The Human League

EXT. ROADSIDE - MORNING

Two running shoe-clad feet pound the pavement in the pre-dawn light. Heaving breathing, in rhythm with the footfalls, fills the otherwise eerie silence. The runner is JAMES, 24, incredibly fit but nonetheless struggling.

JAMES (V.O.)

My name is James Whitmore. I'm 19 years old. And I'm training for the League.

INT. HOUSE - DAY

A modest split level, filled with old decor. Scattered b-roll covers items in the house, documentary-style: a picture of a young James with his family. A shelf dedicated to various sports awards and medals: baseball, basketball, track. In the corner, a pile of old action figures: men with mechanical limbs and robotic eyes. A stack of unpaid bills on the dining room table.

JAMES (V.O.)

I've been playing something or other a long as I remember. It's a small town. You work at it, you can get to be one of the best. So I've jumped around a bit. That's what I like about the league, it's a little bit of everything. It's not so much about being good at any one game. It's about being able to perform.

EXT. ROADSIDE - MORNING

Back to the run. In the distance, there's a strange sound. Something repetitive and mechanical, the whirring of servos and motors.

JAMES (V.O.)

It's as much a test of will as a test of skill. That's what I want to win.

A pack of men overtakes him, running past at incredible speeds. But there's something off. One runner has robotic limbs. One has a set of curved springs for legs. Another essentially rollerskates by, carried forward by wheels grafted onto his body where his feet should be.

INT. INTERVIEW SETUP - DAY

A traditional interview: 3 point lighting, moody background. James sits calmly in a chair.

JAMES

I've wanted in ever since they first announced it. I remember seeing it online and thinking: that's where I'm going.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

How old were you?

James thinks for a moment.

JAMES

That was '23. So I was nine.

INT. PRESS CONFERENCE - DAY

Archival footage of a press conference. A well-attired man stands at a podium: CHARLES TURNER, 37.

CHARLES

We're all sick of it, right? Sport after sport, falling way to scandal after scandal. No one can seem to figure out a way to stop the cheating. But the answer's obvious: don't make it against the rules.

CUT TO:

REPORTER (O.S.)

What does this mean for fairness in sports, though?

CHARLES

"Fairness?" What world do you live in that sports are about fairness? They're already not fair. Wealthy competitors from wealthy nations get better training, better facilities, better equipment. People are born with better genes. Fairness is irrelevant. Sports are about winning. Not just against the other team. But against history. Against the very limits of the human body. We've been fighting our own progress.

EXT. STADIUM - NIGHT

A runner blasts across the finish line, to the wild cheers of the crowd.

ANNOUNCER 1 (O.S.)

And that's it! A new world record, Chen's fourth in as many days!

ANNOUNCER 2 (O.S.)

The IOC of course has already fired back on Twitter, questioning the validity of the record.

ANNOUNCER 1 (O.S.)

That means little to the crowd here tonight at Sochi, though. Just listen to them go.

JAMES (V.O.)

It was just doping to start, right? Not much compared to today. But it was enough. It showed everyone what people could do. And it showed where things were going.

INT. INTERVIEW SETUP - JAMES - DAY

JAMES

That's why they wrote the rules the way they did. No non-biological power sources. And 51% of an athlete's body has to be human.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

If you don't make the cut this year, will you try again next year?

James winces a bit.

JAMES

Of course I'll try! But the way I see it, this is my shot. I'm always getting older. I'm going to be up against some of those CRSPR kids soon. Nah, this is my time. I'm gonna make the cut. I'm gonna make it.

INT. BATHROOM - DAY

James lines up a virtual pharmacy on the kitchen sink. Bottles, tablets and syringes sit piled high on the edge of the counter. James speaks to the camera, providing a guided tour of his inventory.

JAMES

Everyone's got their little regimen, right? Some people try to emphasize speed, some strength. And everyone's always trying something new. This is all old stuff, but at least it's proven.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Did you get this from a doctor?

