Scene 5.14 - The Riot
INT. Courtroom, Los Angeles California, Moments Later
KEY: CLARKE
SOLARIZE: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COLORS BETWEEN WHITE
MUSIC UP
(The courtroom is full of panic and chaos. CLARKE appears to be a glowing pyre of energy. The image cools and he returns to his normal, joint-smoking form. He is calm and collect throughout the mayhem.)
ACTRESS ALPHA
(Give her a beauty mark. She's the only character of the actress that does not require body paint or scarring until the last Chapter:) Order! Order! Bailiff, keep him sitting and extinguish that cigarette. Now, Mr. Clarke, without your light show, would you explain what this all means?
CLARKE
Your honor, I know the information seems incredible, but our version of history will bear it out. My calculations are correct.
ACTRESS ALPHA
You’ve got my courtroom in a panic. Say I believe you: You’re from the future; so where’s this bomb you’re talking about?
CLARKE
At precisely at two-zero-zero-zero and one second, Pacific Time, on this very day in history, a Zeta anomaly will occur. The entire time-space continuity of The Universe will be irrevocably altered. From the direct evidence of Huxley’s Theorem Of Inverse Paradox, all quantum roads begin with an anomaly that somehow created a rogue clone from my Captain, and perhaps that is the source of the Zeta anomoly. You are here before me, and The Baron is in this time period. I believe that Ms. Zale knows this, and is either manufacturing a Zeta bomb to prevent the accident which led to her death, or is desperately using Zeta to stop this rogue clone from detonating a bomb which he may have created with Nazi assistance. Either way, if there is a bomb, it must be deactivated. It is the only logical decision.
CAMEO TWENTY-EIGHT
(The bailiff, speaking to us, shrugging:) Well, he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about...
ACTRESS ALPHA
You’ve certainly shown through demonstration that preventing this bomb from going off is important to you, but look at the rest of the court! Look at them! Think you can tone it down? Between your laser-light morphing and all this apocalyptic talk, you’re scaring everyone!
CLARKE
I merely state the historical facts, your honor. After the Zeta Bomb was detonated, over ninety-five percent of the human population mysteriously vanished, never to return. This forced inspiration among those who remained to master the ability to apply Zeta application to quantum-laws, thereby revolutionizing the evolutionary path of our race and the Zeta Event eventually led to the ability for humans to become pure energy at will. You should all see this as a triumph of our race, and not to consider your own personal sacrifices in the matter; after all, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.
ACTRESS ALPHA
You’ve lost me, Mr. Clarke. This smacks of The Little Red Book. One day, they’re talking about the working class and the need for universal healthcare and the next they’re rolling tanks over half of Asia. It all sounds pretty pinko to me. In this country, the opportunity of the one outweighs the corruption of the masses. Bone-up on your American History, space-man, you’re one fantasy shy of a manifesto. This court doubts that Ms. Zale is complicit; but your amazing testimony gives me cause for alarm. Approach the bench, officer, I’ll sign the warrant, put this court in recess and we will personally visit Ms. Zale, for she may be in danger. This had better not be a prank or a muse to waste the court’s time or I’ll have your badges and have you doing time whether your stunt-man here can become a disco inferno or not. So let’s not waste anymore of this court’s busy schedule. You told Officer Bravo that a bomb was going to explode. What date and time did you tell him was scheduled for the device’s detonation?
CLARKE
Oh, we have plenty of time. I can sheild all of you from the bomb’s effects. Cross-referencing my bio-temporal feed-back and my memnomic matrix of paratime fluctuations, I have deduced we have at least two hours before Leah’s party.
ACTRESS ALPHA
Land sakes! You mean this thing’s going off in two hours?
CLARKE
Affirmative. If my logic serves me correctly, I have deduced that one second after eight, life on Earth will take a signficantly different turn.
ACTRESS ALPHA
At eight, you say?
CLARKE
Yes. In two hours.
ACTRESS ALPHA
You dolt, can’t you tell time? Look at the clock! It’s past seven already!
CLARKE
How can that be?
ACTRESS ALPHA
How? This is night court!
CAMEO TWENTY-EIGHT
Space-man, you got daylight savings in that there future world of yours?
CLARKE
Daylight savings? What is daylight savings? A solar energy conservation program?
ACTRESS ALPHA
Bailiff, please! Cut to the chase, Mr. Clarke -- how about Ms. Zale, can I call her or something?
CLARKE
Negative. She’s at her party on the twelfth floor, restricted access, no communications in nor out. Had we an extra hour -- drats! Yet there is one who could reach her-
ACTRESS ALPHA
Order! Now you say she’s some kind of future clone of me-
CLARKE
Affirmative. At least two versions of yourself are in temporal flux. However, that is not the person who I was referring to.
CAMEO TWENTY-SIX
Spit it out, hot shot; you got everyone hanging on your every word.
CLARKE
I’m referring to my Captain, together we can stop her.
ACTOR BRAVO
This Captain Verne guy? The guy on the dock?
CLARKE
Not exactly. That isn’t the Captain Verne I was referring to.
ACTOR BRAVO
Hey, Arthur, I don’t know how you did that plasmic-energy-conversion thing you did, but we’re all too scared right now for guessing games. If there’s some kind of hope you can give these people, by all means, tell us in a way we can understand.
CLARKE
I was referring to the first replicant of Captain Verne, who our crew knows as The Baron.
ACTRESS ALPHA
The Baron? Okay. Where can we find this Baron? I’ve got a full-court press at my disposal; how can we find him?
CLARKE
If we had more time, certainly we could find him. However, if you could allow me to tantrically meditate for the next few minutes, perhaps I can astrally project my psychic ego toward his aura and communicate with him; for after all, we have... shared-cash.
CAMEO TWENTY-SIX
That sounds pretty sketchy. Will it work?
CLARKE
Yes, most likely. My bond with my captain trancends the normal relations between a superior officer and his commander. If The Baron is out there, I am sure I can find him. But to perform this task, I will require complete silence from all of you.
CAMEO TWENTY-EIGHT
You’ve got to be kidding.
CLARKE
No, I am not.
CLARKE (Cont’d) AND ACTOR BRAVO
Virginians never kid.
ACTOR BRAVO (Cont’d)
Sorry, go on.
CLARKE
I require complete silence. Otherwise, I would need to commune in paratemporal mode, which would mean I would have to show you my true trans-phantasmic form once again.
(Outbursts of protest and then a hushed silence. CLARKE pulls-out his billfold as before; the same money used for the Virginian money-meld.)
CLARKE (Cont’d)
Verne... Baron Verne... This is Clarke... Verne... Hear my thoughts... My money is your money, your money is my money...
ACTRESS ALPHA
Yep. Pinkos.
CLARKE
Ooooookkkkaaa-laaaaaa... Baron Verne. Oooooooookkkkkkkaaaa-laaaaaaa... Verne.
ALL EXCEPT ACTRESS ALPHA
Ooooooookkkkakkaaalkaaka-laaaa Verne-
CLARKE
I am merely chanting to relax my vocal chords. It doesn’t require group participation. Oooooooookkkkkaaaaaaaaa laaaaaaaa Veeeerrrrrrnnnnnnnneeee...
DISSOLVE TO: