Quark Soup

By David Schaaf

Version 3.4 10-24-99

INT. DINER FEBRUARY 12, 1999 -- DAY

From a worm's eye view, we see a spoon fall from a table, ostensibly pulled to a spot on the floor.  A man reaches to pick it up, and has to tug it off the floor.  He shrugs, then wipes it off on his shirt, and begins to eat his alphabet soup, the letters say "quark soup".  We hear the lunch crowd, touring the diner walls and shelves--local news paper articles in frames, football trophies, many clippings about the 1991 Hickmanville High football team, and it's leader, Dan Clearwater.

JIMMY OS
So what's there to do around here on a Friday night, anyway?

SONNY OS
Well, everybody goes to the Hedgehogs' football games in the fall.

JIMMY OS
The Hedgehogs?

BOBBY OS
Yeah, Hickmanville High School.  Looks like they got a pretty good team coming back.

The camera ends on the painters, behind them Philip walks from behind the counter, smacking his head on the overhang. 

BOBBY
Now Philip there, he's a good nose tackle.  Not too bright though.

SONNY
Think he'll ever be as good as Danny?

JIMMY
Who's Danny?

Bobby and Sonny look at him as though he's a moron.

BOBBY
You ain't from around here, are you.  Danny Clearwater is only the best quarterback this town ever seen.

JIMMY
That little fella up there?

BOBBY
Yep.  Boy could he scramble.  Had an arm like a canon.

Dan overhears this, and rifles a paper wad into the trash, giving a nod to Sonny and Bobby.  Our attention falls to Shawn who is training Philip on grill.

BOBBY OS
I remember a game against Maple Rapids, he must've scored six times, didn't get tackled once, all they could do was run him out of bounds...

SHAWN
Now Philip, the key to not "losing it" is to always keep your buns in proper alignment.  Remember that a cheeseburgers go on top, then hamburgers, double cheeseburgers- which is a Super Burger-then double meats on the bottom.

PHILIP
So all double cheeseburgers get special sauce and lettuce?

SHAWN
No, no, no.  Only if they order a Superburger, which is a sub-class of the double cheeseburger.

PHILIP
Why'd we hafta start selling burgers anyway?  This new system just doesn[146]t make any sense.

PETE
It makes sense to your brother.

DAN
No, Uncle Pete, it doesn't make any sense.

Dan[146]s gaze falls on Margie as she approaches the painters' table.  Bobby gives a nod of encouragement to Sonny.

MARGIE
So what you boys hungry for today?

SONNY
Well you look good enough to eat darlin[146]!

Dan sees a beautiful FUTURE GIRL enter the front door, completely confused.  She looks around, then exits.

MARGIE
I'm sorry Sonny you know I ain't on the menu.  Besides, I don[146]t think you're up for this premium entree.

SONNY
I'm sure I could be up for it if you know what I mean!

MARGIE
No, I don[146]t know.  Could you explain it to me Sonny?

Sonny gets flustered at this bluff call and Margie places the order up by Dan.

MARGIE (CONT'D)
Some things never change.

DAN
Yeah, I gotta get outta this place.

MARGIE
Danny, you've been saying that for six years.

DAN
It's only a matter of time, Margie.  Shawn, I gotta use the can, after I drop this off.

SHAWN
Dan, why didn't you go when you were on break?

DAN
I didn't have to go when I was on break.

Dan walks from the grill, pizza in hand, to a table by the door.  As he nears the black hole spot, he is sucked down, drops the pizza in the commotion, we see the background move at fast speed, then Dan disappears, leaving only the pizza tin spinning on the floor.  Coach Geodesic watches curiously.

INT. DINER MARCH 4, 1999 -- CONTINUOUS

Dan reappears in the diner, it is very busy, he returns to the kitchen to find an upset Shawn.

SHAWN
And where the hell have you been?

DAN
I, uh, I slipped or something.

SHAWN
Gone three weeks without a phone call, I'll say you slipped!

He politely hands some food to a customer. 

DAN
Huh?

SHAWN
Yeah, three weeks mister!  I had to give your brother the crash course in burger flipping techniques.

Pete walks by, shoots a glance at Shawn, pats Dan on the back.

PETE
Good to see you back, Dan. 

