Scribblers: Cool Box

Scribblers
"Cool Box"
by Steffan Alun

1 INT. DINAS MUSEUM EXHIBITION – Day 1. 1100.

A golden DIADEM, covered in blue jewels, with a large, orange CRYSTAL in the centre. It's on a dummy head in a glass case, classy and expensive.

FINESSE V.O.
They say the Comity Diadem's over a thousand years old, but the blue jewels keep it preserved.

WRAITH V.O.
Looks lame.

FINESSE V.O.
It's considered priceless by experts. Although the current owners are Tories, so they've offered to have it buried with Thatcher.

SHIFT V.O.
At least she'd be dead.

FINESSE V.O.
Exactly. It's win-win.

CUT TO:

2 INT. THE PIT – Day 1. 1100.

FINESSE, SHIFT and WRAITH on the sofa, Finesse holding a magazine.

FINESSE
Still, though, it's being shown off in the local museum right now, so they've asked us to protect it.

SHIFT
Superheroes for a museum? Surely that's overkill.

FINESSE
People have tried to steal it in the past. If the blue jewels really do keep the diadem forever young ...

SHIFT
I hope they make sure Thatcher's definitely dead before they hand it over.

CHRONAL enters, sexy beast.

CHRONAL
We all ready to go?

WRAITH
What? Where?

CHRONAL
The museum! As Finesse has mentioned every day for the last two weeks.

WRAITH
More notice next time, please.

FINESSE
Noted.

CHRONAL
Where's Lyric?

FINESSE
He's gone to his Secret Shed. He's not coming out until he's revised our previous adventures.

CHRONAL
Sounds fair.

SHIFT
His bit of the story's been replaced by an exploration of what Amity does in her spare time.

CUT TO:

3 EXT. DINAS PARK FESTIVAL TENT – Day 1. 1101.

AMITY is in a huge festival tent with FRIENDS, including KYLE.

AMITY
Game time!

KYLE
Yay!

AMITY
I can buy facetious!

KYLE
You can only buy things where the vowels are in alphabetical order.

AMITY
Correct!

KYLE
Excellent! I'm so happy!

AMITY
Yes, Kyle, but you're always happy.

KYLE
Hurrah!

CUT TO:

4 EXT. DINAS MUSEUM – Day 1. 1200.

Dinas Museum – modern, glass, posh.

5 INT. DINAS MUSEUM SECURITY – Day 1. 1200.

Room full of TV SCREENS, showing different parts of the museum. SHIFT is sat there, in costume, watching the screens. Uses her COMMUNICATOR.

SHIFT
Everyone ready?

INTERCUT WITH:

6 INT. DINAS MUSEUM EXHIBITION – Day 1. 1200.

FINESSE is walking casually around the DIADEM in its case, dressed glamourously like the rest of the VISITORS.

FINESSE
I'm at the diadem, with Wraith.
(beat)
Presumably.

INTERCUT WITH:

7 INT. DINAS MUSEUM RECEPTION – Day 1. 1200.

CHRONAL is dressed in a tux, holding champagne, milling about with other DIGNITARIES. Posh room, nibbles and drinks on tables with long tablecloths. Tough, reinforced security door on one side, posh, showy door on the other.

CHRONAL
I don't want to stay here long. I think they're t-o-r-i-e-s.

FINESSE
They can spell, Chrone.

CHRONAL
I know. I've frozen them.

The dignitaries are stuck in place.

SHIFT
You'd better release them. It's about to start.

Finesse moves out of the way as the CURATOR – 35, handsome and posh, in a tux - arrives.

The dignitaries are led out through the posh door, but Chronal hangs back.

CURATOR
Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Dinas Museum.

FINESSE
They've really got the heavy artillery out today. Even the curator's got powers.

SHIFT
Anyone we know?

FINESSE
No. Pretty powerful, though. Elemental type. Ice.

CHRONAL
I wish I could control ice.

FINESSE
No you don't. Not at this level. Lose control, even for a second, and you freeze over.

CURATOR
I'd like to thank you all for coming here today. I'd like to thank Mr Protheroe-Hanlan-Lentil-Facefall-Macarron-Chacarron-Jones for kindly allowing us to display the Comity Diadem.

Finesse tenses.

FINESSE
Guys, we've got a problem. Wraith, cover me.

She vanishes.

Shift stands up.

Chronal dashes to a table, retrieving his costume from underneath, hidden by the tablecloth.

CURATOR
Now, if you'll put your hands togather for our first speaker, Mr Derek Yockenthwaite-Smythe.

The guests applaud –

The curator begins to step away –

Spins around, hands in the air –

And the guests collapse, solid, like statues.

CURATOR
Cool.

He pulls on a MASK - icy blue, stylised snowflake design.

