THE ALIEN

Originally Aired: October 23, 1998
Written by: Marc Scott Zicree
Directed by: Don McCutcheon

At a movie, Marco, Jake and Ax sit and watch.

AX:
I did not understand the plot of that story. (starts to stand up but Jake stops him)

JAKE:
It’s just the preview, Ax.

MARCO:
Yeah. They’re not supposed to make sense. Just blow stuff up.

AX:
It did that very well.

Marco nods in agreement and Jake smiles.

JAKE:
Okay, now here’s the real movie. I checked the running time. It’s about an hour and a half so you should be okay.

MARCO:
You’ll like it Ax. It’s sci-fi.

AX:
What is sci-fi?

MARCO:
Sort of like real life lately.

AX:
Thank you for taking me to your human entertainment, Prince Jake.

JAKE:
You’re welcome, but just, cut out the ‘Prince Jake’ stuff. The more you see how people live, the better you’ll fit in.

AX:
I’m getting quite good at fitting in.

MARCO:
Yeah... like my dad at a rave.

AX:
A joke. I see. (starts laughing in a high-pitched, nasal sound)

AUDIENCE:
Shh!

MARCO:
Have some popcorn.

Ax tastes it hesitantly.

AX:
This is excellent.

JAKE:
Shh!

Ax grabs the box of popcorn.

MARCO:
Take it.

JAKE:
Don’t get carried away.

Ax eats the popcorn and begins to eat the box.

MARCO:
Ax, Ax, not the box. Not the... watch the movie, huh? Just watch the movie.

Ax pours all the popcorn into his mouth. Then he crawls on the floor, eating the popcorn from it. He comes to a man who becomes frightened and puts his legs in the seat. Ax backs away.

JAKE:
(not noticing Ax is missing) Pretty cheesy stuff, huh, Ax?

Marco smiles. Ax climbs next to a boy with his mother and peeks over the seats at a scene in the movie with an alien and a spaceship. Suddenly, two antennas begin to rise out of his forehead. Jake and Marco turn to where Ax was sitting and notice he’s gone.

JAKE:
Ax?

The boy sees Ax and begins screaming. His antennas shrink down. Jake and Marco follow the screams and see Ax. They run towards the boy while his mother glares at Ax. Jake and Marco come behind Ax and Jake pats him on the back.

MARCO:
It’s PG-13. He’s really too little.

They all walk out of the theater.

THEME

Outside the theater:

JAKE:
All right, what happened in there?

AX:
I forgot for a moment where I was. I saw that planet...

Jake sighs and Marco hands Ax a napkin. Ax has chocolate all over his mouth.

JAKE:
What?

Jake and Marco begin to pick popcorn out of Ax’s hair.

AX:
It doesn’t matter. I was wrong.

JAKE:
It reminded you of home. Ax, it’s okay to be homesick. It’s only human.

They begin walking.

AX:
I guess I’d better not go to anymore movies. (he walks off behind Marco and Jake)

MARCO:
He... he might have a good point there. (pointing back to the theater)

JAKE:
You know, when I was 10, I was homesick. It was at camp. It was only 20 miles away. He’s 200 light years. (they both look back at Ax then forward)

AX:
(thinking) They want to be my friends. (flashbacks of Marco and Jake in the theater) I know that. But I have been told never to open myself to other species. Never tell our race’s terrible secrets. Elfangor, I wish you were here.

MARCO:
Hey, we’ve given him popcorn, taken him to the mall. I feel sorry for the blue dude, too but, I mean, what else could we do?

JAKE:
He misses his family. I think we should let him hang out with ours. You know, so he feels like he belongs.

MARCO:
Uh, he’s pretty weird, Jake.

JAKE:
Adults expect teenagers to be weird. We’ll watch him. (they both look back at Ax) Closely, okay?

MARCO:
Who draws short straw?

JAKE:
Well, Cassie’s at that Save the Animal thing and Rachel’s with her.

MARCO:
Tobias lives in a tree. You know, I hate to say it, but we’re pretty weird, too, man.

JAKE:
I don’t think we should risk Ax being anywhere near Tom again.

MARCO:
So...

JAKE:
So. (Pats Marco on the back and puts his arm around his shoulders)

MARCO:
Aww, man.

Marco, Jake and Ax all walk into Marco’s house and take off their coats.

Ax immediately takes notice of a bowl of wax fruit on a coffee table. He picks up an apple and begins to bite into it. Marco stops him.

