of the dozens of moons that circle Jupiter. Wow, what a story. Well I’ve got to keep moving, here's a cashier's check, where do I sign my documents. Right here, by the way, my friends call me Sam. Well Sam, I am going to be in town for a few weeks, come by and say hello. I'm looking forward to it. Liam drives off. She waves to "Rocky" as they leave. Liam drives under the corral posts to his new home. What do you think Rocky? Rocky barks approval. Liam opens the front door of his new Tiny Home. He checks out the ceiling, closets, opens the refrigerator door, checks out the stove, walks over to the side bedroom, hits the mattress, dust puffs out. Not ready for "prime time." We'll be sleeping outside tonight. A week later, it's a late Saturday afternoon. Liam is sitting in his newly delivered Redwood Hot Tub. Steam off the hot water blurs his vision. Samantha drives through the corral posts and parks her car. Well, I see you've made yourself at home.
I thought I’d deliver your closing papers. Thank you! Stick around, I'm going to whip up some dinner. I’ve got the barbeque going, I thought you might enjoy one of my famous burgers. Samantha smiles, and nods approval. Liam set’s up a folding table outside of his tiny home, uncorks a bottle of cheap wine, and they sit under the stars munching on Liams famous burgers. 3. 3. Samantha comments, Liam I must say you do cook-up a mean burger and the “Two Buck Chuck” isn’t bad either. Let me help you clean up. Liam looks up at the stars, the hot tub is still bubbling, Hey Sam, do you care to sip some wine under the stars in my new hot tub? Sam, sheepishly responds, “I didn't bring a bathing suit.” Under a vast desert sky, where stars burned bright and endless.
Liam waved Sam over with a playful grin, his voice soft but teasing, "Use your imagination." Their eyes locked, a silent spark passing between them, charged with unspoken promises. Samantha, with quiet confidence, let her clothes slip to the ground, her silhouette glowing under the starlight as she eased into the bubbling water. "I’m glad I found this place," Liam murmured, his gaze sweeping from the shimmering heavens to her. "It’s perfect. Shooting stars, the quiet desert, a cheap bottle of wine—how could anyone ask for anything more?" The night held its breath, the only sound the gentle lapping of water and their shared, contented sighs. Minutes passed, wrapped in the intimacy of the moment, when Samantha’s hand glided beneath the surface, brushing against him.
Liam exhaled sharply, his pulse racing like a comet’s tail. The desert had promised him solitude, but instead, it delivered a mystery—her. They leaned into each other, their embrace igniting under the cosmic canopy, and the rest, well, it was written in the stars. Rocky's sudden growl broke the spell. Liam followed the dog's stare. Above Goat Mountain, a pale circular light hung in the dusk sky. It shimmered, silent, then vanished as quickly as it appeared. The glow had vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving the horizon empty again. Rocky's growl tapered into a low whine, his nose twitching.
Liam stood from the hot tub, water streaming down his shoulders. "Probably a plane," he said, though the desert air had fallen so still that even his own voice seemed too loud. Samantha's eyes lingered on the horizon before turning back to him. "Out here? In this airspace?" He couldn't answer. She smirked, covering the unease with humor. "Well, unless you want me driving back on a rattlesnake-ridden road in the dark, if you don’t mind I think Ide like to spend the night and leave in the morning. The Agency has satellites in orbit circling Goat Mountain. Especially around Goat Mountain.
The Marine Base "spook" experts begin tracking Liam’s movements. I've got something to show you Sam. While cleaning this place the floorboard was loose. 4. 4. LIAM walks over to a far spot, he kneels the floorboard shifts under his hand, loose. He pries it up and reveals a shallow compartment beneath. Sam, I found the missing journal! Inside was a leather-bound journal, cracked with age, its cover etched faintly with the initials J.F. Liam swallowed hard. I found Joseph Fuller's missing journal. He opened it gently. The pages were filled with tight, slanted handwriting, notes interspersed with sketches of symbols, planetary orbits, and diagrams of what looked disturbingly like spacecraft. One passage caught his eye: "The ones from Europa are not cruel.
They are ancient, weary travelers. They showed me what life could be without age, without decay. When my time ends here, they promised to take me back with them — back to where the body renews, and time begins again." A chill spread through Liam's veins. "Liam?" Samantha's voice floated in from the doorway. Her expression shifted as she saw the book in his hands. Sam’s face was drained of color. "I've never seen that before." Before he could respond, Rocky barked sharply, pulling their attention outside. Through the cracked window, the night horizon glowed. A disc of pale light hovered again above Goat Mountain, closer this time, its surface shimmering like liquid metal. For a breathless second, it seemed to pulse — not random, but rhythmic, almost like a signal. Then, in a burst of impossible speed, it vanished skyward, leaving only the cold silence of the desert. Liam's grip tightened on the journal.
His heart thundered. He knew, deep down, that the book and the sighting were no coincidence. Samantha whispered, almost to herself, "Maybe Uncle Joseph really did go with them." Liam turned toward the window, Rocky's bark echoing into the night. The desert wasn't empty. It never had been. He opened it gently. The pages were filled with tight, slanted handwriting, notes interspersed with sketches of symbols, planetary orbits, and diagrams of what looked disturbingly like spacecraft. One passage caught his eye: "The ones from Europa are not cruel. They are ancient, weary travelers. They showed me what life could be without age, without decay. When my time ends here, they promised to take me back with them — back to where the body renews, and time begins again."
A chill spread through Liam's veins. "Liam?" Samantha's voice floated in from the doorway. Her expression shifted as she saw the book in his hands. Sam’s face was drained of color. 5. 5. "I've never seen that before." Before he could respond, Rocky barked sharply, pulling their attention outside. Through the cracked window, the night horizon glowed. A disc of pale light hovered again above Goat Mountain, closer this time, its surface shimmering like liquid metal. For a breathless second, it seemed to pulse — not random, but rhythmic, almost like a signal.
Then, in a burst of impossible speed, it vanished skyward, leaving only the cold silence of the desert. Liam's grip tightened on the journal. His heart beat quickly. He knew, deep down, that the book and the sighting were no coincidence. Samantha whispered, almost to herself, "Maybe Uncle Joseph really did go with them." Liam turned toward the window, Rocky's bark echoing into the night. The desert wasn't empty. It never had been.
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