We open on the surface of a huge asteroid. We can see a lunar lander-type spacecraft parked on the surface and a few astronauts near the lander’s crew ladder.
SFX: Breathing noises from the astronaut’s helmets.
We cut to a view on the surface of the asteroid, a few feet from the mission commander. He pauses near the bottom of the ladder. We glimpse the legs of another astronaut as she climbs the ladder and we can clearly see into the commander’s helmet as he looks at something in the distance behind and above us.
SFX: Beeping “transmit” sound, occurs at the beginning and end of each line of dialogue
COMMANDER: Houston, this is Capricorn. We have placed the warheads and we’re about to launch. You’ll be able to blow this thing in a couple of minutes.
HOUSTON: (offscreen, slight static from radio transmission) Ah, Capricorn, we’re going to need you to stand by a minute. The President and Congress are debating exactly when we should act. Might be awhile before they decide, so sit tight.
COMMANDER: (angry) What? Do they know what we’ve got up here? We have to do this right now or it will be the end of everything! A five year old could figure this out!
HOUSTON: (terse) Stand by, Capricorn. They promise they’ll get to it.
The commander stands for a moment, staring, mouth hanging open.
FEMALE ASTRONAUT: (offscreen) My God, Chuck, you don’t think…
We see the commander’s perplexed expression as he begins to give her his answer. As he speaks, we turn and rise until we see the lander, both astronauts and what they are seeing: The Earth is filling the sky above the asteroid’s horizon, perhaps only minutes away at the asteroid’s speed. North America is visible.
COMMANDER: I don’t know…I don’t know if we have enough time. [Pause] No more time…
Cut to a black title card. White supers come up on it in sequence.
SUPER: America’s national debt is now 14.5 trillion dollars and climbing.
SUPER: If we don’t deal with it, it will cause the extinction of our economy.
SUPER: All they’ve done in Washington is fight over how to make it bigger.
SUPER: The question is, can we turn it around in time?
FVO: End The Debt Coalition is responsible for this message.
Accurate Impressions 