Project: Hail Mary
INT. MEDICAL BAY
Grace awakens in a medical bay and struggles to remove IV tubes.
CLOSE ON A MAN'S EYES as they flutter towards consciousness.
A COMFORTING VOICE echoes around us:
VOICE
Eye movement detected.
The man groans. He's been out for quite some time.
VOICE
CONT'D
Cognition assessment. What's two plus two?
We will come to know the man as GRACE.
GRACE
Wh... where am I?
He's lying in some sort of medical bay. Various life-support tubes connect his body to complicated equipment.
His breath quickens. He grabs at the IV tubes in his arms.
VOICE
Hand movement detected. Remain still.
He doesn't obey. He struggles to rip the tubes out of his body. ROBOTIC ARMS descend from the ceiling to prevent him from doing so.
VOICE
CONT'D
Remain still.
He bats the arms away. He cries out in pain as he tears the tubes free. He rolls out of his bunk and hits the ground with a dull thud.
He's awake now.
Panic begins to overtake him. His heart starts POUNDING.
VOICE
CONT'D
Full-body motion detected. Cognition assessment. What's two plus two?
GRACE
Where am I?
He struggles to his feet. The room is dark. There's A PALE LIGHT at the other end of the corridor. Grace is drawn towards the light. He steps carefully towards...
A VIEWING WINDOW.
And as Grace approaches, his breath catches in his throat as he sees --
STARS.
Endless. Cold.
He's in outer space.
In the reflection of the window, we see his eyes widen with recognition -- Oh god I'm in space -- and off HIS SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH --
CUT TO: