Copyright 2000 --- Robert Baer Jr. The Space Rovers -- "The Long Way Home" DISCLAIMER Road Rovers characters, names, situations and the Road Rovers universe are the property of Warner Bros. I, nor this script/story are connected with Warner Bros. in any way, shape or form. This document may not be publicized or reproduced in any way, shape or form. It must remain fully intact and may not be altered in anyway. It is strictly used for not-for-profit entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. This story is written by Robert Baer Jr and the characters Fydo, Boomer, Rasputin, Saundra, Alexander, Grunt, Daisy, Abdullah, Bob, Cactus Jake, Marie, Francis, Calypso, Sheena, Bruno, Molly, Deborah, Orchid, Dot, Sno-wie, Luigi, Sophia, Lao Zi, Su Li, Claudia, Numbia, Derby, Poncho, Kyra, Warrior, Amos Doggie, Hannah and Molly Maddog are all Robert Baer Jr's creations, copyright pending, 1998-99, Cobber is a creation of Mike Browner. The Space Rovers -- "The Long Way Home" The scene is Persia's office, about two in the afternoon. She is recording another log entry. PERSIA (into mic): Captain's Log, supplemental. Today is a very solemn day aboard the Canius Minor. The Master has ended Lt Commander Cobber tour of duty and has asked for us to return him to Earth. Although I realized he was here for temporary assignment, I must admit that he has become almost a 'part of the family' with the other members of the crew. He has served us well in the Security Department, and has been a valuable asset to the last couple away missions. I, for one, will miss him. We will be sending him home using one of our shuttlecraft through the artificial wormhole generator. This will be the first time the device has been used for a 'return trip' so Lt Molly, Daisy, Flash and Bob are at this moment double checking the entire system. Cobber's farewell party is now taking place in the lounge area. I will be joining them shortly. End entry. The scene switches to the lounge, where Cobber stands with Sheena as off duty crew members approach him and bid him farewell. BRUNO (shakes Cobber's hand): Comrade, I will miss you! CLAUDIA (hugs Cobber): It was a pleasure to serve with you, Cobber! DERBY (shakes hand): Do stay in touch, old bean! COBBER (nods): I enjoyed our cribbage games, mate! CACTUS JAKE (smiles): Put'r there, patrner! Don't be a stranger! COBBER (shakes hand): Thank you, my friend! SHEENA (points): Look! Calypso is bringing all the kiddies over this way! The children all run over and 'gang tackle' Cobber, they all hug him and cry, telling him how much they;ll miss him CALYPSO (angry): CHILDREN! THIS BE NOT THE WAY TO BEHAVE IN PUBLIC! COBBER (looks up at Calypso): Don't be too rough on them, ma'am! I love every one of these young kippers! After a minute, the children finally allow Cobber to stand up again, Calypso gently hugs him and leads the children back towards the buffet table. Grunt approaches and shakes his hand. GRUNT (slight smile): GRRRRRRRRRR GROWL! GRRRRRRRRRRR COBBER (wide grin): I'll miss you too, big guy! GRUNT (nods): GRRRRRR GROWL? COBBER (smiles): Of course, I'll keep in touch! ALEXANDER (shakes hands): You have been one fine crewman! I'm proud to have known you, son! COBBER (smiles): Thank you, Commander! PERSIA (smiles): Cobber, I'll save my goodbyes for the trip home to earth COBBER (confused): Captain? PERSIA (smiles): I'll be on your transport ship. The Master wants a full report on our operations in deep space, so I'll be going with you! SHEENA (holds Cobber tightly): Then I'm going on it too! PERSIA (giggles): Well, we do need a medical staff member, maybe I could get Abdullah to ... SHEENA (shines loudly): CAPTAIN!!!! PERSIA (laughs): Just kidding, Sheena, of course you can come! SHEENA (happy): Thanks, Captain! PERSIA (looks at clipboard): Whitey, Grunt, Sno-wie and Cactus Jake will be riding with us also. This party has been wonderful, but remember, we'll be leaving for earth in one hour. At