SHAWN
You're lucky Pete's your uncle, or you'd be fired.  But I don't care, you're demoted to dishes!

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD MARCH 4, 1999 -- NIGHT

Dan has a basket of footballs, firing them with startling accuracy at a target.  Coach Geodesic comes out of the shadows and approaches Dan.

COACH GEODESIC
Danny, I figured I'd find you here.

Dan breaks out of his trance.

DAN
Coach Geodesic, hey.  I, uh, I just had to do some thinking.

COACH GEODESIC
Danny, it's been eight years.  There was nothing you could do, Williams was covered.  You gotta let it go.

DAN
No, it's not that coach.  It's just.  Just everything.

COACH GEODESIC
Yeah, I heard Shawn yelling at you today.  Working at the diner ain't quite what it used to be, huh.  But I was kind of wondering myself,  where have you been lately?

DAN
That's just it coach.  I don't know.  Maybe that concussion I got against Middleville flared up again, and I blacked out or something.

COACH GEODESIC
For three weeks?  Tell me Danny, what's the last thing you remember?

DAN
Well, today at the diner, or, three weeks ago at the diner, I fell down bringing out a pizza, next thing I knew Shawn was saying I've been gone for three weeks.  I thought he was joking, but my watch was three weeks behind.

COACH GEODESIC
(to himself)
Seems like time dilation.

DAN
What's time dilation, some clinical term for insanity?

COACH GEODESIC
No, Dan.  It's when there is apparent disparity in observed time.  I learned about it when I was at MIT.

DAN
Coach, I never knew you went to MIT?

COACH GEODESIC
Oh yeah.  Manitoba International Teaching College.  It's not Ivy League, but they have a decent physics program there.  Danny, do you have the keys to the diner?

DAN
Yeah, I open up every morning.  Why?

COACH GEODESIC
Come on, let's go.

INT. DINER MARCH 4, 1999 -- NIGHT

They enter, and Dan points out the spot.  They examine it.

DAN
It all happened right here.

COACH GEODESIC
Doesn[146]t seem so weird to me.

Nothing happens, but when they step over it, they disappear.

EXT. DINER NOVEMBER 29, 1991 -- DAY

They reappear in stride walking out at breakfast time.

DAN
So what do you think, Coach ?

They suddenly are shocked by the sunlight, then pear inside at themselves.  Dan is working the grill, Coach Geodesic eats at a table.  

COACH GEODESIC
Danny, let me see your watch!  Oh my goodness!  It all makes sense.

Coach grabs Dan, pulls him away from the diner, before they get too far, Two Girls notice them.

KATIE
Hey, good luck tomorrow guys!  Do you really think you can beat Middleville, they're pretty big.

DAN
Huh?!

KELLY
That's it, Danny, don't believe a word you hear about them, you'll do fine!  I can see the banner at school now.  'Hickmanville Hedgehogs, 1991 state champs'!

DAN
What?

As the girls walk away, Coach Geodesic and Dan are confused.

KATIE
Oh, you're so modest!  I know you'll win!  Oh hey, I like your new haircut!

COACH GEODESIC
He looks great, huh.  Bye girls.

Coach quickly pulls Dan into an ally.

EXT. ALLY NOVEMBER 29, 1999 -- DAY

Coach and Dan sneak down an ally. 

DAN
Coach, what the hell is going on?!  Katie and Kelly are like seventeen!

COACH GEODESIC
I don't know, Danny.  I think we've just traveled back to 1991 through a wrinkle in the space-time continuum.

DAN
1991?  How?  What happened?

They sit on a stairway, and Coach Geodesic pulls out his tucked shirt, and stretches it, giving the ends to Dan.  He uses stones to illustrate his point.

COACH GEODESIC
You see, Danny, space and time can be thought of as one, like a fabric.  Now this fabric becomes warped by matter, causing gravity.  You remember that from physics class, don't you?

DAN
I'm sorry coach, I, uh.  I did a lot of napping in your class.

COACH GEODESIC
Never Mind.  Einstein proved that time is a relative measurement, which is affected by matter.  There is some gravitational anomaly in the diner which has formed a wrinkle in the space-time continuum, causing us to travel back in time through what physicists call a wormhole.

