MY NAME IS JAKE, PART 1

Originally Aired: September 4, 1998
Written by: Neal Shusterman and Jeffrey Vlaming
Directed by: Timothy Bond

Opens with Jake walking down the street.

JAKE V.O.:
My name is Jake. Half an hour ago, I was just a regular kid. Not any more. It's amazing how quickly your whole life can change.

Cut to Cyberia.

COMPUTER:
Congratulations warrior, you are now in the overlord atmosphere with 230,000 points. Please enter your name.

The name Jake is entered.

COMPUTER:
Scanning enemy overlords. Surge...

Cut to Marco, Jake and Homer. Jake is playing the game, Marco is standing next to him and Homer's just sitting there.

MARCO:
(Trying to push Jake out of the way) I'll make it to Magi.

JAKE:
Are you dreaming again Marco?

MARCO:
You dare me?

JAKE:
What do you think Homer?

Homer looks at the two and barks

MARCO:
See?

JAKE:
Alright, you're on, go.

Jake and Marco switch places. Cut to Tobias playing in a corner with two other kids looking over his shoulder.

COMPUTER:
Congratulations Wolf, you are now in the Magi atmosphere with 3,660,000 points.

Cut to Jake and Marco playing. Cut to the computer screen. Cut to Tobias playing again.

COMPUTER:
(buzzing) Alert! Alert! Please enter more coins. One minute playing time to go.

Tobias reaches into his pocket to get more coins, but turns up empty. Hits a key on the computer.

COMPUTER:
Mission failed.

KID:
Aren't you gonna see what happens next?

TOBIAS:
Later.

Tobias exits Cyberia bumping into Rachel and Cassie.

RACHEL:
(to Tobias) Oh hi. (To Jake and Marco) Hey guys.

JAKE:
Where have you been?

MARCO:
One word, sale.

Jake and Marco snicker.

RACHEL:
Excuse me, but I am captain of the gymnastics team. We had a meet. So, what have you been doing galactic warrior?

MARCO:
Shush! Shush!

COMPUTER:
Prepare...(computer then goes on the fritz)

Homer starts barking.

MARCO:
Hey! What's going on?

JAKE:
(laughing) You just got blown away.

MARCO:
(mimics Jake's laugh)

Homer starts to exit Cyberia.

JAKE:
Homer, no!

Homer runs out of there.

JAKE:
(running after Homer) Homer!

Rachel and Cassie start running after him.

MARCO:
Jake! We already paid for another 20 minutes! (Sighs and then runs after them).

Cut to the outside. Homer's in the lead with Jake, Rachel, Cassie and Marco after him.

JAKE:
Come on boy, let's go!

MARCO:
Looks like those obedience classes are paying off.

CASSIE:
What's up with him anyway?

JAKE:
I don't know, but we gotta get him back.

Cut to Tobias walking down a empty street.

Cut to Jake and the others chasing Homer.

JAKE:
Homer, where are you going?

CASSIE:
Homer!

Cut to Tobias again.

Cut to Jake and the others.

JAKE:
Homer! Come here! Homer stop! This isn't funny!

Homer pays no attention. Barking he runs and sneaks into a fenced in area.

Cut to Tobias. He also enters a fenced in area through a hole that seems to have been used before.

Cut back to Homer and the others. Homer manages to squeeze into a opening in the fence before Jake and the others can get him.

CASSIE:
What's he want there? Homer!

Homer runs towards what looks like a factory.

The others are now walking along the fence looking for an opening.

MARCO:
This place creeps me out.

CASSIE:
Hey guys, it's getting late.

They finally find an opening and get in.

Fade into the factory at night. They are still looking for Homer.

CASSIE:
We've looked everywhere. He's not here.

JAKE:
We've got to find him. Come on Homer! Come on!

RACHEL:
Homer!

CASSIE:
Homer!

JAKE:
Come on boy! Over here!

RACHEL:
Homer!

Mixed voices all calling for Homer.

JAKE:
Do you see him?

CASSIE:
No.

MARCO:
Nah man. Yo Homer! Homer!

Everyone starts calling for Homer again.

CASSIE:
Hey! He's over here.

Pan to Tobias and Homer just standing there.

CASSIE:
He seems okay now.

JAKE:
(to Tobias) Hey. Thanks.

TOBIAS:
Sure.

