THE VOICE OF ATON "THE INTERVIEW" by GORDON D WENN CAST LIST --------- ALBERT SHIRLEY DIRECTOR SET LIST -------- INTERIORS --------- EXECUTION ROOM PERSONNEL OFFICE Copyright (c) 2003 - All rights reserved - KitsWriter@Yahoo.com # 1. ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. - EXECUTION ROOM We see a woman, we will come to know as SHIRLEY, who is in the process of being executed. She is strapped to a table and wearing orange prison issue coveralls. She has an intravenous tube taped to her left arm, which is being held out and away from the rest of her body. The bright lights above her, glare down. Causing her to look away. She appears to be on the verge of a nervous collapse. Then we hear a very heavy electrical clunk. The lights change from bright to dim. Everything in the room is bathed in clear, but darker colours. She lays on the table waiting in silence. Then she speaks. SHIRLEY (loudly) Come on, get it over with. Do it! Do it now! A face moves in from her right. ALBERT Hi Shirl, how's it going? SHIRLEY (confused) Who the hell are you? He undoes her straps. ALBERT Albert Goodman. The first person you ever murdered. She appears both shocked and surprised. SHIRLEY What?... You're dead. Then I'm?... She sits up. Looks at him with a certain suspicion. ALBERT Dead, yeah.... You where executed a few minutes ago. SHIRLEY (acceptance) I'm dead. I'm actually dead. Really? # 2. ALBERT (sarcastic) Really! You've rejoined the Carbon Cycle. She eyes him for moment. Uncertain. SHIRLEY Okay. What happens now? ALBERT So then you understand? SHIRLEY That I'm dead? Sure. What's the problem? ALBERT A lot of people refuse to accept it. They just deny everything. This is not good. It's all about regrets. There is a brief silent pause. ALBERT(CON'T) (insisting) Do you have any Regrets? SHIRLEY (understands) You yeah, sure. Thousands. SHIRLEY begins thinking about her regrets. ALBERT So is there anything you didn't do or anything that you'd have rather done differently. SHIRLEY Do I have to fill out some sort of Form? SHIRLEY hops off the table to her left. Stands. Looks at ALBERT on the other side of the table. SHIRLEY(CON'T) So just how, did I kill you? ALBERT gives her a knowing look. SHIRLEY(CON'T) (correction) Okay, Murder you. # 3. ALBERT On the road between Lubbock and Amarillo. SHIRLEY (apologetic) I'm sorry. I just don't remember. ALBERT You through your dog out the window of your car. It hit me in the chest. SHIRLEY Really? Schnauzer was one of those little rat dogs. You died from that? ALBERT Well, you were travelling at a hundred and sixty miles an hour. SHIRLEY (grimace) Ouch! ALBERT Your dog drowned in my blood. I lingered on for another ten minutes. In extreme pain. (shrugs) They found me, five weeks later. Eaten by predators. SHIRLEY Is it too late for an apology? ALBERT Not really. But, you know, the funny thing is that I'm more of a cat person. SHIRLEY seems slightly confused. SHIRLEY So I killed you, then you get to judge me? Some sort of poetic justice? ALBERT Not entirely.... ALBERT takes a moment, searching for the right words. # 4. ALBERT(CON'T) You see, we have this moment. Between what was and what will be. I'm here to listen. To ask questions. Maybe supply some answers. You're the one who does the judging. SHIRLEY Well that's pretty slick, isn't it? ALBERT It's not about guilt or innocence. SHIRLEY Acceptance?... Regrets?... ALBERT That, or an eternity of denial. SHIRLEY So the secrets of the universe unfold before me. The mysteries of life are revealed. ALBERT Like what? SHIRLEY Hmm... Like the Aliens. ALBERT Oh, there aren't any. It's just us. SHIRLEY No Aliens. No weird monsters on strange exotic Planets. ALBERT No, It's just us. SHIRLEY Our Planet is the only one in the entire Universe with life? ALBERT Oh, no. There's a lot of Bacteria. # 5. SHIRLEY (let down) Only Bacteria?... I was hoping for something more substantial. ALBERT (explains) Actually, most planets fall into one of three categories. Gas Balls, Goo Balls or None of the Above.... That last one, being good old Mother Dirt herself. SHIRLEY forms a question. SHIRLEY Goo Balls? ALBERT Planets whose surface has formed into thick layers of primitive single cell organisms. They're interwoven into an interconnected macro ecology. Centred on the volcanic heat at the plate boundaries. SHIRLEY So, our planet is the only one in the entire Universe, with anything that can Think? ALBERT Unfortunately yes. And I have several really interesting theories explaining why. SHIRLEY smiles at him. SHIRLEY Well I'm not that busy right now. Feel free. ALBERT Really? It's kind of goofy. SHIRLEY No, go ahead. My schedule appears to be free. # 6. ALBERT Okay, thanks.... Life has existed on the Earth for more than three and a half billion years. Most of which goes down two kilometers into the rock. SHIRLEY