Act 3, Scene 3: The Big Clusterfuck

RATS

TECH PREROLL

LX-3300 GO

LX-3301 STANDBY for GO

Check Levels
Unmute Desk

Runoratsu: ON
Eisfuchs: ON

Pan: OFF
Orun: OFF

DIALOG

STANDBY Stage left [1, 1st, off]: Jeffrey, Thomas, Security_1, Borax with his face shield up, Security_3, Security_2, Baldwin, Helmut, Franklin, Helena.

STANDBY Stage left [1, 2nd, off]:

STANDBY Stage right [7, 1st, off]: Cassandra.

STANDBY Stage right [7, 2nd, off]:

STANDBY Stage: Worker_1 and Worker_2 making final checks.

Projection: Projection 3-3 A is playing.

LX-3301 GO

AMB-3301 - Electro Lab + Bad Weather Outside

Curtain - open

Worker_1 and Worker_2 with clipboards are making final checks.

SND-3301 - Metal Door Open <-------- wait for it!

Jeffrey enters from [1] followed by ...

Thomas enters from [1] followed by ...

Security_1 enters from [1] and stops, guarding the exit, making sure Thomas doesn't run away.

Jeffrey: "Welcome to the most technologically advanced facility in this world. Yes, I know, we're not quite down to nanometer chip fabrication yet, but compared to what we had a few years ago, this is space age technology."

Thomas: "This looks a lot like the high voltage lab at the technical museum ..."

Jeffrey: "And that's basically what it is. We are a few human souls stranded in a vast non-human world. We have to create a library of human knowledge from memory, and recreate the technological progress of centuries in mere decades. But there's just not enough of us! The few random arrivals are barely enough to keep this progress going."

Thomas: "Then why all this secrecy? Why not share this knowledge with all people in this world?"

Jeffrey: "Because we are humans, Thomas, vastly superior to anything that ever lived here before us. The moment you arrive in this world, your human essence starts bleeding out into the soulless void, no matter how hard we try to keep it together. At this point, our only way to survive is to transfer more of our kind into this world."

Thomas: "Oh my god ... that's why everyone here is working on some kind of high energy stuff ... I thought you were building a power grid or something ... but you're trying to force nature's hand!"

Jeffrey: "The Hissing Isles are special in the way that it seems to take only a fraction of the energy to capture a human soul and draw it into this world. But it's still a colossal amount of energy."

Thomas: "Tropical storm amounts of energy."

Jeffrey: "We've been trying it with less, but so far without success."

Thomas: "So what do you want me to do?"

Jeffrey: "Your brilliant contributions were exactly what we needed to complete this project. So I'm offering you this enormous honor to take it to operation!"

Thomas: "It was hard work. And it would be an honor if weren't a giant death machine."

Jeffrey: "On the contrary. It's a life machine. And this time, it's going to work. Because finally, we DO have tropical storm levels of energy! Open the doors!"

LX-3302 STANDBY for GO

Worker_1 operates a switch on the playrail at [4], and the sliding door opens.

SND-3302 - Sliding Doors Open
LX-3302 GO
SND-3303 - Sliding Doors Stop

Thomas: "Holy shit. Is this what I think it is?"

Jeffrey: "Yes."

Thomas: "You launch that rocket carrying that cable into the storm...the lightning is channeled down the wire to that giant electrode ... but ... why? I still haven't created a working capacitor to store all that power."

Jeffrey: "No need. The power only needs to reach the receiver."

Thomas: "That thing over there?"

Jeffrey: "That's where the subject is going to be located."

Thomas: "Wait ... "the subject"? You're going to expose someone directly to all that energy?!?"

Jeffrey: "Got it in one. So nice to explain to another man of science."

Thomas: "And who's going to be the subject?"

Jeffrey: "Someone very special. BRING IN THE SUBJECT!"

Pan: ON

Worker_1 and Worker_2 leave towards [7] and come back with Cassandra

Cassandra: "THOMAS!"

Thomas: "CASSANDRA!"

LX-3303 GO

Worker_1 and Worker_2 tie Casssandra to the rack.

Thomas: "You want me to kill Cassandra? Of all people? You freakish sadist monster! What's wrong in your head to think there's even a snowball's chance in hell I would do something like this?"

Jeffrey: "This is your body's natural empathy response. Once you realize that it's not a strength, but a weakness, you will be able to put it aside. Think of the opportunity we are giving this creature. The chance to receive its own soul, and become a true human being."

