Those who are Lost

Below we present the complete text of Navigating the Web of Lies; episode 1 of Those Who are Lost.

Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s should not access this content without the permission of an adult parent or guardian. Contains strong language, violence and supernatural themes.

EPISODE #1 – Navigating the Web of Lies

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover illustration by Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition.

CC by-nc-nd 4.0

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Episode 1: Navigating the Web of Lies

Thomas Kerrigan, hard-nosed private detective, is hired to find a missing scientist, a harder job than expected. But with Kerrigan, you get two operatives for the price of one – though he tries hard to keep the second locked away – and this case has the largest fee of his career.

Navigating the Web of Lies

CAST LIST

NARRATOR

THOMAS KERRIGAN

SANDRA EAMES

TWO CHILDREN (BOBBY AND BETTY EAMES)

CONSTABLE MITCH TASKER

THE DARK PASSENGER

JOHN CARSWELL (NEWSREADER)

JEMMA DOUGLASS (JOURNALIST)

ROB UNDERHILL (CAMERAMAN)

GEORGE MILLS

JESS WALTERS (THOMAS’ RECEPTIONIST)

ALF BORSCHT (CUSTODIAN)

TINA ROEBUCK (PTI RECEPTIONIST)

RICHARD CAST (PTI SECURITY CHIEF)

MR. BARTHOLEMEW LANSING (CEO AND OWNER OF PTI)

SFX ARTISTS

SCENE 1: INT – POLICE STATION – DAY
(NARRATOR, THOMAS KERRIGAN, SANDRA EAMES, MITCH TASKER, DARK PASSENGER)

MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH
NARRATOR: Those Who are Lost, Episode 1, Navigating a Web of Lies.
Private Detective Thomas “If the fee is there, I just don’t care” Kerrigan may not be the nicest of guys, but he can always be relied on to fulfill his contracts. Still, sometimes a detective needs to question the wisdom of accepting a fee sight unseen, even if it is the largest payday of his career.
SOUND: MURMUR OF COPS, TYPEWRITERS CLACKING, AD-LIB COP CONVERSATIONS – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
THOMAS KERRIGAN: Hey Mitch, look what I got for you?
SANDRA EAMES AND TWO SOBBING CHILDREN: (AD-LIB) Let go of us! We didn’t do anything! Let go! etc.
MITCH TASKER – DESK SERGEANT: Come on, Kerrigan, this is a police station. What have you done this time?
THOMAS: Me? Nothing. Got a guest for Her Majesty’s finest, though. She missed her court date. Child custody, I think.

NB. The dark passenger is a voice in Thomas Kerrigan’s head. Use a reverb filter to communicate this.

DARK PASSENGER: Heh. Even Mitch thinks it’s a little penny-ante for you. Why didn’t you go after a drug-dealer, huh? At least I’d get some exercise.
SANDRA: (THROUGH TEARS) Let me go!
MITCH: And the kids? What am I supposed to do with them?
THOMAS: Call social services.
SANDRA: You bastard!
DARK PASSENGER: Oh, no, lady. I’m the bastard. But he won’t let me out. Will you, Tom?
MITCH: Did Kerrigan give you that shiner, Ma’am?
THOMAS: Course not.
MITCH: I wasn’t talking to you, Kerrigan. (BEAT) Ma’am?
SANDRA: No. It was my husband.
MITCH: (DUBIOUS) Uh-huh.
DARK PASSENGER: Look at that. Mitch doesn’t trust you. Do you think he’s become too familiar with my handiwork?
THOMAS: (BORED) Can you hurry this up? I want my money.
MITCH: Is that why you missed your court date, Ma’am? You were trying to get the kids away from your husband?
SANDRA: (SMALL VOICE) Yes.
MITCH: Don’t you have a soul, Kerrigan? Sometimes, I swear–
THOMAS: Like I should have just thrown the fee away?
MITCH: You’re a private detective, not a bounty hunter, and this isn’t the wild west. We don’t do bounties in the U.K.
THOMAS: The husband’s paying. It helps keep me in the squalor to which I’m accustomed.
MITCH: But…
THOMAS: Just process her, Mitch. If the fee is there, I just don’t care.
MITCH: She’s right, you know? You are a bastard.
THOMAS: Nope, I’m a professional. The rest is for the court to figure out.
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 2: EXT/INT – BEDROOM – NIGHT
(NEWS READER JOHN, JOURNALIST JEMMA, CAMERAMAN, GEORGE MILLS, THOMAS, DARK PASSENGER)

