The Glorious Now
[CLIVE SCHILL KNOCKS ON THE OPEN DOOR OF REBECCA LANDRY’S OFFICE]
CLIVE
Becky?
[REBECCA IS BUSY BUT WAVES HIM IN]
REBECCA
Hey, hey, come in.
CLIVE
How’s it going?
[BECKY LOOKS AT HER PAPERWORK AND WITH A WITH A SIGH, THROWS HER PEN ON TO THE DESK IN DEFEAT]
REBECCA
You know before I started helping my dad in R&D I was a sales rep.
CLVIE
Yeah, I… I think he mentioned that to me once. Biomedical stuff, wasn’t it?
REBECCA
I used to travel the world trying to sell bone cement. You know when old people break their hips and knees and whatever and they need replacing, you use a special kind of cement to hold it all in place. I would sell that to hospitals and surgeons.
CLIVE
Sounds Interesting.
REBECCA
It was not. But I was very good at making people think it was. Plus I would always stop by a shop on the way to a hospital and buy doughnuts or something. It was easier to sell people something if you were holding out a doughnut at the same time.
CLIVE
Sure.
[REEBCCA RUBS HER TEMPLES, EXHAUSTED ALREADY]
REBECCA
This morning I’ve already spoken to three different divisions of the Bastion or whoever these bloody people are who run everything these days. I’ve used every trick I’ve got to charm and bullshit them. And I’m realising that maybe I depended more on those doughnuts than I thought.
CLIVE
How many of these Bastion gits are there?
[REBECCA LOOKS AT A CHAOTIC PILE OF PAPERS IN FRONT OF HER]
REBECCA
Who knows? There’s no discernible central leadership, everyone seems to think they’re in charge, and I swear to God I haven’t met a single one who’s over 25. They’ve all got the most absurd names. I just got off a call with a guy called Total Bishop Kingsley Lordbox.
CLIVE
What?
REBECCA
He looks like he should be waiting tables at a Harvester. Instead, he commands a militia of 500 men all dedicated to hunting down anyone associated with cryotech. They’re called the Assembly of Absolute Ascent. They’re based in Brentford and they have a tank.
CLIVE
Fucking hell!
REBECCA
And just like the others, they want to know what the hell the ex-CEOs of the company that invented Kontinue are suddenly doing back in town, and whether or not they should pop over with that tank and pay us a visit.
CLIVE
This sounds like a stressful morning. I mean… I could try and find doughnuts. Did you know that Greggs doesn’t exist anymore?
REBECCA
You know it would be nice if we could share the load actually when it comes to dealing with these tools, but they literally won’t talk to you because of your swearing.
CLIVE
Sanctimonious little shits.
REBECCA
Clive.
CLIVE
Dickless little pricks. I’m sorry.
REBECCA
You do swear too much, Clive.
CLIVE
I’m trying. I’m fucking trying.
[REBECCA RUBS HER TEMPLES, AGAIN]
REBECCA
I… I just…I don’t know how to navigate this world. It doesn’t matter how much research I’m brought, how many lessons in geo-politics 2040 to 2060 I’m made to sit through. There’s no logic to any of it. Everyone’s just a bullfrog ribbiting over the last of the standing water. It’s deafening.
CLIVE
You said there was new intel.
REBECCA
Yeah. There is.
CLIVE
Okay. Is it… legit?
REBECCA
I don’t know. I’ve already put some more people in the field to follow it up but seriously, Clive, the Bastion might look like packs of insane little children running around with scissors but they’re not messing about. Aubrey Wood ran a terrorist group. Yes, they were very bloody good at what they did, and don’t we know it, but they were underground, extremists. The Bastion are the police, the church, the government. Any sniff that we’re looking for cryo tech or… or cryo people…
CLIVE
Right… We just… we just keep to the same line, alright? That we’re trying to help them apprehend cryo scientists, not take them for ourselves.
REBECCA
If the intel is right then it doesn’t get much bigger than this. We have to be careful.
CLIVE
And I’m just saying, some things are worth the risk. And you know if this is what we think it is, then maybe… maybe we could go easier on…
REBECCA
Clive. I don’t want to talk about Pamela.
