THE LIFE OR DEATH OF IMMORTALITY (sneak preview)






Leon Tchaikovsky’s
THE LIFE OR DEATH     OF IMMORTALITY









Leon Tchaikovsky
19th Century Wolf
208 North Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
17101-1124
United States of America
Earth (outside Los Angeles)




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Other screenplays by Leon Tchaikovsky: (available from amazon.com and distinguished and non-distinguished bookstores here and there)


ROTFL WITH BOB

TRIALS OF A 58 YEAR OLD VIRGIN

OUR MAINE GUY

REACH FOR THE SKY

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

HITTING BOTTOM

THE LAST SOLDIER TO DIE

LIFE HURTS

MY SHORTS ARE SHOWING

LIKE KISSING MY SISTER

PLAY BY DOZENS

THIS FILM IS A HORROR

LOS ANGELES COULD DO BETTER

FINDING THE PERFECT MATE

PHISH OUT OF WATER

TIME AGAIN

THE QUEENS IDIOTS




FADE IN:

INT. SHERZ HOME - DAY


Inside an upper middle class modern home is JOCELYN SHERZ, a thin, sickly looking woman in her early twenties with fourth stage cancer ravaging throughout her body. Jocelyn wears hiking clothing and carries a backpack.

LUCINDA SHERZ, Jocelyn’s mother, stands near Jocelyn sad and crying.

BRIAN SHERZ, Jocelyn’s father, with short hair and conservative dress, stands appearing deeply concerned while remaining as stoic as possible.

LUCINDA
You don’t have to do this.

JOCELYN
i need to.

BRIAN
We just fear…

JOCELYN
What?…You’ll never see
me again?

Lucinda sobs more loudly.

JOCELYN (cont’d)
You’re right. If I stay,
you’ll see me, but I
won’t be alive. This
way, I can live some
more.

Jocelyn turns away from her parents and walks towards the door.

JOCELYN
Either way, this is the
last time you’ll see me.

LUCINDA
Stay home and rest.
We’ll make you better.

JOCELYN
I’m never getting better,
Mom.

BRIAN
Think what this is doing
to me and your mom.

JOCELYN
I need to do this for me.

Jocelyn opens the door and leaves. The door remains open.

Brian cries watching Jocelyn walk away.

Lucinda cries watching Jocelyn walk away.

EXT. CAFE OUTSIDE OF RAILROAD STATION - DAY

Corporal DANNY SMITHE, wearing a Combined Nations Peacemaker uniform with two stripes on the shoulder, sits at an outdoors cafe carrying a cup of coffee.

Private First Class LORRAINE TERMOUNT, wearing a Combined Nations Peacemaker uniform with one stripe on the shoulder, sits at the cafe table carrying a cup of tea. She sits at the same table with Danny.

Brian is sitting at the table observing Danny and Lorraine.

Brian types in searches on his phone while looking at Danny and Lorraine.

Danny observes that Brian is watching him and Lorraine.

DANNY
Hello, sir.

BRIAN
Good day. I see you are with
the Combined Nations
Peacekeepers.

LORRAINE
We are. We’ve been assigned
to commanding General Brian
Sherz’s unit here in town.

DANNY
We’re with Sure-face Shurz.

BRIAN
You’re heard that nickname.

DANNY
I hope it means he is sure
of what he’s doing. So
much of what we do seems
like we never achieve any
objective.

BRIAN
You think Sure-face means
he knows where he’s leading
his troops?

LORRAINE
No. I think it is just a name
that goes with his name. You
know, two s-s.

BRIAN
You don’t think he knows where
he’s going?

DANNY
It’s the military. We feel lucky if
we’re pointed in the right direction.
Who ever knows where we’re
going.

LORRAINE
I spent six months under Sure-
face’s command defending a
village under constant attack.
We declared some victory.
Two days after we left, militants
captured the village.

DANNY
Some victory.

BRIAN
Maybe the village was
indefensible. How long would
you have remained there losing
fellow soldiers and not receiving
the resources to counterattack?

DANNY
I don’t know. I just do what I’m
ordered to do.

LORRAINE
We may not understand the orders,
but one never questions an order
for Sure-face.

BRIAN
Why not? This is a free country.
You have a right to your opinions
and advice.

LORRAINE
Not if you are in the military..

BRIAN
If you see something on the
front lines the brass needs to
know, you should speak up.

DANNY
The brass never listens. You
tell the sarge what we need
to defeat the enemy, and the
sarge just tells us to shut up.

BRIAN
Well, you can always tell me.

LORRAINE
What? You a reporter?

BRIAN
No. I’m Brian Sherz, Sure-
face.

Danny immediately stands up at attention.

Lorraine immediately stands up at attention.

BRIAN (cont’d)
Relax. I’m not in uniform.

Danny shifts to at ease stance.

Lorraine shifts to at ease stance.

BRIAN (cont’d)
Sit. Please.

Danny sits.

Lorraine sits.

BRIAN (cont’d)
I want my troops to know
they may come to me with
any recommendation.