DAN
That's pretty cool and all, but I had enough problems dealing with 1991 the first time, I don't want to go through it again.

COACH GEODESIC
Maybe you won't have to.

Dan has a moment of realization, of the possibilities.

DAN
What are you saying coach?

COACH GEODESIC
I'm saying what if.  What if I'd told you to scramble in the fourth quarter in the championship game, instead of pass?

DAN
I would've scored.  You know nobody could catch me.  I run in the two-point conversion, and just like that, we would've been state champs.

COACH GEODESIC
(wistful)
You'd have gotten a full ride to State.  I'd still be coaching.

DAN
But coach, you've been telling me for five years that one play doesn't make or break a ball game.

COACH GEODESIC
I lied, Danny.  That play could've been the difference.  What if you could replay it?

DAN
I've been replaying it for the past five years.  But what are we gonna do, kidnap ourselves, and take our own places?

COACH GEODESIC
No, nothing that complicated.

EXT. DINER NOVEMBER 29, 1991 -- DAY

Dan hides around the corner.  Peeking inside, he sees himself cooking, Coach Geodesic eating.  Pete leaves the counter to smoke, and exits, Dan ducks away.  When Coach Geodesic gets up to leave, Dan approaches him.

DAN
Coach, coach, I gotta talk with you.

COACH GEODESIC
Dan, I thought you were just...

DAN
Never Mind that.  Just listen.  In the game tomorrow, don't let me pass to Williams in the 4th quarter.

COACH GEODESIC
Dan, he's our best receiver.

DAN
Coach, please, just tell me to scramble.  I'm may disagree with you tomorrow, but tell me anyway.

Pete comes around the corner, takes his last drag.

PETE
Come on Dan, you can talk strategy after your shift  I need you for another hour.

DAN
Uh, okay, sorry Uncle Pete.  I'll be back in a second.
(to Coach Geodesic)
Just promise me you'll remember.

Dan quickly leaves.  Pete sees him behind the counter.

PETE
You sure can scramble boy!

INT. DINER NOVEMBER 29, 1991 -- NIGHT

Dan and Coach Geodesic meet outside the diner, Dan gives a thumbs up, they enter by the black hole, and disappear.

INT. DINER NOVEMBER 27, 1999 -- DAY

Dan and Coach Geodesic suddenly reappear at the diner, nobody notices.  Things have changed--Philip has grown a moustache; Margie is pregnant, flirting with Sonny.  They look at the calendar as they sheepishly sit down, it says November 27.

SHAWN
So the great Dan Clearwater has finally returned.  I hope you weren't expecting a hero's welcome or something.

Dan quickly looks at the articles on the wall.  Instead of saying they lost 35-28, they lost 35-34.

DAN
Coach, look!

We see the articles summarizing the difference in the game.

DR. GEODESIC
How could I have been so stupid?  A quarterback keeper two plays in a row!

DAN
It didn't change anything coach, we still lost!

DR. GEODESIC
I know, Danny.  But just think of what we've done.  We've gone back in time, and we have the potential to go to the future.  Think of the opportunities we've created.

DAN
What do you mean?  Don't you see, we didn't change anything, Coach.  All we did was waste nine months in that time warp.  I even missed Thanksgiving!

DR. GEODESIC
Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the advancement of science, and the betterment of the human race.

DAN
What's better about it?

DR. GEODESIC
Opportunities the generations before us could only dream of.  Think of the fame, the prestige from our discovery.

Dan is into the conversation, not minding his step.

DAN
I discovered it.  And I wish I never had.  I want things the way they were.

DR. GEODESIC
You don't mean that.  Think of the experiences you could have time traveling.

DAN
Listen Coach, I'm calling the FBI, or the Pentagon or Chris Carter or something.  Somebody's gotta stop this thing before it...

Dan is sucked back in the black hole, time passes.

INT. FUTURE DINER APRIL 24, 2003 -- AFTERNOON

Dan finally appears at the diner, and it has changed drastically.  People lined up outside, a festive atmosphere, scientists work at a large computer near the black hole.  Coach Geodesic wears a lab coat, and seems to be in charge.  He is startled that Dan has returned.

DAN
...Really screws up someone's life!

COACH GEODESIC
Danny, I'M so glad you're back from your voyage.  I was afraid I'd never see you again.

