Below we present the complete text of The End is… Across Town, episode 3 of The Tower of the Tentacle. This is a brand new (unpublished) series (and sees the return of two of our most popular characters (Tess Carter and Trent Stone). If you would like to see these new stories advance from being drafts into polished publications then please consider supporting us by purchasing one or more of our previously published titles. Every sale directly funds the production of new stories.
THE TOWER OF THE TENTACLE
EPISODE #3 – THE END IS… ACROSS TOWN
by Philip Craig Robotham
Cover Illustration by Miyukiko
Unedited Draft
Copyright 2016 Philip Craig Robotham
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition.
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Serial #5: The Tower of the Tentacle
When Trent Stone is awakened in the middle of the night to find that his room is being ransacked he confronts the intruders only to see them vanish into thin air before his eyes. Finding some strange glasses the intruders left behind, he and Tess Carter set out following a trail of clues across the city where they encounter mysteriously cocooned people, stolen city infrastructure, and flying tentacled monstrosities. In order to get to the heart of this mystery, they need to employ the glasses to “see” into the reality behind reality and determine just what the objective of the strange otherworldly presence that has settled in Star City for the night is… before a world-destroying cataclysm results. Can they solve the mystery AND save the world? Tune in to “The Tower of the Tentacle” and experience this exciting adventure for yourself.
Episodes in the Host Your Own “Old Time Radio Drama” series are designed to provide a fun dinner party experience for 6–8 participants. Read along, taking on the role of one or more of the characters in the story, and listen as the exciting drama unfolds. This is the theater of the mind, where the special effects are only limited by your imagination, and your participation will build a memory that you’ll treasure for years to come.
THE TOWER OF THE TENTACLE
CAST LIST
NARRATOR: The Narrator
TRENT STONE: Adventurer
TESS CARTER: Reporter
DR SAM JOHNSON: Former Physics Professor
WALT: Cabbie
ALIEN: Alien member of Hive (drone)
SFX: SFX operator (1 required)
Scene 8 INT – On the Way to Star City Coal and Power (Trent Stone, Tess Carter, Dr. Sam Johnson, Walt)
463. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH
464. NARRATOR: Escaping the unwanted attention of the FBI Tess Carter and Trent Stone cross the city in pursuit of clues to why public utilities are being vandalized and a proportion of the population has been trapped inside strange, invisible, cocoons of slime.
465. SOUND: INTERIOR OF MOVING CAR – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
466. TESS: That was a pretty close call. Do you think we were recognized?
467. TRENT: I hope not. We don’t need to add being on the run from the FBI to our list of troubles.
468. WALT: So where to now?
469. TRENT: Star City Power and Coal is the next stop on our list.
470. WALT: What’s with your pal? He was talking non-stop last time he got in.
471. TESS: Something on your mind Doctor?
472. SAM: (SULLENLY) We should have talked to them.
473. TESS: Aw, Doc. They would have just locked us up for trespassing. We had to run.
474. SAM: They’re the government. They could have helped.
475. TRENT: Doctor Johnson, they can’t even see what we can see. While they’re doing their jobs, we’re going to do the things they can’t.
476. SAM: But if we handed over what we’ve found. Then they’d know as much as we do.
477. TESS: Knowing something isn’t the same as believing it, Doc. Those fellas are trained to look for the mundane. Which do you think is more likely, that they’ll believe in what? Invisible aliens? Or that they’ll choose to think it’s all some kind of elaborate anarchist plot?
478. SAM: We should have told them. We should have tried.
479. TRENT: Well the point is moot now… and no, we are not going back. Time is running out.
480. SAM: Hmpf. (MUTTERING) Twice pi multiplied by the square root of the angles of the… and calculating the integral with a differential of… (TRAILS OFF)
481. TESS: Well, you can’t say I didn’t try. Hey, is it just me or is it getting really dark out there?
482. TRENT: It’s not just you. It looks like a large section of the city has been blacked out.
483. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
Scene 9 INT – At Star City Coal and Power (Characters – Trent Stone, Tess Carter, Dr. Sam Johnson)
484. SOUND: CAR PULLS TO A STOP
485. WALT: Here you are folks. Safe and sound at the center of a massive blackout. Are you sure you don’t want me to just turn us around and get out of here? If looting starts, things could get ugly quickly.
486. TRENT: Thanks for your concern Walt, but I think we’ll be fine. Fortunately, all this started with most of the populace fast asleep… and sunup is only a few hours away.