MARCO:
Ax, Ax... remember, no wax fruit, no cardboard. Nothing in this room is edible. Got that?

Marco walks over to a table and opens a drawer where a picture of a woman is.

AX:
Who’s that?

MARCO:
(puts apple in drawer and picks up picture) That’s my mom. You hang a picture on the wall and after a while you stop seeing it. (he looks at the picture sadly) But every time I open the drawer... (he puts the picture back)

AX:
I like that.

JAKE:
You have a big family at home, Ax?

AX:
My f-- there’s nothing to tell, really.

A middle-aged man walks in. Marco’s father.

DAD:
Hey Marco. Must have been a pretty short movie.

MARCO:
We got all the excitement we could stand.

DAD:
(shakes Jake’s hand) Jake, good to see ya. Good.

JAKE:
How ya doin’?

DAD:
And this is?

MARCO:
Uh... ah... (looks to Jake for help) mmm... Max! Jake and Rachel’s cousin.

JAKE:
He’s from out of state.

DAD:
Oh. Well, mi casa es su casa.

AX:
Ah! Spanish. Another of your human languages.

They all look at each other. Marco puts his arm around Ax’s shoulders.

MARCO:
Max watches a little too much Star Trek, Dad.

DAD:
Oh. (laughs)

AX:
I smell something... peculiar.

DAD:
Well what’s peculiar is that I’m cooking. Usually Marco does the honors. (walks into the kitchen)

JAKE:
When he asks, say you ate earlier. You’re not hungry.

AX:
Yes, Prince Jake.

JAKE:
(sighs) Just Jake.

Marco’s dad hums softly as he spoons a large bowl of chili.

DAD:
Jalepeño corn bread, fruit and the Chili of Doom.

He walks out of the kitchen. Ax moves forward, with Marco and Jake following.

DAD:
I use Habenero chilis. The hottest substance known to man.

AX:
Not as hot as the temperature created during nuclear fusion.

Marco elbows Ax in the stomach, causing Ax to grunt.

MARCO:
Max already ate. In fact, we all did.

DAD:
Nah-uh. You’re not getting out of it that easy. Everybody gets a bowl.

Marco and Jake look at each other.

AX:
I have been told not to.

DAD:
Tell me Max, are you a man... or a mouse? (holds up a spoonful of chili)

AX:
Well, I’ve been both actually.

Marco’s dad cracks up laughing. Marco and Jake laugh along.

DAD:
Come on, go for it. Go on!

Ax tastes the chili. At first, he gasps.

AX:
(high-pitched voice) This is a wonderful food!

Marco’s dad laughs as Ax puts spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. As Ax finishes off the last of the chili, Marco’s dad, Jake and Marco, all having small empty bowls of once filled chili, stare in disbelief.

DAD:
You’re welcome for dinner anytime, Max.

There’s an electronic beeping.

DAD:
Oh, excuse me. I’ve been waiting for this.

He stands up, walks over to a computer and sits down in front of it. Then he starts typing. Ax begins to lick the bowl but Marco stops him.

MARCO:
No. (hands Ax a napkin)

Ax stands up and goes over to where Marco’s dad is sitting. Jake and Marco follow.

DAD:
Yes! Not bad, Handley.

MARCO:
Dad and Dr. Handley are setting up the radio telescope on Coneg Hill.

AX:
I’ve seen that structure.

DAD:
It’s state of the art. Monday, we finish inputting this data into the observatory.

AX:
(points to screen) This is a good start. (Marco and Jake smile at each other) Much could be done with this.

DAD:
That’s what we think too. (types in a set of numbers) Now, end of shop-talk. Who’s up for ice cream?

AX:
I must go. (gets his coat) I’ll have to take a snow check.

MARCO:
That’s- that’s rain check.

AX:
Yes. Good night.

DAD:
Strange kid. Nice, though. Funny. (laughs). Oh that’s more for you guys. (walks into kitchen)

MARCO:
Ax turning down food.

JAKE:
After he saw those numbers. He never really tells us anything about himself.

MARCO:
Oh, what’s to tell. I mean, the guy’s blue. He’s from outer space.

JAKE:
Come on, let’s go.

Marco and Jake get their coats and rush out the door. Marco’s dad comes out with three bowls of ice cream on a tray.

DAD:
And...voila! Marco? Jake?

At Coneg Hill, Ax stands below a sign that says ‘Closed.’ He walks toward a door and you can hear the sounds of bones crunching. Marco and Jake run behind him making sure not to be seen.