[CLIVE IS NOT CONFIDENT IN HIS APPROACH BUT HE TRIES ANYWAY]
CLIVE
Becky, it’s not right, keeping her locked up like that…
REBECCA
I’m not going through this again. As you can see I’ve got a lot on-
CLIVE
Pam is one of us. We owe her more than locking her up like a dog. She could at least have the run of the building,she doesn’t even have a bed -
[BECKY GOES STRAIGHT TO A TEN. HER HAND SMACKS THE TABLE HARD AND LOUD]
REBECCA
Clive! I am spending all day every day trying to run what is left of this company. I am trying to find a way out of this horrible place. I am trying to get us back into hypersleep with no cryonests, no cryopods and no Red Valley. And I am doing it under the intense glare of an apparently never-ending line of fascist fun police who literally hang, draw and quarter anyone involved in cryo tech. I am saving Pamela’s life.
CLIVE
You’re punishing her. We only got as far as 2064 because of Pam.
REBECCA
Losing 20 years in the process where we might’ve found a cryonest that wasn’t built by an alcoholic with some toilet roll holders and a Pritt Stick!
CLIVE
You remember you weren’t actually invited to that house party, right? And it only existed because you wouldn’t spare a couple of pods for us in the first place?
REBECCA
Clive, what the hell is happening to you? I thought you wanted to get out of here. To get to the future, to see your daughter again -
CLIVE
Yes… yes, of course I want to get out of here -
REBECCA
Then get your mind right. Stop complaining that Pam Jennings doesn’t have an ensuite and find us a way out of this. I don’t need Ghandi as my right-hand man. I need the fucking T1000.
CLIVE
Yes ma’am.
REBECCA
Have you found any more recruits?
CLIVE
Plenty. There’s a biker gang based in Woolwich that was easy to win over, got no love for the Bastion, always up for a ruckus by the sounds of it.
REBECCA
Another biker gang.
CLIVE
Well, I’m trying to find some fighting Uruk-hai, but they don’t use social media. What are you expecting?
REBECCA
Clive, we need a better class of goon. How about tech?
CLIVE
We’ve got 40 reconnaissance drones but they’re old, a few of them have got tasers at least. Oh, and someone managed to find a lock up in the basement level that had 5 of those robotic dog things with machine guns on their heads.
REBECCA
For God’s sake, robotic dog things -
CLIVE
I know, I know -
[REBECCA’S PHONE BLEEPS. SHE TAKES A BREATH AND ANSWERS IT CALMLY]
REBECCA
Yes.
[AN ASSISTANT ANSWERS]
ASSISTANT
Hi Rebecca, I’ve got the leader of the Righteous Enforcement of Absolute Longevity Movement on the line.
REBECCA
The… what? Haven’t we talked to this one already?
ASSISTANT
No, no, this is a different one. North London. He’s very insistent.
REBECCA
Right. What’s this one called?
ASSISTANT
Holy Colonel John Breakfast.
CLIVE
What?
REBECCA
What? Breakfast?
ASSISTANT
John Breakfast. I’ll put him through.
REBECCA
No wait, that can’t be his actual -
[HOLY COLONEL JOHN BREAKFAST COMES ON THE LINE]
BREAKFAST
Ms Landry.
REBECCA
Hello. Uh, I apologise, I didn’t know we had an appointment, uh, Colonel… Breakfast…
BREAKFAST
It’s Break Fast. I am commonly addressed as Holy Colonel.
[CLIVE WHISPERS]
CLIVE
Break Fast?
[REBECCA SHUSHES HIM AS SUBTLY AS POSSIBLE]
REBECCA
Of course, of course. Holy Colonel. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
CLIVE
Is it two separate words then?
BREAKFAST
It is not for pleasure that I get in touch, Ms. Landry. I’m sure you’re aware your company, such as it is, is under quite some scrutiny since you returned to the executive’s chair.
REBECCA
Well… It’s been wonderful to get to know everyone in this… brave new world.
[CLIVE CONTINUES HIS HISSED COMMENTARY]
CLIVE
Smooth.
BREAKFAST
I hope this isn’t an inconvenient time, Rebecca?
REBECCA
You caught me during a briefing Holy Colonel but not to worry, it’s all finished now. My colleague was just leaving.
BREAKFAST
Clive Schill, I presume. The heathen. He insulted the mother of one of my men and implied that he was born in a whorehouse.
CLIVE
Oh, I did do that. Yeah, got in a scuffle where the HMV used to be on Oxford Street.
BREAKFAST
Some of the company you keep has raised eyebrows, Rebecca. Questions have been asked about your and your company’s intentions.
REBECCA
Holy Colonel, I assure you my intentions are clear. Under my father’s rule this company was dedicated to the foul and unnatural science of life extension at the cost of the, the…
CLIVE
The living moment?
REBECCA
The living moment.
BREAKFAST
The glorious now. A gift. That is why they call it the present.
CLIVE
That’s a line from fucking Kung Fu Panda!
REBECCA
Absolutely. I want to be clear on this Holy Colonel. Myself and my colleagues were forced into hypersleep against our will and we barely escaped with our lives.
BREAKFAST
How did you escape, if you don’t mind me asking?
REBECCA
The nest we were imprisoned in was found by mercenaries looking to use it for themselves. Half of our group died in the incident.
BREAKFAST
And did they use it for themselves? These…mercenaries?
REBECCA
We lost more than 20 years in that basement, Holy Colonel. I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone. We burned the whole nest down.
BREAKFAST
Then perhaps your course is allied with ours after all. To ensure no one is forced into cryonic incarceration of any kind ever again.
REBECCA
We will do our part to assist this noble cause wherever we can, Holy Colonel. We are in the process of sourcing weapons and other resources that Overhead placed in secure storage back in the past and-
BREAKFAST
Yes, we’ve heard about this. It’s taking some time, isn’t it? Locating resources inside your own company.
REBECCA
You must understand Holy Colonel, many things were kept hidden from me while my father and the rest of the Overhead board worked their nefarious scheme to be awoken in the future with all their technological strength intact. Resources were hidden. We will find them, and we’ll be happy to share that wealth.
BREAKFAST
And we will gratefully receive. Of course, as the leading company selling hypersleep to a gullible public over several decades you understand the need to… prove yourselves. In this… what did you call it? Brave New World?
REBECCA
Uh. Yes.
BREAKFAST
That’s good. I might use that you know.
REBECCA
It’s from a book.
BREAKFAST
I’m sorry?
REBECCA
Forget it.
BREAKFAST
Well. I’ll take up no more of your time. Until we speak again, Rebecca.
REBECCA
Thank you for your call, Holy Colonel… Break Fast.
[SHE HANDS UP AND TAKES A BREATH]
REBECCA
I refuse to live in a world where I have to worry about a person called John Breakfast.
CLIVE
Are they all that intense?
REBECCA
Yes.
CLIVE
You’re getting that story down pretty good.
[SHE STANDS UP AND MOVES TO THE WINDOW]
REBECCA
Clive, I haven’t got time to deal with these pricks. We’re never going to find a way out of this with them breathing down our necks.
CLIVE
More biker gangs?
REBECCA
I don’t want biker gangs. I want everyone.
CLIVE
Everyone?
REBECCA
No one wants to be lorded over by these buffoons. They… They don’t rule with any logic. Anyone who doesn’t find a cryopod pretty bloody soon is going to be the last of their line, it can’t be that hard to win people over. We just need some heavies to get the ball rolling. I’ll work on finding Overhead’s big guns, you work on the heavies.
CLIVE
Okay. I’ll go find… everyone.
[CLIVE GETS UP TO LEAVE]
REBECCA
Everyone. The Jets, the Sharks, the T-Birds, the Pink Ladies, the A-Team, MacGyver, who were Shredder’s guys. The pig man and the -
CLIVE
Bebop and Rocksteady.
REBECCA
Bebop and Rocksteady. ED-209. The So Solid Crew. Everyone.
CLIVE
Okay.
[HE REACHES THE DOOR]
REBECCA
I’ll find Pam something to sleep on.
CLIVE
Thank you, Rebecca.
