(WIP)
Act 1, Chapter 6
Enough
Zig, Beht and Gorrik feel like their boss is taking their missions too far. They wonder what to do after messing up so many times.
1, DARKLY LIT ROOM - NIGHT
Zig, Beht, and Gorrik – each tied up with rope – sit by a wall. Five ruffians surround them, three of which guarding one of the trio, each. Gorrik whimpers.
GORRIK: (Whispering) I wanna go home...!
ZIG: (Whispering) Pull yourself together, helmet head! We'll find a way outta here.
BEHT: I dunno. I've really got a bad feeling about these guys now -- seem dangerous.
ZIG: Oh, ya think so?!
BEHT: (Ignoring Zig) I swear the boss’s requests just get weirder–
One member, the quiet ruffian, grabs Beht by the arm.
BEHT: Whoa!
The quiet ruffian drags Beht to the centre of the room. The lead ruffian crosses his arms.
LEAD RUFFIAN: Heheheh! Let’s see how loyal you are to your boss, now!
The lead ruffian snaps his finger and a muscular subordinate of his, the tough ruffian, punches Beht in the face and kicks him in the back.
BEHT: Oof!
LEAD RUFFIAN: So! Where’s the boss?
BEHT: Heh heh… Boss, eh? What’re you sayi–
LEAD RUFFIAN: What— Are you dumb?! We’re talking about YOUR boss. Dyrus. The one that HIRED you!
BEHT: Oh, of course.
ZIG: Well, we ain’t tellin’ ya NOTHIN’!
BEHT: He’s right. Absolutely nothing.
The tough ruffian kicks Beht in the head, knocking out his goggles. He bleeds a bit.
BEHT: Ow!
LEAD RUFFIAN: Where is he? He’s not at his office, he ain’t nowhere we know!
BEHT: (Smugly) Well, well, well… If it isn’t an interrogation? Makes me almos-st nostalgic to–
The tough ruffian kicks Beht in the gut.
BEHT: Ack!
GORRIK: (Whispering) I dunno how much longer I can keep it together!
LEAD RUFFIAN: You’re stalling! Answer the darn question, you stubborn nitwits! Or else we’re wiping that smug look off your buddy’s face!
BEHT: (Weakly) T-Tough luck…! H-Hit us all you want…; th-the boss… already got us used to that… Heh heh!
LEAD RUFFIAN: Oh, shut up! (To Tough Ruffian) Make this one hurt!
The tough ruffian grabs a crowbar.
BEHT: Oh no…
The tough ruffian bats Beht in the head. Beht falls to the floor.
The tough ruffian nudges Beht. Beht doesn’t respond. The tough ruffian puts up his thumb.
ZIG: M-M-My brother…! Y-You knocked my brother out cold…!
TOUGH RUFFIAN: What else d’you expect me to do?
LEAD RUFFIAN: Lull him to sleep?
TOUGH RUFFIAN: Hahaha! Hilarious!
GORRIK: Oh, I can’t keep it together, anymore! You people are despicable! Sadistic! I swear, I’ll give ya a lot of trouble for this! Your just-deserts!
LEAD RUFFIAN: (Sigh) Big guy’s starting to hurt my ears. It’s that way he talks… I’d make him next in line, buuut there’s a reason we tranquilised him first. Grab the weakling.
The quiet ruffian grabs Zig. Zig scrambles while dragging across the floor.
ZIG: Hey! I ain’t weak! I’ll sh–
The quiet ruffian tugs Zig as a warning. They continue to the centre of the room.
ZIG: Whoa, a-alright, alright! We’ll tell ya the truth!
The quiet ruffian stops walking.
LEAD RUFFIAN: Hah! Surrendering already?
ZIG: …The boss is in the library, west o’ town. There! Happy?
LEAD RUFFIAN: Hmph! This better be the truth. Or else…
ZIG: Honest! Swear on my life!
GORRIK: It’s true! The boss told us this morning! We ain’t fooling you! Scheming!
LEAD RUFFIAN: Heh. Now you’re talking! C’mon guys, let’s go!
The lead ruffian runs out the door. Three of his subordinates follow. The tough ruffian stays.
TOUGH RUFFIAN: Oh yeah. Here.
The tough ruffian drops a knife in front of Zig and Gorrik.
TOUGH RUFFIAN: Untie yourselves and never show your faces again.
ZIG: Grr! Why you– Don’t you patronise us!
TOUGH RUFFIAN: Just take the damn offer!
CUT TO:
Zig helps Gorrik cut Gorrik’s rope with the knife.
