ACT VII - THE NET TIGHTENS

SCENE 1 - EXT. TOWNHOUSES - MORNING

Music Rhythm for ACT VII: "Moondust" by JAYMES YOUNG

https://youtu.be/xs8aAaO7OFU

The sound of a sprinkler. The morning sky blurs through the splashes of water - two suns rise on the horizon. The sprinkler shuts off allowing the sun to refocus into a single yellow ball.

A billboard of SPACE-BOW. The six friends pass in front of it. Eva and Sky are on their skates - giving the billboard their fingers. Omer and Akua, on her inline skates, just after. Paco and Alex close the ranks, again on Paco's bike.

AKUA
Jesus! Guys, please tell me today is not the mid-term exam.

PACO
Oh bloody shitty shit!

OMER
Four hours exam.
(checking his watch)
Starts in sixty-six minutes.

SKY
A thousand miles trip starts with a single step. No panic --

PACO
-- No panic? No panic you say? Yeah, ok, no panic -- I am freaking out!

SKY
Akua and Alex, you take care of science and chemistry. I am on math, Eva on music and arts. Omer, you deal with all the rest and double-check our answers.

EVA
And signals, don't forget signals. One single cough means a yellow alert. One super-sneeze means red alert - teacher detected and incoming.

PACO
Where am I in this plan?

SKY
You are our last stronghold. If the red alert turns to mayhem, you activate the ultimate defense -- smoke screen.

PACO
(stops the bike)
I don't wanna fucking fart again! The last time I triggered the smoke screen, they had to evacuate the entire fucking school!

AKUA
That was dank! Firefighters had to wear gas masks. Legendary.

Paco starts biking again.

A police car is turning and heading to The Foundation.

ALEX
Weird...

PACO
Say what?

ALEX
(pointing to cops' car)
It is the second time I see cops going to The Foundation.

The car speeds off.

PACO
Smells like the Empire is finalizing the fucking Death Star.

SCENE 2 - EXT. THE FOUNDATION - MORNING

The police car is heading to The Foundation, passing nearby the skate-ball playground - a forest of sparse skyscrapers in the background. They still do not look like abandoned skeletons, even though they are dusty - an effect of the water use rationalization.

DETECTIVE BARK (42) is sitting in the passenger seat. He is smoking. AGENT CLANG (28) is driving the police car.

CLANG
Would you sit your ass on one of those spaceships they are talking about, Chief?

BARK
(checking his notebook)
Come again?

CLANG
I mean this thing about space exploration. The new frontier. Would you join the missions?

BARK
(closing the door)
Nope, this car's enough for me. Would you go?

CLANG
No way.

BARK
Why?

CLANG
'Cos you need a driver. By the way, why are we going again to the Foundation?

BARK
Our IT department sent me a video with some students.
(showing the school)
Let's see if our roasters shall crow louder this morning.

Detective Bark throws his cigarette from the car window.  The police car approaches the school.

As a counterpoint to the skyscrapers, there stands The Foundation. It is a shining building. Once crossed the gate, an astonishing garden shows up. The school's alleys are that much clean that you may want to walk tiptoeing.

The police car stops at a visitors' parking lot.

CLANG (O.S.)
Chief? Should we take off our shoes?

BARK (O.S.)
Most probably...

Detective Bark bounces out of the car. He lights up another cigarette. Agent Clang follows him at a short distance. He is gawking around.

The FOUNDATION SECRETARY (34) is waiting for them in front of the main door. The woman does not have even one hair out of place. Attractive and impeccably elegant.

She shakes their hands, inviting them to enter. Bark gallantly gives way to the woman. Before moving inside, he throws his cigarette on the ground followed by Clang's embarrassed glaze.

As they disappear, a janitor pops up from nowhere and sucks the cigarette away with a small portable vacuum cleaner.

SCENE 3 - INT. THE FOUNDATION - MORNING

The secretary brings them to the school headmaster's office.

FOUNDATION SECRETARY
Mrs. Wisdom will join you in five minutes. Would you like a cup of coffee? Or tea?

BARK
Thanks, but we never drink on duty.

A beat to understand his joke - she smiles illuminating the room and steps out leaving the two policemen alone.

Bark immediately sits and starts checking his notebook. Clang can't help himself from snooping around the room. Hundreds of trophies on a massive wooden bookcase. Photographs of distinguished people celebrating the school - Eel Mars is one of them.

CLANG
Why don't you use a tablet, Chief?

BARK
Umm, come again?

CLANG
(ironic)
I mean -- a tablet, you know that electronic thing with a touchscreen? Way better than a pen and recycled paper.

BARK
(showing pen and notebook)
Nope. My brain ain't work without my best friends.

