OPEN ON:
VFX - SKY
Galactic particles and dusts dance between stars. Twin crescent moons orbits in perfect arcs. Equally distanced apart in a slow and silent journey over:
EXT. THE LUOPAN PAGODA - NIGHT
A newly built museum of motorsport artefacts and records. Purple spinel columns SPARKLE. Silver lights trace along the exterior trim and spiral upwards to the
TOP BALCONY
The double doors swing -CREAK.- open.
An ALLURING FIGURE emerges from the shadows. Wisps of qi orbits her slender arms. Her silver longpao slithers behind as
LADY MIRA
gracefully strides across the floorboards. Early 20’s, a compassionate ruler and unashamed rev-head. She waves her arm and the qi twirls to form a summoning sigil above:
EXT. AUTOPOLITAN RALLY COMPLEX - CONTINUOUS
Light fixtures CLICK on one by one to reveal:
One-point-six kilometres of smooth tarmac and loose gravel. Split 40/60. Thirteen corners carved into the open fields. The technical layout wraps around the pagoda.
EXT. TOP BALCONY - CONTINUOUS
Ancient glyphs manifest and complete the sigil. Lady Mira telepathically sends a message:
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Beloved children of Zeron, heed my call: The time has come for you to forge a new destiny.
INT. SIMULATOR ROOM - DAY
A state of the art racing sim pitches and darts aggressively. It mimics the harsh and realistic conditions of racing on gravel. Holding onto dear life is
NAO SATOU
(17, tomboyish, ambitious and extremely self-critical), completely in the zone. She wrestles the virtual rally car across the finish line.
Lady Mira’s voice pops into her head:
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Are you ready to test your sharpened instincts in battle?
Session over. Nao climbs out of the rig. There’s a fire of determination in her eyes.
INT. GYM - DAY
Huge iron weights lay scatter on the bamboo floor mat. Hanging from the pull up bar is
ICHIRO RYUU
(17, brutish, confident and short tempered), smashing the last set effortlessly. Patches of black draconian scales run down his bulky arms. He hears the voice too.
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Are you prepared to push your body beyond the limit?
Ichiro softly lands on his feet. He slips on his team’s jersey and leaves.
EXT. MEDIA ZONE - DAY
MEDIA CREWS crowd along the interview platform. Chased down by cameras and REPORTERS is
RAY GRÅHOLM
(18, handsome, smooth-talker and arrogant). He adjusts his sunglasses and waves at the cameras. Bombarded by microphones and questions. One catches his attention:
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Are you confident that you’ll achieve your dreams?
Ray kindly excuses himself and heads for the garage.
INT. RACING GARAGE - CONTINUOUS
MECHANICS work in unison. Hand tools CLATTER on the pristine floor. In walks
GEN TASAKI
(17, stylish, friendly but overly confident) dressed in his racing suit, boots and gloves. He shoves his helmet on and slides the visor down. It’s time.
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Are you willing to share the glory to those that helped you along the way?
Gen nods to the nearest mechanic. They share a fist bump. He steps into the gold and white
SORA AQUILA PHASE I
(Think wide body classic Alpine A110) and the door shuts.
LADY MIRA (V.O.)
Are you ready to become world champion?
The engine SNARLS in response.
NAO/ICHIRO/RAY/GEN (V.O.)
We’re ready!
CUT TO:
EXT. AUTOPOLITAN RALLY COMPLEX - DAY
VROOM! The Aquila ROARS on all four cylinders. A beast unleashed. It drags a screen of dirt and debris swinging out the
FINAL CORNER
A sweeping left at maximum velocity. Tyres SCREECH on tarmac. The Aquila drifts wide - narrowly misses the concrete wall - in front of the
START ZONE
A green flag drops. REVS SING. Another set of TYRES PROTEST IN WHEELSPIN. Joining the fun is
A SORA LYR PHASE I
(Think heavily modified Datsun 240Z) launching off the line. Rear end squats on acceleration. It SCREAMS through the gears down
ZERON STRAIGHT
Chasing after the Aquila. Twin exhausts -POP! CRACKLE! POP!- spits flames. Dives deep in the braking zone. The Lyr digs a wave of gravel around
ACCEL HAIRPIN
A v-shaped left-hander. The Lyr slides to the Aquila’s rear bumper. The two cars dart towards
SORA CORNER
Leaning full tilt into the fast right kink. The Lyr steps out over the exit kerb. It loses ground to the Aquila entering
MOJAVE FORK
The Aquila and Lyr snap into oversteer - crab walking - glued together.
VROOOM!
A secondary dust cloud erupts in the background.
EXT. JOKER SECTION - MEANWHILE
Another rally car enters the fray.
A SORA VEGA PHASE I
(Think rally-spec Ford RS1800) tackles the sharp right-hand turn effortlessly. Four-wheel drifting out.
EXT. TERRA CORNER - CONTINUOUS
The Vega emerges beside the Lyr. Almost swapping paint. It’s a short sprint towards--
EXT. THE HYDRA - CONTINUOUS
-- ends with the Lyr running out of road. It slots behind the Vega. Two wheels leap airborne - left, right and left again - dangerously close to the hay bales.
A HAZY SILHOUETTE appears in the distance...
EXT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS
Waiting in the shadows is
A SORA EPSILON PHASE 1
(Think aggressively-styled Lancia Stratos), shifting up the gears. It BURSTS from under the trees already at race pace. In the lead.
EXT. UNITED CORNER - CONTINUOUS
The convoy of white and gold Scandinavian flicks into the narrow and twisty turn. Line astern. Bumper to bumper. The pack snakes into the--
EXT. RIGHT HOOK - CONTINUOUS
No chance of an overtake here. The group of rally cars remain single file. On exit, each pick a different line over the--
EXT. CREST JUMP - CONTINUOUS
-- The cars point slightly to the left in midair. One by one, the cars come CRASHING down - bone crushingly hard. An intense atmosphere is building...
EXT. FINAL CORNER - CONTINUOUS
There’s a win on the cards. Unofficial but a win nevertheless. It’s game on.
The Lyr brakes deep... BANG... makes contact with the Vega. Contact pendulums through the pack - pushing the Epsilon off line - causing chaos.
EXT. ZERON STRAIGHT - CONTINUOUS
The pack fans out to four wide. Throttle pinned flat. Engines ROAR triumphantly. It’s a drag race to the
CHECKERED FLAG
It wipes across the screen to the
FADE TO BLACK.