that time, report to shuttlebay C, OK? Sheena and Cobber nod as Persia and Grunt walk away. SHEENA (almost in tears): Oh, Cobbie, I don't want this to end! What will I do without you? COBBER (hugs Sheena): Sheena, we're talked about this before, darlin'! My place is on earth with the Road Rover Elite, your place is here. I will always love you, no matter what SHEENA (crying): But I will miss you so much.... COBBER (sobbing): And I will miss you also, my love! Sheena and Cobber kiss, hold hands, and slowly take one last walk down the corridor, gazing at the stars as they walk. Time passes slowly, but soon Persia, Cobber, Grunt, Cactus Jake, Sheena, Sno-wie and Whitey enter their shuttlecraft. The scene shifts to the bridge where Alexander is coordinating their departure. BRUNO (into mic): K-9 Flyer, you are cleared for departure... (turns to Alex) Commander, Grunt acknowledges. ALEXANDER (nods): Very good, Bruno. Contact Road Rover Headquarters, tell them to watch for the wormhole opening. (into mic): Ok, Molly, power up the wormhole generator! MOLLY (on speakers): Aye, Aye, Commander! Alexander and the others watch the front viewing screen and see the wormhole forming. The K-9 Flyer is slowly approaching the opening. LAO ZI (looking at monitor): Wormhole is stable. BRUNO (turns to Alex): Commander, Professor Hubert reports spotting the other end of the wormhole ALEXANDER (nods) Excellent! Soon they'll be on ..... At that moment, the ship shakes violently. ALEXANDER (turns to Bruno): REPORT! BRUNO (turns to Alex): Commander, there's been an explosion in Engineering! Fire suppression systems are on. Several crew members are injured. ALEXANDER (shouts): Get a medical team to Engineering, what's happaning with the wormhole? LAO ZI (looking at monitor): It's destabilizing! Gravametric forces are in flux, if we don't move the ship, we could get catch in the vortex! ALEXANDER (shouts): Any sign of the K-9 Flyer? SAUNDRA (frightened): The K-9 Flyer is caught in the vortex.... OH MY GOSH! IT'S DISAPPERED!! LAO ZI (looks at monitor): Wormhole is breaking down, we have to move the ship! ALEXANDER (angry): BOOMER! ALL ENGINES FULL REVERSE! BOOMER (pushing buttons): Aye, aye, Commander BRUNO (turns to Alex): Commander, Molly is calling us! ALEXANDER (nods): On speakers! MOLLY (shouting, sounds of static in the background): Commander, we have a ruptured conduit, it exploded and caused power surges in all of the artificial wormhole components. Warp engines are down. Sophia was near the conduit when it blew up, she, Francis and Daisy are in sick bay. ALEXANDER (shouts): Get a repair crew to Engineering! BRUNO (nods): Aye aye, Captain! BOOMER (looks at monitor): The K-9 Flyer is gone, sir..... ALEXANDER (shouts): Bruno! Contact Earth! Is the shuttlecraft there? BRUNO (sadly): The Professor said their end of the wormhole had collapsed, with no sign of the K-9 Flyer! LAO ZI (sadly): It would appear that the K-9 Flyer and her crew are lost... The scene shifts to the K-9 Flyer, Grunt and Cactus Jake try desparately to keep the shuttlecraft stable. PERSIA (shouts): Everyone remain calm! Grunt, get those enerial dampers back online. Cactus Jake, keep the course steady.. WHITEY (seated at console): Captain, the wormhole has collasped, earth is just ahead SNO-WIE (looks at monitor): Earth! We made it! COBBER (pushs some buttons): Let's contact Mission Control WHITEY (shakes head): Something is strange here. I'm reading a complete planetary-wide power outage. COBBER (turns to Persia): Captain, I have Mission Control, but the signal is very weak, audio only PERSIA (nods): Let's hear it. MASTER (static in background): Persia? Cobber? We thought you all perished! It's been two years since we lost contact with your shuttle. PERSIA (surprised): Two years? MASTER (static in background): Yes, where have you been all this time? PERSIA (confused): Master, we just came through the wormhole entrance a few minutes ago! MASTER (static in