A Hero Needed Tonight

by Jaime Savage

  An advertising balloon flies over the luckless performers promoting a television show. A streaming caption reads: 'America has Doctors?the hit new show'.

  (The cover of 'There is a light out that never goes out' by the Dum Dum Girls ends)

  SCENE: OUTSIDE HOTEL

  Luke walks along the dank sidewalk towards Ava's hotel. Eerie looking clouds are covering the comet leaving the city under the imposing darkness of the new moon. As he walks Luke watches a slow moving advertising vehicle pulling a large LED screen pass by. The screen displays a fitness model taking a leaf out of The Scarlet Letter by urging people to send in candid photos or videos of their friends eating fast food which would be broadcasted to millions in an attempt to shame them. On the sidewalk we see emerald coloured steam rising from the sewers. A twenty-something, blonde haired woman dressed in a leather trench coat and a retro tilt hat speaks to Luke as he passes her. She is wielding a pad and a pen, a clear sign that she is a freelance journalist. She is just one of the many people who have been forced to create their own jobs in these bleak economic times. The woman gazes at Luke with her smoky, catlike eyes.

  FREELANCE JOURNALIST

  'De man zonder masker'.

  LUKE

  'Excuse me'?

  FREELANCE JOURNALIST

  'I said ''the man with no mask'', although if I had said that in English you would not have stopped. May I write a story on you'?

  The young woman speaks with a Dutch accent. There is something about her that intrigues Luke; it is almost as though an other-worldly quality surrounds her.

  LUKE

  'A man not wearing a surgical mask warrants a story these days'?

  FREELANCE JOURNALIST

  'You never know; there might be more to the story than that. You could be a man who has nothing to fear, a risk taker, an independent mind'?

  LUKE

  'I'm afraid any document on me would make for a boring read. I haven't done anything interesting recently'.

  FREELANCE JOURNALIST

  'You never know what's right around the corner'.

  LUKE

  'Why don't you write about the mysterious balloon in the sky like everyone else is'?

  She smiles at him and places her card in his hand. With that she is lost in the green steam rising from the underground. Luke reads the card. Written above her contact details is a riddle.

  LUKE

  'My rough edges have long since been smoothed.

  I only seem to become purer with every year.

  Yearn for me if you wish but beware for I am bittersweet'.

  Unable to answer the riddle Luke enters the hotel lobby.

  SCENE: HOTEL ROOM

  Ava lies stretched across her hotel bed which is littered with notes of paper. The television is on in the background displaying a new report of the opening ceremony of the Doomsday Festival which had commenced earlier that day in Barcelona. The premise of the two day festival was centred on a foreboding end of the world prediction which had picked up momentum and become a sensation once the great comet had been discovered. The concert promoters had hyped their festival as the 'Woodstock of the Twenty First Century'.

  We see from the images that the hundreds of thousands of attendees have created a carnival like atmosphere. The opening ceremony resembles a spectacularly choreographed circus performance orchestrated from above the bewildered masses from a series of trapezes. Thousands of doves are released much to the amazement of the crowd.

  The news clip also highlights the opening deliberation of the festival. The honor of the opening of the festival was bestowed upon the oldest person in the world, Yuri Ito, a hundred and fourteen year old Japanese woman. Ayumu never lets her warm smile subside during her brief but iconic appearance in front of the ecstatic crowd in her wheelchair.

  YURI (in muffled but perfect English)

  'I am old; officially the oldest person in the world. Today I speak before hundreds of thousands of people who are younger than me. You come from every nation state, derive from every ethnicity, celebrate every religion, speak different languages, hold different political views, however, despite all of this you have been brought here, today and tomorrow, by one of the few magnets that bring us all together as a human race-music'.

  The record crowd gives a lion's roar in agreement.

  YURI

  'Our love for music is never lost?babies, children, teenagers, adults, elderly and super centennials like myself. It is not something we lose interest in. In times of celebration music is here for us. And on days like today, where the world lies in social and economical ruin we are all witnesses that hundreds of thousands of people can converge here alongside the greatest acts of today to prove that even in times of great peril music does not desert us. Music breaths life back into us; that is, with music comes life. And on that note, let the opening of the doomsday concert begin'.

  Ava's attention is diverted from the footage by a banging sound coming from her window. Alarmed, but also intrigued at what could be making such a noise on a thirty storey window, Ava pulls back the curtains to reveal what looks to be a hybrid between a drone and a Chinese sky lantern hovering outside. Fascinated with the enigmatic contraption she slides the window open and sees that wedged inside the emerald green lantern are Chinese takeaways.

  AVA

  'What on Earth is this'?

  A robotic voice replies in Mandarin Chinese.

  AVA

  'Hello?Can you speak English? I didn't order any food'.

  The robot replies again in Mandarin only this time louder and less courteous'.

  AVA

  'I think you have the wrong address. I didn't order anything'.

  They don't appear to be getting anywhere.

  AVA

  'Do you speak English? Hello?I didn't order'-

  Another bang sounds-this time from her door.

  AVA (facing the door).

