THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

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WE ENTER BABYLON
By Gina Brooks Screen

GENRE: Sci-fi
LOGLINE:

A dangerously ambitious scientist on a journey across an America devastated by climate change and civil war to find her kidnapped son, uncovers a threat to mankind's survival - one that she unknowingly created.

SYNOPSIS:

We Enter Babylon begins 30 years after the successful January 6th coup at the U.S. Capitol. Since then, the country has been teetering on the edge of civil war, until finally, war breaks out, devastating the country. Eventually, America is divided into two countries: the United States of America (U.S.) and the United Federation of Free States (UFFS). It is now unlawful to leave the U.S., but 20-year-old Mitch Kincaid is trying to escape with his fiancé Ava Matthews, via the now underwater city of New Orleans. Ava never shows up, leaving Mitch to make his escape alone.

Ten years later, Ava is the ambivalent and somewhat neglectful mother of a nine-year-old son and a virologist at the CDC. The CDC is now heavily militarized and legally conducts human experiments. Ava is under severe pressure from Colonel Augustus Hobbs to complete the development of a unique virus for an unknown reason. Ava’s young son, Michael, is kidnapped during a violent protest at the CDC. However, Hobbs has an unhealthy interest in Michael after a medical scan indicates unique DNA properties.

Hobbs tells Ava he doesn’t have the resources to search for Michael. However, Ava finds out Hobbs is lying and has actually mounted an intensive search for Michael. But, Hobbs has no plans child to Ava. Ava finally decides to search for Michael after her longtime assistant chastises her for neglecting her child and reminding her that she is treating Michael exactly like her father treated her.

Ava decides to embark on a dangerous journey across a climate-ravaged America. At her first stop in Tennessee, the town’s leader tells her she looks familiar and questions her role at the CDC and its human experimentation. Ava chooses to lie, stating that she’s “just an office manager.” Ava’s journey nearly ends at her first stop when raiders looking for supplies, attack the town, killing men, women and children. After she escapes the ambush, Ava finds many American cities and towns have been rendered virtually unlivable because of climate change and the civil war.

Six months later, a battle-hardened and brutal Ava finds herself in a snow-covered and virtually deserted Las Vegas, in search of important about her son’s location. This new Ava doesn’t hesitate to kill a U.S. soldier at a military outpost and take another hostage. Ava finds Michael’s picture in a logbook with the names of people targeted for experimentation. He’s being held at a nearby facility; however, the facility is large and heavily fortified. The soldier she’s holding hostage, Melvin Thompson, is oddly sympathetic toward Ava and Michael’s plight. And, when faced with a choice, Melvin makes his stand against fascism and tyranny, opting to save Ava and aid her in her search for Michael.

Once Ava and Melvin leave Las Vegas, the planned military convoy arrives, prepared to take Melvin to his next posting, asset acquisition. The convoy finds the soldier Melvin killed to save Ava and an abandoned outpost. However, the military convoy has a surprise observer: Mitch Kincaid watching from a nearby deserted hotel.

We Enter Babylon is a story for the ages, and deeply relevant to the power struggles we see in our society today. Because THIS is the moment, we're in right now. As a country, we have a choice to make; we either stand on the sidelines as democracy takes its last breath or we fight like hell to make this country what it should be - fair and free from persecution for everyone living here.

Nathaniel Baker

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