Cassandra: "I'm not a creature! I'm your own flesh and blood!"

Jeffrey: "Flesh and blood maybe. But you're not my daughter! You're the biological offspring of a body that is now mine! You're a soulless animal that is mine by circumstance, and I have no need for a pet."

Cassandra: "FUCK YOU!"

Thomas: "Yeah. Fuck you, Jeffrey. Fuck you hard."

Jeffrey: "Don't let your feelings misguide you. These creatures have no soul. How can we know if they even feel pain?"

Cassandra: "By their screams when they die?"

Jeffrey: "An automatic reaction. Purely mechanical. Like a squeaky wheel on a car."

Thomas: "You hide behind god, but If there's anybody here without a soul, it's you, Jeffrey."

Jeffrey: "This is your last chance, Thomas. I have big plans for you. If you really want to act in her best interest, start that rocket, and give her the human soul she deserves. And I shall adopt her as the daughter she was born to be."

Thomas: "Go to hell!"

Jeffrey: "So you choose death over life."

Thomas: "Yes."

Jeffrey is not used to being refused. He pauses, looking away. His anger boils into rage.

Jeffrey: "TIE THEM BOTH TO THE RECEIVER!"

Worker_1 and Security_1 take Thomas and put him on the rack next to Cassandra.

Cassandra: "Thomas, no!"

Thomas: "I'm sorry, Cassandra. I thought maybe he would switch me for you."

Cassandra: "I love you."

Jeffrey: "How sweet."

Thomas: "I've died once before, it's not that bad. At least we have a few more minutes together. Good bye, love."

Open Faraday cage door

LX-3304 GO

SND-3304 - Open Cage Door

Jeffrey enters the faraday cage and closes the cage door behind him.

Close Faraday cage door

SND-3305 - Close Cage Door

Jeffrey: "Any last words?"

Thomas: "See you in hell, motherfucker!"

Security_1 and Worker_1 begin to leave the room towards [1].

Jeffrey: "Okay! Everybody leave the room, it's going to get toasty! Prepare for launch in 3 ... 2 ... .... .... 1 ............... IGNITION!"

Jeffrey hits the big red button.

SND-3306 - Rocket Starts

Projection: Projection 3-3 B is playing.

LX-3303 B2:special on Jeffrey

The rocket launches, dragging the cable off the spool behind it.

Jeffrey notices something as the wire unspools.

Jeffrey: "Wait ... why is the cable not connected?"

Orun: On

Jeffrey goes to the door of the cage, tries to open the cage door, but it's locked.

SND-3307 - Rattle Cage Door

Jeffrey: "What? Locked?"

SND-3308 - Door Opens

Borax enters from [1].

Borax: "Don't worry Boss! The cable *is* connected ... *Just not to the receiver*!"

Jeffrey looks confused for a moment ... then looks up to see the end of the cable connected to the Faraday cage.

Jeffrey: "What?? No! What the FUCK, Borax! You backstabbing little RAT! I AM JEFFREY ARKENSTONE!"

Lightning strikes the rocket.

Projection: Projection 3-3 C is playing.

SND-3309 - BIG BADABOOM

LX-3305 GO

The lighting bolt travels down the cable to the Faraday cage with Jeffrey inside.

Jeffrey has one moment to experience terror for the first time in his life.

Jeffrey: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ..."

Borax: "Sorry Boss."

Jeffrey Arkenstone dies a horrible, deserved death.

sparks and flashes, cage strobe and lots of smoke inside the faraday cage.

SND-3309 (cont.) - BIG BADABOOM

Jeffrey dead.

Runoratsu: OFF

LX-3306 GO

Thomas: "*GASPING FOR AIR* What? What the hell happened?"

Thomas: "Why ... why the hell are we still alive?"

Borax: "Because I rigged the machine!"

Borax hits the switch that closes the sliding doors.

SND-3310 - Sliding Doors Closing
LX-3307 GO
SND-3311 - Sliding Doors Stop

Thomas: "You mad son of a bitch ..."

Borax releases Thomas and Cassandra from the rack.

LX-3308 GO

Cassandra: "How are we going to get out of here? It won't take long for them to realize something went wrong ..."

Borax: "I don't know ... I didn't really have a lot of time to think this through."

Worker_1 comes in from [1].

PRE-3301 - Worker_1: "What the hell is going on here? Oh no! Jeffrey is dead! And what are YOU doing here, Borax?"

Borax: "It was an accident! I'm just here to help!"