JAMES

(chuckling)

No, man. Ali Express.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

How do you know what to take?

INT. DINING ROOM - DAY

A Youtube video plays on James's laptop. An energetic, muscular man is pointing at a calendar, circling certain dates for emphasis.

YOUTUBER

One week out you should be back on your maintenance dose. A lot of people will try to tell you to double down around then, but they're full of shit. You've already built up your muscle, and now your counter-acting the effects of the Disporozone.

JAMES

This here's one of the better ones. He never actually made the cut himself. He was all straight-edge back when he was competing. But a lot of guys following him, they're making it now. One got sponsored by Mitsubishi, another got sponsored by Boston Dynamics. Lots of contenders.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Does he have any medical credentials?

JAMES

He ain't a doctor, if that's what you mean. He talks to them, though. Anyways, a lot of rich kids have doctors, and it's nuts. They pump 'em full of all sorts of experimental shit, they're real aggressive. It's the reason folks like me still have a chance.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Even though you're on older stuff?

JAMES

Yeah. You're not on the bleeding edge, but no one pops on this, not unless you stupid.

TITLE CARD: Based on James's performance at high school games, he has been accepted into a Human League training camp. Over the weekend, potential sponsors will choose athletes to sign.

INT. CAR - NIGHT

James drives along a lonely, dark rode.

JAMES

So, it's 4AM. Hitting the road early. It's a 7 hour drive.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

You worried lack of sleep will impact your performance?

JAMES

Nah. Sequestals will keep me going alright. I mean, you gotta sleep sometime, but a weekend's nothing.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Aren't there any negative impacts?

JAMES

Oh, I'll feel that shit on Monday. But by Monday, you know. I'll already be in or I won't.

James drives on a moment in silence.

EXT. TRAINING CAMP - DAY

A fairly conventional track and field stadium. Young men and women are lined up outside in the mid-day sun. BRICE CAMDEN, 44, stands in front of them in a ball cap and t-shirt.

BRICE

Welcome everybody. You're all here because you have potential. And we intend to measure just how much. You all know what we're looking for here. We want all-arounders. If you min-maxed, you're already washed out.

James glances around at his competition. They're a motley crew. Some are startlingly younger than him. One young man has shaved his head, to make room for an electronic patch grafted onto his scalp. A couple have prosthetic limbs.

BRICE

Those of you who are already augmented, keep in mind: the sponsors don't care if you win with some crap you got off eBay. They want to know if you can win with their hardware. It's not enough to put in the best numbers. You have to impress. You gotta show your potential. Good luck to you all.

EXT. TRAINING CAMP - INTERVIEW SETUP - DAY

Brice speaks to the camera, a ball cap keeping the sun out of his eyes.

BRICE

That's your boy James over there, right? Don't let him know this, but we've got our eye on him here, if he does well.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

What are you looking for?

BRICE

That's the question, isn't it? For all the tech they want they kids to use, they can't really quantify it. You need to meet the medical requirements sure. And you gotta perform. But you still need that hunger. At the end of the day, it's still all about winning.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

So you don't just use the best scores?

BRICE

Not me. Some other guys, they trust the numbers now more than their gut. But not me. And my kids keep on winning, so they keep letting me.

INT. SWIMMING POOL - DAY

James stands at the starting block with a number of other competitors. The signal sounds, and they dive in.

James swims smoothly, forcefully, pushing forward like a bullet, but he can't quite pull ahead. Beneath the water, he sees one swimmer zipping past him like a dolphin, arms pulled in and webbed feet propelling him forward without ever surfacing for air.

!LATER:

James towels off at the edge of the pool, still catching his breath. A leaderboard on the wall shows his name near the middle of the pack.

JAMES

I'm not worried. Swimming's so specialized. You mod for that and you're going to be behind in everything else. Middle's alright.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Where are you looking to win?

JAMES

On the track, baby. That's where I gotta do it.

EXT. SHOT PUT - DAY

James heaves the metal ball with all his might, sending it on its journey. He's followed my a man with a strange contraption of an arm. It cantalevers around like a catapult, sending the shotput inhuman distances.