background): Amazing! Persia, I and the remaining Road Rovers are at Alpha Base. Please hurry, I'll explain when you arrive. COBBER (pushs buttons): I've lost the Master, Captain. PERSIA (confused): Two years? How could we have been gone for two years? WHITEY (sternly): Apparently, the wormhole generator has malfunctioned, and sent all of us forward into time. SNO-WIE (looks at monitor): But why is the earth so different now? I'm reading very little electrical power being generated. Some large areas of the planet seem barren, like some sort of destructive force has taken place. PERSIA (looks at Sno-wie): Sno-wie, could this be your parallel universe that we're in? SNO-WIE (shakes head): Negative, Captain. In my old universe, the person refered to as the Master is female. SHEENA (surprised): A female Master? CACTUS JAKE (nods): Now, that'd be a BIG difference! PERSIA (paces): So, we can assume that we are all two years in the future and in our own plabe of reality. Grunt, land the K-9 Flyer quickly, we need some answers FAST! Grunt lands the K-9 Flyer in the silo of Alpha Base, which quickly closes after they depart. The base is lit only with emergency lights. The halls seem dark, dank, and dreary. The Master seems to be genuinely surprised to see Persia and the others. MASTER (smiles): I never thought I'd ever see any of you again! I wish the circumstances were better, though. PERSIA (confused): I don't understand, and what has caused all of the power shortages and problems planetwide? And what's been happening these past two years? MASTER (sadly): Believe it or not, Captain Persia, it was the Space Rovers who caused all of these problems to happan! Persia, Cobber, Sno-wie, Sheena, Grunt, Cactus Jake and Whitey all gasp in amazement. GRUNT (angry): GRRRRRR GROWL!!!! CACTUS JAKE (nods): Grunt's right, that's impossible! COBBER (growls): Who says they did it, mate? MASTER (sadly, pushs buttons on console): Look, see for yourselves (Master continues to speak as video footage is displayed): Shortly after your shuttle disappeared, Alexander and the other Space Rovers encountered a strange, alien satelite a short distance from where the wormhole collapsed. As was standard procedure, Alexander ordered it to be scanned, and then loaded into a cargo bay of the ship. Unknown to him or anyone else aboard the Canius Minor, inside of the satelite was a highly sophisticated computer virus. This virus, when fully active, nullifies nearly all electrical energy. Eventually, after all hope of finding your shuttle was lost, Alexander ordered the Canius Minor to return to earth. The alien satelite was brought into Professor Hubert's lab for further study, but that proven disasterous. The computer virus was unleashed, and within months had worked it's way into every major electrical power grid on earth, causing all of them to shut down. Soon, complete and total chaos erupted all over the planet. Without electrical power, there was panic and complete anarchy in the streets of every major city on earth. When it was discovered that the Space Rovers had brought the virus to earth, a Road Rover 'backlash' took place. Many of my Rovers were murdered by marauding bands of hoodlums. Road Rover Mission Control was ransacked over a year ago. A few of my Rovers escaped and are in hiding on earth, I ordered the Space Rovers to leave earth and to continue to try to discover a cure for the virus. Sadly, the virus had already infected the ship's systems, and the Canius Minor exploded like a fireball eight months ago. I've been in hiding here, with Hunter, Kyra, Molly Maddog and Warrior. I've lost contact with the remaining Road Rovers, except for Amos Doggie and Hannah, who are hid out in their swamp. SNO-WIE (sadly): What about all of those lifeless patches that we saw on earth? MASTER (sadly, showing more video footage): The governments of the world soon broke down into utter confusion. In a matter of weeks, wars broke out all over the globe. A