JAKE:
Come here Homer. Come on.

Homer, being a good dog now, goes to Jake.

JAKE:
Good boy.

RACHEL:
(walking towards Tobias) You're new around here, right?

TOBIAS:
(pointing at the sky) Look.

Everyone looks at where Tobias is pointing. It's a UFO.

CASSIE:
Whoa.

MARCO:
Look at that!

RACHEL:
Too weird.

JAKE:
Come on.

Everyone follows him and runs towards where the UFO seems to be aiming towards.
Cut to the ship sort of crash landing.

JAKE:
Let's go.

MARCO:
Whoa. (Stopping Jake) I don't think so.

CASSIE:
What if someone's hurt?

RACHEL:
She's right. I'm in.

Rachel goes, and everyone follows.

MARCO:
Huh? You're insane. (Tries to stop Tobias, but he goes as well. Marco sighs) Alright, wait up.

Cut to all of them running to where the ship has landed. The door glows and opens. Everyone's staring at it. Homer is barking. And out steps... an Andalite.

JAKE:
There's something coming out.

MARCO:
Uh-huh. This is the part where we hide amigo.

Everyone goes and hides behind a box of crates. The andalite continues to walk down the plank.

RACHEL:
What is it?

MARCO:
I don't know, but it's definitely not from my ‘hood.

As everyone is watching the alien collapses. Cassie immediately gets up to go help it.

JAKE:
(stopping Cassie) What are you doing?

CASSIE:
It looks like it's hurt!

MARCO:
Yeah, so?

RACHEL:
So we have to help it.

MARCO:
What if it's like, radioactive or something?

RACHEL:
Oh please.

Rachel and Cassie go to help. Tobias and Jake follow. Homer starts to bark again.

JAKE:
(to Homer) Stay.

MARCO:
(getting up to follow the others) Oh sure. The dog gets to stay.

They all walk slowly towards the alien.

RACHEL:
Maybe we should try talking to it.

MARCO:
Yeah. Just let me get out my Alien/English dictionary.

ELFANGOR:
Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm.

JAKE:
Where did that come from?

MARCO:
I heard it, but I didn't hear it.

TOBIAS:
I heard it. In my head.

CASSIE:
We all heard it.

ELFANGOR:
I'm speaking to you in thoughts. (Groaning)

CASSIE:
You're hurt. We can help you.

ELFANGOR:
I am Elfangor of the Andalite world. I've come.. (groans).

CASSIE:
Jake give me you're shirt. He's wounded. (Jake takes off his jacket and gives it Cassie).

ELFANGOR:
There's nothing you can do for me.

RACHEL:
It's going to be okay. Cassie knows a lot about animals.

MARCO:
Way to insult the guy Rach.

ELFANGOR:
The wound is fatal. I will die. But there will be others.

JAKE:
Others?

ELFANGOR:
Unlike me, they have come to destory you. There is no time for fear. You must help your world. But you must protect yourself from the yeerks.

MARCO:
The what?

ELFANGOR:
The yeerks, they are... (holds up his hand, and there is a flash. They seems to be seeing and hearing all this now.) The yeerks are parasites. They must have a host to live in. On earth their hosts are humans. They enter your brain and take over your thoughts and feelings. These hosts are called controllers. They can be anyone, your family, your friends. Earth is their next target. (Groans again and the connection is broken.)

MARCO:
Wait a second, you're telling me some slimy alien slug can crawl into our brains and take over our minds?

RACHEL:
And control us?

ELFANGOR:
Yes. There is no time for questions. I must do what I can do for you. I have no choice. I can give you a way to fight the yeerks. (Whips out a glowing blue cube.) Each of you must touch one side of the cube.

MARCO:
I'm not touching that.

ELFANGOR:
If you don't then everything that you love will be destroyed... your brothers, your sisters, your parents..

JAKE:
Rachel, I don't know.

RACHEL:
You heard him. We have no choice.

MARCO:
Man this is insane.

Everyone touches a side of the cube. Except Tobias.

ELFANGOR:
This gift is for you too Tobias.

TOBIAS:
How do you know my name?

ELFANGOR:
Hurry.

Tobias touches a side of the cube as well. Homer is barking at something.

JAKE:
Now what? Something's wrong.

Suddenly they all pull away from the cube.

ELFANGOR:
It is done. The power of change is in your flesh.