PRE-3302 - Worker_1: "Then why did you free the prisoner? Something's wrong ... don't do anything stupid, I'm getting backup ..."

Worker_1 runs towards [1].

PRE-3302 (cont.) - Worker_1: "HELP! SECURITY! HELP!"

Cassandra takes cover near the rack they had been tied to.

Borax shoots Worker_1 with a pistol 3-3 and mighty gun fire!

Borax: "Serves you right, asshole. Quick, get behind me!"

Thomas hides behind Borax.

Borax puts on safety glasses.

RATS - tsching

Borax tilts his face shield down.

RATS - fop

Borax puts on a hard hat.

RATS - flopp

Borax produces a blast shield that he holds in front of the face shield.

RATS - radöng

Borax starts walking slowly towards [1], followed by Thomas.

Security_1 and Security_3 come in from [1].

LX-3309 STANDBY for GO

Security_1 shoots repeatedly at Borax with gun fire from his pistol 3-3, but Borax is bulletproof!

Borax shoots Security_1 dead with his own pistol 3-3.

Security_3 shoots repeatedly at Borax with gun fire from his pistol 3-3, but Borax is bulletproof!

Borax shoots Security_3 dead with his own pistol 3-3's gun fire.

Security_2 comes in from [1] and throws a hand grenade at Borax.

Borax: "Fuuuuuuuuck!"

LX-3309 GO

LX-3310 AUTO

grenade explosion.

Borax and Thomas get thrown backwards by the blast.

Borax looses his blast shield and the hard hat in the process.

Security_2: "Attackers are down! Get them while you can!"

Security_1 and Security_3 reincarnate from [1], running towards Borax and Thomas.

Baldwin, Helmut, Franklin and Helena come in from [1].

Baldwin shoots Security_1, Security_3, and Security_2 with his gun 3-3's gun fire.

PRE-3303 - Baldwin: "Cannae leave ye alone fer five bloody minutes, can I? Look at the mess ye've made!"

Cassandra (smiling): "What the hell are YOU doing here, disobeying my orders? You know that'S Mutiny, right!"

PRE-3304 - Baldwin: "Aye weel, we followed the spirit BEHIND yer order. Ye'll just hae tae fergive me fer savin' yer arse."

Cassandra relaxes, regarding her brave, loyal crew.

Cassandra: "*LAUGHS* I love you guys."

PRE-3305 - Franklin: "We might just about make it out of heree through the back door if we run really fast. Can you run really fast?"

Thomas: "Faster than the wind!"

Cassandra: "Wait! What about my father?"

Thomas: "I hate to say it, but your father died 10 years ago."

Cassandra: "I know. But I never got to say goodbye ... just give me a second, allright?"

Cassandra walks over to Jeffrey's body at [2, 2nd], Borax follows her with some distance.

LX-3311 GO

Cassandra opens the Faraday cage door when arriving.

Cassandra: "Now that the demon inside of him is gone ... he looks just like I remember him."

Cassandra takes Jeffrey's paw and kisses it.

Cassandra: "Goodbye, dad."

Thomas: "We've got to run!"

Cassandra: "I really hate to leave him here."

Borax: "Don't worry, I'll take care of the situation."

Cassandra: "How?"

Borax: "See the wristband? That's trust level 100. It's like the king's crown. And the one wearing it is also the one who has the key to it. Pretty stupid, isn't it?"

Cassandra steps back, and Borax removes the color coded wristband level 100 from Jeffrey and puts it on him self.

Borax: "Everyone bow to King Borax!"

PRE-3306 - Everybody groans.

Borax: "King Borax!"

PRE-3307 - Everybody groans more.

Borax: "Or maybe not. Anyways, time for you to bugger off and get to your ship before anyone out there figures out what has happened. This mess will be hard enough to explain without you standing here."

Thomas: "Thank you Borax."

Borax: "Yeah yeah, now get the fuck out of here."

Thomas, Cassandra, Baldwin, Helena, Franklin and Helmut runs out towards [7].

LX-3312 GO

Borax (dramatically): "OH NO! LOOK AT THIS TERRIBLE ACCIDENT! HELP! GOOD THING THAT JEFFREY GAVE ME THE BLACK BAND! HELP! HELP!"

LX-3398 GO

All Mics: Off
AMB and MUS: Fade out
Mute all except AV-Playout

Curtain - close

LX-3399 GO

Microphone handover from ROLE to OTHER ROLE