Pet Tamers, Episode 4

I realize that I have a tendency to dramatize, so taking everything back into a comedic route...

PET TAMERS

EPISODE 4: Call of Duty

FADE IN to the BLACK HOUSE. The TWO GANGSTERS from the last episode show up.

GANGSTER 1: All right. I'll do the talking.

GANGSTER 2: And I'll hold the guns.

GANGSTER 1: Ha ha. No. You'll back me up, in case something goes wrong.

GANGSTER 2: Right.

GANGSTER 1 walks up to the door and knocks. No response. GANGSTER 1 knocks again, and the door swings open. A BLACK-COATED GANGSTER ushers them in.

GANGSTER 1: Where's the leader? We've got some...

The BLACK-COATED GANGSTER and ANOTHER simultaneously grab GANGSTERS 1 and 2, gag them, bind their hands, and throw them to the ground.

B-C GANGSTER: Sorry, folks, we're about to take a trip.

ANOTHER: But you're welcome to stay and make yourselves comfortable. Heh heh heh.

(ANOTHER lights up a cigarette, to show us he's evil)

ANOTHER: Take them upstairs. Throw them in with the girl. We'll deal with them after our raid.

(B-C GANGSTER drags the men upstairs, while SEVERAL OTHER THUGS carrying guns and duffel bags join ANOTHER)

ANOTHER: Come on. We've got a GREEN PEACEFUL INDUSTRY to terrorize!

(The BLACK-COATED GANGSTERS run out the door and pile into their truck. They hide off, laughing hideously)

CUT to one of the kids' homes. We still don't care whose.

JASON: I checked her home and asked everyone. No one knows where she is.

SHANA: I last saw her talking with her friend Chelsea.

CHRIS: You think she got kidnapped?

JASON: Let's not jump to conclusions. Maggie is too tough to get kidnapped so easily.

CHRIS: That's how these things always turn out. I mean, she's pretty. She's smart. There's probably some guy who's picked her off the street, drove her off to some abandoned mine, and then...

JASON: Let's not get gruesome, here.

PETE (beeping coming from his handheld, which so happens to be a wireless communicator): I've got a message from Chelsea.

JASON: You do? What's she say?

PETE: She says she's trying to get in touch with Maggie, and if she found her cat along the school.

JASON: Her cat! So that's what she's up to. I met with her before class, and she said she brought her cat to school. I bet she lost it and now she's looking for it.

CHRIS: I think you're the one who's jumping to conclusions now.

JASON: We'd better go check around the school and find her cat. Wherever her cat is, she'll be there too.

(as everyone rushes to the door) CHRIS: How come everyone listens to you, but not me?

CUT back to the BLACK HOUSE. ZOOM into the attic.

MAGGIE is gagged and tied to a chair. GANGSTERS 1 and 2 are gagged and tied back-to-back to chairs. LUCY is in a cage on top of a small table.

(LUCY mews pitifully)

(MAGGIE mutters loudly at LUCY under the gag)

(LUCY leaps against the cage, causing the table to tip slightly)

(MAGGIE gets unoriginal idea, mutters loudly again at LUCY)

(LUCY bangs again against the cage, and the table rocks precariously)

(MAGGIE jiggles her head excitedly as dramatic music swells)

(LUCY jumps against the cage, the table tips over, and the cage smashes open as it hits the ground)

(GANGSTER 1 snores)

CUT to outside the BLACK HOUSE. JASON, CHRIS, SHANA, and PETE are walking along the sidewalk.

CHRIS: Shouldn't we split up so we can cover more ground?

JASON: No. I am certain we will find her more easily if we all work together.

CHRIS: There's "working together", and there's "walking together". One is not necessarily the other.

SHANA: Look up there! (pointing to the window of the BLACK HOUSE, where LUCY is sitting)

JASON: It's Maggie's cat! Maggie must be inside that building!

(everyone but CHRIS rushes to the door)

CHRIS: Wait, you're not just going to run in, are you?

(JASON, SHANA and PETE throw open the door and run in)

HIDDEN GANGSTER (jumps out and blocks the stairs): Hey! Where do you think you kids are going?

JASON: Uh oh... you guys have a plan?

(PETE lights up, reaches into his backpack, and pulls out his hamster BALDWIN. PETE pulls out his whistle, blows, and BALDWIN TRANSFORMS into a BEAR)

HIDDEN: What the... Aaaah!! (as BALDWIN growls and leaps onto him)

JASON (To PETE): Pete! Take care of him while Shana and I go upstairs!

PETE (watching an offscreen BALDWIN): Yeah! Oh! Ughh! Ooh! Whoa! Awesome!

(JASON and SHANA rush upstairs to the attic and throw open the door)

JASON: Maggie! Thank goodness!

(Both GANGSTERS look up in surprise and make muffled shouts)

JASON (as he ungags MAGGIE): Are you okay, Maggie? Tell us what happened!

