Act 3, Scene 2: The Setup

TECH PREROLL

LX-0099 Work Light OFF (Static Playbacks)

LX-3200 STANDBY for GO:

Check Levels
Unmute Desk

Puppeteer1: ON

DIALOG

STBY Stage left [1, off]: Ryan

Andrew, Shubert, Theodore at their speaker's desks. Journalists at the playrail.

Keep curtain closed. The curtain will open while the video intro is still playing.

LX-0099 The scene starts with the lights OFF, playing some pre-recorded shots on the projection screens

(cue line from intro!)

Olaf (through walkie-talkie): "Hey, Robin, we're here. What's the situation in the conference room?"

Robin: "Let me check."

Curtain - open

SND-3201 - Audience 1
AMB-3201 - City Hall Quiet

LX-3201 Lights on, CTB, ice cold light blue

Shubert is putting his laptop onto the speaker's desk in [4, 2nd]

Journalists are setting up their cameras on the playrail

Andrew is checking messages on his mobile phone [2, 2nd]

Theodore is drinking ABSOLUT vodka from the vodka bottle [6, 2nd]

Robin: "We gotta hurry. They're almost done setting up. And the room is chock full of people already!"

Olaf: "No worries. I'll take care of that."

Olaf grabs two lose wires

Olaf: "Commence evacuation in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..."

Olaf touches the wires to each other. Sparks fly

SND-3202 - Fire Alarm
SND-3201 FADE

LX-3202 effect fire alarm, flash red left and right (flip-flop)

Everyone sighs, puts down everything they were doing and leave at a leisurely pace to [1], except for Andrew

Andrew ignores the alarm

Olaf: "Muhahahahahahaaaaaa!"

Robin: "Oh great, now you're sending everyone my way!"

Ryan: "Just walk outside with everyone else and nobody will notice you - I'll take it from here."

Robin: "Roger."

Shubert comes back in from [1]

Shubert: "Hey, Mr. Cross! Are you coming?"

Andrew: "It's gonna be a false alarm. Like every week."

Shubert: "Until it isn't. Come on, everyone is watching us. We're role models, remember?"

Andrew: "Meh."

Andrew and Shubert leave to [1]

Ryan runs into the room from [1]

Ryan looks around, finds the laptop, walks up to it, removes a USB device, and plugs in a new USB device

STOP

Ryan: "Out with the old ..."

SND-3203 - USB remove sound

Ryan: "And in with the new ..."

SND-3204 - USB insert sound
SND-3201 STOP Fire Alarm
LX-3203 effect fire alarm

Ryan speaks into his radio

Ryan: "The payload has been delivered! I repeat, the payload has been delivered!"

PRE-3201 - Robin (through the radio): "And just in time, they've figured out it was a false alarm and they've just started going back in!"

SND-3205 - Audience 2

Ryan: "Copy that, I'm outta here!"

Ryan quickly leaves the room [1], giggling with glee at what's to come

Theodore comes in from [1] first

Shubert comes in from [1], following Theodore

Andrew comes in from [1], following Shubert

Andrew: "I told you it was a fluke."

Journalists come in from [1]

Shubert: "We're still on time. No worries. Let's get this over with, Lunch is waiting. You ready, Mr. Barclay?"

Theodore: "Ready when you are."

Shubert: "Okay, then let's go."

Shubert stands in the middle of the speaker's desk

Andrew stands on the left of the speaker's desk

Theodore stands on the right of the speaker's desk

SND-3206 - Audience 3

Shubert: "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to our press conference. I'm Shubert Grimaldi, Mayor of Los Lobos and with me today are Mr. Theodore M. Barclay of Gravity Trust Capital and Mr. Andrew Cross, Chief of the Los Lobos Police. Today we are going to give you some important updates about the South Market Gold Rush Mall project!"

Shubert: "I'm very happy to announce that, with the financing secured, the obligatory hearings concluded and the necessary building permits issued, I have given my official go-ahead."

Shubert: "I will hand it over to Mr. Barclay, who will give you an overview of the next steps in the realization of this project. Mr. Barclay."

Theodore and Shubert swap places

VID-3201 - Slide 01 - "Gravity Trust Capital"
VID-3201 - Slide 01 - ""
VID-3201 - Slide 01 - "A bright future for Los Lobos"

Theodore: "Good afternoon everybody, I would like to thank Mr. Grimaldi and the City of Los Lobos for their cooperation and generous support. Most of the buildings in this area are pretty old and have fallen in disrepair. Which means that our project will be a vast improvement for the city. But the lots are mostly owned by individuals, requiring time consuming negotiations to acquire the land we need. However, in cooperation with the city, we have been able to implement some great measures to streamline this process."

VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "Systemic Racism for Fun and Profit"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "(a. k. a. Cats can't afford lawyers)"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - ""
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "arbitrary taxes and regulations"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "targeted officer violence"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "cut down public amenities"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "*"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "destroy local businesses"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "kill local jobs"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "obliterate affordable housing"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "*"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "Evictions, Expropriations"
VID-3202 - Slide 02 - "FREE REAL ESTATE"

Theodore begins to read from the slide without thinking

Theodore: "Systemic Racism for Fun and Profit, a. k. a. Cats can't afford lawy-"

SND-3207 - Audience 4

Theodore: "Wait ... those are not my slides! ... Hang on ..."

