ACT II - HEAVEN & EARTH

Music Rhythm for ACT II: "Physical" by DUA LIPA

https://youtu.be/9HDEHj2yzew

SCENE 1 - EXT. MELTING POT PLAYGROUND - DAY

The crackly sound turns to thunder, and dark clouds cover the sun. The same playground. But still alive and kicking. Two teams of kids playing skate-ball - a five-on-five game, two futsal-like goals, and skates used to run and hit a handball-sized ball.

SUPERIMPOSE: 2044. Melting Pot. 77 days to the Big Mess.

EVA (14) and OMER (14) are standing in the middle of the center field. Eva holds a ball ready to kick off. Two HISPANIC BOYS (14) face them, in the opponent team.

HISPANIC BOY 1
Vamos mariconas... I see your knees shaking after we tied it. You fucking boomers!

EVA
We only need one. Five to four and it's over. One fucking goal, mate. Just One.

OMER
(whispering to Eva)
We go for Sky in the deep-wing scheme.
(turning, and loud to Akua)
Keep the full-back position.

AKUA (14) nods and shows her thumbs up to the goalkeeper, PACO (14). SKY (14) and ALEX (14) are on their blocks, ready to skid.

Eva lifts the ball, hits it passing to Omer, and sprints ahead followed by one of the opponents. Omer gets and smashes it with the board towards Alex, who stops it and smiles waiting for two opponents to block him. He flows into a half-pipe at full speed, ramps up, and jumps hard-flipping in the air to hit the ball towards Sky, who is making a similar movement on the other wing.

PACO
(mumbling)
Come on chica come on come on.

HISPANIC GOALKEEPER
Cover on the left, now!

Sky is flying high, holding the board as a baseball bat, twisting her bust while the ball approaches.

SKY
Game over dandies.

Finally, she smashes hard, but the defender makes it through to cover the position. His skate walls Sky's shot and the ball skyrockets in the air.

AKUA
Squeezing time!

Akua is missile-skating toward the ball.

OMER
Keep the position, keep the position!

Too late. She is up to shoot.

AKUA
Game...set...and match. Go baby fly!

She shoots.

The ball heads to the far corner of the goal. It's going, it's going, it's going.

THUD. It hits the upper corner post.

ALEX
Holy shit.

He tries to cover back, while the goalkeeper hits for an assist to his captain, an HISPANIC GIRL (14). She performs a slalom then she opens fire.

PACO
Puta madre.

He works a miracle and saves it, but the ball flips back just in front of the striker. She sends a kiss to Paco, still on the ground, and scores the winning point.

HISPANIC GIRL
Gordito, you better join a team from our hood. Unless you wanna be a washout like your father.

Paco stands, red with rage and ready to turn on her. Alex manages to cut his way.

ALEX
Cool down, bro. Cool down.

The winners leave the playground laughing and enjoying, themselves while the six friends sadly collect their school bags.

AKUA
The fucking post hijacked our game...

They leave the playground. Another thunder explodes.

SCENE 2 - EXT. THE FOUNDATION - MOMENTS LATER

A road coasting a private school, THE FOUNDATION, for high society students. Sky and Eva are on their skates, Omer drives his blue electric kick-scooter with Akua as a passenger. Paco is on his old red bike together with Alex.

PACO
(hopeful)
It may rain today.

EVA
Bet it. Easy as squeezing one drop from a six-month dried lemon.

Another thunder.

SKY
(looking at the clouds)
Barking dogs ain't bite.

AKUA
(looking at The Foundation)
But the fucking fat cats have enough guap for a swimming pool.

The Kidz stop and stare at some students swimming. A TALL STUDENT gives Alex and Omer the finger.

Akua spits.

OMER
A useless waste of fluid.

Akua pushes Omer, smiling. Time to move.

SCENE 3 - EXT. UNDERPASS CARTONS' SHELTER - MOMENTS LATER

An underpass. Three tramps are laying in their shelter of cartons. The cell phone of one of them shows the Kidz entering the tunnel and chatting. It is recording a video.

PACO
(biking and panting)
I'll give you a bike for your next birthday.

ALEX
I prefer walking. You know, I do care about my fitness.

PACO
Then why the hell must I always give you a ride?

ALEX
'Cos you need to slim down, and you elected me as your personal coach.

PACO
I ain't voted for you!

SCENE 4 - EXT. UNDERPASS - CONTINUOUS

Six bullies, led by WILLIAM (16), enter from the other side of the underpass. They all ride colorful hoverboards and wear THE FOUNDATION school jackets.

OMER
Smell of...

AKUA
...assholes.

The two groups face each other, Sky and Eva are in the back busy drawing a mural.

WILLIAM
(sniffing the air)
-- Scent of underdogs -- heard you freaks were beaten up once again.

OMER
Technically speaking, William, we lost 5-4.

WILLIAM
Frankly speaking, you suck. You should train better. We just wanna help.

William stares at two of his friends, who move next to Paco and Alex. Then, with a sudden movement, they both stick a screwdriver inside each of the bike's wheels.