MAGGIE (gasps): I'm fine. I was looking for Lucy (she picks up LUCY), and I saw her go in. But then these gangsters grabbed me and threw me up here.

JASON: Let's get out of here before they come back!

MAGGIE: Well, I heard them say they were going out to Green Peaceful Industries, and that's on the other side of town, so we'll probably have...

JASON: Green Peaceful Industries? They're the most eco-friendly company in the entire city! We have to save them!

SHANA: We do?

MAGGIE: Yeah, should we? This isn't really part of our business. I found Lucy, you saved me, why don't we just head home?

JASON: Remember what the old man told us? We have been given a mission to save the world. We have to do whatever we can to help. Even if it means crossing the entire city.

MAGGIE: Crossing the city is not the main issue. They left half an hour ago in a car. How could we catch up with them on foot?

JASON (ponders): Hmmm.

(The two GANGSTERS pound against their seats)

JASON: Shana, how much weight do you think your bird could carry?

SHANA: What do you mean?

JASON: Let's hurry out and I'll explain. Hurry!

(JASON, MAGGIE, and SHANA run out)

GANGSTERS: Mmffhhh-mmhhh!!

CUT to the exterior of GREEN PEACEFUL INDUSTRIES. The gang's pickup-truck drives up.

ANOTHER: All right, guys. Let's start vandalizing!

B-C GANGSTER: How do we do that?

ANOTHER: You know. Spray-paint the walls, axe the cars... (pulls up a beer bottle with a rag through the neck) Torch the building to the ground!

(GANGSTERS laugh devilishly)

CUT to the SKY. CHEE is flying, largely than was seen in the last episode. JASON is riding CHEE by her talons, hanging on with one hand. JASON holds LUCY, BALDWIN, and CHRIS'S LIZARD in the other hand.

CLOSEUP on JASON'S HEAD.

JASON'S VOICE (echoing): Chee can only carry one of us. I have to do it myself.

CHRIS'S VOICE (echoing): Fine. This was your crazy idea anyway.

JASON'S VOICE (echoing): Quiet! You're ruining my internal monologue!

PAN to behind CHEE and JASON. The GREEN PEACEFUL INDUSTRIES building looms ahead.

CUT to the INDUSTRIES exterior. The gangsters light their bottles. But then...

RANDOM BLACK COAT (pointing and with a deep drawling voice): 'Ey, what's that?

As CHEE flies overhead, JASON pulls up a whistle, releases LUCY and blows it. Unfortunately, it was not Lucy's whistle, but Chris's whistle. CHRIS'S LIZARD TRANSFORMS INTO DINOSAUR.

SAME RANDOM BLACK COAT: Aa- (gets flattened by DINOSAUR'S foot)

CUT to DINOSAUR'S BACK. CHEE and JASON have been flattened against its back, but they are still perfectly okay. Just to show it, JASON gets up and slides down DINOSAUR'S back.

JASON: Get 'em, Chris's dinosaur!

B-C GANGSTER: Wh--who is that kid? Get 'em!

THUGS run up behind JASON. But JASON flashes his eyes in their direction, pulls up Lucy's real whistle, and blows. LUCY, who is also perfectly okay even though we did not see her land, TRANSFORMS INTO PANTHER. LUCY leaps up and takes the THUGS out.

MORE THUGS (throwing the lighted bottles): Heh heh heh!

JASON: Chee! Grab those bottles!

CHEE leaps off DINOSAUR'S back and flies to the bottles. CHEE grabs the nearest bottle and flings it back, then grabs another bottle and flings it back, et cetera.

The flaming bottles land near the GANGSTERS, who make appropriate brutish cries of despair. One of the bottles hits the truck, and it spontaneously bursts into flames.

The GANGSTERS scatter in panic.

B-C GANGSTER (defiantly screaming): Come back here, cowards! We're not finished yet!

(ANOTHER tries to sneak up on JASON, but DINOSAUR's tail flicks him away)

B-C GANGSTER (to JASON): You! Boy!

(JASON turns dramatically to B-C)

B-C GANGSTER: This won't be the end of it! My men will be back! We will find you! And we will fatally destroy you!

(LUCY stands, poised, glaring at B-C. But BALDWIN hasn't fought yet, so JASON pulls up BALDWIN'S whistle, blows, and in a flash of light BALDWIN becomes a bear and leaps on B-C)

(JASON stands, surveying the damage. Thugs litter the area, but all bloodlessly and without any visible carnage. GREEN PEACEFUL INDUSTRIES is untouched)

(DINOSAUR, LUCY, and BALDWIN revert to their normal pet selves. JASON scoops them up.)

(As the dramatic music swells, police sirens blare in the distance. JASON looks up to CHEE, who is still a giant falcon)

JASON: Come on, Chee. Let's go home.

(JASON grabs CHEE and takes off, while the police cars file into the parking lot. JASON and CHEE ride into sunset, dramatic music hits its climax, fade to credits)

And that is where we end. The fate of those two other GANGSTERS is left completely unresolved. Until next episode...