487. WALT: Actually, I was more worried about me. I’m not used to being in a neighborhood without streetlights. And by my calculation, your “few” hours is still two or three.
488. TESS: You’ll be fine. We’ll be back quickly. Are you coming, Dr. Johnson?
489. SAM: If you divide the coefficient of x by the cosine of… er… What? No no. I’m good. (BEAT) Adding the exponential function of theta within a range of… (TRAILS OFF)
490. WALT: (SARCASTIC) Oh, great. Yep. You hurry back, now.
491. TESS: Like I said, you’ll be fine. But as for you, Dr. J., I think you’d better come with us.
492. SAM: Hmpf. If you insist.
493. SOUND: CAR DOORS OPEN AND CLOSE
494. SOUND: ARCING ELECTRICITY, SPARKS, ETC.
495. TESS: (TO HERSELF) Yep, Walt’ll be fine. It’s us I’m worried about.
496. TRENT: Well this is interesting isn’t it?
497. TESS: (SARCASM) What? This? I don’t know what you mean. If you’ve seen one exploded electrical equipment shed surrounded by a dangerous electrified fence throwing off massive bolts of electricity like an angry Norse god, then you’ve seen them all.
498. TRENT: Funny. How do we get through?
499. SAM: Isn’t it obvious?
500. TESS: What? Is this a test? We can’t jump the fence or dig under it so we need to short it out somehow… or at least redirect the current around a section so we can cut our way through.
501. TRENT: Yes, either of those solutions might work. Let’s try and short it out to start with. At least the main generator building appears to still be intact. (MUSING) I wonder why the power’s out to everything except the fence, and why only the shed is destroyed?
502. TESS: You’re asking me? Why’d they only take the engines out of the trains? None of this makes any sense. (BEAT) Well, don’t just stand there. What’s your plan?
503. TRENT: That explosion has thrown a lot of equipment about, iron spikes and pitons, rolls of copper wire. I’ll go gather what we need from what’s available on this side of the fence. See if you can find some rubber insulation – Walt may have some in his cab.
504. TESS: Alright. I’ll go have a look.
505. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING.
506. TRENT: And see if he keeps any water for the radiator on hand… and a hammer?
507. TESS: Gotcha.
508. TRENT: Now, let’s see. This iron spike will do… and I’m probably going to need about twenty feet of the thickest gauge wire I can find…
509. MUSIC: TIME PASSING TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH.
510. TESS: Here you go. Walt has a toolkit in his trunk along with a jerry can full of fuel and one of water. He even had some rubber gloves.
511. TRENT: Well, we won’t need the fuel, but the rest is very welcome. Here, see if you can find some tin-snips in amongst his tools and clip off a piece of this wire about 20 feet long. I’m going to knock this spike into the ground.
512. SOUND: SNIP OF WIRE.
513. TESS: Done. So what’s the plan.
514. TRENT: Well…
515. SOUND: HAMMER ON METAL SPIKE
516. TRENT: What I propose is…
517. SOUND: HAMMER ON METAL SPIKE
518. TRENT: That we knock this stake into the ground…
519. SOUND: HAMMER ON METAL SPIKE
520. TRENT: Soak the earth surrounding it with water
521. SOUND: HAMMER ON METAL SPIKE
522. TRENT: And run that copper wire to the fence. That should force the charge to ground itself out and short out the circuit.
523. TESS: You think?
524. TRENT: Well, it’s a theory. (BEAT) There I’ve attached the wire to the stake. Soak the ground, while I run this wire up to the fence.
525. TESS: Ok. You’re the boss.
526. SOUND: SPLASHING OF WATER ONTO GROUND – LET IT FINISH.
527. TESS: (CALLING) There you go.
528. TRENT: (AT A DISTANCE) Ok. You’d better stand back. You too, Dr Johnson. Here (BEAT) goes…
529. SOUND: ELECTRICAL CRACKLE, SPARKS, AND POWER DOWN SOUND.
530. TESS: Well I’ll be. It worked. The charge is flowing into the ground.
531. TRENT: Don’t sound so surprised. Bring those snips over here and I’ll cut a way through this fence. We’d better hurry. I’m not sure how much charge that copper wire can take before it burns out. We may not have a lot of time.
532. MUSIC: TIME PASSING TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH.
533. TRENT: We’re through. Let’s take a look at that shed and see if we can figure out what caused the explosion.
534. SAM: The shed doesn’t matter. The generators are housed in the warehouse. That’s where we’ll find out the… the answer… to why the city is blacked out.
535. TRENT: Perhaps. But I want to be sure no-one has been hurt. Come on Tess.
536. TESS: You wait here, Doc. We’ll let you know when we think it’s safe.
537. SAM: Hmpf.
538. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL AS TESS AND TRENT MOVE ON.
539. TRENT: (STAGE WHISPER) I’m beginning to wonder if we didn’t do the wrong thing bringing him along.
540. TESS: (SARCASM) You think? I’ll give you a nickel if we ditch him and go for ice-cream.
541. TRENT: He’s not the most congenial of companions I’ll grant you… still…
542. TESS: Yes.
543. TRENT: I can’t help feeling he may yet come in handy.
544. TESS: That, and you’re afraid of what he might do once he’s no longer where you can keep an eye on him.
545. TRENT: That too.
546. TESS: Well, will you look at that?
547. TRENT: Hmmm.
548. TESS: It looks like the floor of the shed has been blown out. Do you have a torch?
549. TRENT: Here, Walt had this in his tool kit.
550. TESS: Whew, that smells like gas.
551. SOUND: CLICK OF TORCH BEING TURNED ON – LET IT FINISH.
552. TRENT: It is gas. It looks like the gas main has ruptured and (BEAT) is that a tunnel leading back under what’s left of the floor there.
553. TESS: If it is, it’s not like any tunnel I’ve ever seen. It’s walls are like glass. Almost like they’ve been melted.
554. TRENT: It doesn’t look like anyone was hurt in the explosion and the gas appears to be venting into the air. I think we’d best head back and take a look at the main warehouse.
555. TESS: After you… but do we have to pick up Dr Raincloud over there? He’s about as much fun as a tax audit.
556. TRENT: Yeah, I think we do. (BEAT) Dr Johnson, we need to look in the warehouse.
557. SAM: (AT A DISTANCE) About time.
558. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL – JOINED BY JOHNSON.
559. TRENT: Big door.
560. TESS: Yes it is.
561. TRENT: Doesn’t look locked.
562. SAM: So why aren’t you opening it then.
563. TRENT: I’m not sure. It just feels a little off. The ground looks less than stable…
564. SAM: Rubbish. There’s nothing to it. Here, let me…
565. SOUND: SCRAPING OF IRON WAREHOUSE DOOR – UNDER.
566. TESS: No wait!
567. ALL THREE: (FALLING INTO PIT) Aaaaah!
568. SOUND: THREE SIMULTANEOUS BODY DROPS – LET IT FINISH.
569. TESS: (GROANS) Well, that could have gone a little better.
570. TRENT: (COUGHING) Looks like we’ve slid down and under the warehouse into some kind of underground cavern.
571. TESS: Shouldn’t the floor of the warehouse be above us?
572. TRENT: Yes, it should. Along with several tons of electrical generator.
573. TESS: I’m right in thinking that’s the warehouse ceiling up there, right?
574. TRENT: Ahuh.
575. TESS: So, what? They dug out the entire area below the warehouse, collapsed the floor, and stole the generators?
576. TRENT: Looks like. And before you ask, no, I have no idea why.
577. SAM: (INTERRUPTING) It’s amazing. It’s stupendous. Just look at it.
578. TRENT: Look at what Doctor?
579. SAM: These walls. They’re like glass. Can you imagine the energy required to do this? The heat required is almost beyond calculation.
580. TESS: Heat? But look at the size of this place? You’re not really suggesting they, what, burned their way in?.
581. SAM: (CHILDLIKE GLEE) Indeed I am. Is it any more unbelievable than those glasses you’re wearing, or those respirators you’re carrying?
582. TESS: Well, you’ve perked up. And I guess when I stop to think about it, it isn’t that crazy after all… comparatively.
583. SOUND: METALLIC SCRAPING SOUND – LET IT FINISH.
584. TESS: That didn’t sound good.
585. TRENT: No, I think this excavation has put a lot of stress on the superstructure of the building.
586. TESS: Meaning?
587. TRENT: The building could collapse at any moment.
588. SAM: Well, don’t just stand there. Get us out of here.
589. TRENT: I’m working on it.
590. SOUND: METALLIC SCRAPING SOUND – LET IT FINISH.
591. TESS: Um, Trent? Work harder.
592. TRENT: Well there’s no way to get back up there and out. The walls are too sheer and all the tools are up on the surface.