  'Who is it'?

  LUKE

  'Your ex boyfriend'.

  AVA

  'Give me a minute. I have my hands full at the moment'.

  Ava turns back around and is perplexed to see that the drone lantern has gone. She nonchalantly unlocks the door for Luke and trudges back to her bed.

  LUKE

  'I want you to come with me'.

  AVA

  'Excuse me'?

  LUKE

  'I think it's safe to say we got off on the wrong foot before'.

  AVA

  'You think so'?

  LUKE

  'I would like to make it up to you'.

  Ava does not respond.

  LUKE

  'I would like to reconcile our differences. I'm asking you to give me a chance to show you a better side of this city. I understand it may not have been painted in the best light so far'.

  Ava shrugs and turns her attentions back to the television screen where an ill timed political advertisement for Ricardo Stensnan is currently playing.

  RICARDO STENSNAN

  'I am at war with the two parties.

  I am at war with the bubble dwellers.

  I am a friend of the working man and woman.

  I am the spokesman for the underdog.

  I will win the Empire State.

  I will win everywhere'!

  The epileptic inducing advertisement is very hypnotizing. For all the man's flaws he clearly is a marketing genius. Luke takes the remote and turns the television off.

  LUKE

  'Do not let that man eschew your view of New York'.

  AVA

  'It's kind of hard not to when you're constantly living in fear of being blown up by a bomb placed by one of his supporters'.

  LUKE

  'The man is mud. Get your coat I want to show you that we're not all like that'.

  An intrigued Ava eyes him up.

  LUKE

  'I want to show you that there's plenty to fight for in this world. I want to show you that there is no need to hide. That even
in our darkest moments, the world is not a lost cause'.

  Ava guffaws at the sound of this.

  AVA

  'Well aren't you the little optimist finding good in this immoral place'?

  LUKE

  'Are you coming with me'?

  Luke holds out his hand to her. Ava sizes him again before eventually accepting his hand.

  Chapter 7

  SCENE: STREETS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTEN

  (The final chorus of 'Don't fear the reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult plays)

  Luke and Ava exit the hotel lobby into the unusual night. Everyone moves hastily in the streets as though the world really is ending. The one exception is a father and son who have set up a telescope on the sidewalk and are currently star gazing. The faux couple flag down a taxi and take off into the night set against the backdrop of some of the most bizarre series of phenomenon to occur in documented history.

  Ava looks out the window as the neon lit city blurs by. It isn't long before the taxi passes yet another protest. A communism advocate stands atop a platform shouting vigorously into a megaphone with everything he has. The taxi drives alongside the homeless people lining the sidewalk. One poor soul wields a sign stating: 'I'm begging for money to make a bigger sign so I can beg for food'. The taxi drives past the street people and on into the night. As the taxi speeds away we receive our first full clear image of the ominous comet in the night sky. The sheer size and intensity of its colours is a foreboding image. It looks like the sky is on fire.

  SCENE: STATEN ISLAND

  Ava and Luke approach the entrance of a chalet styled restaurant. In the background we see the neon lights of the Downtown Manhattan skyline across the Hudson. The skyline which is usually dominated by the row of interconnected Apple Tree Towers is tonight overshadowed by the comet. As the faux couple enter the restaurant they pass a hand painted image of the grim reaper tucking into a meal on the window.

  ('Don't fear the reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult ends.)

  SCENE: RESTAURANT

  Being a Friday night and given the sombre state of affairs it is no great surprise to see that the restaurant is packed by working class patrons. As soon as they enter they are greeted by Tom, the gregarious manager of the restaurant.

  TOM

  'Luke Fitzgerald?welcome'.

  LUKE

  'Tom Whitmore. It's always a pleasure'.

  TOM

  'What the hell brings you out here? The world is on its deathbed and you're spending your last moments out here in Staten'.

  LUKE

  'You are too modest of your food Tom. Your place is the vocal point of the Island; I've always said that'.

  They shake hands.

  LUKE

  'It's good to see you again. Let's get you seated and fed. You should know that our special of the day is fish. Oh you've gotta try the fish, you just have to. It's real fish too; not any of this genetically engineered crap. In fact, I'm making an executive decision; the world's about to end; you're having your death row final meal; you're trying the fish'.

  Luke suddenly remembers that Ava is at his side.

  LUKE

  'I'm horrible with introductions. I want you to meet my girlfriend Ava'.

  TOM

  'Girlfriend? You're kidding me? I was going ask if she was your sister or some broad that you had been friend zoned by but your girlfriend! Tell me Ava, what are you doing hanging out with a low life like this? It must be the security right? Women love a man in uniform, but then again Lukey boy doesn't wear a uniform do you? Maybe it's the secrecy? Well if that floats your boat let me tell you something this man is no James Bond, in fact he would struggle to even outrun an environmental car. He took a bullet for Mickey Mouse or whatever his name is-

  LUKE

  'Mickey McKay'.

  TOM

  'Mickey McKay. Yeah that upstart from The Motor City. Luke took a bullet for him a few years back and ever since then he's been living off it, pigging out here in Staten every other day'-

  AVA

  'You took a bullet'?

