Page 3 of Badlands

“Turn back around,” Desjardin said.

Bondi brought it around and retraced.

“There!” Desjardin said.

Bondi brought the drone to a halt, hovering over a whitish object partially obscured by sand.

“What the fuck? It’s a skull!”

“Yeah,” said Bondi.

“And look, there are some bones, too… See them?”

“I do.”

“It’s a skeleton!” Desjardin said. “Oh my God: someone died out here!”

As Bondi panned back over the scattered remains, he saw nearby a rotten old shirt and a shriveled-up running shoe.

“Take the drone a hundred yards north,” said Desjardin, “and then fly it back over, slow, another hundred yards south. Track the skull with the camera.”

“Yes, but…”

“Just do it!”

Bondi did as he was told, flying the drone past the remains.

“Again! This time, raise the camera slightly to pick up the horizon, then pan across the skeleton as you go past.”

“Um, that’s not a prop,” said Bondi.

“Who the hell cares? It’s perfect!”

Cobb, the AD, spoke up. “Luke, there’s nothing in the script about a skeleton.”

“There will be! I can promise you that!”

Bondi flew past again, panning over the bones.

“Those are human remains out there,” said Cobb. “I mean, are we even going to be able to use this footage?”

“You’re damn right we will. They show shit like this on the news every day! Okay, Bondi: do that pan again. That first take was a little rough.”

The drone’s monitor began beeping and flashing, indicating a low battery. “I should bring it back,” Bondi said.

“I can read a meter, too. It’s still at fifteen percent. We’ve got time for another pass.”

“It’s almost a mile out. We need enough juice to bring it back.”

“Do the pass!”

Bondi didn’t argue; it wasn’t his drone. He did the pass again, but his hand on the camera wheel was trembling slightly and it wasn’t a smooth take.

“One more pass!”

The alarm grew more insistent.

“I need to bring it back,” Bondi said. “Now.”

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