Yeah, I think I saw that on TV once. ALBERT (smiles) Yes, television. An interesting concept. Adaptive. Informative. The theory being, right up until someone tells you, you don't know. SHIRLEY That's true. I always liked those nature programs. I always ended up learning something really interesting. ALBERT tries to express a certain correctness. ALBERT That's true. In fact I was moving along in that direction. SHIRLEY And I interrupted you. Sorry! ALBERT That's Okay.... It's been said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But the ability to extrapolate that knowledge is truly awe-inspiring. SHIRLEY furrows him a look. SHIRLEY Okay. ALBERT continues. ALBERT Life existed for three billion years as bacteria. Then suddenly, for some reason, half a billion years ago, it exploded into multi-cellular creatures. # 7. SHIRLEY (leery) I think it's called Evolution? ALBERT True. But Evolution requires a mechanism. A process. I call it the Lunch Theory. SHIRLEY As opposed to the Breakfast or Dinner Theories? ALBERT smiles, then continues. ALBERT The Earths' surface is in constant motion. Tectonic forces forming and reforming the entire surface of the Planet. Then, the defining moment arrived, when the continents had moved into just the right positions, and the Moon was just close enough, so that the Oceans could create really significant Global Tides. SHIRLEY Tides? ALBERT (nods) Tides would have left living organisms on newly formed beaches. The Life that was left behind, either went to Lunch or was Lunch. It had to adapt quickly. SHIRLEY (hesitant) Okay. ALBERT It's that or the Bacteria figured out the true nature of the Cosmos and we are all merely the fleshy vehicles they intend to use to populate the Universe. SHIRLEY (confused) What? # 8. ALBERT There's always an alternative way to interpret the data you have. SHIRLEY (unconvinced) Okay. ALBERT Shirl, I don't think you really grasp the beauty of my Theory. SHIRLEY (confused) Beauty? ALBERT Five hundred million years ago, all there was, was the Bacteria. Five hundred million years from now, all there will be, will be the Bacteria. SHIRLEY (still confused) What? Why? ALBERT Eventually, all the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere will be absorbed. All the plant life will cease to exist. Followed by all the larger animals who consume them. All that remains will be the Bacteria.... Who don't really actually care. SHIRLEY (concerned) So, there's no real point to anything. It all just turns into crap. Everything we've ever done or will ever do is just pointless? ALBERT Well, it's just a theory. The Future may end up completely differently. You probably have some profound thoughts of your own. # 9. SHIRLEY Not really. ALBERT What, your afraid of embarrassing yourself? You're dead, remember. SHIRLEY I know!... It's just, I thought what you said, was sort of stupid. ALBERT (hurt) Really. SHIRLEY (apologetic) Besides, I've never been able to say, what I'm thinking. I always screw it up somehow. And say the wrong thing. ALBERT Shirl, you're in a moment of pure clarity. You'll find that you can express yourself with an amazing amount of insight. SHIRLEY begins to respond, but is interrupted by a bright light behind her. She turns and looks into it. A large, swirling oval appears in front of her. The hypnotic patterns, reflect from her frightened face. SHIRLEY What is that? ALBERT Your final reward. SHIRLEY stands frozen, fixated on the light. Not really listening. SHIRLEY What? ALBERT produces a file folder. Lays it on the table. He holds up a single sheet of paper for inspection. Speaks to SHIRLEYS' back. ALBERT Do you have an overwhelming desire to go in there? # 10. SHIRLEY turns, gives him a puzzled look. SHIRLEY No, no I don't.... It's just.... SHIRLEY stares up at the reflected light around her. ALBERT There are just a few things that I'd like to clear up before you make up your mind. SHIRLEY doesn't answer. ALBERT reassures her. ALBERT(CON'T) It's not going anywhere without you. ALBERT looks at the file. ALBERT(CON'T) Let's see.... You killed me. Carol and Bob. And those three people in that convenience store. ALBERT suddenly has her complete attention. SHIRLEY (adamant) It wasn't a convenience store! ALBERT Really, what would you call it then? SHIRLEY stares at him intently. She doesn't answer. ALBERT(CON'T) Come on Shirl, what's the big deal? They executed you for that one. SHIRLEY (evasive) Yeah, well it's just not that simple! ALBERT So explain it to me. I heard confession is good for the soul. SHIRLEY gives him a reluctant look. ALBERT personalizes the moment. ALBERT(CON'T) Why did you throw away your dog? # 11. SHIRLEY (loud) You are mad at me! ALBERT Just answer the question. Don't think about it. Let it flow out. Say what you feel. She snaps at him. SHIRLEY He outlived his usefulness! Then