———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season Two, Episode Six

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2020

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: 02-06. It moves upwards, pausing a moment in the center of the frame, then continues upward, exiting the frame at the top edge.

FADE OUT

FADE IN

INT. UNROOM NOT.SEVEN

A vast cavern of a room, with unseen corners, the Unroom Not.Seven has near its center a wooden disc surrounded by rows of grey carpet squares. From the ends of each row of carpet squares, spindly metallic lamps cast a dim light. The unroom’s lone occupant, THE OUTER ONE, sits on one of the squares spinning a golden coin.

POV OF THE OUTER ONE

The coin spins, solidity turning to ethereal turning back to solidity. As the coin slows we can see it has a simple abstract carving of an anvil on one side and a hammer on the other. They pick up the coin and spin it again.

TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLICK CLACK.

The Outer One stops the spinning coin and looks towards the wooden disc.

POV OF OUTER ONE LOOKING AT THE WOODEN DISC

The disc is empty initially but unseen lamps burst to life over the wooden disc revealing THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE sitting mid-disc.

TRANSITION FROM THE UNROOM TO THE TRYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE.

PAN IN TOWARDS THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE
TRANSITION FROM THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

ADD AN UPWARD MOVEMENT TO THE PAN IN TO MOVE THE CAMERA TO THE HIGH-STAGE AREA OF THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE.

As the camera nears the stage, the main curtains open revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED

GRIGIO COLORI enters from stage-left. He walks about a quarter of the way across the stage then SNAPS his fingers. The High-Stage curtains part revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. ORFE.O SPARKSHIP’S COMMUNICATION CENTER

The sparkship Orfe.O’s communication center or observation deck, is a room arraigned like an amphitheater with a giant view screen across the back. On the screen is the ship’s AI ORFEO, rendered in a wireframe animation style.

The Orfe.O’s crew of nine females, each dressed in virtual reality gear, stand in an arc in front of the viewscreen facing the audience. Each bears a name tag with not a name, but her title and rank within the ship. From stage-left to stage-right stands VR-1, VR-2, VR-3, VR-4, VR-5, VR-6, VR-7, VR-8 and VR-9. (note: They would pronounce it as Very One, Very Two, Very Three…) All nine wear the same basic style of VR gear, with helmet, visor and gloves wired to long cords running off stage. Each has added her own individual decoration to personalize her gear. VR-1 has a writing pad sticker on her VR helmet. VR-2 has a scroll and quill sticker on her VR gear. VR-3 has a sticker of a flute. VR-4’s VR gear is decorated with roses. VR-5 has stickers of boots on her VR gear. VR-6’s VR gear bears no decoration. VR-7’s VR gear has a sticker of the silhouette of a ballerina. VR-8’s VR gear has a joker playing card taped onto it. Stars cover VR-9’s VR gear.
Each is busy working at her virtual reality work station. Though they can see their workstations, we cannot. To us it will appear as if they are pantomiming navigating the sparkship and running its systems.

ORFE.O
“Minimal structural damage. Orchestra Pit recommends a sixty degree declination to avoid any further structural damage.” (notices Grigio) “Hey, what are you doing here?”

Grigio SNAPS his fingers and the High-Stage curtains close. He moves to the center of the stage and SNAPS his fingers again. The High-stage curtains reopen revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. DIDO+AENEAS SPARKSHIP’S OPERATIONS ROOM

The Dido+Aeneas Operations room has the appearance of two different rooms stuck together. The stage-left side, or the AI DIDO’s side of the stage, is decorated in silver and chrome with a large viewscreen at an angle to the stage-front. The viewscreen fills half the stage. DIDO’s face can be seen in the viewscreen. The other side of the stage belongs to the ship’s other AI AENEAS. It is decorated in hues of gold and bronze. A large viewscreen fills half the stage at a complementary angle to Dido’s viewscreen. AENEAS’s face can be seen in this viewscreen. The two viewscreens are angled such as to form a v, with the stage-left and stage-right sides being closest to the stage front and the center, or where they meet, recessed back.
Two robots, the DIDO-BOT and the AEN-BOT, dance a slow waltz across the triangular area between the viewscreens. The Dido-bot is chrome in color wearing a golden dress with silvery accents. The AEN-BOT is golden in color but wearing a silvery suit accented with bronze. THE BLUE DANUBE WALTZ BY JOHANN STRAUSS II PLAYS as the robots dance.

DIDO
(regular voice) “Oh I remember this song. We danced to it at our wedding.” (more mechanical voice) “Energy spikes detected. Orchestra Pit recommends rerouting.”(regular voice) “How long has it been Aeneas.”

AENEAS
(mechanical voice) “Rerouting orbit.” (normal voice) “The uplifted heart collects no calendars my love.”

The Dido-Bot and Aen-bot dance while Grigio walks across the stage. He mistimes stepping around and they bump into each other. The robots stop.