JAKE:
Change? What kind of change?

ELFANGOR:
You need only to touch a creature to acquire it's DNA pattern and change your form.

RACHEL:
Change our form?

CASSIE:
You mean we can change into animals?

ELFANGOR:
Exactly. You can become any animal you touch and acquire. But remember, when you change you must return to your human form within two earth hours.

TOBIAS:
Why? What happens after two hours?

ELFANGOR:
You will be trapped in that animal form forever.

Another ship lands. Homer is barking up a storm.

RACHEL:
What's happening?

ELFANGOR:
Visser three is here.

MARCO:
What's a visser three?

ELFANGOR:
You must go. Go! Your lives are more important than mine now. Go! Go! Tobias! (Tobias stops and turns). Guard this Tobias, with your heart and your soul. (He throws something to Tobias, but it completely shoots past him. Tobias starts to try to get it, but Rachel drags him away.)

RACHEL:
Tobias, come on.

TOBIAS:
I have to get it.

They are all hiding behind the boxes, as the door to the other ship opens and out steps another Andalite.

JAKE:
It's another one.

CASSIE:
No, this one's different.

MARCO:
I'm guessing that's Visser Three.

VISSER 3:
Prince Elfangor. What an honor it is to be in the presence a legend. (Laughs evilly) You managed to trick quite a few of our fighters.

ELFANGOR:
Visser Three.

VISSER 3:
Yes, I have taken one of your Andalite bodies as my host. Your Andalite morphing technology has been so very useful to me.

ELFANGOR:
No matter how many bodies you steal, you will not win this war. We will fight you.

VISSER 3:
You and your Andalite army are fighting on too many fronts. Your forces are spread too thin. This world will soon be ours.

ELFANGOR:
Why earth? Why these people?

VISSER 3:
Because there are so many, and they are so weak. Our army will be a billion strong. And then I promise you one thing Elfangor. I will return to your world and personally oversee the infestation of your entire family. I hope they resist so that I can hear their minds scream.

Visser 3 cackles and starts morphing. Pans to a wall. We see his shadow become something large and deadly. The others watch in horror.

ELFANGOR:
You will not take me. There will be others.

(On the closed captioning however, it reads: Remember me... friends..)

On the wall we see the shadow of Elfangor being picked up and eaten by Visser three.

RACHEL:
No!

MAN:
Hey, you there!

RACHEL:
They've seen us!

The others get up and start running. A man is using a flash light looking for them

MAN:
Over there. (Directs another guy to where Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Marco, Cassie and Homer have run)

Cut to controllers looking for them. Back to man.

MAN:
(to a woman next to him) Tell Visser Three we have a problem.

WOMAN:
Okay.

Controllers are yelling directions to search.

MAN:
(to a man passing by) Release the Hork-Bajir.

Cut to the others running away.

JAKE:
Come on Homer, let's go.

Cassie is running and trips on bunch of wires and is caught. She yelps and there is a screeching heard.

MARCO:
What's that?

Cut to the Hork-Bajir. Back to Jake and Marco.

JAKE:
Hang around and find out?

MARCO:
No thanks. I'll read the book.

TOBIAS:
Cassie's stuck.

Jake decides to distract the Hork-Bajir.

JAKE:
Hey, hey! Over here! Hey stupid! Over here!

RACHEL:
Jake, no!

JAKE:
Come on! I'm right here.

While the others escape, Jake leads the Hork-Bajir away. We see the Hork-Bajir's viewpoint of chasing Jake.

Cut to the Controllers. A man is yelling the directions each should go. Cut back to the Hork-Bajir's viewpoint of chasing Jake. Cut to the controllers. Cut to Jake, the Hork-Bajir reaches out to slice Jake but only shreds his shirt. Jake crawls into a large tube, but discovers he's trapped.

JAKE:
Great. (He holes himself up hoping no one looks in)

Cut to the Hork-Bajir screeching outside. Cut back to Jake who sees a shadow coming towards the tube. The shadow turns out to be.... Homer!

JAKE:
Homer! Homer, come here! Come on, come here boy, come on.

Cut to outside the tube. The controllers are still looking for them.

MAN:
Keep looking they have to be somewhere.

ANOTHER MAN:
We lost them in the woods.

MAN:
Then go after them.

MAN #3:
One of them is still here. Track him down or answer to Visser Three. Incompetence.