VID-3203 - Slide 03 - "Stomp out the protests"
VID-3203 - Slide 03 - ""
VID-3203 - Slide 03 - "Militarize the Police"
VID-3203 - Slide 03 - "Law and Order Politics"
VID-3203 - Slide 03 - "Suppress Free Speech"
VID-3203 - Slide 03 - "Manipulate Mass Media"

Theodore: "What is this, some kind of joke?"

Shubert rushes over, pushing Theodore aside, frantically typing on the laptop

VID-3204 - Slide 04 - Shubert's Windows Desktop

Shubert: "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen ..."

Shubert nervously smiles at the crowd of reporters.

Shubert: "... technical difficulties ... Chief Cross, why don't you talk about the lawless Cat City situation?"

Andrew is taken by surprise.

VID-3205 - Slide 5 - Titles: Los Lobos Police Department

Andrew: "Oh, uh ... good afternoon. The safety and security of the citizens is our first priority. The riots on 21st and Mary Jane have shown that these aren't 'vulnerable people'. This an epidemic of criminals and drugs and prostitutes that need to be wiped from the map to cure the disease. And before you ask, the City of Los Lobos has a strict no-racism policy that I will detail in the following presentation."

SND-3208 - Audience 5

VID-3206 - Slide 6 - Ryan appears on screen

VID-3206 - Ryan: "Hello everybody! Don't believe a single word this bastard says. Chief Andrew Cross is not only corrupt and violent but also 100% racist. I am Ryan Chase, the ex-Los Lobos detective they call the 'Killer Cop'. Before they find out how to stop this video I need you to quickly take a snapshot of this QR Code."

VID-3206 - Ryan holds a board with a QR code on it

Journalists frantically snap pictures with their cell phones.

Andrew and Shubert are frantically trying to stop the video (while mumbling colourful curses), pushing buttons but escalating to hitting the laptop. Possibly ending with Shubert picking up Andrew and smashing his body onto the indestructible laptop.

VID-3206 - Ryan: "Thank you! Chief Cross has been fostering a culture of racism and violence inside the Los Lobos police force. On this site I will tell you all about the police extortion, violence, rape and all the stuff that sell papers and makes the news! I used to be a part of that corruption. When I quit, Chief Cross threatened me. The very unit I used to work for raided my home, murdered my girlfriend, and charged me for a crime I did not commit. All just to silence me. Hey, Chief Cross, still trying to stop this video? Try holding the power button for 10 seconds. Ryan Chase out."

The journalist audience bursts into tumult, shouting questions at Andrew

PRE-3202 - Journalists: "Is that true?" - "What do you say to these allegations?" - "What kind of misconduct has been covered up?" - "Blalalblalblalbalall"
SND-3209 - Audience 6

Andrew is still stunned from being used to bludgeon the laptop, but stands and tries to defend himself. His public face is off and he is full on bigoted, corrupt cop.

Andrew: "HE'S LYING! NOTHING OF THIS IS TRUE! HE WAS THE ONE RUNNING A GODDAMN CAT HOUSE FROM HIS OWN BASEMENT! AND IT WASN'T HIS GIRLFRIEND, IT WAS ONE OF HIS DIRTY CATNIP WHORES AND SHE WAS ARMED TO THE TEETH!"

Shubert tries to stop Andrew by pushing him away from the microphone

Shubert: "Stop it! You're just making it worse!"

Andrew: "THE WORLD ... NEEDS ... TO KNOW ... THE TRUTH ..."

Shubert: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this press conference is now over. We will not be answering questions at this time. Thanks for your understanding. Have a good night."

PRE-3203 - "Just one question, sir, just one question ..."
SND-3209 FADE Audience 6

Journalists leave to [1], ushered out by Theodore

Andrew: "THAT STINKING CAT-FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!"

Shubert: "Shut up. SHUT THE HELL UP. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life. How did this happen, Cross!?"

Andrew: "I don't know."

Shubert: "Wrong answer. It was YOUR responsibility and now I'm the laughing stock of the entire country!"

Andrew: "I'm sorry Mr. Grimaldi."

Shubert: "Why is Chase not behind bars yet?"

Andrew: "I tried ..."

Shubert: "I'm not paying you to TRY! Thanks to YOUR incompetence, everyone and their mother is going to put Cat City under a giant ass microscope! "

Andrew: "Yes, sir."

Shubert stomps out to [1]

Andrew waits until Shubert is out

Andrew: "RAAAAAAARGH!"

Andrew grabs the laptop and throws it over the playrail. Don't hit the audience.

Andrew: "I'll get you, Ryan Chase, and if it's the last thing I'll ever do! I WILL GET YOU!"

LX-0099 Lights out

Curtain - close

LX-0099 Work Light ON