GORRIK: Oooh, I’m so mad, yo! What awful, terrible people!
Once freed, Gorrik continues ranting, pacing back and forth. Zig stumbles towards Beht’s half-awake body, still tied with rope.
GORRIK: (Cont’d, to himself) I’m going to get them back for what they did to Beht! And what they would’ve done to Zig, AND WOULD do to the boss! They’re gonna get it! For real! (trailing off)
Zig taps Beht’s face.
ZIG: H-Hey! C’mon man, wake up!
Beht wakes up while Zig cuts him free.
ZIG: Oh, finally! You good?
BEHT: A little. Ouch…
Beht hangs his goggles around his neck and puts on his hat.
GORRIK: (cont’d, to himself) I’ll clobber them hard! Knock ’em out! Put ‘em to sleep! Oh, I’ll do it! I’ll do whatever it takes!
BEHT: Wow… I’ve never seen Gorrik so worked up. Didn’t know he even had it in him, heh heh…
ZIG: Shaddup Beht! Let’s scram before them goons get back! Gorrik, you carry Beht here!
Gorrik lifts Beht over his shoulder. The three of them run out.
LEAD RUFFIAN: (Offscreen) OH CRAP!
Zig, Beht and Gorrik stop in their tracks.
QUIET RUFFIAN: (Offscreen) Dyrus has r-real henchmen…?
LEAD RUFFIAN: (Offscreen) So, those idiots back there were only DECOYS?!
Five screams can be heard in unison. Zig, Beht and Gorrik look at each other in shock.
ZIG: D-Decoys…?
2, BUNKS - NIGHT
Sitting on one of the beds, Gorrik patches Beht’s head up. Zig paces back and forth.
ZIG: THAT’S IT! WE’RE QUITTIN’! I CAN’T TAKE IT NO MORE! That boss of ours — I swear, he’s gonna kill us one day!
GORRIK: D’you think those goons ever got to him though? D’you think he’s alright?
ZIG: (Bitterly)Oh, ABSOLUTELY! ‘Cause I’m sure them “real henchmen” got his ass covered, instead of his ”decoys”.
GORRIK: Oh…
ZIG: That old bastard’s in for a big loss when we talk in that office of his tomorrow!
BEHT: Damn right.
ZIG: Ohhh, to think I hung around his office all the darn time, followin’ him around, now it makes me look like a looney!
GORRIK: Hey Zig, how about we hit the bar? Grab some drinks? Forget all about it all?
ZIG: Good idea! I’m really gonna need that.
BEHT: (Sigh) Oh dear… We’re going out now? It’s a shame, how my face got beat real bad.
ZIG:
3, BAR - NIGHT
Zig, Beht and Gorrik sit at a table. In front of them, a glass of whiskey, a cocktail, a few shot glasses, and a couple bottles of beer.
[Some conversation yet to be written. Gorrik and Zig are noticeably drunk. Gorrik, gloomy from their confrontation with the ruffians. Zig, laid-back, laughing.
Zig refers to his outburst at the bunks. He thinks he was crazy to consider resigning from work, and still considers the boss as a nice guy.]
BEHT: Hey, get real. We could have died back there. Even I was mad at Dyrus for getting us into that mess.
ZIG: Oh, that’s nothin’! I was just in a frenzy, is all! The boss ain’t as bad as I thought he was in the moment. Let’s just laugh about it! Hahahahah!
BEHT: Uhuh, sure. I still think we should just resign.
ZIG: C’mon… (Hic) Maaaybe one more job. It ain’t gonna hurt nobody!
BEHT: (Whispering) Yup, he’s definitely had enough.
GORRIK: He could be right, Beht! We’ll give the boss one last chance. Let’s see what happens.
BEHT: Ah, whatever you two say.
?, ??? - NIGHT
???
NARRATION: Their following job…
?, DYRUS’S CAMP - DAY
In Dyrus’s office, Zig, Beht and Gorrik sit on the couch. Dyrus stands before them.
NARRATION: 1 Month, 1 Week later…
DYRUS: Tell me… What is this?
ZIG: The best we could do, boss…!
DYRUS: Oh, is it, now? Then, why is the only valuable thing you’ve brought into my office this measly notebook that has more stick-figures than words inside of it?!
ZIG: Wait, huh? (To Gorrik, whispering) That ain’t what you were supposed to give him!
GORRIK: I- Uh! I thought… My bad! Sorry!]
Beht brings out a small bag of treasure.
BEHT: Psst! How about this?
ZIG: (To Beht) Ah! Perfect!
DYRUS: I can hear you whispering, you know.
