Short Story Excerpt: The Others - Scenes 1-3

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-hero-s-journey-the-others-pt-1

In the above post, I go over the script I wrote for my theatre class freshman year of high school. This will be in script format.

Content warning: multiple mentions and offscreen uses of firearms; brief implication of torture

SCENE ONE

(Rebel base, 2167, formerly Cambridge, Massachusetts. A couple rebels, two young men, run on stage, followed by shots that do not sound like normal guns)

Jason: The Others have surrounded us!

Seb: Just another normal day, isn’t it?

Jason: Did Astrid set the charges?

Seb: To my knowledge, yes.

Jason: Will they work?

Seb: (shrugs) Who knows? That woman’s brain is wired by a completely different entity all together.

Jason: (taps comm in ear) Astrid? How are those charges?

Astrid: (over comm) All set, Jason. You ready?

Jason: As ready as I’ll ever be. (to Seb) Take cover.

(Jason and Seb race behind a blue mist enters the stage. A small explosion is heard. Jason and Seb slowly stand.)

Astrid: (runs on) Did they work?

Jason: All the Others around the base were disintegrated.

Astrid: Well, that’s the good news. The bad news is that those charges took awhile to make, and I don’t think I have enough ingredients to recreate more, much less enough to wipe out the Others. At the rate new Others appear, it would be literally impossible to make enough.

Seb: Hey, was Lincoln’s subject brought in?

Jason: Subject?

Astrid: No. We’re still trying to get to her.

Jason: What subject?

Seb: (ignoring Jason) Let’s try again. I think I can figure out how to break her hideout.

Jason: Who is Lincoln’s subject?

Astrid: (to Seb) You’d better.

Jason: Seb, for the love, who is Lincoln’s subject?

Seb: (to Jason) A girl who was able to hack the Other’s system.

Jason: What? But-- but that’s-- That’s impossible. Anyone’s who’s tried has been--

Astrid: Well, it’s not impossible anymore. This girl managed to do it.

Jason: Why didn’t you tell me?

Seb: Well, we figured you’d be… y’know. (sighs) Jace, I know it’s a sensitive topic.

Jason: (overlapping) Let me see this girl.

SCENE TWO

(Inside the Rebel Base. One rebel, a middle-aged man, is staring at a futuristic computer screen. Enter Jason, Astrid, and Seb.)

Astrid: Lincoln, Jason wants to know about the girl.

Lincoln: (sighs) Yeah, I knew he’d find out sooner or later. (waves Jason over) C’mon Jason. (Jason leans over Lincoln’s shoulder to look at the screen.) I ran her through my facial recognition software. Her name is Sadie Miller. (lights up on the opposite end of the stage in Sadie’s hideout to represent what’s on the computer screen.) She’s nineteen years old.

Jason: Nineteen? Are...are you sure?

Seb: Her IQ must be off the charts.

Lincoln: I’ll have Aaron do some testing whenever we’re able to bring her in.

Jason: TESTING?!

Astrid: Jason, calm down. I know this rings all too familiar for you, which is why we kept you in the dark. I know it sounds bad, but she’s our only way to defeat the Others.

Seb: Besides, I don’t see why she wouldn’t just tell us, right? Why would we even have to do the testing?

Lincoln: Um, yeah that’s the problem.

Seb: What?

Lincoln: Well, I’ve been observing her for awhile, and after she hacked the Others, they apprehended her. And--

Jason: Let me guess. They ran some tests on her.

Lincoln: Yes. I’ve watched her actions enough to know that she--

Jason: Was driven insane.

Lincoln: Exactly. Every piece of information is still inside of her, but she’d be unable to access any of it, or at least be unable to relay it back to us.

(a silent hushes over the room)

Astrid: Well, I guess we still have to bring her in and see what she knows.

SCENE THREE

(Sadie’s hideout several hours later. Jason enters holding a gun. He taps his comm)

Jason: Seb, I can’t believe you talked me into this.

Seb: (on the other side of the stage in the Rebel’s base camp.) What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Jason: I said that I didn’t want to go. You said it would be a good chance to prove myself.

Seb: Well, you are the youngest senior member of the Rebellion. You’ll have to prove yourself eventually.

Jason: And the last ten years haven’t done that?

Seb: Whatever. Just deal with the crazy genius girl. (he pauses) Oh, I-- I’m sorry, man.

Jason: If you’re sorry, then why did you send me?

Seb: Look, I know you don’t like to think about it, but I thought your personal ties may help you with dealing with Sadie.

Jason: (sighs) Okay. (clears throat) Hello? Sadie Miller? (a noise comes from a pile of rubble. Jason swings around and points his gun at the origin of the noise. Sadie appears from behind the rubble) Are you Sadie? (Sadie tilts her head)

Sadie: If yes, you shoot me?

Jason: No. (lowers gun)

Sadie: Name?

Jason: What? (Sadie points at him) Oh! Uh, Jason.

Sadie: That it?

Jason: No. And it’s none of your business.

Seb: Jace, you need to bring her back to the base.

Jason: Okay, I got it.

Sadie: (tilts her head the other direction) Who’s that?

Jason: You can hear that?

Sadie: Who is it?

Jason: Sadie, we need to go.

Sadie: Who?

Jason: My friend, Seb. Sadie, come back to the base with me. Please? (he holds out his hand. Sadie bites her lip, but nods and takes Jason’s hand.)

I want to later turn this into a longer story. I prefer the version of this I wrote senior year, but we need to see the origins of it first.

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