PACO
What the fuck!

WILLIAM
You better walk. Good for your hopeless skate-ball skills.

The bullies laugh. Paco throws himself against William but his leg is tripped by one of the two guys. Paco falls on the bike bringing Alex with him to the ground.

Akua jumps in and, with a leg sweep, manages to ground the guy who tripped Paco. But she is immobilized by the second one taking her by the neck.

William ominously gets closer to Omer.

OMER
(wearing his glasses)
You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?

William, with a nasty grin on his face, takes the glasses out of Omer's nose. He is ready to hit when Sky steps in.

William grabs her arms, but a "Heaven to Earth" Sky's technique makes him fly to the ground: she moves one hand up towards heaven and the other down to earth making him lose his body balance. Finally, Sky locks his arm and stretches it back while keeping William down with her knee.

The bullies move to help their captain.

SKY
Move one millimeter more and your Billy-boss will need a bionic prosthetic for the rest of his life!

AKUA
(freeing herself)
You slap sis! You must teach me this karate thing.

OMER
It is Aikido. Heaven and Earth throw technique.

AKUA
Whatever. It was fucking dank!

SKY
And now Silly Billy tells his friends to vanish, right?

WILLIAM
(suffering)
Do what the fucking bitch says.

The bullies withdraw, quickly stepping back with their hoverboards.

Sky makes William turn on his back.

SKY
And this is for the bitch.

She then throws a full kick in his nuts. William moans with tears in his eyes.

AKUA
(jumping excitedly)
Adorable Aikido thingie!

OMER
I am afraid that was just a simple and well-placed kick in the balls!

The Kidz erupt in a laugh. They collect their things, Paco sadly staring at his bike with his hands on his hair.

ALEX
(patting Paco)
We deserve to pass some time board gaming at the Lodge, don't we?

EVA
We must! I finished preparing a new campaign. I tell you -- we must!

SKY
I have to attend a press conference for our school newspaper at the Space-Bow Corp HQ. What if we meet after dinner?

AKUA
Deal!

They high-five, while Paco waves a nasty goodbye to William.

SCENE 5 - EXT. UNDERPASS CARTONS' SHELTER - CONTINUOUS

The cell phone is still recording the scene. The screen shows the Kidz moving and leaving William on the road.

A finger presses the touchscreen and the recording stops. The smartphone turns black.

SCENE 6 - INT. PRESS ROOM - DAY

A press release at the SPACE-BOW Corp premises - the stage, journalists, cameramen, and the logo of the company.

EEL MARS (49 - his plastic surgery clearly shows he is a fan of John Travolta), the CEO, charming his audience with shining eyes and a radiant, though slimy, smile.

EEL MARS
...we are at the dawn of a new era. Mankind shall fly and spread as an arrow in the Universe. An arrow of hope.

Warm applause from the participants.

PRESS MODERATOR
Thanks, Mr. Mars. Now a Q&A session with our media representatives.
(pointing with his hand)
Please.

KATE
Kate Wisdom from Truth TV. Mr. Mars, our viewers quiver to know when SPACE BOW is planning to shoot our first arrow of hope. Any forecast?

EEL MARS
Very soon, Kate. Let me say that the bowstring is fully stretched and the archer is aiming. Who's next?

Sky grabs the microphone from Kate's hands, quickly anticipating the moderator.

SKY
Sky Chow from Volks-School Web-News. Mr. Mars, our readers wonder if Corporations should instead propose and design a more sustainable development rather than risking to ravage our planet to chase utopias.

EEL MARS
(a bitter smile)
I believe, Miss Chow -- I firmly believe that it's extremely sad to hear a next gen representative apostrophizing dreams as utopias. Let the elders be conservative. A Youth with no wish for risk is a repressed Youth, ready to embrace violence. And I bet your readers shy away from violence -- you should also. We all should. Next question, please.

Another journalist rips the mic from Sky's hands. A deep but brief glaze of Eel Mars into Sky's eyes.

SCENE 7 - I/E. RODRIGUEZ VERANDA - DAY

The Rodriguez are having dinner on the veranda. On the TV, Eel Mars is staring at Sky - her face serious and cloudy.

NANA RODRIGUEZ (68) and NONO RODRIGUEZ (71) sit at the table short sides, Paco and his sister MARIA RODRIGUEZ (16) at the long side, facing the TV.

NONO RODRIGUEZ
(pointing to Sky on TV)
That girl looks like one of your classmates, ain't she?

NANA RODRIGUEZ
She is so cute and clever. I wish one day you'll come back home with such a girlfriend.

PACO
Not gonna happen. She ain't like burritos. She claims to be vegan --

MARIA
-- Mum's vegan too.

PACO
Yes, and she fled after Dad passed away.

A short silence, interrupted only by the TV sound.

Paco takes a burrito and stands up. He bites it.

PACOI better move now. Board game night!

He kisses his grandmother on her head and jumps away. The Rodriguez keep on eating in silence - Eel Mars still smiling on TV.

END OF ACT II