Strange Containers
Amber Comes Through
by
Earl A. Hale
Contact:
Toy Robot Productions
earl@toyrobotproductions.com
Second Draft
10/28/2019
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - NIGHT
Lucy watches the couple on the roof two buildings over
through a Leopold Mark 8 tactical scope mounted on a heavily
modified Les Baer M4 Flattop AR 15 rifle, anchored by a
scratched and beaten Bushnell rifle tripod. The night air is
clean, crisp, cold and fills Lucy with the strangest tasting
energy. She watches the couple drift into each other, their
mouths joining in a deep kiss that echoes to the present from
the first time curious lips embraced a stranger fruit,
forbidden with a wink by The Creator itself.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Andi and Marcus can only feel the primal drive, sourced from
The Power that Creates The Universe itself, move through
their bodies like fire through a gas line. So distracted from
the flow of their reality, they have no idea of forces at
play around them, much less the eyes that watch them from two
buildings away...
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Lucy inspects the very expensive war machine and marvels at
the precise construction and sheer artwork of the thing.
Mortimer Gordon Smith, the loneliest soul in existence,
murderer for hire and silent seeker of truth and love, will
be returning soon. Lucy had very little time to measure her
response to the discovery of Mortimer’s trade craft here on
the roof of this abandoned coffee roasting plant. She had
arrived to watch Mortimer calculating the mechanics of the
kill. She offers a prayer of gratitude to nothing in
particular as she observes he has not fired yet. She wills
the overwhelming and painful urge to urinate into the nerves
feeding his bladder and grins in the darkness as he suddenly
locks the gear down and leaves the roof quickly. Moments pass
and Mort is on the way back up the stairs to resume his task.
Lucy disengages from Mort’s gun scope and moves just off to
the side of the rig. She can smell any human soul and track
it’s location in an instant, but in thousands of years of
this exercise, figuring out what to do with one when you
corner it, is the fun part.
CUT TO:
EXT. WHISKEY'S WHISTLE STOP ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS
At Whiskey’s Whistle Stop, the strip club one building over
on the corner, painfully beautiful young women move like
flames on chrome lined, shiny, black lacquered stages pierced
by brass poles. The men in the bar bleed five and ten dollar
bills onto the stages as the all consuming fire goddesses
move against the sounds of “Ball and Biscuit,” by The White
Stripes. The song, ejaculating hard from powerful
loudspeakers can not be contained by the walls of the club
and pulse out into the street.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Lucy, with supernatural hearing, moves to the song along with
the dancers in the club below, as she keeps her eyes on
Mortimer. She moves silently. Earlier, upon arriving at this
roof, she pondered stopping the flow of time, but thrilled by
the rapidly unfolding events, decides to play this one out in
real time.
MICHAELA
Da Rien
LUCY
Fuck, Michaela, not now..
MICHAELA
Morty ne peut pas nous entendre
LUCY
What is it I’m grateful for?
MICHAELA
J’ai rendu le jeu plus intéressant,
Lucy spins to look Michaela in the eyes. Michaela stares back
with a wide grin.
CUT TO:
Mortimer’s finger enters the void of the guard and moves
gently in to touch the trigger. Suddenly, he moves his hand
away from the trigger guard and re-positions his body
slightly to see something unexpected.
CUT TO:
Lucy spins back to look at Mortimer.
LUCY
(under her breath)
Now what?!
She moves closer to see what is vexing the lonely killer. She
closes her eyes and allows all the knowledge of The Cosmic
Data Stream to flow through her, full blast, no focus, no
filters. She surfs the powerful orgasm that crushes through
her to it’s conclusion, the inevitable effect of channeling
the flow of all Universal data through her being. It is a fun
opening to jump through that an eternity of entrances could
never prepare a physical being to endure. To be an angel
though, this is a different thing entirely. An angel can
shrug through an orgasm that would destroy any lesser being.
It is, in hyper-reality, the feeling of establishing an open
connection with The Cosmic Data Stream.
She opens her eyes...
CUT TO:
Slow push in from MCU to TIGHT SHOT on Lucy's eyes with
effect in to TIGHT SHOT on Mort's eyes pulling back to
matching MCU. We notice Mort's Brown eyes becoming Lucy's
dark green eyes with "galaxy effect" in the pupils.
CUT TO:
INT. MORTIMER'S MIND - CONTINUOUS
We are inside Mort's mind. It appears to be a cluttered and
filthy apartment with walls of pulsing, wet meat. We move
quickly to a dirty window through which we see the roof top
where Marcus, Andi, and now Amber, are in a full on angry
discussion.