stabs back with another question. SHIRLEY(CON'T) What were you doing on that road? ALBERT I ran out of gas. She shrugs off his answer. SHIRLEY So who's this Carol and Bob you mentioned. ALBERT holds up their pictures, from his file. SHIRLEY(CON'T) (looks) Oh, those sacks of crap! No big loss. The Universe is well rid of them. ALBERT Really, why is that? SHIRLEY Junky Whore and her Pimp. ALBERT Is that your own personal opinion? SHIRLEY Hey, somebody had to do something! ALBERT So you killed them as a Public Service? SHIRLEY wrestles with her answer. SHIRLEY What is the true nature of Evil? # 12. ALBERT looks at her, thoughtful. ALBERT You tell me? It's your nickel. SHIRLEY (snarky) It's a quarter now. Things have gone up since you left. ALBERT looks displeased. ALBERT You obviously have something to say. Some true revelation. Some unrevealed Truth. SHIRLEY (defensive) That's a little pompous, isn't it? ALBERT Regrets.... Denial.... SHIRLEY Okay, but it's going sound a little nutso. ALBERT I don't care how it sounds. ALBERT furrows her an inquiry. ALBERT(CON'T) So, the True Nature of Evil? SHIRLEY squirms slightly with her answer. But, then calmly finds the words. SHIRLEY Most people would interpret evil as the opposite of their culture. The core of that culture being fertility. You get that father to son thing. You know, my method of existing in this environment works well enough for me to reproduce, therefore if you use my method, then you will also be able to reproduce in this environment. The method becomes the culture. Those opposed to it become social outcasts, denying the groups reproductive success. # 13. ALBERT Evil! SHIRLEY Right. ALBERT So, Carol and Bob deviated from the cultural norm? SHIRLEY They were evil, vile, corrupt, sociopaths. Sucking the life out of anybody who just happened to wander by. They won't be missed. ALBERT And those other three people? SHIRLEY This part is a little tricky. Hmm.... You have to go back to that environment in its natural state. You know, without people mucking it up. The interesting thing, is that all environments or habitats, are virtually the same. Two percent of the population are predators. ALBERT Really? I didn't know that. SHIRLEY Oh yeah!... But the really interesting thing is how we fit in to that habitat. ALBERT How's that? SHIRLEY Sometime in our prehistory, our population fell to that two percent predator level. We became confused. The other predators began treating us differently. A schism developed. The whole prey/predator thing collapsed. We developed that fight/flight reaction. We became inconsistent. Not one thing or another. Something to be avoided. ALBERT Sounds logical. # 14. SHIRLEY expands her thesis. SHIRLEY Okay, what else comes in percentages? ALBERT (shrugs) What? SHIRLEY The Cool People. ALBERT looks a little confused. ALBERT (unconvinced) Who? SHIRLEY gauges his reaction. SHIRLEY You don't really understand, do you? ALBERT Enlighten me. SHIRLEY gestures, finding her way again. SHIRLEY The Cool People. The Elite. That One percent at the top of the food chain. We love them, we emulate them, we want to be them. They are the supreme role model. ALBERT Oh, them! SHIRLEY Yeah, but not entirely perfect. ALBERT How's that? SHIRLEY They don't last that long. They have a shelf life of about ten years. Every decade we need to find new ones. They have a built in, preprogrammed, expiry date. ALBERT looks unconvinced. # 15. SHIRLEY(CON'T) In the Twenties there was the Jazz Age. In the Thirties, the Rumble Seat crowd. The Forties had the Jitterbug. The Fifties, the Greaseballs. Then in the Sixties, just as we were getting really happy with Frankie and Annette, a giant moral cause came by.... You know, the War. ALBERT Oh yeah, right. Journey to a Far Off and Distant Land, Meet New and Exotic People, and Kill Them. SHIRLEY gives ALBERT a rather cold look, then continues. SHIRLEY Then somebody finally stood up and yelled: What the Hell do you think your doing!... Governments of course rely on tried and true methods. In this case, divide and conquer. They tried to overwhelm and undermine everybody with an immense volume of social problems. SHIRLEY pauses for a moment. She looks at ALBERT, trying to gauge his level of understanding. SHIRLEY(CON'T) Poverty, Racism, Pollution, Nuclear War, the Space Race, the Rat Race. The Media didn't help, they just took that one percent fringe element and called it the Movement. Just more scare tactics. (pause) But a funny thing happened. Everybody agreed. A giant democratic movement sprang up to challenge all those things. (pause) But, you know, it really pissed off the Cool People. # 16. ALBERT looks a little stunned. ALBERT Ehh... What? SHIRLEY Hey, if everybody's cool, nobody's cool. You have to have an elite. Democracy just does not apply. ALBERT I think I'm following. But.... SHIRLEY