ZIG: Hey, boss! This ain’t really part of the assignment, but we found this buried nearby!
DYRUS: What’s that?
ZIG: Well, look inside! It don’t look like much, but it could sell for a hefty price! Maybe a couple thousand, give or take–
DYRUS: BAH! That’s nothing. And for you to think that’s going to make up for what you were SUPPOSED to bring me – pathetic.
ZIG: Yikes! Understood, Boss…!
DYRUS: Not only that, you are a MONTH overdue. This ain’t high school – I give you a task, you get it done ON TIME.
ZIG: How could ya say that, boss?! Gorrik was healin’ from a gunshot wound.
DYRUS: Nice excuse.
GORRIK: Wh-What?!
ZIG: But we called ya, did we?
BEHT: (Whispering) Correction: we called his secretary.
ZIG: Shaddap, Beht!
DYRUS: Hmph. Like any of that matters to me. Your stories are a waste of time.
GORRIK: Oh! May I say something, boss?
DYRUS: No.
GORRIK: But, I think it’s really important to say!
DYRUS: Well, hurry! Don’t waste my time here. And don’t talk with all your annoying synonyms. It pisses me off the most.
GORRIK: Alrighty! Will do! Now, I’d like to talk to you about the letter I sent you.
DYRUS: Didn’t receive it.
GORRIK: That’s okay! This is precisely why I brought a written copy.
Gorrik takes out his notebook. Dyrus crosses his arms.
GORRIK: Dear Boss,
I feel like you have been very nasty to us, lately. You are always giving us dangerous and near-impossible tasks. I personally think that’s just baloney! Not only that, but I think you are rude sometimes, and it’s creating a toxic and harsh working environment.
Dyrus checks his watch.
GORRIK: (Cont’d) In addition, you take out your fits of rage on us like we’re your personal punching bags! It’s against the rules to abuse your employees both verbally and physically. I checked online! It’s true!
BEHT: (Whispering) Well, we’re not exactly “employees” of this company, are we now?
ZIG: (Whispering) Beht, ya moron, why would you say that?!
DYRUS: And now you care about the rules? Pathetic.
GORRIK: Wait, boss! I’m not finished, yet!
DYRUS: Make it quick.
GORRIK: In conclusion, we would like you to be nicer to us, and give us easier tasks.
Yours sincerely,
Love from,
Gorrik
BEHT: (Whispering) Strange letter. Essay-style conclusion and two farewells?
ZIG: (Whispering) Shut yer trap!
DYRUS: So, you want me to stop being “nasty” to you, eh?
GORRIK: Yes! Please! Absolutely!
DYRUS: Boy, do I have news for you…
ZIG: What is it, boss?
DYRUS: Now, I think the three of you are the biggest waste of money that my bank account has ever had the misery of lending to!
Dyrus points at Zig.
DYRUS: You! A stupid suck-up, a bootlicker, whatever they call you! Always following me around like a dog.
Dyrus points at Beht.
DYRUS: You! An idiotic leech! You’re acting smart only because you’ve held a few books.
Dyrus points at Gorrik.
DYRUS: And you… The worst offender of all, for reasons described with words that don’t exist yet! I REALLY dislike you.
Zig, Beht and Gorrik hunch down on the couch.
DYRUS: I swear to the stars, you three are nothing more than useless flesh bags with brains smaller than a watch battery. I can imagine the father you share ate a different cactus on each of the nights that he and your mothers made love, because I now wonder why I even hired you in the first place, instead of oil-filled tilapias! The three of you… are… FIRED!
Silence.
Zig sits up.
ZIG: W-Well, y’know what? It ain’t like we wanted to work for you no more, anyways. We QUIT!
BEHT: (Sigh)Guess we now REALLY understand why those space officers hated you so much!
GORRIK: You are despicable! Mean! Rude!
DYRUS: (Sigh) Out of my office. Now!
ZIG: Don’t listen to him, men! Let’s scram!
BEHT: Yessir.
GORRIK: Okay! (To Dyrus) See you, never!
BEHT: Wait. I’ve got a question.
ZIG: What’s it?
BEHT: If we want to get out of here, how are we supposed to get into a space ferry?
ZIG: Whaddya mean, Beht?
BEHT: I mean, it’s not like our boss… er… I mean, our ex-boss is gonna help us out, how he dealt with our… history.
GORRIK: Yeah! Exactly! He used to always mess with our papers! Make us look innocent! All so we could get past security, no problem!
ZIG: Ah, dagnabbit. You’re right!
ZIG: But, there are also other ways… Heh heh…!
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