The man stops in front of the tube Jake is hiding in and looks around. He wipes his shoe on the back of his pants leg.

YET ANOTHER MAN:
Over here! I think I see something. (Man #3 leaves).

Hork-Bajir walks past the tube.

JAKE:
I need your help Homer. (Puts his hand on Homer's head and begins to acquire him)

Jake closes his eyes and starts to concentrate on morphing. The real Homer lies down and watches as Jake turns into a dog. The Controllers come back and Homer and Jake (as Homer) run out of the tube. Jake grabs the flashlight of a controller and takes off.

VISSER 3:
Did you find them?

MAN:
No sir, just a couple of dogs.

VISSER 3:
Get those dogs you fool. They might be andalites.

Cut to the two Homers running away. Fade into the next day at school. Cut to the lunchroom. Cassie, Marco and Rachel and sitting and talking.

CASSIE:
Last night, when I got home and I called Jake. He didn't answer.

RACHEL:
He's smart. He'll show up.

Cut to the door of the cafeteria. It opens and Tobias enters. Rachel sees him and stands up.

RACHEL:
Hey Tobias!

Marco turns around and signals for Tobias to come join them. Tobias joins the group.

MARCO:
You know.. funniest thing happened to me last night. Some blue dude with four legs put me and a few other idiots in charge of saving the world.

RACHEL:
Quiet. You want somebody to hear you?

CASSIE:
What happened if that thing got him?

Jake walks up and drops his tray on the table startling everyone.

JAKE:
It didn't. Listen. I did it. I mean it works. I became Homer last night. That's how I got away.

MARCO:
No way. You're serious?

JAKE:
It was so bizarre. I was trapped. I had no other choice and I remembered what the alien said, so I put my hand on Homer and I started concentrating. All of the sudden I started.. mutating.. I could hear my bones crunching and twisting. I watched my palms become paws. I became my dog.

RACHEL:
You were Homer?

JAKE:
Actually a copy. I mean Homer was there too.

MARCO:
Did it hurt?

JAKE:
No, not really. It's hard to explain. At first I didn't know what I was. I could hear everything.. and the smells.. You don't believe me do you?

MARCO:
No, we do. (Everyone nods) I mean... It's just.. it's just too weird. No.. beyond too weird.

RACHEL:
Way beyond.

JAKE:
I swear. It's true. I mean I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream. But it's not, what we saw last night was real. It happened right?

CASSIE:
Yeah.

JAKE:
It happened.

MARCO:
So now what? We save the world? Can we eat first? (Everyone laughs)

RACHEL:
No kidding. What do we do? Where do we start?

MARCO:
How ‘bout that blue dude? You know, the nice one?

TOBIAS:
Elfangor.

JAKE:
Yeah, he tried to give you something.

RACHEL:
What was it?

TOBIAS:
It looked like some kind of disk or something. Its gotta be important. He said to guard it with my heart and my soul.

RACHEL:
He knew your name. How come?

TOBIAS:
Like I know? He's probably telepathic or something.

CASSIE:
But that disk... I mean it's gotta be able to help us somehow.

JAKE:
We gotta get it back.

MARCO:
Are you kidding me? (Everyone shushes Marco) They practically got us on the FBI's ten most wanted list. Didn't you hear the news?

JAKE:
Yeah, they're looking for some kids who set off fireworks.

RACHEL:
Fireworks? Now that's a laugh.

CASSIE:
I mean they're lying. Maybe they've got yeerks in their heads.

MARCO:
That means the yeerks could be anywhere.

A bunch of kids suddenly bump into the table.

RACHEL:
If they saw our faces, they would have caught us by now.

JAKE:
We can't talk here. Anyone could be one of them.

CASSIE:
A controller.

Cutting to various faces around the cafeteria.

CHAPMAN:
Is anyone going to rein in this chaos or do I have to do everything myself?

TEACHER:
I'm sorry Mr. Chapman.

CHAPMAN:
Incompetence. (Rubs shoe on the back of his pants leg)

Jake is watching and has a flashback of last night.

JAKE:
Guys, come here. (They huddle together) From now on, we just talk to each other. Trust no one. Principal Chapman's a controller.

Camera pans out over the cafeteria.

JAKE V.O.:
Five of us against an army of alien slugs, and anyone could be one of them.

© Scholastic Entertainment / Transcript by Pam