Bender’s pet

 

 

SCENE 1: Jupiter Orbit

 

The ship arrives and establishes an orbit around the planet.

Control room pilot steers the craft as PA system announces the arrival and calls for personnel to get to their work stations

Camera moves through the interior until it comes to Kelly, who is near the air lock, looks around nervously, and then though the airlock window at the Bender’s Pet trapped inside.

He laughs and then moves off, bumps into the panel, and moves on, not noticing that he has hit the release button

 -- a shot from outside the ship shows the creature flying out.

 

SCENE 2: inside the ship

 

A figure in a space suit moves through the interior of the ship, calling out his pet’s name, and then passes a port hole and sees the pet outside in space. He heads to the air lock, and goes outside

 Exterior shot shows him coming out into space

 A close shot shows his space suit getting caught on a jutting piece of equipment and tears

A gush of air sounds and the spaceman flies off end over end

 

 

SCENE 3: inside ship

 

KELLY is lying on his bunk when announcement comes that he should report to the bridge.

He rises and then travels through the space ship and arrives on the bridge

 

KELLY:

            Did you send for me, Cap’n

 

CAPTAIN:

            You bet I did!

            Did you dump Bender’s pet into the airlock?

 

KELLY:

            Aye, Cap’n

            But it was only a practical joke.

 

CAPTAIN:

            What kind of joke?

 

KELLY:

            The little beast was stinking up the place

            I wanted to send Bender a message about cleaning up after it.

 

CAPTAIN:

            Well, that little beast got ejected into space

 

KELLY:

            I never meant for that to happen, Cap’n

            You gotta believe that.

            We all know how attached Bender is to that beast.

 

CAPTAIN:

            More attached than you know

            Bender went out after it.

            He caught his suit on the stabilizer.

            He’s dead.

 

KELLY:

            Dead?

            Now that IS a real tragedy, Cap’n.

            There’s not mistaken that.

 

CAPTAIN:

            That’s only half of it, Mr. Kelly.

            The stabilizer is damaged.

            We’re stranded here until you go out and fix it.

 

KELLY:

            Me, Cap’n?

            Go out there?

            Alone?

 

CAPTAIN:

            You made the mess; you clean it up

 

KELLY:

            Normally, I would agree that a man should clean up the messes he makes

            But this time it’s different

 

CAPTAIN:

            How so, Mr. Kelly?

 

KELLY:

            Because I’m scared for my life, Cap’n.

 

CAPTAIN:

            If you’re worried about tearing your suit like Bender did, it’s not a problem.

            We halted the ship’s rotation so you can make the repair.

 

KELLY:

            It’s not that, Cap’n.

 

CAPTAIN:

            Then what is it?

 

KELLY:

            It’s Bender’s pet

            It’s still out there

            And I know it’ll be waiting for me.