593. TESS: What about Walt? Do you think he could get us out?
594. TRENT: He could… with a rope I suppose. But he’s too far away. I doubt he’d hear us. (BEAT) So that really leaves us with only one option.
595. TESS: Ahuh.
596. TOGETHER: We follow the tunnel out.
597. SAM: Won’t that cost us our transportation?
598. SOUND: METALLIC SCRAPING SOUND – LET IT FINISH.
599. TRENT: It might but (STARTING TO RUN) I don’t think we’ve got much choice.
600. SOUND: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
601. SOUND: STRAINING COLLAPSE OF WAREHOUSE – LET IT FINISH.
602. TRENT: (COUGHING) Another close call.
603. TESS: We’ve had a few of those tonight. (BEAT) Hey! Where’s the Doc?
604. SAM: (AT A DISTANCE) Incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this before.
605. TRENT: Looks like he’s okay.
606. SAM: It’s a machine – almost like a gun on a tripod – but organic. That looks like some kind of chemical energy supply. Amazing. I wonder what this trigger does.
607. TESS: Trent, get down!
608. SOUND: POWERFUL ZAP AND MELTING SOUND – LET IT FINISH.
609. TRENT: (COUGHING AGAIN) I’m beginning to grow tired of all these close calls.
610. TESS: (COUGHING) Especially if they’re going to be caused by our own company.
611. SAM: (AT A DISTANCE) Er… Sorry. Um… I think I found their drill.
612. TESS: (MUTTERING) You think?
613. SAM: The mathematics involved is incredible.
614. TRENT: You keep saying that. It certainly generates a lot of heat. You’ve melted the remains of the warehouse.
615. TESS: Speaking of which, this tunnel isn’t downhill by any chance is it?
616. TRENT: It does appear to be sloping downwards slightly. Why?
617. TESS: That lake of molten metal back there looks like it’s starting to ooze towards us.
618. TRENT: Time to go. Tess, Doctor, time to run.
619. SAM: But the drill! We can’t leave it behind.
620. TRENT: Well, Doctor Johnson, you’ve got about ten seconds to figure out how to move something that large before the metal reaches it.
621. TESS: My advice – do like the man says and run.
622. SOUND: RUNNING FEET – FADE UNDER.
623. MUSIC: TIME PASSING TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH.
624. TESS: (PANTING) Well we’re our in the air again.
625. TRENT: (PANTING) I was starting to worry there for a minute. The flow was starting to build up some real momentum just before the tunnel started to angle up again.
626. TESS: I guess you’ll be a bit more cautious about pressing random buttons after this won’t you Doc?
627. SAM: (MISERABLE) It’s gone. The drill is lost. Do you have any idea of the scientific value of that invention? Any at all?
628. TRENT: I think I can guess. It’s certainly not from anywhere around here.
629. SAM: Of course it’s not. That was alien technology. Aliens, monsters from outer space, invaders. We have to warn… we have to warn… everybody! We have to warn everybody.
630. TESS: Whoops. There he goes. And for a moment there he was beginning to sound sane.
631. TRENT: Easy Tess. He’s had quite a shock. And while I’m not convinced they’re invaders, the idea that they are aliens does seem to fit the evidence.
632. TESS: Seriously? What do you think they are? Alien scrap metal merchants?
633. TRENT: Time will tell. Come on Doctor Johnson. We seem to have come out in a park a block or two over from the power station. We’ll get back to the cab and head on to our next stop.
634. TESS: And where would that be exactly?
635. TRENT: From what I can make out, I think its the WRZP Radio Broadcasting Station.
636. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
Scene 10 EXT – WRZP Star City Radio Station (Trent Stone, Tess Carter, Dr Sam Johnson)
637. SOUND: INTERIOR CAR DRIVING ESTABLISH AND COME TO A STOP.
638. WALT: Here you go, the WRZP Broadcasting Station. You guys need to take it easy in there. When that warehouse came down I nearly had a heart attack.
639. TESS: Thanks for the concern, Walt, but we’ll be fine.
640. WALT: Yeah, yeah. You know what my mother used to say about that?
641. TESS: You don’t strike me as the type who even had a mother, Walt.
642. WALT: Very funny. Everyone’s got a mother, and mine knew plenty.
643. TESS: Okay, so what did she say already?
644. WALT: She used to say that everyone’s always fine until they’re not. Luck runs out, Miss Carter.
645. TESS: We’ll be fine, Walt… and when are you gonna start calling me Tess.
646. WALT: (LAUGHING) Probably about fifteen minutes after I’m pronounced dead. Now, get outta my cab and go do that hero stuff you’re always banging on about – only be careful, alright.