LUCY
Shit, this guy's brain is a wet
mess...
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - CONTINUOUS
CUT TO:
Focusing past the Bullet Drop Compensating Reticles that
interrupt the composition of Andi and Marcus on the roof a
Focusing past the Bullet Drop Compensating Reticles that
interrupt the composition of Andi and Marcus on the roof a
building away, Lucy watches through Mortimer as the lovers
are joined by another young woman.
CUT TO:
EXT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Wide shot on Marcus, Andi and Amber. As they interact, they
move their positions. Amber approaches the couple from the
roof entrance. As she speaks, Andi quickly moves behind
Marcus. Any violence from this angry woman has to go through
Marcus first.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Lucy, now inside Mort's mind, is lying in sniper position
looking through the scope. Visually, we see Lucy wearing
Mort's clothes. She is grinning as she watches the action.
LUCY
Humans are such fun to watch when
they dance. This would be so much
more fun if the three of them just
got naked and connected up. I don't
see a Reaper, though. (Lucy looks
away from the scope for a moment)
That's weird, I don't see a Reaper
here either. (She turns her
attention back to the scope)
Suddenly, Lucy hears music coming from far away. Slowly She
realizes that Michaela is about to get busy.
The opening lines of “In Your Letter,” by REO Speedwagon fold
through the night air from somewhere impossibly distant.
Lucy scans the roof and the air above her. There are no signs
of Michaela. Lucy returns her eye to the scope...
LUCY (CONT'D)
Michaela...
CUT TO:
EXT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT ROOF - CONTINUOUS
AMBER
What the fuck Marcus?!
MARCUS
(throws a confused glance at the
roof access door)
How did you get up here?!
AMBER
(Totally pissed)
What happened with Walt? Why aren't
you helping him?!
ANDI
What's with the 80's music?
MARCUS
Walt's a worthless waste of air. I
blocked his ass from my phone and
social and we haven't connected in
over a week. What's he fucked up
now?
CUT TO:
EXT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT ROOF - CONTINUOUS
High above the stoned and angry triangle of rooftop actors,
Michaela hovers in a glow of intention so strong it almost
bends into mortal perception.
CUT TO:
Tight shot on Michaela as she gazes upon the three humans
performing a vibrational opera of tension and ill consequence
below her.
CUT TO:
Back on the roof, Amber, previously touched by Michaela and
her friend Reaper surrounded by the aroma of fresh baked
bread in Bud's Sub Shop, is almost in position to receive her
anointing. In an instant, unseen by the human players...
CUT TO:
...Michaela stands just above the floor, her toes not quite
touching it, behind Amber...
CUT TO:
She touches the girl’s throat from behind with her finger and
pushes a glowing thought into and through it.
CUT TO:
MCU on Amber. She chokes but pushes through the discomfort
motivated by her anger.
AMBER
I... (makes a "glurck" sound from
choking, then srhugs it off and
continues to speak) I don't know
for sure. I only know that he's in
County and his place has been
totally trashed. I mean fucking
trashed!! It'll take a crew to
clean that mess up anytime soon...
MARCUS
(suddenly fighting back a grin)
Sounds like he's safer in County.
He's in good shape. Best thing we
could do is feel good and be still
and let things play out real quiet
like. What's our problem here?
CUT TO:
Mort's position on the roof looking through the rifle scope.
He's muttering something...
MORT
Have to abort. He paid for two not
three...
CUT TO:
Mort's cluttered mind. The words "abort" and the phrase "two
not three," echo in the room. Lucy turns to the door and
quietly exits Mort's mind.
CUT TO:
Wide shot on Mort still lying in sniper position. Lucy
appears next to him in a simple dissolve. She stands to look
at him and then toward the other roof. Then she sees it...
CUT TO:
Wide shot on apartment roof. Michaela hovers above the three
humans. She is surrounded by powerful flashes of superdimensional
light and multi-colored bolts of lightning. The
wind across the roof grows stronger, aggravated by a strange
and alien vibration from a higher state of reality...
CUT TO:
...filling both Marcus and Andi with a sudden, uncontrollable
urge to get the fuck away from there as fast as fucking
possible. Marcus turns to bolt for the exit when his legs
refuse to cooperate, freezing in place. He turns to look at
Andi...
CUT TO:
...she stands staring down at her feet, confused as to why
they will not move...
CUT TO:
...Marcus redirects his attention to Amber.