James watches from the sidelines.

JAMES

The key thing about the Human League, the thing I love, is it's an all around competition. You gotta be good at everything. A guy like that, what's he gonna do on the obstacle course? A wall climb. All these fools rocking prosthetics, but if you want to compete you need an ARM. An actual, working arm. Not this cheap shit. And for that you gotta get sponsored in the first place.

EXT. LONG JUMP - DAY

A boy with curved springs for legs approaches the jump with an awkward, bouncing stride. At the last moment, he doubles down, launching himself with great force.

JAMES

You see, you see. That's what I'm talking about. Moonshoes there just won the jump, but you see him running? He's losing more than he's gaining.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

Are there any augs you think are worth it?

JAMES

At this level. I don't know. I've heard about some guys getting basically like rubber bands in their ankles. That's not show-y like this stuff, but you save like 10, 15% on the track. They're new though. I hear they wear out quick.

EXT. TRACK - DAY

James again at the starting block. The starting pistol fires, and he's off, this time pulling ahead, but only barely just edging out the next fastest runner: a girl with some sort of metallic hinge installed around her knees.

She gains on him, overtaking him slightly as they round the final corner. With Brice looking onward, James taps whatever final reserves of energy he has left, regaining the lead just before the finish line. He collapses on the ground, but he's smiling.

INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY

Brice and his assistants shuffle through a stack of old-fashioned manilla folders, containing profiles of athletes, lab tests, the day's results. They're spread out over folding tables in a chaotic collage.

BRICE

They make me do this. They want me to look at the data.

INTERVIEW (O.S.)

Has it ever swayed you one way or the other?

BRICE

Sure, I mean sometimes you see something and you realize you got an idea in your head that doesn't check out. But I don't run it through the computers. There's still a human part to it, you see. They could have hired a statistician or a data analyst. But they hired me.

EXT. STADIUM - EVENING

The assembled athletes mill about, anxious, exhausted, but hopeful. Brice steps out to a makeshift podium and they fall silent.

BRICE

I want to thank you all for coming out here today. I know how hard you've all worked, how much you've all sacrificed. I'm not the kind of guy that wants to give everyone a medal, but I do like to recognize hard work and grit when I see it, and I've seen it today. A lot of great competitors out there. But y'all know I've only got a couple medals to actually give out. So I won't keep you hanging.

He glances down at his clipboard. James watches on, sweat on his brow.

BRICE

Sam Pollack. Jenny McIntyre. Ray Donovan. James Whitmore. Hang out, we'll be talking to you. Everybody else, thank you for coming. I'm sure I'll be seeing some of you again in a couple years.

Relief washes over James as other disappointed athletes begin to dissipate.

INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY

James sits at a meeting table as a technician draws his blood. The technician leaves him alone for a moment before Brice and an assistant step in and sit across from him.

BRICE

Hey kid. How you feeling?

JAMES

Pretty damn good, sir.

BRICE

Remember you haven't made it yet. You're just at the next step.

JAMES

That's always true.

Brice smiles a little.

BRICE

I suppose it is. We got the boys running some lab work. Can you tell us a bit about what you're running now?

JAMES

I can give you my whole protocol, I've got it all written up. Everything's on different schedules, but basically I'm on Monoproxone, Glo-ups, HRS. Got Sequestal today because of the drive, but that's not the usual.

BRICE

Huh. Pretty old-fashioned.

JAMES

Well. It's what I can afford.

BRICE

That's it?

JAMES

Yeah. I mean, right now.

Brice whistles, impressed.

BRICE

You did even better than I thought, adjusting for that. Impressive.

Brice motions to his associate.

BRICE

This here's David, one of the engineers. He's going to tell you a bit about what they have in store.

DAVID

Hello James. We've got some really exciting things I'd like to show you.