There is empirical evidence. ALBERT Such as.... SHIRLEY Shortly after the original moral cause ended, you know, the War. People didn't want to think that much anymore. So they embraced mindlessness. You know, Disco. ALBERT (smiles) Right. I loved Disco. SHIRLEY gives him another odd look. Continues. SHIRLEY But, by the end of the Seventies the Cool People had become firmly entrenched. Their one and only pronouncement was: Hey Man, the Sixties are Dead. ALBERT That's it? That's all said? SHIRLEY They were cool. Remember? ALBERT (nods) Oh, right. SHIRLEY gives ALBERT a moment. He gestures his understanding. # 17. SHIRLEY But it doesn't stop there. They're always updating the definition of Cool. So they can scoff at the previous group. And to be on the safe side, two decades back. So the Seventies poo-pooed the Fifties. The Nineties made fun of the Seventies. But the Eighties, well the Eighties just ate themselves. They'd already made their pronouncement about the Sixties. It was Cool just not to say anything. ALBERT thinks for a moment. ALBERT I think I understand. I'm just not sure how it all applies to your situation. SHIRLEY I did tell you that it would sound a little nutso. Right. ALBERT True. SHIRLEY Their method is to attack the current culture. They challenge everything. Mock authority. This threatens the basic reproductive ability of the group. ALBERT The Cool People do this? SHIRLEY Yes. In their evolution to a higher state of coolness, they destroy, divide, and obliterate the purity and essence of our precious bodily fluids. # 18. ALBERT (confused) What? SHIRLEY You never saw the Movie? ALBERT I guess not.... But, I think your dancing around the real issue. You still killed those three people in that convenience store. He seems to have struck a nerve. She clenches her fists, holding back her emotions. SHIRLEY (slowly) It wasn't a convenience store!... It was more like a hangout.... In reality, a training ground. A place to experiment with the basic nature of cool. Infertile, vicious, destructive. ALBERT So as a Public Service, you killed them too. SHIRLEY No, it was more of a message. ALBERT What sort of message? SHIRLEY What is the primary form of communication? ALBERT I don't know. SHIRLEY Terror. ALBERT looks at her, shocked. ALBERT So the message being, coolness has a price. A big price. # 19. SHIRLEY That.... or that.... I'm just.... really, really tired. SHIRLEY turns and looks at the light. Then back to ALBERT. SHIRLEY(CON'T) You were right. It has been a moment of pure clarity. She smiles at ALBERT. SHIRLEY(CON'T) (waves) Buh-bye. Then walks into the light. ALBERT picks up his papers, placing them back in the file folder. As he does, the room begins to blur. The patterns around him change, swirl, reform. ALBERTS' image rotates 180 degrees. MATCH TO: DISSOLVE TO: INT. - PERSONNEL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS .... ALBERT is standing in front of a large, dark desk. A nameplate reads PERSONNEL DIRECTOR. ALBERT hands over the file folder to a large man, wearing a business suit, seated behind the desk. ALBERT (unhappy) I lost that One. DIRECTOR You can't win them all. ALBERT I'd like to.... Well perhaps that's the sin of pride. DIRECTOR Albert, pride in ones work is not a sin. But a virtue. Besides.... (checks clipboard) You're still batting six fifteen. ALBERT Well, yeah.... How's Johnson doing? # 20. DIRECTOR There is no need to worry about Johnson. The two of you have completely different styles. He probably would have shown up with a dogs' butt sticking out of his chest. He hands ALBERT a new file. DIRECTOR(CON'T) Your next assignment. ALBERT takes the file. Reads the first few pages. ALBERT Oh, he gets eaten by his victims relatives. DIRECTOR Right. Johnson would have probably shown up as.... ALBERT (interrupts) .... Giblet Man. DIRECTOR (laughs) Good one.... So don't worry. Everything's fine. You're doing one hell a job. ALBERT (thoughtful) Thanks.... It's just that I really, really, hate to lose. DIRECTOR We all do. Losing is just part of the game. There are no absolute guarantees. (pause) You just have to put forth your best effort and believe in what you're doing. # 21. ALBERT Yeah, well I've never really considered it to be a game. DIRECTOR That's probably why your so good at what you do. ALBERT Thanks. I guess I just needed to hear someone say it. ALBERT suddenly appears to be uncomfortable. ALBERT(CON'T) Hmmm.... Say, do you find it a little cold in here? He adjusts his suit jacket. DIRECTOR Not really, it seems fine. ALBERT No, I definitely feel a chill. Maybe you could call downstairs. Have them through a few more Lawyers on the Fire. DIRECTOR (picks up phone) Sure, no problem. We are hip deep in them. ALBERT Yeah, and their just so damn easy. ALBERT smiles. Begins to laugh. Maniacally. FADE OUT. THE END #