SOUND: PHONE RINGING – FADE UP THEN DUCK UNDER AND MAINTAIN.
NEWSREADER (JOHN): And the new year has opened in terror. Casualty estimates are rising exponentially and we can’t get any information out of Whitehall. It is uncertain at this stage how widespread the event is, but citizens are urged to… hang on, this just in. We’re crossing live to our correspondent in London. Jemma, what can you tell us?
JEMMA (JOURNALIST): Can you hear me, John. I’ve no way to tell if we’re still broadcasting. I’m going to press on all the same and hope the signal reaches you.
Behind me you can see the ruins of parliament. Explosions have been ripping through central london as, what appears to be, fiery meteors have rained down on the city. More concerning still are reports that the meteors contain–
CAMERAMAN: What the bloody hell is that?
JEMMA: Keep shooting! Behind me, out of the rubble there appears to be… it’s huge. I can just see the shadow of something… something enormous. Wait there’s a light. It’s…
SOUND: DINOSAUR-LIKE ROARING – LET IT FINISH.
JEMMA: Oh my–
SOUND: RINGING BEAM NOISE SWEEPS IN THEN STATIC – LET IT FINISH.
JOHN: Jemma? Jemma? Are you still with us? (BEAT) Ladies and Gentleman we’ve just lost our live feed. The studio is now running on back-up generators as I’m informed that most of the electrical grid from Nottingham through to Plymouth (including Wales) and all of greater London has been experiencing large outages. We’ll try to keep… Who the hell are you?
SOUND: GUN BEING READIED/COCKED – LET IT FINISH.
GEORGE MILLS: Out of the way.
SOUND: SOUND OF CHAIR BEING KNOCKED OVER
JOHN: What do you think you’re–
GEORGE: Shut up, or I’ll blow your head off right here, on live TV. (BEAT) Thomas? Thomas, I hope you’re hearing this. You’ve got to save the scientist. Understand? Karen. You have to save her. You can stop all this. You can–
SOUND: STATIC – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
THOMAS: (GRUNTS AWAKE) Ugh. Same damn dream… again. Looks like I left the telly on, too. (YAWNS) Was that you?
DARK PASSENGER: We talking again? I thought you’d decided to give me the silent treatment after what you did last time.
THOMAS: That was you, not me.
DARK PASSENGER: I am you, Tom. I’m the side of you you’d like to pretend doesn’t exist. But I’m still one hundred percent you. And you need to let me out. (BEAT) I get cranky, if I don’t get a little exercise from time to time.
THOMAS: (TIRED) Just shut up.
SOUND: CLICK OF TV TURNING OFF – FADE UP THE UNDERLYING PHONE RINGING NOISE – UNDER
THOMAS: Now, what?
SOUND: RUSTLING OF PAPERS – UNDER AND STOP.
THOMAS: Where is it? Ah!
SOUND: RINGING STOPS.
THOMAS: Hello.
JESS: Tom, where the hell are you?
THOMAS: Jess? This is a little early, isn’t it? Even for you?
JESS: Kerrigan, the office has been open for an hour.
THOMAS: What? Oh, hell.
JESS: Are you drunk?
THOMAS: No. Bad dreams. I just had a rough night.
JESS: Well, get yourself in gear, Tom. We’ve got a client in here.
THOMAS: I’ll be there in fifteen. How’s it look?
JESS: Interesting. Expensive suit and shoes. Bespoke, or I’m no judge.
THOMAS: Better and better. Hey, he’s not a lawyer is he?
JESS: Not as far as I can tell. But get down here fast and see for yourself.
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH

SCENE 3: INT – PRIVATE DETECTIVE’S OFFICE – DAY
(THOMAS, JESS, GEORGE, DARK PASSENGER)

SOUND: DOOR CRASHES OPEN – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: Jess, I’m here.
JESS: Uh, Mr. Wills, this is Thomas Kerrigan, private detective.
GEORGE: How do you do.
THOMAS: Hi. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.
GEORGE: Not at all. I assume you’ve been out… on “a case”, as they say.
THOMAS: Do they?
JESS: (WARNING) Tom.
SOUND: DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH
THOMAS: Please, Mr. Wills. Come into my office.
GEORGE: Would you mind having your girl bring us some tea. I’ve been sitting for some time.
JESS: What?
THOMAS: Uh, sure. Jess?
JESS: Huh?
THOMAS: Tea.
JESS: Tea?
THOMAS: Thanks. As quick as you can manage.
SOUND: MEN’S FOOTSTEPS DEPART TO THE INNER OFFICE – LET IT FINISH.
JESS: (AD-LIB GRUMBLING)
SOUND: DOOR CLOSES – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: Have a seat. What can I do for you, Mr. Wills?
GEORGE: You’re not quite what I expected.
THOMAS: Oh?
DARK PASSENGER: Heh. He don’t know the half of it.
GEORGE: I’ve always thought your kind were grubby little men who made a living skulking around bedroom windows.
THOMAS: (ANGRY) If you’re about to tell me you’re a lawyer after all–
GEORGE: No. No. Nothing like that. I’m really rather pleased by the impression you make. And I apologize if I caused offense. My wife tells me I’m terribly prone to speaking my mind.
THOMAS: For those who have one, it’s an admirable trait.
GEORGE: I’m sorry? Did you just give me some… “sass”?
DARK PASSENGER: Oh, please. Let me kill him, Tom? Just a little?
THOMAS: You came here for a reason, Mr. Wills. And you’ve already had to wait.
GEORGE: Ah, of course. It’s my sister.
THOMAS: Your sister?
GEORGE: Is there an echo in here?
THOMAS: What about your sister, Mr. Wills.
GEORGE: She’s missing and I want you to find her.
THOMAS: Isn’t this a matter for the police? The boys in blue tend to frown upon private citizens who engage in this sort of thing.
GEORGE: You have a reputation, Mr. Kerrigan. I didn’t realize it included fear of the police.
DARK PASSENGER: You’d enjoy watching me peel him, wouldn’t you? I know you would?
THOMAS: Don’t try to press my buttons, Wills. If you know my reputation, then–
GEORGE: Mr. Kerrigan, I want to hire you to find my sister. Your reputation is, frankly, concerning – spooky, even. If you didn’t come very highly recommended indeed, I wouldn’t be here in this… “establishment”. It is said you find missing things. This is a service I need rather badly. It is also said that you have a temper. I have rather a temper myself, but if someone has taken my sister, I would like her to be rescued and that will probably not require a light touch.
THOMAS: Just what services do you think you are purchasing here?
GEORGE: I did my research before coming here. You were let go by the Metropolitan police because of a tendency towards excessive force. I wish to hire both your brains and your brawn to find, and if necessary, rescue my sister.
THOMAS: And if she doesn’t want to be found?
GEORGE: That’s hardly relevant. I believe you have a saying… “If the money’s there, you just don’t care”. Am I right?
THOMAS: True enough. But I’ll need to know a few things, first. She hasn’t been reported missing, has she?
GEORGE: No. Not as such.
THOMAS: Not as such.
GEORGE: Are you calling me a liar, sir?
THOMAS: Not as such.
DARK PASSENGER: Well, you should. I can smell the lies on him. This one has turned it into a profession.
GEORGE: That’s good. (BEAT) Her name is Karen Wittington.
THOMAS: She doesn’t share your last name, either.
GEORGE: (DRILY) Well spotted.
THOMAS: I’ll also need some other details; Place of residence, employment, etc. Anything else you can tell me. People she knows. Places she frequents. Enemies.
GEORGE: She’s a scientist and has no enemies. I think you’ll find everything you need in this envelope.
SOUND: UNFOLDING PAPER – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: Looks like you came prepared. (BEAT) Has there been any truth in what you’ve told me today?
GEORGE: Do you care?
THOMAS: Not particularly. But there’s the little matter of the fee. I like to know that I’m going to be paid. And liars… well, lets just say they aren’t always scrupulous about paying their bills.
GEORGE: Be assured, you will be well compensated.
THOMAS: How well?
GEORGE: This well.
SOUND: A WAD OF NOTES LANDING ON THE DESK – LET IT FINISH.
GEORGE: A suitable retainer, yes?
DARK PASSENGER: Well, that’ll keep you in clover for a while.
THOMAS: (WHISTLES) Yes. And enough of a retainer that the “dubiousness” of your case isn’t going to bother me much. How do I contact you?
GEORGE: Here’s my card. You can reach me at that number when you have news.
SOUND: CHAIR SCRAPES AS WILLS GETS UP – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: Uh, Mr. Wills?
GEORGE: Yes.
THOMAS: I haven’t agreed to take you on as a client, yet.
GEORGE: Don’t play coy, Mr. Kerrigan. We both know you’re going to take the job.
THOMAS: Uh-huh. But I’ll need three weeks in advance.
GEORGE: That’s outrageous!
THOMAS: That’s the cost of business. Particularly, if you’re expecting to make use of the “benefit” of my… reputation.
GEORGE: (GROANS) Very well.
THOMAS: (BEAT) Alright, that just leaves the contract. Sign here.
SOUND: PAPER RUSTLING – SCRIBBLE OF PEN ON PAPER – LET IT FINISH.
GEORGE: I think we understand each other. But, Mr. Kerrigan…?
THOMAS: Hmmm?
GEORGE: I’m not a man you want to cross. Money has changed hands. Don’t fail me.
DARK PASSENGER: You really should have let me kill him, you know?
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 4: INT – PRIVATE DETECTIVE’S OFFICE – DAY
(JESS, THOMAS)