David flips around a small tablet, showing a concept image. It is, frankly, horrific. It is a picture of a man, his arms and legs replaced by robotic limbs, as is his abdomen. His chest is thin and emaciated. James is taken aback.

JAMES

Whoa. Is that... is that for real?

DAVID

Oh, most certainly.

JAMES

That looks like there's more machine than man.

DAVID

Not by mass, there isn't.

JAMES

How do you even power that?

David glances at Brice.

DAVID

Kid's smart.

(to James)

That's where we had to get pretty damn creative. Those limbs: they're not removable. They're integrated with the circulatory system, pulling fuel straight from the blood. It's not exactly conventional nutrition, but we've already run it by the commission. It's all approved.

JAMES

That's a lot. You're saying that's permanent?

DAVID

Upgrades certainly aren't out of the question. But yeah, you'll have to have them on. And keep them fueled. The food... I'll be honest, it's not good. We're working on that too, but progress on that hasn't been like with the limbs.

BRICE

But the performance!

DAVID

I can pretty much promise you, there's not going to be anything like it this season. It's not even going to be close. I mean, except with your teammates.

JAMES

Not even close, huh?

David gets out of his chair and approaches David. He starts pointing to parts of his limbs.

DAVID

We're actually going to leave more of your arms and legs intact than for a normal limb replacement. They'll be built around what you've got. Mostly for blood flow, but there's a bit of weight savings there, too. We'll give you some Ostenol to thicken up your bones.

JAMES

Damn, man. You're swapping out so much, what am I even bringing to the table?

DAVID

That's easy. Your lungs and heart.

Brice leans in.

BRICE

And your Heart. Capital H. Look, James, I pick you guys out for this the same way I picked all my athletes. You don't quit. Whatever you're made of, I know you're going to push it to the absolute limit.

David grimaces a bit.

DAVID

Right... But the reason we didn't veto you is your lungs. Your VO2 is off the charts.

JAMES

Yeah, thanks. Thank you. This is an incredible opportunity. It's just, it's different than I expected.

BRICE

I understand. Look, let's give you a minute to think it over.

He motions to David, and the two leave.

EXT. STADIUM - NIGHT

The field is empty, but the lights are on, washing the field in a cool, bright light against the pitch black sky. James sits amongst the empty bleechers.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

You doing okay?

JAMES

Yeah. Just thinking.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

I thought you'd be happier. This is exactly what you were trying for, right?

JAMES

I thought so. It's just... you see that picture. I mean, Richter has one artificial leg, and he's top of the game. I never thought they'd have something like that going for next year.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.)

It's more advanced though. I mean, you'll be crushing Richer. The whole field.

JAMES

Yeah, I guess. Is it even me winning at that point?

James turns to the camera, and gives a weak little half smile.

JAMES

Or just my lungs?

INT. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT

The camera films James and Brice from a distance, without audio. They exchange words, unheard, and then shake hands before James walks away.

On the soundtrack, the sound of a phone ringing.

JAMES'S MOM (V.O.)

Hey, baby!

> CUT TO:

INT. CAR - NIGHT

James at the wheel, driving the car through the night.

JAMES

Hey mom.

JAMES'S MOM (O.S.)

So don't leave me hanging! How'd you do?

JAMES

Didn't make the cut.

JAMES'S MOM (O.S.)

Oh, I'm sorry. There's always the next camp.

JAMES

Yeah. Yeah. It's alright, I'm doing okay.

JAMES'S MOM (V.O.)

You get home safe.

JAMES

I will mom.

They hang up. The camera lingers on James for a minute.

JAMES (V.O)

It's as much a test of will as a test of skill. That's their line, though I've been saying it a while.

EXT. ROADSIDE - MORNING

Two running shoe-clad feet pound the pavement. James breathes heavy in the pre-dawn light.

JAMES (V.O.)

I guess, when it came down to it, I didn't have the will. I don't know. I don't want to stop fighting, I guess.

A rush of augmented runners surges past him, twice the speed of before, surrounding him, engulfing him, until all that can be made out are his legs, peeking through a forest of metal.