Continued from Page 2

ACT THREE 

EXT. PARIS STREET - DAY

Half a dozen arrogant-looking guardsmen are swaggering down the street, elbowing people into the gutter, helping themselves to fruit from stalls. One of them glances down an alley: and stops dead, so the others cannon into him. WE follow his gaze into the alley ...

Where Rebecca, dressed now in the fashion of the time with a revealing decolletage, stands beside a stall covered in ripe peaches.

REBECCA

Ripe peaches! Who'll buy my ripe peaches? Firm, juicy flesh. Come and try, sir.

The guardsmen look at each other: they can't believe their luck.

GUARDSMAN I

First time in Paris, lovely? Just up from the country with those peaches of yours?

REBECCA

Yes sir, and I'm so excited. It's a wonderful city, isn't it?

GUARDSMAN I

      (Entering the alley)
You have no idea, darling.

A series of muffled squawks and thuds comes from the alley, there's a brief pause and then six figures in guardsmen's uniform walk out of the alley: including Dumas, Rebecca and several musketeers.

JULES

One more ambush and we should have uniforms for everybody.

PHILEAS

All we need now is the Cardinal's orders.

They pass the seventeenth century version of Kinko's: a man with a desk hanging round his neck and a stack of quill pens stuck in his hat.

LETTER WRITER

Letters written! Love letters, threatening letters, obscene letters, anything you want.

DUMAS

      (Bringing out the Cardinal's plans for the chariot)
Anyone needs to check what the Cardinal's signature looks like?

EXT.  CARDINAL'S HEADQUARTERS - DAY

Tight on the guardsmen at the main entrance as a tall, imposing figure hands them a document.

IMPOSING FIGURE

Picardy Detachment reporting for duty.

The guard looks up at the newcomer - who also wears the uniform of a guardsman. It is Phileas Fogg.

PHILEAS

We're here to guard the Cardinal's chariot.

GUARD

I know nothing about this.

PHILEAS

Maybe you'd like to check with the Cardinal? He always likes the chance of a bit of chat with his men, I gather.

GUARD

      (Swallowing)
Go on in. Stairs to the right. Keep going down. A long way down.

Phileas and Jules glance at each other and march their little detachment in - through masses of heavily armed guards, standing at attention. Once they get in, getting out isn't going to be easy.

INT. RICHELIEU'S DUNGEONS - DAY

They stop at the top of the stairs leading down into the dungeons - and see the time machine.

D'ARTAGNAN

Is THAT what you came in?

REBECCA

The very same.

ARAMIS    (CONT'D)

Can you imagine what the Cardinal could do with that?

PORTHOS

I'm glad to say -  I can't.

DUMAS

Well you won't have to, Porthos old chap: we're taking it away from him before he has a chance.

PHILEAS

Come on - there's Passepartout.

AS they hurry down the steps they see Passepartout, with his head deep inside the machine's innards

REBECCA

Loaded down with chains though, poor fellow.

PHILEAS

Knowing his work habits, a reasonable precaution.

The musketeers fan out around the time machine as Phileas grasps Passepartout by the shoulder.

PHILEAS

Come on my lad - help is at hand.

Passepartout turns to him, his face streaked with oil, spanner in his hand. Far from being glad to see Phileas, he is horrified.

PASSEPARTOUT

Master!   No!

PHILEAS

There's nothing to worry about: we've brought the musketeers with us. They can hold the Cardinal's men off while we get this thing out of here.

RICHELIEU

Are you sure, Mr Fogg?

Fogg looks up to see Richelieu on the deck above him.

RICHELIEU (CONT'D)

How ingenious of you to infiltrate my domain. And how - unwise.

PHILEAS

Unwise? With these fellows? I don't think so.

And he pulls out a pistol and aims it at Richelieu as the musketeers point their swords at the Cardinal.

THE MUSKETEERS

En garde!

RICHELIEU

Oh well - if you insist.

And he whips aside his red robe to reveal - a huge rocket launcher.

RICHELIEU  (CONT'D)

En garde!

JULES

No!

DUMAS

What?

REBECCA

He's been to the future!

RICHELIEU

Such an inspiring place.

PASSEPARTOUT

I'm sorry Master.

RICHELIEU

Throw down your weapons!

D'ARTAGNAN

For you? Never!

RICHELIEU

Ah, D'Artagnan: always the impetuous one.

And as the wall behind D'Artagnan disintegrates the musketeer is flung into the air like a rag doll. PHILEAS' bullets simply bounces off Richelieu's body-armour.

RICHELIEU (CONT'D)

Wonderful stuff, kevlar.
      (Reloading the launcher)
Your manservant has been with me to the future, Monsieur Fogg. Tell them what you saw, peasant.

A haunted look comes over Passepartout's face.

PASSEPARTOUT

The world is one vast prison, Master -ruled over by the descendents of the Cardinal.

JULES

But how - how is that possible?

RICHELIEU

Like  this.

And his finger closes around the trigger on the rocket launcher - as Passepartout flings his spanner into the innards of the engine compartment.

The machine lurches, causing the rocket to smash through the into the sewers beneath instead of hitting its mark.

RICHELIEU (CONT'D)

You will regret that, peasant, for the rest of your miserable -

And then he and the time machine vanish.

PHILEAS

Good lord!

PORTHOS

Where did he go?

REBECCA

      (Helping the wounded D'Artagnan to his feet)
Never mind where he went - let's get out of here before he comes back.

Guardsmen appear at the top of the steps:

GUARDSMEN

Drop your weapons you dogs!

ATHOS

      (Pointing to the hole in the floor)
Get D'Artagnan out of here. We'll hold the guards off.

REBECCA

But -

ATHOS

We may not be a match for the Cardinal -but we can deal with his guards. Go on!

INT. SEWERS - DAY

At first there's no sound except the noise of running water and the squeak of rats - and then our heroes come hurrying along supporting D'Artagnan. As they come abreast of us, he collapses.

REBECCA

We have to rest.

PHILEAS

Minute or two.

They perch themselves against projections in the walls.

PHILEAS

Well done, Passepartout: quick thinking back there.

PASSEPARTOUT

It has saved us for a moment, Master, that is all. He'll be back: he'll win. There's nothing we can do.

JULES

This doesn't sound like you, Passepartout. I've never seen you play the pessimist.

PASSEPARTOUT

I've never been to the future before, my friend. I have seen his triumph: there's no stopping it. Look.

He fishes into this pocket and pulls out a page torn from a book. It is a seventeenth century woodcut showing the time machine in the middle of a circle of dignitaries - spewing rockets and machine gun bullets into the crowd. As Rebecca reads the caption D'Artagnan comes round.

REBECCA

Cardinal Richelieu consolidated his hold on France on April 23rd 1621 with a display of firepower such as the world had not then seen. Soon all Europe was in his grip - and he turned his sights on the New World.
      (To Passepartout) 
Where did you get this?

PASSEPARTOUT

I tore it out of a book for schools - in the twentieth century.

PHILEAS

He changed history!

DUMAS

We changed history, Fogg. We should never have come: this is all my fault.

JULES

Just a minute: what date is it today?

D ‘ARTAGNAN

      (Coming  to)
If you're thinking of warning the king it's too late: today IS the twenty third.

REBECCA

     (Indicating the woodcut)
So all this could all be happening right now.

JULES

And it could be just about to happen. At all costs we have to -

The noise of running feet and shouting men comes down the sewer tunnel towards them.

PHILEAS

Stay alive. Let's move.

And they hurry away into the darkness.

END OF ACT THREE

Continued on Page 4

top of page

Home, Introduction, Episodes, Catacombs, Chats, News, Links