JESS: I don’t think you should have taken this job, boss.
THOMAS: You’re just mad he made you bring us tea.
JESS: It’s not that. It’s just… I don’t know really.
THOMAS: It ain’t like you to turn squirrelly on me Jess. If the money’s there–
JESS: “You just don’t care”. Yeah, I know. And I know we’ve crossed a lot of lines. But even you must be startin’ to worry a bit these days. You take too many risks. Eventually, it’s gotta come back and bite you.
THOMAS: Don’t start. I fulfill my contracts. I work within the letter of the law. What’s it matter if I bend a few rules along the way.
DARK PASSENGER: Just so, partner.
JESS: I’ve just got a bad feeling about this one, Tom. Maybe its time your philosophy got a little more… I don’t know, nuanced?
THOMAS: Seriously, Jess? Who taught you a big word like that.
JESS: Word of the day calendar.
THOMAS: Sure. But listen. We need the fee, and its the largest I ever got.
JESS: And that doesn’t bother you… We’d have taken this job for a third of what you’re gettin’ paid.
THOMAS: Yeah, but Wills seems to think we’re worth it. Hey, you haven’t seen him before somewhere have you?
JESS: No. Why?
THOMAS: I don’t know. He just seems mighty familiar.
DARK PASSENGER: Seriously? Heh.
JESS: Well, don’t go trying to track him down through your… contacts. At least not while I’m here. You know how much they give me the creeps.
THOMAS: Keep your shirt on. You know I only let “him” out on special occasions.
DARK PASSENGER: And I’m getting impatient. If you don’t let me out for a run soon, I’m likely to take it a mite personal.
JESS: Where are you going to start looking?
THOMAS: She was working for PTI.
JESS: Para-technologies Inc.? You’re kidding, right? Weren’t they the mob who had you arrested?
THOMAS: That’s them.
JESS: You never did say how you got out of that?
THOMAS: They’d heard I could talk to ghosts and had some charges trumped up so they could get their mits on me. They tested me for a few days but, as its my alter-ego who has the power to talk to spooks, they discovered nothing. As far as they’re concerned, I’m a charlatan and they cut me loose.
JESS: I’m never going to get used to that.
THOMAS: What?
JESS: You having an alter-ego. It’s nuts.
THOMAS AND DARK PASSENGER: (TOGETHER) Tell me about it.
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 5: EXT – PARA-TECHNOLOGIES INC. – DAY
(THOMAS, DARK PASSENGER)