REBECCA
And Clive?
CLIVE
Yeah?
REBECCA
Don’t ever question my methods again.
[CLIVE SWALLOWS MEEKLY]
CLIVE
Yes ma’am.
[WARREN IS AMBLING DOWN THE TUNNEL TO THE QUARANTINE SITE, GORD DRONES BY HIS SIDE]
WARREN
Oh wait… I’ve got you Waffles, I’ve got you… stop moving. Like… bloody hell! So, that was a fun party.
GORD
I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.
WARREN
Are you going to tell me what that was all about? Malcolm Landry, the mad old bloke who banged on about egg sandwiches 40 years ago is here, he looks older than Yoda and screaming abuse at me?
GORD
And me.
WARREN
Yeah, and you. What did you do to him?
GORD
Malcolm has vascular dementia. He suffers behavioural changes including agitation and aggression.
WARREN
Yeah. I recognized it. How old is he?
GORD
Honestly, we don’t know.
WARREN
So… What’s he doing here? Isn’t Malcolm Landry kind of the Bond villain of all this whole situation? He seemed to be the big cheese.
GORD
Malcolm had been the driving force behind much of Overhead’s more experimental research and development projects, with a particular interest in human longevity. He was one of around 300 people that had a place in Overhead’s cryonest, which like many such projects was intended to preserve its hosts for around 1000 years, to a time when the planet could be safely recolonised. Aubrey and her team infiltrated the site in 2043, less than 3 years after its members had gone into hypersleep. She awoke all the participants and destroyed the technology. At this time, she chose to abduct Malcolm Landry.
WARREN
Abduct?! What for?
GORD
I cannot claim to understand her motives, only detail her known actions. But Malcolm was, as you say, the big cheese behind hypersleep. He is now perhaps the fiercest voice calling for its destruction.
WARREN
What were her known actions? Did she show him what a cryopod smells like if you don’t wash it after use? Cause I can vouch for that. I remember Grace not cleaning down my pod when he was meant to and the smell really sinks into the upholstery, it’s a lot more porous than it looks. I’ll speak to him about that later actually.
GORD
Aubrey’s first move was to take Malcolm to a high rise urban residential facility typical of the era, where the elderly were forced into increasingly overcrowded dwellings with inadequate care provisions. She left him there for 6 months.
WARREN
That is brutal.
GORD
She then proceeded to take him with her as she carried out more infiltrations of cryonests around the world, so he could witness the planet’s accelerating social and ecological decline first hand. The experience altered his perspective.
WARREN
Yeah, no shit. So, I guess seeing hypersleep patient zero up and about has rubbed him the wrong way.
GORD
Given his new stance on the technology and both of your roles in its creation, yes, I imagine your emergence has provoked a reaction.
WARREN
Well… I have that effect on lots of people to be fair.
GORD
What else would you like to talk about?
[WARREN THINKS FOR A MOMENT AS HE WALKS]
WARREN
Why does everyone wear these yellow scrubs?
GORD
Clothing is produced by the Forge unit.
WARREN
Do I need to know what a Forge unit is? -
GORD
You would call it a 3D printer. The Forge can produce food, clothing, and many vital items for the day to day running of the facility provided we can obtain the necessary raw materials.
WARREN
But why the yellow?
GORD
The raw materials are commonly known as mulch. The only suitable mulch we could source in bulk for our last delivery window was saffron yellow. It should last the next 18 months at current facility personnel numbers.
WARREN
Right, so Red Valley is powered by its own reactor now…
GORD
A micro nuclear reactor.
WARREN
Well, ok… You have an omnipresent artificial intelligence.
GORD
I’m not supposed to go in the bathroom, but yes.
WARREN
And a 3D printer that can make anything you need.
GORD
If you have the right mulch.
WARREN
Right, mulch, yes. So, why is the world ending if you have all these wonderful solutions for modern living?
GORD
The planet is not currently able to adequately support human life on the scale to which it is required. None of those factors are able to rectify this.
WARREN
Okay. But you guys have managed to put together everything that you need to survive.