few of those involved limited nuclear weapons. SHEENA (crying): You mean, all is lost? MASTER (shakes head): I'm afraid so, Rovers. I and the remaining Rovers will join you in your shuttle and escape before we are discovered and killed. As the Master is speaking, Molly Maddog, Warrior, Kyra and Hunter slowly walk over to them. HUNTER (slight smile): Hey, Space Rovers, how's it waggin? KYRA (smiles): We all thought you guys were dead! MOLLY MADDOG (shaken): Nothing makes sense anymore..... so much chaos.... WARRIOR (hugs Molly): You must forgive Molly, she hasn't been the same since her entire family was ..... well.... MOLLY MADDOG (breaks out in tears): Why wasn't I there? Why did they all have to die like that? Why do all the humans hate us now? MASTER (looks at Warrior): Warrior, better take her back to her room and sedate her, again. Warrior nods and gently carries Molly away. She is howling and barking uncontrolably as she is led out of sight. PERSIA (shakes head): Wait a minute, Master. You said that this alien satelite was discovered soon after our shuttle disappeared, correct? MASTER (nods): Yes, but .... PERSIA (interrupts): If a wormhole generator brought us here, then we could build one here and send ourselves back into the past and prevent this all from happening! MASTER (sadly): Look all around here, Persia. We have very little working equipment and are operating on emergency power only. WHITEY (sternly): You are forgetting, Master, I can transform matter with my mind, In a matter of minutes, I can create a Barium generator and all of the machinery we'll need from all of this junk piled in the corridors. PERSIA (nods): Do it, Whitey, the rest of you, let's gather scrap metal and other things Whitey can use, hurry! The Rovers bring a steady stream of metal items to Whitey, who first 'forms' a Barium generator, and then slowly 'creates' an exact working replica of the Canius Minor's artificial wormhole generator. WHITEY (at the console): We have to make sure we set this machine correctly, to not only return us to our exact position, but also to our exact time as well. This won't be easy, I'll have to calabrate these settings by memory. As Whitey continues to work. an alarm sounds within Alpha Base. MASTER (excited): We've been discovered! Warrior, Hunter, Kyra, we all have to buy Whitey some time and delay those intruders! HUNTER (salutes): Will do, Master! Hunter speeds off in the direction of the security alarm, Warrior and Kyra follow behind them. PERSIA (turns to the others): The rest of us need to get back into the K-9 Flyer, we'll have to get through the wormhole as soon as it forms. WHITEY (holding huge electric component): Captain, when I install this device in our shuttle, we'll be able to control the device from space. MASTER (looking at security monitors): Hurry, Space Rovers, the intruders are beginning to move their way towards this room! PERSIA (shouts): Master, when we leave, seal this room off! If the humans destroy the wormhole generator, all will be lost forever! MASTER (nods): Will do, Captain, and good luck! As Persia and Whitey run towards the landing bay, the Master seals his chamber off with huge, steel plates locked in place by his computer controls. He gets very nervous when he hears angry humans pounding on the walls. Meanwhile, the K-9 Flyer takes off and leaves Earth's atmosphere quickly. Grunt takes evasive maneuvers as the shuttle is chased in the sky by American, British and Russian jet fighters before re-entering space. PERSIA (looks at Whitey): Whitey, we have to hurry! Are we in position yet? WHITEY (looks at monitor): Yes, Captain, activating wormhole generator now.. SHEENA (scared, hugs Cobber): I sure hope this works, Cobbie! COBBER (nods): If it doesn't, we'll be space dust! PERSIA (shouts): Grunt, Cactus Jake, keep the K-9 Flyer steady, here we go! Instantly, a wormhole appears before the shuttle. Whitey sets the system controls to compensate for the