SCENE ONE- The Terminal
INT. TERMINAL - DAY
People move in every direction in a pristine, bustling terminal. A bright, neon sign hangs over the space, reading "welcome to the afterlife!" in glowing purple letters. Some people are in groups, and others walk in pairs or alone.
PEOPLE MOVE IN EVERY DIRECTION IN A PRISTINE, BUSTLING TERMINAL. A BRIGHT, NEON SIGN HANGS OVER THE SPACE, READING “WELCOME TO THE AFTERLIFE!” IN GLOWING PURPLE LETTERS. SOME PEOPLE ARE IN GROUPS, AND OTHERS WALK IN PAIRS OR ALONE. EACH PERSON IS WEARING BLACK AND WHITE, BUSINESS CASUAL CLOTHING. EACH PERSON EXCEPT ONE, WHO LOOKS VISIBLY DISHEVELED. THEY ARE WEARING REGULAR STREET CLOTHES, AND LOOK WINDED. THEY ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET PAST HUGE, DOUBLE DOORS AT THE CENTER OF THE TERMINAL. TWO GUARDS ARE BLOCKING THEIR ATTEMPTS, DRESSED IN BLACK SUITS, HOLDING MATCHING PAIRS OF HERMES STAFFS.
CUPID #6600
Please! I need to go back!
Guard #1 pushes Cupid #6600 backwards, adjusting their grip on their staff.
GUARD #1
I need you to stand back, please.
CUPID #6600
(sarcastically)
Or what? You're going to kill me? Sorry to break it to you, pal, but someone beat you to it.
Cupid #6600 gestures to the neon sign above them as they speak. Guard #2 steps forward, visibly upset. They raise their staff as they speak.
GUARD #2
Watch your mouth, sixty-six hundred. I ought to teach you a lesson.
Guard 1 holds Guard 2 back as Guard 2 attempts to advance towards Cupid #6600. Cupid #6600 holds their ground. A new character, Ms. Concord, arrives from stage right, walking briskly towards the three. She is dressed in red, standing out in the sea of black and white. A few people start directing their attention towards her.
MS. CONCORD
(In an authoritative tone)
That's enough! Stand down.
MS. CONCORD (CONT'D)
(Addressing #6600)
Sixty-six hundred, come with me, please.
Cupid #6600 looks as if they are weighing their options for a moment, before sending the guards a final glance and standing down, walking with Ms. Concord back to stage right, where they go offstage. Most of the people on stage watch as the pair leaves. Another new character, Cupid #0099, walks in from stage left. They approach the guards, a paper clasped in their right hand.
CUPID #0099
(In a formal tone)
Hello. I've been cleared for another mission.
Cupid #0099 gives Guard #2 a curt smile, and holds out their wrist to Guard #2. Guard #2 waves his staff across their wrist, and a tattoo glows faintly on #0099's wrist. The tattoo is shaped as a simplistic heart with wings, and the number 0099 is printed across it. A holographic message appears, hovering over Guard #2's staff, and both guards read it.
GUARD #1
It says here that you're cleared for tomorrow, not today.
CUPID #0099
Yes, I am aware. I would like to access my files early, to better prepare for the mission. It is my last, after all.
GUARD #2
(Firmly)
Access to files is only granted once you gain clearance. I can't change the rules, even for you #0099.
Cupid #0099 pauses, frustrated, before regaining their composure. They give Guard #2 a curt nod.
CUPID #0099
Very well. I will see you tomorrow, then.
Cupid #0099 exits to the right, and the scene changes as the guards flip the doors, revealing a wide set of windows, overlooking a green, utopian city covered in clouds. The people on stage thin out, and are replaced by a few people milling around. Two are talking to each other, and one is on a phone, smiling occasionally at it. A couple people walk by, busy talking on phones.
MS. CONCORD
(Worded as a statement)
Sixty-six hundred, I know you are well aware of the rules you broke.
CUPID #6600
Yes, I did break quite a few of them.
MS. CONCORD
(Without missing a beat)
Then you are also aware of the punishments for breaking them?
Cupid #6600 seems to lose all of their sass at this statement. A moments silence fills the air before Cupid #6600 thinks of a quip.
CUPID #6600
(Spoken sarcastically)
The death sentence?
Ms. Concord does not seem amused at this statement.
MS. CONCORD
Sixty-six hundred. Becoming a Cupid is a choice given to very few people. You should-
CUPID #6600
(Cutting her off)
Be grateful? It was either this or Asphodel, that’s hardly considered a choice.
Ms. Concord lets out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She raises her arm, pulling up a holographic paper from a digital watch on her wrist.
MS. CONCORD
Eight weeks.
#6600 shoots her a confused look, caught off guard. Ms. Concord begins inputting information onto the paper.
CUPID #6600
I’m sorry, what?
MS. CONCORD
That’s how long your suspension will be.
#6600 is momentarily stunned, opening their mouth but not speaking. Then, they seem to collect their thoughts, and a look of anger flashes over their face.
CUPID #6600
Eight weeks?! That's over a century in-
#6600 cuts off their sentence, as if realizing something. For each week spent in the underworld, 15 years pass on earth. Their face falls, and any anger quickly became replaced with panic.
CUPID #6600
No- please, you can't do this! You don't understand!
MS. CONCORD
8 weeks is the minimum suspension for breaking rule 4.
CUPID #6600
(Pleading)
I need to go back.
MS. CONCORD
You fell in love with a human, #6600. You should be grateful I didn't remove your wings.
Cupid #6600 has nothing else to say, and stands silent as Ms. Concord closes the hologram, stepping back. She gives #6600 one final glance before walking away. #6600 stands as still as a statue, watching her go.
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