SOUND: STREET AMBIANCE – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: (HESITATING) I forgot how much I hate this place.
DARK PASSENGER: Hate is good.
THOMAS: Anyone we know nearby?
DARK PASSENGER: You gonna let me out?
THOMAS: Nope.
DARK PASSENGER: Figured. We do seem to have picked up a tail. Not a ghost I recognize, though.
THOMAS: Is it deliberate or did we just pick up a spook that’s curious about the dual aura?
DARK PASSENGER: Can’t deny we stand out… but no, I think it’s a deliberate tail.
THOMAS: Thanks a bunch.
DARK PASSENGER: Are you just gonna stand out here all day?
THOMAS: Nah. I guess I gotta go in.
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 6: INT – PARA-TECHNOLOGIES INC. – DAY
(THOMAS, RECEPTIONIST, DARK PASSENGER, CUSTODIAN, SECURITY, MR. BARTHOLEMEW LANSING)

SOUND: DING OF ELEVATOR – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: DOORS OPEN – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: LOTS OF MOVEMENT, PAPER RUSTLING, BOXES BEING FILLED, SHREDDERS BEING USED – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
CUSTODIAN: Look out, mate. Heavy equipment coming through.
DARK PASSENGER: (SUDDENLY SERIOUS) Step back! Do it!
THOMAS: What’s up?
CUSTODIAN: Equipment from the labs. Being transferred.
SOUND: EQUIPMENT RATTLING AND WHEELING BY – FADE PAST.
DARK PASSENGER: Equipment? Yeah, I guess. Cages would be a better description.
THOMAS: What do you mean?
DARK PASSENGER:
Those cylinders were surrounded by wards. They’ve got spirits in them.
THOMAS: Ghosts?
DARK PASSENGER: Maybe. Or other things. Best not to speculate.
SOUND: ELEVATOR BUTTON PRESS – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: DOORS CLOSE – WHIRR OF ELEVATOR DEPARTURE – LET IT FINISH.
THOMAS: We need to hurry this up.
DARK PASSENGER: Reception’s over there.
SOUND: DING OF RECEPTION – BELL
THOMAS: Things look a little busy today.
RECEPTIONIST: (RUDE) What do you want?
THOMAS: You always respond to clients like that?
RECEPTIONIST: Today I do. And we don’t have any clients. Not any more.
THOMAS: (SURPRISED) What’s going on?
RECEPTIONIST: We’ve all been given our walking papers. The entire building. For all I know, every branch of the entire company.
THOMAS: What?
RECEPTIONIST: Tell me about it. The suits arrived when the doors were being opened. They told us we’re all through. Handed each of us a tiny check and told us to pack our things… so, if you’ll excuse me–
THOMAS: Wait, I need to find your personnel department.
RECEPTIONIST: Good luck with that. But don’t expect me to help you. I don’t work here anymore.
DARK PASSENGER: At least no-one’s going to stop us from snooping around.
SOUND: FOOTSTEPS WALKING – UNDER
THOMAS: Let’s go back to the elevator.
DARK PASSENGER: I’d prefer we take the stairs.
THOMAS: Why’s that?
DARK PASSENGER: All this bitterness and resentment. It’s like a fine wine. I’d like to wallow in the atmosphere for a bit.
THOMAS: Not a chance. If even the receptionist is shredding paper, I hate to think what’s happening in Personnel.
SECURITY: Mr. Kerrigan? Please come this way.
DARK PASSENGER: Uh-oh.
SOUND: FOOTSTEPS UNDER – ESTABLISH AND FADE.
THOMAS: Am I expected.
SECURITY: Most of the building has been laid off, Mr. Kerrigan. If you think that means no one is watching, you’re very much mistaken. Too many bruised egos and bitter personalities to just let people have the run of the place. Who knows what might go missing?
THOMAS: You haven’t lost your job?
SECURITY: I’m a… contractor. My paycheck is taken care of by the receivers.
THOMAS: So the company has gone broke?
SECURITY: You’d best talk to Mr. Lansing.
DARK PASSENGER: Can I at least hurt this one? Just maim him a little, maybe.
SOUND: DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH.
SECURITY: Mr. Lansing. I have Mr. Kerrigan for you.
MR. BARTHOLEMEW LANSING: Thanks, Richard. Mr. Kerrigan, do come in.