Blasts the crown's case with an ice beam from his finger.

The alarm sounds –

He points his finger towards the alarm –

It stops, caked with ice.

He takes out the diadem, and places it on his head –

- and is punched in the head by an arm –

- which becomes FINESEE, in costume, fading into view.

FINESSE
Can't fault the dress sense.

CURATOR
You punched me in the head.

Finesse kicks him in the stomach.

The curator blasts her with an ice beam, missing.

FINESSE
You're a super-villain. Of course I punched you in the head.

She kicks, misses, and is hit in the arm by an ice beam. Ice builds up over her elbow, she backs off -

CURATOR
Hadn't thought about it like that. Super-powers and theft. I suppose that qualifies me.

As he speaks, Finesse cracks the ice from her arm.

FINESSE
You need an awful codename as well. Captain Freezer?

She kicks low, buckling his leg.

He blasts her, but she grabs his hand.

FINESSE
Or Ice King! It goes with the crown.

He grabs his hand away, blasts again, misses.

CURATOR
My name is Cool Box!

FINESSE
Oh. You REALLY didn't need my help.

She swings for him again –

- but he's gone, dancing towards the reception door.

COOL BOX
Enjoy seeing it in tomorrow's headlines.

He heads for the door, and the diadem floats away from his head –

- he slams the door behind him, and WRAITH appears, holding the floating diadem.

FINESSE
Wonder if he'll even notice.

WRAITH
Doubt it. Guy's a rebass.

CUT TO:

8 INT. DINAS MUSEUM RECEPTION – Day 1. 1210.

COOL BOX dashes into the room –

- where CHRONAL is standing, in costume.

COOL BOX
Ha, more than one. Overkill, isn't it?

CHRONAL
We thought the same, actually. You live and learn.

They wait, tense, watching each other –

CHRONAL and COOL BOX
Freeze!

Cool Box shoots a beam of ice towards Chronal, and the beam slows down to a crawl halfway.

CHRONAL
Jinx.

He walks around the beam, standing behind Cool Box. Grabs his arm –

- and cries out, bringing his hand back as though burned.

The ice beam speeds up to normal, hitting the back wall.

Cool Box turns to face him

COOL BOX
That's the thing about creating ice. Heat has to go somewhere.

He pulls up the sleeve of his jacket –

- and places his forearm on Chronal's forehead, with a sizzling burn. Chronal cries out –

- and the door handle starts to turn!

COOL BOX
Give us a moment.

An ice beam freezes the handle and door in place, a big chunk of ice –

- and CHRONAl, recovering, punches him in the face.

CUT TO:

9 INT. DINAS MUSEUM SECURITY – Day 1. 1215.

SHIFT has rearranged the TV screens, which now form a montage of the areas of the museum, each in the right place. CHRONAL and COOL BOX are still fighting on one screen.

SHIFT
Chronal's holding his own, but you need to get in there.

INTERCUT WITH:

10 INT. DINAS MUSEUM EXHIBITION – Day 1. 1215.

FINESSE is moving the frozen GUESTS, one at a time, to one side, in the recovery position – she still has some ice on her arm, and that arm is sluggish, as though paralysed. WRAITH is trying to kick the door open.

FINESSE
Trying our best. I've contacted Lyric to help out the guests.

SHIFT
We might need to bring in Amity as well.

FINESSE
It might not come to that.

She glances at the ice on her arm.

FINESSE
This isn't just ice. It slows down your whole body. The guests could survive like this for days.

SHIFT
But you can move them?

FINESSE
Getting them out of the way in case Cool Box comes back. Wraith's hidden the diadem – it might get violent.

SHIFT
Hang on a second. Did you say the ice slows your whole body down?

FINESSE
(dawning realisation)
Bugger.

CUT TO:

11 INT. DINAS MUSEUM RECEPTION – Day 1. 1216.

CHRONAL is covered in chunks of ice. He's moving sluggishly. COOL BOX is holding his forearm against the lock of the reinforced door.

CHRONAL
(shivering)
I'm dying.

COOL BOX
Melodramatic. Not heard of chryogenics? You've never been safer.

CHRONAL
Too slow. The world. Make it quick.

COOL BOX
Oh, you must hate this. Down to the level of us mere mortals.

CU of the door – metal melting, dripping down Cool Box's arm.

COOL BOX
Chronal, isn't it? I remember when you were leader. I can see why you were replaced.

His arm is all the way through the door – the lock destroyed.

COOL BOX
Anyway. One last stop.

CUT TO:

12 INT. DINAS MUSEUM SECURITY – Day 1. 1217.

SHIFT still watching the TV screens. Some have been angled and turned for the pictures to line up properly.

SHIFT
I've lost him.

FINESSE V.O.
How do you mean?

