War/Peace - Part II. Clarissa Daisy Huntsman
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me. And trust them.
WE'VE LANDED NOW AND WE'RE STANDING ON THE MESH, JUST WATCHING THE TWO.
THEY SMILE. THEY LOOK AROUND. SO DO WE.
THE SCENERY IS BEYOND BREATHTAKING; THE HIVE SO NICE, SO MAGICAL, SO NATURAL.
AGAIN WE TAKE TO THE INTERIOR AIR.
WE NEAR THE NEXT CORNER, BUT THIS TIME OUR SOMERSAULT IS MORE CONTROLLED, MORE FLUID, MUCH LIGHTER.
WE FLY ON.
******
INT. HONEYBEE HIVE - GROUND - DAY
(BRIAN, CLARISSA, NICOLA)
RECEPTION COMPROMISED? WHEN WE APPROACH RECEPTION BRIAN'S BEHIND HIS LAPTOP. HE'S STUDYING THE SCREEN, TAPPING A FINGER OR THREE REPEATEDLY ON THE DESK [1.]. NICOLA'S BY HIS SIDE. SHE'S SHAKING HER HEAD. BRIAN LOOKS UP AS THE ELEVATOR DOOR OPENS. CLARISSA EMERGES AND STROLLS TOWARD HIM.
CLARISSA
Brian! You weren't at Beeden. What's up?
NICOLA TOUCHES THE LAPTOP SCREEN.
NICOLA
Oh. So cute. It responds to touch.
BRIAN
Um . . .
BRIAN GLANCES AT THE SCREEN. WE DO TOO. WE SEE A VIRTUAL CHEETAH INSIDE A VIRTUAL ROOM MUCH LIKE THE ONE WE'RE IN NOW. IT'S PAW FOLLOWS NICOLA'S FINGER.
CLARISSA
Brian, what's up? I'm concerned [2.] [3.]. You haven't spoken to me since the visit by the cops.
BRIAN GLARES AT CLARISSA.
BRIAN
So that's what that was? A visit? Just a visit. Like they're our mates or something. Sammi tells me you took them to the pool room.
CLARISSA
Yeah. Matt was getting baptized. They watched. What's on the laptop?
CLARISSA JOINS BRIAN AND NICOLA BEHIND THE DESK.
BRIAN
A simulation. We're designing a virtual Honeybee Hive. You can interact with people and everything [4.] [5.]. Plus we can use this to trial new styles, new character or architecture . . .
NICOLA
And new security measures. This mechanical cheetah can run pretty fast [6.] [7.] [8.]. This is only a virtual one, but we've ordered some real ones.
BRIAN
They'll stand guard outside. Chase off anyone who's not welcome. They run on ammonia and hydrogen [9.], so we don't need to purchase any more fuel. We've already got enough.
CLARISSA STUDIES THE CAT.
CLARISSA
Cute. But who's unwelcome?
BRIAN
The cops. We can't have no coppers hanging around. I can't believe you took 'em to the acid [10.] pool! They're middle-aged men [11.] with wives and kids and they're cops and your feeding them acid [10.]!?
CLARISSA
Whoa! Brian.
CLARISSA PUTS A HAND ON BRIAN'S SHOULDER.
CLARISSA
First of all; the pool needs acid coz it's a baptism pool. Secondly; there's only such a tiny amount in there. Thirdly; you heard the cops when they first arrived, they need our help. Something's going on underground. And we're the best at sensing underground activity. And plus we need their help. They're our cheetahs. They'll be the ones standing guard, and telling the other cops not to visit this area. Not directly but . . . you know.
BRIAN
No. I don't. I don't know how cops think. I don't know how menopausal men think . . .
CLARISSA
Brian, that's silly. Men don't go through menopause.
NICOLA SMILES.
NICOLA
Yeah Brian. But he might have a point, Clarissa. Cops go undercover. I don't know if we can trust them. You didn't tell them who your dad is, right?
CLARISSA
No. But I would have if we started talking politics. We need to trust people, open up. We don't wanna be a closed community. That's the last thing we want.
BRIAN
I know. That's why open our doors to college kids like Matt, people our age, and people who haven't taken an oath to uphold the law, however pathetic it may be, and aren't compelled by state law to seize illegal substances and prosecute people like us. Clarissa, Nicola's our best botanist. And she works damn hard on those plants. They're her pride and joy. What if the cops come and raid the place? What then? We're through. 10 years of hard work completely down the drain - and quite literally coz they won't be disposing of this place and the plants in an environmentally friendly way, and they'll be destroying a very eco-friendly lounge.
NICOLA
Lounge?
BRIAN
I don't know; Pad, pen, underground stories. However you wanna write it up. Fact is; they raid us and we're . . .
NICOLA
Out of bees'-nest.
CLARISSA GIGGLES.
CLARISSA
Sorry Brian. Bees'-nest. Ha ha. That's good.
NICOLA
I know.
BRIAN
You know, games need to have obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. I think there's one clear obstacle for those playing Honeybee Hive and that's authority figures. This ain't no Grand Theft Auto game, but we still can't have coppers in this joint. My character's goal - to convince you, Clarissa, to convince the cops that we need to be left alone . . .
CLARISSA
Ok, Brian. We need to chat. Let's go to Garden of Beeden, k? You cool here, Nicola?
NICOLA
Sure thing.
CLARISSA
Brilliant.
CLARISSA BACKS OVER TO THE ELEVATOR.
CLARISSA
C'mon Brian.
BRIAN SIGHS. HE SHRUGS AND THEN STANDS UP.
BRIAN
I love this place far too much, Clarissa. We really need to be careful.
HE FOLLOWS CLARISSA TO THE ELEVATOR.
CLARISSA
I know. I do too. Trust me.
SHE PRESSES THE BUTTON.
CLARISSA
You love me more?
BRIAN
You know I love you, Clarissa.
CLARISSA SMILES. THE DOORS OPEN. THEY EACH STEP INSIDE THE ELEVATOR.
******
- Iris - Goo Goo Dolls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw&ob=av2e)
[1.] The best table drummer and finger tapping ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzVK4mNPTno)
[2.] Hamzelou, J. (2012). Bonobos go out of their way to rescue friends. New Scientist, 213 (2855), 12.
[3.] Tokuyama,