DARK PASSENGER: Not another polite rich man with no conscience. Let me tear out his throat with my teeth… Pretty please?
THOMAS: Mr. Lansing, I presume.
LANSING: Quite right. I’m glad you came quietly. Richard’s a bit disappointed of course. He does enjoy a scuffle.
THOMAS: I wouldn’t recommend it. I have a… dark side.
LANSING: So I’ve heard.
THOMAS: And what have you heard, exactly?
LANSING: Don’t let it bother you, old boy. This meeting’s not about you. I believe you were a guest here some years ago. The results were inconclusive. No hard feelings I hope?
THOMAS: Get to the point.
LANSING: You’re here about Miss Wittington, yes?
THOMAS: How’d you–?
LANSING: Three days ago, Miss Wittington didn’t present herself for work. She’s quite extraodinary, you know. Nearly every breakthrough and technology this company has pioneered was largely due to her research.
THOMAS: (SARCASM) And I’m clearly very impressed.
LANSING: Yes, well. The same day she failed to appear, I was informed that I was receiving a rather large bequest.
THOMAS: I’m sorry?
LANSING: Don’t be. Let’s just say that a rich uncle has passed away and that I am now independently wealthy. So wealthy, in fact, that my investors have instructed me to mothball the whole company.
THOMAS: Your investors?
LANSING: Well, it wouldn’t do to go calling them Whitehall now, would it?
THOMAS: And the rich uncle?
LANSING: Funny thing about that. As far as I know, I have no uncles, rich or otherwise.
THOMAS: I see. So you’ll help me find her then? Give me some leads?
LANSING: Quite the opposite, dear boy. I’m here to warn you. Well, threaten you, more precisely.
DARK PASSENGER: (OUT LOUD – NO FILTER) (IN PAIN) Ungh! (ANGRY) No-one threatens me!
LANSING: Oh my! Was that him? Just poking out for a minute?
THOMAS: (PANTING) Take my word for it, you don’t want to see any more of him.
LANSING: He even looks a bit different. Is he a little taller than you?
THOMAS: (WARNING) Lansing–
LANSING: Quite right. Let’s not get distracted. I still need to deliver my message; (BEAT) Leave the girl alone.
THOMAS: Leave the girl alone?
LANSING: Yes, leave Miss Wittington alone.
THOMAS: What makes you think I even want her?
LANSING: You are, in the parlance of our time, a peeper, are you not?
THOMAS: I don’t know if I’d–
LANSING: And as such you are on an investigation. It would be more than coincidental for a private detective, one with your history, to turn up here today, and for it not be related to the events of the last week.
THOMAS: So you’ve been instructed to tell me nothing, is that it?
LANSING: I suspect it wouldn’t be healthy.
DARK PASSENGER: (ANGRY) Let… Me… (UNFILTERED) OUT!
THOMAS: No! (PANTING)
LANSING: He really does want to come out to play doesn’t he. How did you hide him from us when you were last here?
THOMAS: Ungh! You don’t seem at all surprised by this.
LANSING: Our results were inconclusive last time. We thought something was there, some indication of power, but you kept him hidden, didn’t you. Is he a completely separate personality?
THOMAS: Yes.
LANSING: Well, that explains it. Why is he so hard to hide right now?
THOMAS: I haven’t let him out for a while. Without regular exercise, he’s–
DARK PASSENGER: Much harder to control!
THOMAS: No! I’m not letting you out! So, cut it out. (PANTING)
LANSING: Hmmm. I think we’d best bring this interview to a close, Mr Kerrigan. Here, I want you to take this. It’s Miss Wittington’s severance check. Give it to her, if you see her.
SOUND: BUZZ – LET IT FINISH.
LANSING: Richard? Please escort Mr. Kerrigan out of the building… to the alley, I should think.
SECURITY: (THROUGH SPEAKER) Yes, sir.
LANSING: And Richard, make sure you persuade him of how seriously, we’d like him to take the message I have given him.
SECURITY: (DARKLY) Yes, sir.
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 7: EXT – ALLEYWAY – DAY
(SECURITY, THOMAS, DARK PASSENGER)