MARCO:
Where is he?

JAKE:
Look. (points to the ground where there are several pairs of footprints: one human, one alien, and several of a small animal. The footprints lead into a grate in the door)

MARCO:
It’s lizard time?

Jake nods. They both stand against the wall as they both morph, then sneak into the building. In their human form, they climb some stairs where a large telescope is.

MARCO:
What would my dad say if he found us...

JAKE:
Shh!

MARCO:
So what’s the deal? Why are we here?

JAKE:
I don’t know yet...come on.

They walk into a control room where they see Ax through a window in his alien form. They duck down. Ax is typing out the numbers he saw.

AX:
Come on. Come on. Come on, work.

An alien comes on the screen.

ALIEN:
Hello? Hello?

Ax adjusts the picture.

AX:
This is Aximilly Esgarrouth-Isth--

ALIEN:
Is someone there?

AX:
This is Aximilly Esgarrouth-Isthil. This is...

ALIEN:
Aximilly. Is it really you?

AX:
Yes, it’s me. It’s me Father.

COMMERCIAL

AX:
I’m on Earth.

ALIEN:
Is your brother there?

AX:
Elfangor... died in the service of his people, defending freedom.

ALIEN:
My Elfangor? Aximilly, you are now the eldest son. The burden of revenge is on you. You know who did this.

AX:
Yes.

At Visser 3’s headquarters, Visser picks up a piece of food. A controller walks in.

CONTROLLER:
Visser 3. We’ve just monitored a 2-Space call to the Andalite home world. It’s coming from this town.

VISSER:
Have you located the source?

CONTROLLER:
We’re looking now.

VISSER:
Looking is not good enough! This is a call I want to get. (he throws the food down)

Back at Coneg Hill:

ALIEN:
And do you take up the burden of revenge?

AX:
Yes. How long before the fleet arrives here, Father?

ALIEN:
Other planets are more vital in out fight then Earth.

MARCO:
More vital? (begins to stand up and cause trouble but Jake stops him)

ALIEN:
By the time our forces can reach you, I’m afraid the Yeerks may have conquered Earth.

AX:
There’s a small resistance here. They’ve done the Yeerks great damage.

ALIEN:
How is this possible?

AX:
They have the power to morph.

ALIEN:
the law of Seerow’s Kindness forbids giving over technology to other species.

AX:
I know.

ALIEN:
Who did this? Was it Elfangor? Tell me.

AX:
It was me.

The screen goes blank.

AX:
Father! Father!

Two vans with Visser 3 and controllers pulls up in front of the building.

Inside:

AX:
Come back. (typing furiously) Please come back. (hears a noise and turns)

Visser 3 and the controllers walk up to the door. Inside, Ax looks for a place to hide. He ducks down behind a table and comes back up. Then, ducks down again to come up in his human form. He stands and runs off. Marco and Jake stand up and take a different route. Visser 3 and the controllers stand outside.

CONTROLLER #1:
The signal just cut out but it originated from up there.

Another controller is ordered to open the door.

CONTROLLER #2:
It’s locked.

VISSER:
That depends on who you ask.

Inside, Ax climbs the stairs towards the large telescope. Jake and Marco surprise him.

MARCO:
Something you wanna share with the group?

AX:
Marco...Jake.

JAKE:
The way you ran off, we were worried.

MARCO:
Thought that chili might be backin’ up on you.

AX:
No, I’m fine.

JAKE:
Uh-huh. So, just what are you doing here anyways?

AX:
I-I just...uh...I like the stars and I wanted to come look at them through this telescope.

MARCO:
Ax, we saw you.

Outside, Controller #2 walks away from the door while other controllers line up and flip some little aiming cross hairs on their flashlights.

JAKE:
You fight alongside us, Ax. As far as I’m concerned, you’re one of us. But you can’t trust someone that keeps secrets.

Outside, laser beams come out of the controllers’ flashlights, hitting the door and causing smoke.

JAKE:
So, Earth doesn’t matter in this war.

MARCO:
Too dumb to know what’s going on.

JAKE:
Too primitive to be real warriors. I guess you don’t see us as real people. Do you?

MARCO:
Just funny two-legged animals to you.

JAKE:
So it’s okay to lie to us. But what I don’t get is why you lied to your father. You didn’t give us the power to morph. Elfangor did.

AX:
He shouldn’t have.

JAKE:
Oh yeah, that’s right. He broke the law of Seerow’s Kindness.

MARCO:
What’s that like? Interstellar jaywalking?