DANNY
Sir. Yes, sir.

LORRAINE
Yes sir.

BRIAN
You upheld you follow orders.
I take no offense at anything
stated.

LORRAINE
Thank you, sir.

DANNY
Thank you, sir.

BRIAN
Remember. Sometimes
something is done that
may not seem clear at
the time, yet there is a
reason why things are done.

Brian turns to leave.

LORRAINE
Good day, sir.

DANNY
Have a please day, sir.

Brian turns around.

BRIAN
And do know I do know my
troops more than you think.
So long, Corporal Danny
Smithe from Texas and
Private First Class Lorraine
Tremount from Tennessee.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

Jocelyn looks tired and sweaty while breathing heavily as she hikes through a forest.

Jocelyn looks around at birds, at deer, and at a stream.

Jocelyn smiles while observing nature and her surroundings.

Jocelyn feels woozy and sits on a rock.

Jocelyn looks around smiling.

Jocelyn closes her eyes.

Jocelyn collapses to the ground.

INT. HOSPITAL - DAY

ANDREA RADSKI, a physician wearing physician’s scrubs, walks rapidly down the hall attempting to stay ahead of JANET RIVERA, a hospital administrator wearing a dress.

JANET
The hospital administrator is
demanding to see your
paperwork on this patient.

ANDREA
Tell that squid-inker that if
he gets that paperwork near
me, I’ll drown him in his own
ink.

JANET
There are procedures.

ANDREA
This is a new game where
the rules haven’t even been
decided.

JANET
You acted improperly.

ANDREA
I acted according to military
orders regarding classified
military research.

JANET
Using unapproved procedures.

ANDREA
Under orders from the
Commanding General that I,
as a Lieutenant Colonel, was
duty bound to proceed.

JANET
What you have done is unethical,
and madness.

ANDREA
I reached into my toolbox and
none of the gadgets worked, so
I was commanded to improvise
with some new kind of duct tape,
add a squirt of something new
here, a new type of patch there,
and a woman who otherwise would
be dead by now is alive.

JANET
This goes beyond saving a life.

ANDREA
I agree. This could save humanity.

Andrea opens the door to a patient’s room.

Jocelyn rises from a chair looking in perfect health.

Brian stands beside Jocelyn.

Lucinda stands beside Jocelyn.

INT. JOCELYN’S PATIENT ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY

JANET
Insurance won’t cover this.

ANDREA
Who cares? The patient is
cured.

JOCELYN
No only that. I could live
forever.

INT. ANDREA’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Andrea gets into bed next to her husband, JUSTIN RADSKI.

JUSTIN
I still can’t comprehend what
you did.

ANDREA
We’re even. How can you design
a building that defies the laws
of physics by widening as it gets
taller without it falling?

JUSTIN
It would fall eventually. Just as
long as falls after I am dead and
no longer liable.

ANDREA
Yes, but now you might be able
to live forever. So be prepared to
pay up.

JUSTIN
How does that even work?

ANDREA
The aging process of cellular
reduction is halted and reversed.
DNA manipulation makes the
body immune to all diseases.

JUSTIN
Sounds simple.

ANDREA
So when you married me till
death do us part, you’re now
stuck with me for eternity.

JUSTIN
I’ll switch to designing parks.

INT. MERCEDES HOSPITAL AUDITORIUM- DAY

A large gathering of REPORTERS and NEWS CAMERA OPERATORS gather in front of a podium.

Andrea stands behind the podium.

ANDREA
The Mercedes Hospital will be
training three thousand physicians
on site and via video conferencing
on how to perform the procedures
that will make the human body
to become effectively immortal.

DAN KINGSTON, standing amongst the reporters, angrily shouts at Andrea.

DAN
Who made you God?

Several in attendance look upset towards Dan for his interruption.

ANDREA
We have God given brain that
allows discovery…

Several in attendance nod in agreement with Andrea.

DAN
If billions of people become
immortal, where will everyone
fit?

Several in attendance nod in agreement with Dan’s question.

ANDREA
The human body will remain
vulnerable to external injuries.
People will not live forever.

DAN
They will live longer, and they’ll
need to stay somewhere. Wouldn’t
they selfishly be extending their
stay on Earth at the expense of
future generations?

ANDREA
These procedures do not affect
the reproductive….

DAN
No, but it affects resources.
We’ll either need vast more
resources or a dramatic decrease
in birth rates.

ANDREA
These are discussions for policy
makers.

DAN
Then let policy decisions be made
before you make the decisions for
them.

ANDREA
I am purely a scientist and a healer.
I’ve found the cure for all disease
and aging. I will not deprive patients
of their chances of healing.

DAN
If you’re going to be immortal, then
you’re going to have to find others
means to die.

Dan pulls out an automatic pistol, aims the pistol at Andrea, and fires.

Andrea falls to the ground bleeding profusely.

Pandemonium breaks out. Some flee in panic.

Some pounce on Dan and subdue him.

Some run up to Andrea.

Andrea looks at those around her.

ANDREA
I thought immortality would last
longer.

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