DAN
What's goin' on?!  Where am I?!

COACH GEODESIC
Oh, you're at my time travel station.  I bought Pete's Diner, a few years ago, and made the  necessary modifications to allow us to control the time warp.

Dan looks around, confused.

DAN
What year is it?

COACH GEODESIC
I'm afraid its 2003.

DAN
2003?!  I missed the new millennium!

COACH GEODESIC
I'm sorry you jumped so far ahead, Danny.  That would never happen now, I've had time to refine the time travel process.  These computers allow us to monitor the warp, telling us what date it's going to, so we can send you at just the right moment.  Trips to the past are still a bit risky, but for only $499 I'm offering a chance to find a fountain of youth in the future.

DAN
What are you talking about?  This thing doesn[146]t make you any younger.

COACH GEODESIC
Shh shh.  Yes, but when you come out in the future, everybody else is older.  So it's the same effect.

DAN
How can you let them do this?  They'Re just wasting their lives.

COACH GEODESIC
Not everybody has glory years like Dan Clearwater.  They'd rather leave their lives in the boring present to see what the exciting future is like.

We see Margie, Sonny, and their daughter ready to time travel.

MARGIE
I'm going to my forty year class reunion looking twenty years younger than everyone else!

SONNY
Yep, we sold the trailer, and my truck, put it all in the bank, ready to collect the interest in 2025.

Dan is very disturbed, but really loses it when he sees Philip in line cash in hand.

DAN
Philip, what are you doing?!

PHILIP
Dan!  I can't believe you're back.  Mom was so worried about you, but then Coach Geodesic told us that you time traveled at the opening party.

DAN
What party? 

PHILIP
Oh that's right, you missed the new millennium.  Coach opened the Time Travel Institute on New Year's Eve four years ago.  Boy it was cool!  Free beer, and the girls...

DAN
Philip, what are you doing?

PHILIP
Well, I saved up my $499, and I'm going to the future.

DAN
Why?!  Listen, I've done the time travel thing, okay Philip.  It's not worth it. 

PHILIP
Well, yeah, you've done it, but I haven't.  I want my glory years, Dan.  I wanna live my life.  

DAN
Then live it, don't run away from it.  Philip, why do you still feel you have to live up to my legend? 

PHILIP
Your legend?  You've been out of high school for almost twelve years now.  It's time to move on. 

Dan looks around at the walls, all his clippings are gone.

DAN
Philip I can't let you do this.

Philip is next to enter the black hole.  People are waiting.

PHILIP
Sorry bro, I'm up.  I'll see you in the future.

He shakes Dan's hand, gives $499 to the ticket girl and opens the diner door.  Dan is in anguish.  He tries to think of a solution, then suddenly makes a break for the black hole.  He dives through the velvet ropes, bumping the computer, it smokes and beeps as he falls in the black hole and disappears.  The observers look on in horror.

COACH GEODESIC
Calm down folks, no need to panic, I'm sure our little portal to the future works just fine still.

He pokes at the place where the Black hole was, trying to detect the gravitational field.  It is no longer there.  The crowd moans.

INT. DINER -- FEBRUARY 12, 1999 -- CONTINUOUS

Coach Geodesic is still poking at the floor, we tilt down to see Dan who is lying in the same spot, a crowd has gathered to see if he's okay.  He awakens, they cheer.

COACH GEODESIC
You alright Danny, you took quite a spill there.  Must have been a slick spot on the floor.

DAN
(confused beyond belief)
Yeah, gravity can be a real bitch.

People standing around chuckle, happy that Dan is okay.  Still confused, Dan walks back to the counter, Shawn tosses Dan an apron and paper hat.

SHAWN
Alright, enough with the dramatics, get back here on grill, you're late.

Dan checks the date, it is February 12.

DAN
(almost a question)
Shawn, I quit.

Dan tosses his apron aside, files through the crowd and exits.

SHAWN
What do you mean you quit?  You can't do this!  What are you going to do anyway?

EXT. DINER PARKING LOT FEBRUARY 12, 1999 -- DAY

Dan busts out of the diner, still confused, and is shocked when he sees the FUTURE GIRL.

FUTURE GIRL
Need a lift?