647. SOUND: CAR DOORS OPEN AND CLOSE – LET IT FINISH.
648. TESS: Hey Trent. Head’s up.
649. TRENT: What in… Now that’s something you don’t see every day.
650. SAM: Aargh! Monsters. Kill them. Quickly, kill them.
651. TESS: Anyone’d think he’d never seen a flock of winged tentacle monsters flying away with a giant sack of machinery hung between them.
652. SAM: You’ve got to stop them. Kill them. Shoot them.
653. TRENT: I don’t suppose you’ve got a notion regarding how to stop them do you? They’re flying high and fast. Unless you’ve got a jetpack hidden under your coat, I think that all we can do right now is watch.
654. SOUND: CRASH AND CLANK OF METAL – LET IT FINISH.
655. TESS: Did you hear that. I think some of them may still be here.
656. TRENT: Let’s hurry and get inside. This may be our last lead.
657. SAM: But… But…
658. TESS: (IMPATIENT) Just wait here while we have a look around.
659. TRENT: We need to be careful with the door going in. I don’t like the look of that wall. In fact, the whole building is looking pretty unstable.
660. SOUND: DOOR CREAKING OPEN – LET IT FINISH.
661. TESS: Holy smoke! Would you look at that?
662. TRENT: No wonder the building looks unsteady. Most of the interior walls have been smashed flat… and look over there, surrounding that weird glowing symbol on the floor, I think that’s more of those flying things.
663. ALIEN: (ELECTRONICALLY FILTERED) Intruders… and they can see us. We must escape. I will use the sonic device on them.
664. TESS: Trent lookout, that weird flying squid thing is turning some kind of weapon on us.
665. TRENT: Duck. Under the table. Now!
666. SOUND: ZAP OF SONIC WEAPON DISCHARGING – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
667. SOUND: BUILDING COLLAPSE – OVER SONIC WEAPON ABOVE – LET IT FINISH.
668. SOUND: (BEAT)SOUND OF SHIFTING RUBBLE – LET IT FINISH.
669. TESS: (BEAT) (COUGHING) Trent? Are you okay?
670. TRENT: (Ugh) I got clipped by some falling bricks when the wall came down – I’m gonna have a hell of a bruise or two – but everything seems to still be attached and none too dented. You?
671. TESS: Good as gold.
672. TRENT: Thank goodness for sturdy workmanship. This table saved our lives.
673. TESS: Yeah, sturdy workmanship and steel frames… Um… do you think you might… see your way clear to… shifting your elbow a little?
674. TRENT: What? Oh yes… right. It is a little cramped under here, isn’t it?
675. TESS: (COYLY) Are you blushing, Trent? That’s adorable. I guess we could take a moment to recover… you know… just you and me?
676. WALT: (CALLING FROM A DISTANCE) Is anyone alive under there? Miss Carter? Mr Stone?
677. SAM: The monsters. They killed them. They killed them.
678. TESS: (MOMENT GONE) Or not.
679. TRENT: (Grunts) As pleasant as that might have been, we really don’t have the time. (CALLING) We’re under here!
680. SOUND: MORE SHIFTING MASONRY – LET IT FINISH.
681. WALT: There you are. Let me help you up. (GRUNTS) You’re Okay. Well, I’ll be…
682. TESS: Yeah, you probably will. (BEAT) Hey, don’t look at me like that.
683. WALT: I’m not saying a word.
684. TESS: Not with your mouth, no. But your eyes and face are saying plenty.
685. WALT: Well I did warn you to be careful.
686. TESS: And there it is.
687. WALT: What?
688. TESS: The “I told you so”.
689. SAM: (INTERRUPTING) So what are you going to do now that your last lead has come to nothing? When those monsters shot up out of this rubble I thought you were dead.
690. TRENT: I’m sorry to disappoint, Doctor. For the moment I suggest we look around. Did the… creatures… head back towards the city?
691. WALT: Did they fly off like the others? You bet. Though I was more concerned about you than about which way they was going.
692. TESS: (WHISTLES) With the walls all collapsed that’s one heck of a view you get from up here.
693. WALT: What? It’s just the city looking all blacked out?
694. SAM: It doesn’t look any different to me.
695. TRENT: Uh, Doctor, how long has that big building been there?
696. SAM: Which one?
697. TRENT: The really tall one. The one that’s twice as tall as any other building in town and seems to have a crimson coloured light emanating from the top. The one I’ve never seen before?