GORD
Aubrey Wood and Hester Hiyashi are in positions of influence and authority in certain communities. This enabled them to gather the resources they needed to adapt Red Valley to their requirements. Few people are as fortunate.
WARREN
Are you ever going to tell me who Aubrey Wood actually is in 2064 or do I have to carry on enduring these cryptic clues given out when people drink alcohol that should only be used to sterilize wounds on a battlefield?
GORD
Aubrey has requested that certain information be restricted until she is happy with your physical and mental assessments following emergence.
WARREN
Yeah, okay fine. I know. Yeah, I’m aware. Cool, thank you. Right, right, right.
[THEY HAVE REACHED GORDON’S SUITE]
Here we are. Umm… Do I need special clearance or something? To get in here?
GORD
Clearance is granted but I do have to send a notification to today’s duty manager.
WARREN
Cool.
[WITH A CLUNK THE DOOR TO THE CRYO SUITE ENTERS. WARREN TAKES HIS TIME WALKING AROUND TO GORDON’S CRYO POD WHICH BLEEPS METHODICALLY AND PEACEFULLY. HE HAS BROUGHT WAFFLES WITH IM AND RESTS HER ON THE TOP OF THE POD]
GORD
Landing.
WARREN
There you go, Waffles. You don’t care where you go, do you?
[HE PULLS UP A CHAIR. HE IS SILENT FOR A MOMENT]
WARREN
Hey. Uh. Gordon.
[HE CAN’T MANAGE ANYTHING MORE]
GORD
Is everything alright?
WARREN
Umm… I had a vision in my head of coming down here and talking to him, but it turns out it feels weird and shit.
GORD
You can talk to me and Waffles instead.
WARREN
Yeah… I don’t like that I can’t see him. Makes it hard to accept that he’s really in there.
GORD
Readouts of the status of the pod and the occupant can be obtained to verify that he is -
WARREN
No thank you. I’m so bored of science.
[PAUSE]
GORD
I imagine this must be difficult.
WARREN
Do you? Do you? Do you imagine?
GORD
Sorry.
WARREN
No, I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve just… I’ve sat beside unconscious people who may or may not die before, and… I don’t like it. Difficult to recommend.
GORD
If it makes you feel better, when Gordon Porlock was first brought to Red Valley and you returned to hypersleep, he had a similar communication problem with you.
WARREN
Really? Thought he’d love not being interrupted.
GORD
He got over it. Beginning playback.
[WITHOUT PROMPTING, GORD PLAYS A RECORDING OF GORDON]
GORDON (RECORDING)
Apologies I haven’t been down to see you much. You look well. I mean I can’t see you. I thought they would’ve put windows in a cryopod. So people could see you floating about. I guess it’s nice to have privacy, isn’t it?
WARREN
Wow!
GORD
Would you like me to continue playback?
WARREN
Y… Yeah. Sure.
GORDON (RECORDING)
I’ve been struggling, Warren. With what’s going on here. But the truth is I have to make a choice. To be a friend to you or not. I’m going to keep listening to your tapes. But I’m not going to find out what you did. I’d like to say it’s because I’m respecting your privacy. But the truth is I recognise the guy on these recordings. He doesn’t sound too different to me. He’s scared, he’s lonely, he hates exercise. Maybe you’re not who I think you are. But given the company we keep, you might still be the least awful person I currently work with. So, let’s be friends. I’ll be back tomorrow. And maybe I’ll bring Top Trumps or something.
GORD
Would you like me to play another entry?
[WARREN DOESN’T ANSWER]
GORD
There’s a Christmas one.
WARREN
Go on then.
[TIME HAS PASSED. WARREN AND GORD ARE BACK IN THE CORRIDOR]
WARREN
So, you’re saying no one gets to wear anything but mustard yellow for the next 2 years.
GORD
Saffron yellow. It’s not a dress code. Pre-existing clothes are fine. But residents often find comfort in a shared uniform.
WARREN
If you like dressing like earwax I su… suppose -
[WARREN CUTS OFF AS HE HEARD VOICE AND NOISE UP AHEAD. HE HAS REACHED HIS QUARANTINE SUITE. AS HE REACHES THE OPEN DOOR TO THE SUITE, STEVIE AND MARMITE ARE INSIDE, TAKING WARREN’S CRYOPOD APART WITH LOUD TOOLS]
STEVIE
Be careful with it, please.