Agent Clang continues in his exploration. Bark raises his eyebrows, bothered by his nosy colleague, then he goes back to his two "buddies".

CLANG
Shouldn't we wait forty-eight hours before starting the investigation?

BARK
Umm, come again?

CLANG
I mean the filthy student. He probably got stoned and is now sleeping at one of his blue-blood friends' houses!

Bark sighs, stands, then moves in front of the window. He is looking outside.

BARK
I told you, yesterday night I received a video regarding William from our cyber department. You might wonder why we came yesterday too.

Clang turns - he is looking at Bark's shoulders.

CLANG
That's the point. One hundred percent -- Why?

BARK
(pointing out)
Do you like that car?

CLANG
Sorry?

He moves next to Bark, to understand what the chief is talking about.

BARK
Our police car. Damn good one, ain't it? And so are the other ninety-nine donated by our meritorious fellow citizen Mr. Mach'n Toosh, whose youngest son William did not come home two days ago. Any further questions?

CLANG
(looking at his feet)
Nope, Chief.

Bark taps on Clang's shoulder. The office door opens. MRS. WISDOM (56) enters followed by William's gang pals.

BARK
(muttering)
Time to squeeze some fresh information out of our roasters.

SCENE 4 - INT. VOLKS-SCHOOL MUSIC ROOM - NOON

Eva is alone in the school music studio. She is playing an acoustic guitar. She is singing.

The door is ajar. Behind it, Omer and Alex are overhearing.

ALEX
She slaps. She fucking drips with talent.

OMER
I don't understand why she can't perform in front of an audience.

Alex bites his lips, thinking.

ALEX
She will. One day she will.

OMER
Her voice relaxes me. That's what I needed after our exam.

ALEX
We made great teamwork, dude. And we managed not to trigger any teacher's red alerts, ain't we?

OMER
Definitely. Our ultimate defense friend over there must be happy, no smokescreen today. 

They laugh while they both look through the window behind them.

The window frames a rugby field. Two teams are playing.

Paco is playing rugby.

SCENE 5 - EXT. RUGBY FIELD - MOMENTS LATER

Paco is in the team playing the scrum in their own half of the pitch. A police car is approaching the school gate.

He freaks out spotting the cops.

PACO
Oh mierda mierda mierda!

His teammates manage to take the ball out of their scrum.

PACO
Pass it back, pass it back!

The scrum-half player hands off the ball.
Paco nearly fumbles it.

On the sideline, two coaches are following the match.

Paco takes three steps and then shoots a powerful "up & under" immediately sprinting after the ball.
He is not even looking where the ball is, he just runs and runs until he sees the defender taking position.

PACO
(long shout)
Rage!

He looks up and jumps, his hands over those of the opponent. He catches the ball then crashes and overwhelms the defender - a bulldozer accelerating towards the end zone.

The last two defenders are facing him. Paco is a steam train. They go for the tackling, Paco is a triple jumper. First step. Second Step. And jump! He is over them while they crash each other to the ground.

COACH 1
I guess we found our Forrest Gump.

Paco smashes the ball in the end zone, scoring a try, and continues running towards the gym's door.

COACH 2
Either that or -- or our champ urgently needs to drain his radiator.

SCENE 6 - INT. VOLKS-SCHOOL GYM - CONTINUOUS

Sky is giving an Aikido lesson to Akua in the gym.

Paco breaks through the door still running. He spots the two girls, slides like a motocross bike, and reaches them. His worried face makes them lose their focus on the technique.

PACO
(panting on his knees)
Sky, you must flee. The Dark Jedis found us!

SKY
Slow down, slow down. Take a deep breath.

Paco takes a couple of heavy breaths. And then another couple. He is still panting. But he is not a steam locomotive anymore - rather a Harley Davidson waiting at a red light. 

SKY
Like that, champ. Like that. Now spit it out again.

PACO
Outside the gate. Cops coming. The same police car that we saw this morning. It must be for the video on the dark web! You gotta flee, chica. NOW!

AKUA
He does make a point, for once. We need a tricky play to escape to the Lodge.

SKY
(looking at Paco)
A school evacuation yes...

PACO
Not me this time. No "smoke screen" again, please...

AKUA
I am gonna handle it. Remember my last experiment in the chemistry lab?

PACO
Gosh, that was a fucking mayhem, sis.

SKY
Paco, you warn the others. I am in your hands, sis. Meet me at the Lodge when done here.

Akua cracks her knuckles and she is gone.

Paco is about to move when Sky remembers something.

SKY
Paco...my cat, Rainbow. She ain't eat when I am not there. Can you take her from home? She must be in my bedroom. If the cops are after me, God knows how long I will need to hide at the Lodge.

Paco thumbs up and leaves. Sky heads to the gym's door, from where the rugby teams are coming in.

END OF ACT VII