698. WALT: What? What building?
699. TESS: Here, try on these glasses and take a look.
700. WALT: (AMAZED) Sweet Sister Mary Frances! That wasn’t there a second ago.
701. SAM: Of course it was. That building’s always been there.
702. TRENT: Always?
703. SAM: At least since I solved that equation anyway.
704. TESS: And how long would that be?
705. SAM: Twenty years.
706. TESS: Twenty years! You know what that means Trent?
707. TRENT: I can only speculate, but it seems clear that tonight’s events have a far older origin than I thought. An origin that is tied to the existence of that previously unseen skyscraper.
708. TESS: So what do we do now?
709. SAM: We call the authorities and get them to destroy it, if it’s the home of those… those things.
710. WALT: Or we could leave well enough alone and get the heck out of here.
711. TRENT: No. There are all those people in the city trapped in those gelatinous cocoons. If we’re right they will begin running out of oxygen soon. Tess?
712. TESS: Do you even have to ask.
713. TRENT: Alright. Walt, I won’t ask you to take us there if you really…
714. WALT: Meh. I gripe a lot, but my cab’s still at your disposal. Besides… this is adding up to one hell of a fare.
715. TRENT: And you doctor?
716. SAM: Fifteen multiplied by the coefficient of x… multiplied by… hideous monsters… and the rounded down… is… is… pardon?
717. TESS: I don’t think we can really leave him behind.
718. TRENT: No. I guess not. (BEAT) Then it’s decided. We’re heading to that building in the city.
719. SAM: But the authorities… But…
720. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH
721. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME AND CREDITS – LET IT FINISH.
CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS
NARRATOR: Hello, I am your narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forward. It is also my job to remind listeners of what came before in a calm, trustworthy voice and ensure that everyone is oriented to where we are and where we are going.
TRENT STONE: Hello, I’m Trent Stone, Adventurer. I’m always in command of the situation (except perhaps, when it comes to Tess — who can easily throw me for a loop). I say things like “indeed,” “hmmm,” and “I see” a lot, and speak in a way that friends of Clark Kent would find very familiar. I’m smart, observant, and quick to use my fists when required (but never impulsive). I sound like Joe College but I’m blue collar through and through. My lack of higher education is something of an embarrassment to me (but I’d never let on).
I’m aware of Tess’s flirting, and occasionally I wonder if it’s more than just a way to keep entertained on the job — mostly I just ignore it and keep on working.
TERESA CARTER: Hiya. Everyone calls me Tess. I’m the take-no-prisoners sort who can hold her own in the man’s world that is the concrete jungle of Star City. I’m college educated but have a mean right hook. I’m a reporter by training and a stickybeak by inclination — this tends to get me in trouble. Curious, playful, and smart, that’s me! But I’m also painfully honest, easily moved by the troubles of others, and as protective as a tigress of my friends. I secretly have a thing for Trent (who’s a bit of a stuffed shirt and easily embarrassed by flirting). We both pretend it’s not there for the sake of the job, but I can’t help occasionally feeling a bit wistful.
DR SAM JOHNSON: I’m not mad I tell you. Those idiots at the university fired me, but I’m not mad. They were just too small minded to see my genius. The symmetry of the equations. The perfection of the numbers. I can SEE! See into the reality behind things. I can see past the numbers and unlock the way things really are. If you could just SEE the world the way I SEE it. Your mind would be unlocked too. You’d be free. Free, like me!
WALT: I‘m your typical big city cabbie. I’ll get you where you’re going and throw in a bit of home-spun philosophy along the way. The way I figure it, people are always in a rush. They don’t take time for the little things. But me, I’m here to help. I’ll get you where you wanna be on time. But part of the fee is I get to give you some of the good advice I keep stored up. Something for every occasion.
CASTING SHEETS – MINOR PARTS
ALIEN: I am a member of the hive. I have no emotions; no pity, no remorse. I have my assigned task and I carry it out. And I won’t let anything stand in my way.
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 Sydney, 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://weirdworldstudios.com.
Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at https://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/.
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.
The Tower of the Tentacle
- The Tower of the Tentacle – Episode 1 – Break-in
- The Tower of the Tentacle – Episode 2 – Trains, Feds, and Scrap Metal
- The Tower of the Tentacle – Episode 3 – The End is… across Town
- The Tower of the Tentacle – Episode 4 – The Hive
- The Tower of the Tentacle – Episode 5 – Holding our Breath