time differential. The sudden gravametric flux seizes the K-9 Flyer and hurls it towards the vortex. PERSIA (shouts out): Grunt, Cactus Jake, keep the shuttle stable! The K-9 Flyer disappears from view, and emerges a short distance from the Canius Minor. WHITEY (looks at monitor): It appears that we've returned to our own time SNO-WIE (hugs Whitey's neck): I just knew you could do it, honey! CACTUS JAKE (looks at monitor): It ain't over yet, y'all! Lookie out there! PERSIA (stands up): Oh my gosh! It's the alien satelite! COBBER (turns to Persia): Captain, the trip through the wormhole damaged our communications array, I can't contact the Canius Minor! PERSIA (angry): We have to destroy the satelite before Alexander has it scanned and taken aboard! CACTUS JAKE (looks at Persia): Captain, this thing ain't got weapons! GRUNT (pushs buttons): GRRRRRRR GROWL!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR SHEENA (shocked): Have you gone daffy, Grunt? SNO-WIE (shocked): He's out of his mind! PERSIA (sternly): Do it, Grunt! Cactus Jake, divert all available power to our force fields! The K-9 Flyer powers up it's engines and takes off at full speed towards the alien satelite, ramming it and causing it to explode in space. Suddenly, Numbia and Poncho are 'transported' into the K-9 Flyer. NUMBIA (excited): Captain! Are you and the others alright? PONCHO (excited): We scanned the K-9 Flyer, your communication system was down. Why did you destroy that alien satelite? We were about to scan it! PERSIA (huge grin): It's a long story, Ensign! The scene shifts to the bridge of the Canius Minor, three hours later. Persia sits in the captain's chair. She, Grunt, Whitey and Cactus Jake explain their 'adventure' to the others. ALEXANDER (shakes head): I don't believe it! We caused destruction on Earth two years in the future by scanning and retrieving that alien satelite you destroyed? WHITEY (nods): Correct, Commander, we returned from the future just in time to prevent this event from ever taking place. SAUNDRA (smiles): So, you came back to the past to change the future? BOOMER (confused): Are we allowed to do that, Captain? PERSIA (nods): I think in this case, we were more than justified. Bruno, I want a full damage report from your wife in thirty minutes! BRUNO (nods): Yes, Captain! BOOMER (looks at monitor): Persently, warp engines and wormhole generator are offline. PERSIA (smiles): I wouldn't mind staying put for a while ... hey, where's Cobber? GRUNT (slight grin): GRRRRRR GROWL! PERSIA (confused): In sick bay? Is he sick? GRUNT (wide smile): GRRRRRRR ! PERSIA (shocked): Love sick? (turns to Bruno): Bruno, patch us into Sick Bay monitors, display on the front viewing screen! BRUNO (nods): Aye, aye, Captain! On the front viewing screen is a view of the sick bay's main ready room. Sheena and Cobber are hugging and sharing a long, passionate kiss. Sheena looks above and notices one of the survalliance cameras is 'on'. SHEENA (angry): HEY! THIS IS PRIVATE, YOU NOSY BLOAKS!! COBBER (angry): Here's how you handle peeping toms! Cobber reaches toward the wall and pulls the 'plug' from the back of the camera. On the bridge, the front viewscreen suddenly goes black. BOOMER (laughing): Hey, I wanted to see more kissing! SAUNDRA (grabs Boomer): How about seeing some close up? Saundra kisses Boomer passionately, taking him by surprise, causing the other members of the bridge crew to giggle and laugh outloud. WHITEY (shakes head): Commanders, we are on duty, control yourselves and .... SNO-WIE (grabs Whitey): ..and I want to try this also! Sno-wie kisses her husband passionately. Grunt glances over to Persia, Persia winks and grins slightly. Grunt nods. PERSIA (laughing): I wonder how I'm going to break the news to Cobber that he'll be remaining with us until we get our systems back online. CACTUS JAKE (happy grin): I think they'll take the news very well! -------------------------------------------------------------------