SOUND: SQUEAKY IRON DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH.
SOUND: CITY AMBIANCE – DISTANT CARS, A CAR HORN, TRASH CANS, A DOG BARKS – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
SOUND: SHUFFLE OF SOMEONE BEING PUSHED HARD – LET IT FINISH.
SECURITY: You heard Mr. Lansing. It’s time you left. But before you go, we were asked to–
THOMAS: Wait. Just wait.
SECURITY: To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be the kind to beg for mercy.
THOMAS: It’s not that. Your boss doesn’t like you very much, does he?
SECURITY: He’s not my boss.
THOMAS: Ah. So you’re shutting him down as well, then.
SECURITY: I guess so.
THOMAS: That would explain why he’s about to get his revenge on you. (BEAT) You don’t happen to beat up kids in your spare time, do you?
SECURITY: What?
THOMAS: Hurt women? Or puppies?
SECURITY: What is this?
THOMAS: It’s just that I’m looking for a way to ease my conscience… while I still have one.
SECURITY: I think I’ve had enough of this.
THOMAS: Putting innocent people out of a job and throwing your weight around like a bully will have to be enough, then. Just one more thing?
SECURITY: Yes?
THOMAS: I’m not talking to you? (TO DARK PASSENGER) No killing. All right. I mean it. No killing!
DARK PASSENGER: Done!
SECURITY: What on earth? Did you just get bigger?
DARK PASSENGER: I’m Tom’s dark side. And it’s nice to have a chance to hurt you.
SECURITY: I hope you enjoy being hit by a truncheon!
SOUND: WHOOSH, CATCH – LET IT FINISH.
DARK PASSENGER: Uh-uh, uh! Naughty, naughty. Trying to hit me with your little stick. Good thing I can catch, hmm? (GRUNTS) Now that I have your little weapon–
SECURITY: What the–?
DARK PASSENGER: Let me see. Tom said, “no killing”. He can be very boring sometimes. But he didn’t say I couldn’t break your knee.
SOUND: CRUNCH OF BONE – UNDER.
SECURITY: (SCREAMS)
DARK PASSENGER: Or that I couldn’t toss you into the wall. (GRUNTS)
SOUND: WHOOSH, THUD, BODY DROP – LET IT FINISH.
SECURITY: (GRUNTS) Ugh!
DARK PASSENGER: Now, now. Don’t pass out. I want you to stay with me while I have a little fun. How about a broken finger to bring some clarity.
SOUND: CRUNCH OF SMALL BONE – LET IT FINISH.
SECURITY: (SCREAMS)
DARK PASSENGER: More awake now? That’s quite the girlish scream you’ve got there. A bit embarrassing if you don’t mind my saying so. I’d keep it hidden if I were you. Actually, I’ll do you a favor. I’ll pull out your tongue.
SOUND: SQUEALCHING TEARING NOISE – LET IT FINISH.
SECURITY: (MUFFLED STRANGLED BUBBLING SCREAM)
DARK PASSENGER: Isn’t that so much better, hmmm? Now, (BEAT) what shall I do next?
MUSIC: SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.MUSIC: CLOSING THEME AND CREDITS – LET IT FINISH.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, an e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: https://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

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This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author. The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

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