AX:
I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you anything. We’re not supposed to share anything about ourselves with other races, especially technology. Elfangor... was wrong to...

JAKE:
From where I’m standing, what he did is the only thing that kept us from a Yeerk way of life.

AX:
No race can be trusted with what we know. None. How long have humans been around? A few million years? You are children. You couldn’t even be trusted with keeping Elfangor’s Herok disk from the Yeerks.

The controllers’ laser beams finally get through and break the door in half, making a loud explosion. It startles Jake, Marco and Ax.

MARCO:
Hold that thought.

JAKE:
Come on. Let’s go. Come on.

The controllers shut off their laser beams and another controller moves the door out of the way. Visser and the controllers walk in the building. Ax, Jake and Marco start going downstairs, but Jake leads them a different way.

JAKE:
No, no, no. This way. Come on.

The controllers look for the boys. Ax, Marco and Jake run down a stairwell.

VISSER:
Spread out!

AX:
Visser 3. (separated from the group and exits the stairwell)

Jake and Marco keep heading down, not knowing that Ax is missing. The door to the exit is locked. Jake kneels beside a vent.

JAKE:
Lizards?

MARCO:
I think it’s time we seriously reevaluated our lifestyle.

JAKE:
Just do it! (hears a thud) Where’s Ax?

They both look up.

JAKE:
Ax!

MARCO:
Yo, Ax!

Ax peeks around the corner with Visser 3 in sight.

VISSER:
Up there!

Ax quickly morphs into his true form.

AX:
Visser!

Visser 3 turns towards Ax.

AX:
Visser 3! You killed Prince Elfangor Sirinial-Shantul. I’m here to avenge him.

Controllers surround Visser and Ax on all levels, ready to shoot laser beams.

VISSER:
No! (controllers back off) No one interfere. He’s mind.

Visser morphs into his true form.

VISSER:
Avenge away. If you can. You’re just a kid. Hardly a warrior like Elfangor.

Marco and Jake find Visser and Ax and watch from behind a corner as the aliens begin fighting.

VISSER:
You. You’re nothing but an appetizer.

Suddenly, a white tiger appears. He runs towards Visser and knocks him down.

JAKE:
(tiger) Ax, are you okay?

AX:
You came back for me?

VISSER:
Controllers!

Controllers scatter as a wolf appears.

JAKE:
Thanks for backing me up Wolfman.

MARCO:
(wolf) You got it, pal.

At a nearby lake, Ax, Marco and Jake, all talk in their human forms.

AX:
I failed in my vow. I’m no warrior. I’m not anything.

JAKE:
You’ll have another chance, Ax. We all will.

MARCO:
And the next time you see your dad, you’ll have good news for him.

AX:
I fear it’ll be a long time before I see him.

MARCO:
Till then, just pretend you’ve got a picture of him in a drawer you can look at anytime you want.

AX:
I’m sorry about what I said before. We Andalites have no right to think we’re superior. Do you know why we have the law of Seerow’s Kindness? Prince Seerow was an Andalite who felt sorry for another race. He gave them the secret of space flight. That race was the Yeerks.

JAKE:
You mean all the terrible things the Yeerks have done are the Andalite’s fault?

AX:
Yes. Yes. You see now why I couldn’t tell you.

JAKE:
Prince Seerow tried to help someone and it backfired big-time. That doesn’t mean he was wrong to try.

MARCO:
Yeah man. I mean your boy just hooked up with the wrong species, that’s all.

JAKE:
Ax, you don’t stop trying just because something doesn’t work out. You get more careful. But you keep trying.

AX:
Then, you don’t hate me?

MARCO & JAKE:
(mouth) Naw.

MARCO:
Just the way you eat.

JAKE:
We may not be your people, but we’re your friends.

AX:
From this moment on, all I have, all I know, is yours. I may be an Andalite, but I’m human, too.

JAKE:
You know Ax, you remind me a lot of your brother.

AX:
Thank you Prince Jake.

JAKE:
Prince Jake. (laughs) Come on, let’s get some ice cream.

They begin to walk.

MARCO:
Ax, did you ever hear the one about the Andalite in the escalator?

AX:
No, Marco. I bet you’re going to tell me.

AX:
(narrating) Humans have a saying “Home is where your heart is.” We Andalites have different hearts, but I know what they mean. I had my family and now I have my new friends. I guess I was never lost, not really. All along I was... home.

THE END

© Scholastic Entertainment / Transcript by Jasmine