MARCUS
All I wanted was to get my lady
naked and high! What the fuck is
with THIS weird shit?! And what the
hell is with the REO Speedwagon?!
The wind is really picking up to almost dangerous force. The
music is growing just as loud.
CUT TO:
MCU on Andi as she falls to her knees, hands clasped at her
chest, head bowed in fearful prayer.
CUT TO:
Tight on Amber. She is glowing and her long, brunette, hair
is turning a brilliant, zinc, white. Faint, small, bolts of
lightning are arcing from her head, illuminated by energy
beamed into her by Michaela hovering above her. Amber is
however, completely oblivious to all of this and Marcus and
Andi, to her, are acting completely insane.
AMBER
What the fuck is wrong with you
two?
We can barely hear hear as her voice is drowned out by the
storm and the music.
CUT TO:
Tight on Marcus.
MARCUS
What the fuck is wrong with you?!
CUT TO:
Wide shot on roof. A sudden silent, stillness settles over
the roof. The contrast of the quantum state of peace and
quiet threatens sanity itself.
AMBER
Why are you shouting? (points at
Andi, who is crouching and praying
it mortal terror) What the hell is
wrong with her?
MARCUS
Andi! get up girl...
ANDI
(stands shakily) I want to go
downstairs now.
Andi turns to Amber and points to Amber's hair. Andi is about
to fall apart, but somehow keeping it together.
Your hair is white...
CUT TO:
Amber pulls a lock into view and notices that the girl is
right. It is indeed white, like a billowy cloud on a perfect
summer day. The beauty fills her with a sense of power that
moves just beneath the intense confusion. Did Marcus and this
girl do something to her? Why were they acting so scared?
CUT TO:
MCU on Marcus. He is very, very slowly backing away from
Amber and pointing to her as he speaks. He too is visibly
shaken by what has just happened.
MARCUS
I think you just got hit by
lightning or something, Amber. That
was some intense, weird shit! You
feel okay?
AMBER
(confused as fuck and continuing to
look at a lock of her now cloud
white hair)
I'm fine. I don't know what's going
on here. Maybe I did get hit by
lightning or something. I'm fine
really. (under her breath) Fucking
weird...
MARCUS
You might want to get yourself
checked out or something.
(seriously thinks about something
for a moment) I'll send my lawyer
to County to see about getting Walt
released, if you want me to. I
still think he's safer there, but
whatever...
Amber turns and moves toward the Roof Access Door. She is
clearly dazed and feeling just plain weird as hell.
AMBER
(her back to Marcus and Andi) Sure
to all of that.
CUT TO:
EXT. COFFEE PLANT BUILDING ROOF - CONTINUOUS
Lucy watches as Mort breaks down
his gear to pack and exit his
position on the roof. He moves with
practice and precision. She turns
her gaze back to the other roof.
She can see Marcus standing, alone
now, like an unclaimed paper
target. She inhales deeply through
her nose, closing her eyes as she
does so. The scents of adrenaline,
perspiration, ozone, gun oil, roses
and human souls in conflict create
an exquisite aroma that makes her
grin uncontrollably.
LUCY
(eyes closed as if in prayer)
Every smile a prayer. (opening her
eyes now) I wonder what Michaela
just created over there? In front
of human witnesses. Holy fuck, what
did their compressed little brains
think of it?
Mort is continuing to pull his gear together when he suddenly
turns directly to Lucy and speaks.
MORT
I'd stay away from that white
haired girl, if I were you.
LUCY
(shocked as fuck) You can see me?!
MORT
I've always been able to see you.
Sometimes you shimmer like a ghost,
but you've been floating around me
for years. It just seemed cool to
say something to you now. That was
supremely weird over there.
Mort smoking a cigarette, inhales his smoke, pinching it
between his thumb and fore finger like Humphrey Bogart. He
exhales a thick plume away from Lucy in a strange gesture of
respect.
LUCY
Not everyone can see me unless I
want them to. You have a rare
talent Mort.
MORT
The girl with the hair. You might
want to keep your distance. Just
saying.
Mort resumes his task and hoists the heavy tripod over his
shoulder.
MORT (CONT'D)
Not that it's any of my business.
LUCY
Right. I'm not sure that possible
now, Mort.
MORT
(stopping at the door to the roof
access shack) Oh, next time you
need to get into my head, ask
first. Courtesy, you know?
Mort steps into the door and disappears down the stairs. Lucy
stars at the empty door for a moment.
FADE TO BLACK:
©2019 Earl A. Hale - All Rights Reserved
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