MARMITE
Uh… It smells funky.
STEVIE
What do you mean funky?
MARMITE
You’re telling me you can’t smell it?
STEVIE
It’s not my first cryopod.
MARMITE
Just sniff it.
STEVIE
Marmite, I don’t need to sniff anything -
MARMITE
I don’t even know why this is even necessary.
STEVIE
It’s part of the deal.
MARMITE
But why is that even necessary? Why can’t Aubrey just do the procedure, she’s the best there is, isn’t she? This just seems like a hell of a lot of trouble to go for -
[WARREN IS AT THE DOOR. HE COUGHS. THEY STOP TALKING ABRUPTLY]
STEVIE
Oh! Hello.
WARREN
Hi. Er… Sorry to sneak up on you.
MARMITE
Hey. Warren, right?
WARREN
Yeah.
MARMITE
How’s your first night going?
WARREN
Okay. I was just… I was just visiting my friend’s pod.
STEVIE
Gordon Porlock. The beatmaster.
WARREN
The what?
MARMITE
I’d love to see him play the drums. Maybe one day.
WARREN
I don’t think Gordon plays the drums.
MARMITE
Of course he does.
WARREN
He plays the bass guitar.
MARMITE
He played the drums on Morior Invictus.
WARREN
No he didn’t. He played the bass.
MARMITE
I think I know what I’m talking about.
[BEAT]
WARREN
Sorry, who are you?
STEVIE
I’m Stevie.
MARMITE
I’m Marmite.
WARREN
Marmite.
MARMITE
Marmite.
WARREN
Like the yeast extract?
MARMITE
Spread me on a rice cake.
WARREN
Um, can I ask what you guys are doing with my cryopod.
STEVIE
Oh, we’re, uh, we’re dismantling it -
MARMITE
Stevie.
STEVIE
It’s his pod. I’m sure she’ll have told him -
MARMITE
Then why is he asking?
WARREN
Why are you dismantling it?
STEVIE
Maybe you should speak to Aubrey.
WARREN
Gord?
GORD
Maybe you should speak to Aubrey.
[AWKWARD PAUSE]
WARREN
Okay. Well. I’ll be sure to do that. See you later.
[WARREN STEPS AWAY. STEVIE CALLS NERVOUSLY]
STEVIE
Morior Invictus!
WARREN
Yep, super cool. Love that.
[OUTSIDE. A HUGE FIRE ROARS POWERFULLY. THERE IS A CROWD, PLENTY OF TALKING, LAUGHING AND MOVING AROUND. AUBREY STANDS BESIDE MALCOLM]
MALCOLM
How did everything go?
AUBREY
It went fine. How are you feeling?
MALCOLM
It was how she wanted?
AUBREY
To the best of our ability. I hope it was enough. How are you feeling?
MALCOLM
I’m fine, bloody hell.
AUBREY
Sorry.
[THE FIRE ROARS]
AUBREY
I’ll miss her. Jade was kind.
MALCOLM
Yeah… a good egg. The kind of women who would let one examine the contents of one’s own nostrils without judgement.
AUBREY
You picked your nose in front of Jade?
MALCOLM
Exclusively.
AUBREY
Christ.
[BEAT. THE FIRE ROARS, MUSIC AND LAUGHTER]
MALCOLM
Umm… Where’s Stevie? She’s… she’s missing the party.
AUBREY
She’s below with Marmite. They’re dismantling Warren’s pod.
AUBREY
I thought you’d be happy. One less cryopod in the world by tomorrow morning.
MALCOLM
I’m not sure the trade off is worth it. What with it spelling certain doom for us all.
AUBREY
Let’s not talk business. Jade wouldn’t have wanted that.
[THE FIRE ROARS]
AUBREY
Have you given any more thought to how you want to go?
MALCOLM
No need. Same as always.
AUBREY
Ever the showman.
MALCOLM
It’s choosing your own death, Aubrey. You don’t get another run at it, do you? Right, I can see too many empty demijohns, I think they’re running low on moonshine. I better sort them out or they’ll umm… throw me on the fire.