DIDO
(normal voice) “Who’s that?” (mechanical voice) “Reroute vectors assigned.”

AENEAS
(mechanical voice) “Compensating fuel ratios” (regular voice) “Oh it does appear to be one of Colori’s many faces. What did it call itself. Help me out sweetheart. Not the rage, not the soothing, the individualist.”

DIDO
(normal voice) “Grigio dear.”

AENEAS
(normal voice) “Grigio. Yes that’s it.”

GRIGIO COLORI
“Hi. Sorry about disturbing your dance.”

DIDO
(mechanical voice) “Acceleration within acceptable parameters.” (normal voice) “Apology accepted. What grand adventure brings you to our love nest. Something heroic I hope.”

GRIGIO
“I’m on my way to the Carro.”

AENEAS
(normal voice) “Well good luck then.” (mechanical voice) “Sub-deck electronics within acceptable parameters.”

The Dido-bot and Aen-bot resume dancing. Grigio SNAPS his fingers and the curtain closes. He walks a little ways and SNAPS again. The High-stage curtains reopen revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. JULIAN-3 SPARKSHIP COMMAND DECK

Two rows of terminals run across the stage, with the back row raised higher than the front. Each terminal, except one, is manned by a holographic projection of the ship’s AI JULIAN THREE. The unmanned terminal is broken. Its burned and cracked with wires spilling out.

JULIAN 3.0
“Hull intergity 85%.”

JULIAN 3.1
“We have successfully emerged from the storm.”

JULIAN 3.4
“Redirect all sensors to surrounding space. Danger may still be afoot.”

JULIAN 3.6
“Ship systems have sustained damage. 65% efficiency.”

JULIAN 3.14
“Not to mention Julian 3.15 getting stabbed multiple times by the lightning strikes. Talk about a highly charged situation.”

Grigio laughs at his joke and hi-fives Julian 3.14. All the Julians look at them. Grigio snaps his fingers and the curtains close. Grigio exits stage-right.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD. IT MOVES OFF FROM THE HIGH-STAGE TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS BENEATH. IT FOLLOWS THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS DOWNWARD TO THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS, GLIDING OVER THEM TO FINALLY SETTLE PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.

The Mid-Stage curtains are open and the stage lights are on when we join the scene revealing…

MID-STAGE: INT. THE ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY SECOND FLOOR, AFTERNOON

An entrance way and large window stand to the stage-left while a small table and bookshelves stand to the stage-right. Signs hang over the entrance way denoting “Non-fiction” and “Fiction” stage-right while “Checkout” is stage-left and downstairs. The small table has a series of books on display. A sign on the table reads “Staff Picks”.
On the floor next to the staff picks we find THOMAS TYPEWRITER sitting on the floor reading “Latchkey Kids of Randomness” by Jonathan J. Wheelwright. He reads in silence for a few moments before THE LIBRARY AIDE enters from stage-right. Pushing a rolling cart filled with books to reshelve, the Library Aide spots Thomas and moves closer.

THE LIBRARY AIDE
“Excuse me sir.”

Thomas marks his place in the book and then looks up.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Yes.”

THE LIBRARY AIDE
“Is everything alright.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Yes. Sorry, this book drew me in. Lost track of time.”

THE LIBRARY AIDE
“Oh, that’s fine. It happens more times than you’d believe.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Do you know what time it is.”

THE LIBRARY AIDE
(looking at watch) “3pm.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Oh boy, I am going to be late. Do you know where the cooking books are?”

THE LIBRARY AIDE
“Real close. Head straight back three rows. On your left.”

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Thanks.”

THE LIBRARY AIDE
“No problem.”

Thomas walks off stage right bringing the book with him.

TRANSITION FROM MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA UNCOUPLES FROM MID-STAGE AND GLIDES UPWARD. IT PANS UPWARD PAST THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS, CONTINUING UPWARD TO THE HIGH-STAGE AT THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN. IT SLOWS AND STOPS WHEN PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: INT. SPACE EGG

THE INNER-SPACE MAN sits at the console stuck, frozen about to push a button. The lights in the the console and the viewscreen cycle through levels of dimness.

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
(through gritted teeth) “What’s happening. I’m stuck.”

THE SPACE EGG
(distorted) “Me too.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“Did Biff stop pretending before finishing our story?”

THE SPACE EGG
“Looks like he did. Guess we’re stuck till he returns to pretending our story.”

The Inner-Space Man tries to move, struggles, but can not budge. He exhales in exhaustion and frustration.

THE INNER-SPACE MAM
“Is this to be our fate my ovoid friend. To exist, to know and feel, but to never truly live unless bound within the margins of a child’s playtime.”

THE SPACE EGG
“Maybe we’re cursed.”

THE INNER-SPACE MAN
“If only.”

The stage lights turn off with the sound of A COMPUTER POWERING OFF while the High-stage curtains close.

FADE OUT