ANGE
Randy, honey, let’s go to the bedroom.
PAUL grabs her leg and trips her.
PAUL
Hey you, get your damn hands off him.
PAUL stands, PLUMB, runs towards RANDY, PAUL grabs her throat.
PAUL
Randy- Now that the virus is gone, run away I’ll find you-
RANDY runs into the other room. A struggle is had between them.
PAUL
I’ll find you, and we can live-
A gun shot is heard off stage. The three stop.
ANGE
Oh no.
PLUMB
He didn’t-
PAUL drops to his knees on the floor. ANGE runs into the bedroom.
PLUMB
No you’re not going to take his-
ANGE
I have my orders!
PLUMB
I’ll kill you before I let you have it.
PLUMB follows into the other room after ANGE. Two shots are heard. He re-emerges. Puts one hand on his ear and speaks into his other wrist.
PAUL
This is Paul E. Five Seven Four Four Two. January 17th, 2015. Allowing the professor to live has yielded the same outcome. There is no way to save the subject’s life. No matter how many times I relive the scenario I cannot change the outcome.
PAUL breaks down and starts crying.
I can’t do this anymore, I can’t keep befriending him, falling in love with him- No! No no no no no We can’t abort the mission… The subject has to survive. Awaiting restart once new programming is confirmed. Understood.
PAUL bends down on his knees like in Terminator. Whatever you choose to do is up to you to denote change in time. Everything is back to normal. It is three years prior. RANDY enters with a box of things he’s moving in with. PAUL makes a motion as if something in his brain has clicked. He starts crying again.
RANDY
Oh hey, didn’t know you were already moved in. I’m Randy.
PAUL
Oh Paul. Nice to meet you
RANDY
You OK… you look like you’ve been crying.
PAUL
Yeah… I’m fine. I just… lost someone really important to me. I don’t mean to be a... a drag or-
RANDY
It’s cool don’t worry.
PAUL
Gets harder every time.
RANDY
Every time?
PAUL
Yeah. Have you ever played and replayed a moment in your head what seems like five thousand, four hundred, and thirty seven times-
RANDY
Maybe not that specifically but I get the gist.
PAUL
You know, you try to figure out what you could’ve done differently but the more you pick it apart the more it feels like you’re destined to keep reliving the same horrifying reality, no matter what you do, little things change but not enough to-
RANDY
Well hey man, I hear you, but I don’t know about destiny or anything. Um. Y-You wanna get high and watch cat videos?
PAUL
I do. Thanks.
RANDY
No problem. Whatever’s happening man, sometimes it’s just better to let whatever’s gonna happen happen, get high, watch cat videos, and let things go. I’ll put some of my stuff down and we’ll get that going man.
RANDY exits into the bedroom.
PAUL
You’ve always been so much better at this than I am.
END OF PLAY
Ashley Lauren Rogers earned a Bachelor’s of English Literature and Theatre at Fitchburg State College, was invited to the two week summer playwriting intensive at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, had shows produced in New York City as part of Stage Left Studio and the New York Nineteenth Century Society, Theatre To Go in Melrose MA.
Ashley is a recipient of the ACM Award for Comedy Cideo for writing the pilot of Marisa and Rocco, is the creator of Ashley Rogers Does Something Awesome, Monthly Tea with Madeline Foxtrot, all through Dogtoon Media. She has been featured in the Frenchy and The Punk Music video for “House of Cards,” Sundance Channel’s “Young Broke and Beautiful,” and TLC’s “Bling It On.” Ashley has written articles for Beyond Victoriana and Steampunk Magazine Online, has been a vlogger and a blogger for NerdCaliber.com.
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