AUBREY
And that’s not how you want to go?
MALCOLM
Bugger off.
AUBREY
Save me some booze.
MALCOLM
Oh, bugger off!
[MALCOLM DEPARTS. AUBREY STANDS ALONE, A LITTLE WAY BACK. WARREN APPROACHES WITH GORD]
WARREN
Hey. It’s hard to find you in all this. I need to talk to you.
AUBREY
Warren.
WARREN
Why is my pod being taken apart?
AUBREY
Gord, for God’s sake.
GORD
It would have been highly inappropriate to interrupt you during Jade’s Completion.
AUBREY
Then you should have gone to someone else.
GORD
I did. They all said decisions regarding Warren’s care defer to you.
WARREN
Hey, I’m right here. I don’t need an AI babysitter and I don’t need anyone controlling what I do and do not know. I need you and me to have a sit down, where you tell me what is what -
AUBREY
Not now, Warren.
WARREN
Yes, now! I’m sorry, we can come back and stare meaningfully at the nice bonfire later.
AUBREY
I beg your pardon?
WARREN
It’s a lovely fire, it’ll still be here once -
[WARREN STOPS AS HE COMES TO LOOK AT THE FIRE MORE CLOSELY]
WARREN
Oh my God. This isn’t a bonfire, is it?
AUBREY
No.
WARREN
It’s…
AUBREY
Jade’s funeral pyre. Yes.
WARREN
Jesus Christ. I’m, Aubrey I’m sorry. I’m…
[AUBREY IS A LITTLE RATTLED BY WARREN CONFRONTING HER LIKE THIS AND CAN’T HELP BUT SNAP A LITTLE]
AUBREY
It was not my plan to bring you out on somebody’s Completion day. But not everything is in my control. Rather, nothing is in my control. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Warren. But tonight, I’m saying goodbye to a friend.
WARREN
Of course. I’m sorry. I am.
[THEY WATCH THE FIRE TOGETHER FOR A MOMENT. AUBREY TAKES A BREATH TO CALM DOWN]
AUBREY
Your cryopod is part of the plan to save Gordon.
WARREN
Oh. Right.
AUBREY
Try and enjoy yourself if you can. It’s what she would’ve wanted.
[AUBREY WALKS AWAY. WARREN SIGHS DEEPLY]
GORD
You really aren’t very good at parties.
WARREN
Oh, shut up.
[PAMELA’S STORE ROOM. OVERHEAD HQ. CLIVE IS ALREADY THERE, SAT IN SILENCE.
PAMELA
So, thanks for the futon. Very comfortable. They still have IKEA, huh?
CLIVE
Yes. It’s not much but it’s improvement.
PAMELA
Maybe you could just bring me one of their showrooms, you know? Pretend window with a lamp behind it so it looks like daylight? Pretend shower, so I can imagine what it would be like to clean myself without a guard outside the door, stuff like that. Let’s play house.
CLIVE
I’ll see what I can do.
PAMELA
Or you could, you know, let me the fuck out.
CLIVE
Pam, I am trying I promise you, I will keep trying.
PAMELA
Consider my breath held.
[PAUSE]
CLIVE
I do have good news though. Good news.
PAMELA
Oak Furniture Land is still open too?
CLIVE
The intel I mentioned. I didn’t want to tell you about it until I knew it was real. But our people confirmed it today. A scavenger group in China was raiding what was left of a burned out Amos Tech facility. Almost nothing left on the surface, but they found a bunker underneath.
PAMELA
Cryopods?
CLIVE
Only one. Old and falling apart, could’ve conked out at any minute I’m told. Living occupant.
PAMELA
Ellen Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo?
CLIVE
There’s something of a bidding war going on for this person, but we’re Overhead, we’ve still got a fair amount in the bank. We’re confident we can bring whoever these people are to the table. But yeah… this particular person, a lot of people are gonna want to get their hands on.
PAMELA
Who is it, fucking Beyoncé?
CLIVE
Who’s the last person on Earth we want to see again, but the only person we really need if we want to go back to sleep?