  TOM

  'You didn't know he took a bullet? What did you meet in the parking lot or something? Fuck me'-

  LUKE

  'It was just another day at the office really'.

  TOM

  'Well it ain't an ordinary night at the office here, let me tell you that. If the world's going to end I'll fill you up to such an extent that when the grim reaper comes to lead you away you'll be too full to move'.

 

  Tom escorts them away to a more secluded part of the restaurant.

  TOM

  'Now I'll leave you two to introduce yourselves again'.

  He strolls off muttering.

  TOM

  'Didn't even know he took a bullet...are you kidding me'?

  ('Need to feel loved (Adam K & Soha vocal mix' by Reflekt plays in the restaurant.)

  Luke picks up his menu.

  LUKE

  'I thought we might as well get some practise with this boyfriend, girlfriend thing. As you can see it still needs a bit more work'.

  AVA

  'Why didn't you tell me you took a bullet'?

  LUKE

  'It's not something you walk around telling people at the drop of a hat. I was just doing my job. It's in our honour system; we have to put our principal's life before our own'.

  AVA

  'I hope he's grateful for what you did'?

  LUKE

  'Oh he is. Well that's if he's still alive'.

  AVA

  'What do you mean'?

  LUKE

  'You've never heard of Mickey McKay'?

  AVA

  'Clearly not'.

  LUKE

  'He was a billionaire. A billionaire at a young age too I might add. He was an entrepreneur, one the great inventors and innovators of the twenty first century'-

  AVA

  'Why do you keep speaking in the past tense? What happened to him'?

  LUKE

  'He pissed a lot of people off; he wasn't exactly the most conventional person. They went after him on some red tape bullshit. He was a scapegoat really. They hung him out to dry in court, and just when he was about to lose everything he had he disappeared. No one has seen him since that day'.

  Ava is intrigued by this.

  LUKE

  'There are all kind of rumours about what happened to him. Some seem to think that he either killed himself or was murdered. Others think he extradited himself to another country'.

  AVA

  'What do you believe happened to him'?

  LUKE

  'Well as bizarre as it sounds, I have it on good authority that he went underground into the sewers'.

  Ava who is taking a drink of water spits it out in disgust. Almost immediately she has lost interest in this topic.

  AVA (in a condescending tone)

  'So he must be chilling with the alligators and the freaks that live down there'?

  LUKE

  'There have been lots of reports of people living down there'.

  AVA

  'Out west one of our bedtime stories is called ''Tiny Tommy''. It's a children's story; nothing more nothing less. Please tell me you don't believe this nonsense'?

  LUKE

  'There have been numerous reports over the years'.

  Ava isn't buying it.

  AVA

  'Ok. I suppose you still believe in Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster as well? And in a couple of months you'll be debating if we really did put a man on Mars no doubt'.

  She shakes her head again.

  AVA

  'Sewer man or not, taking a bullet for someone else is something to be proud of. Would you take a bullet for me'?

  LUKE

  'Of course'.

  AVA

  'Right now'?

  LUKE

  'Yes'.

  AVA

  'Really'?

  LUKE

  'You sound surprised'?

  AV
A

  'I am'.

  LUKE

  'I could be representing the Turk and I would still jump in front of him'.

  AVA

  'This Turk, he's the basketball coach right? He's the one that slandered America when his team caused that major upset in New York during the Olympic Games final'?

  LUKE

  'The one and only'.

  At the time of the Olympics there was a real hope among optimists that the games would be the turning point that would reignite America to the prominence of her former glories. As it was, the Olympiad was marred with gaffes and logistical nightmares of immeasurable proportions. For all these mishaps not a soul could have foreseen the amount of backlash that was to occur on one of the final evening of the games. The nation stayed up late on this ill fated night to watch the American basketball dream team-quite possibly one of the most talent laden teams in sporting history-be upset by a no-name, journeyman Turkish basketball team in the gold medal match at the forbidding fortress of American dreams, the Madison Square Garden. The patriotically dressed crowd, the attendance of the President and the 50-1 odds of victory were not enough to prevent one of the greatest upsets in sporting history from occurring. America was left scarred and reeling from the loss. The inscrutable nature of the loss was difficult for most Americans to fathom, so much so that a fall guy was necessitated for the embarrassment that had blemished 'America's games' to new found lows and necessitated it was in the form of Turkey's eccentric basketball coach, Atay Kaplan. Atay Kaplan, with his long, unwashed hair and unkempt beard hardly appeared to be the coaching mastermind he actually was but he was to become something much more than this following a post game interview which would propel him to the title of public enemy number one. In an interview which lasted a mere three minutes he found a way to incite a degree of disdain previously unseen in recent history. Central to his obiter was the parallels he formed between the haughty, boastful, star studded American basketball team's failures and the nation's economic, social and political woes. Since that night the man had done little to repair his image, instead choosing to embrace his role as provocateur by writing and recording weekly addresses in regards to America's ever changing political and social disasters.