SHIFT
He went through a door. Can't find where it leads.
(beat)
Maybe if there's no camera. But WHY wouldn't there be a camera?

She stands up straight. Calm. She understands.

SHIFT
Of course. That's why.

She dives to the left as an ICE BEAM blasts through her previous position. COOL BOX has arrived.

COOL BOX
Final destination. Can't have video footage of my face flying around.

Shift transforms into a POLAR BEAR –

- swings for Cool Box –

- who blast her with a huge, thick ray of ice.

COOL BOX
Nice try.

Shift is trapped in a block of ice. As he speaks, Cool Box rewinds the recording equipment.

COOL BOX
Best you could have done, really. I don't know what this stuff is, but it's not ice. No animal could take it.
(breathes heavily)
That really took it out of me –

Display on the screen – "DELETE VIDEO?" – but he stops.

COOL BOX
Hang on.

Rewind. Footage of the DIADEM floating from his head.

CUT TO:

13 INT. DINAS MUSEUM EXHIBITION – Day 1. 1230

FINESSE is with the bodies of the GUESTS, having finished moving them all. Behind her, a door bursts open, and COOL BOX runs in.

COOL BOX
Where is it?

Finesse calmly stands, and turns to face him.

FINESSE
Gone. You can stand down now. The place is surrounded.

COOL BOX
Liar!

He reveals some MINI DISCS from his pocket.

COOL BOX
Video footage. There are four of you, and two of you are down already. And with a big, bad villain on the loose, there's no way you'd sacrifice an agent.

He grins, aiming his hand upwards.

COOL BOX
Which leaves your fourth member. Invisible.

A BURST OF WHITE LIGHT spreads from his hand –

- spreading across the top of the room –

- and he aims a finger of his other hand –

- hitting a fire alarm –

- which turns on the sprinklers –

- freezing in the white light –

- snowing below.

COOL BOX
If you'll allow me a moment of arrogance –

He crosses over to where the snow has settled in mid-air.

COOL BOX
I'm so clever.

He blasts a ray each from both hands, freezing the shape of WRAITH's legs –

- frosting his body -

- reaches across and plucks an invisible item covered in visible frost from hand-level.

Walks away, and the invisble item fades into view – the DIADEM –

- which he places in an inside pocket of his jacket.

FINESSE
You've frozen three of my friends.

COOL BOX
I'm very efficient.

FINESSE
So am I.

He raises a hand, blasting a ray of ice –

- Finesse raises her own hands –

- and the ray curves in mid-air, hitting a wall.

COOL BOX
(furious)
What did you do?

FINESSE
See, before, I was surrounded by guests.

COOL BOX
WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?

He blasts an enormous ray, the same as in Scene 11 –

- which splits into three different directions –

- shooting over Finesse's head, past her shoulder, and between her legs.

FINESSE
It's like I was saying before.

She walks calmly towards Cool Box, who continues to release ice beams, which continue to be deflected in all directions.

FINESSE
The problem with ice powers is that if you lose control, even for a second –

COOL BOX
I am in complete control!

FINESSE
No.
(beat)
I am.

And she winks. Cool Box shouts out, ice spreading across his hands, legs, face. Completely frosting over.

FINESSE
Doesn't matter how well you think you understand your own powers. I know you better than you'll ever know yourself.

His forearms and chest begin to steam, the ice melting against heat.

FINESSE
I'll just take this.

She reaches inside his jacket, taking the diadem. Walks back to the guests.

FINESSE
Don't try to move. Really. Don't. I'm pretty sure more ice will kill you.

She glances down at the diadem. The orange crystal from before is missing.

She turns – Cool Box is holding the crystal.

COOL BOX
(struggling)
Surprise.

He flexes his arm, shattering the ice –

- vanishes in a flash of orange light.

Finesse's expression. She could kick herself.

CUT TO:

14 EXT. DINAS MUSEUM EXHIBITION – Day 1. 1630

FINESSE standing outside, holding the DIADEM. Talking on the communicator.

FINESSE
He got away. Police are searching.

INTERCUT WITH:

15 EXT. DINAS PARK FESTIVAL TENT – Day 1. 1101.

AMITY away from the other GUESTS – KYLE in the background, jumping on a trampoline, enjoying every second.

AMITY
But you got the Comity Diadem?

FINESSE
(beat)
More or less.

AMITY
And you're sure you don't need me to come?

FINESSE
It's your day off! We've got Lyric sorting everyone out. You enjoy your freedom.

AMITY
Thanks! I'll see you later.

FINESSE
Bye!

We stay with Amity as she crosses back to Kyle. Hops onto the trampoline as well –

Both of them jumping and jumping –

And they collapse, in a fit of giggles.

Laughing and laughing.

Amity calms down, happy and content.

But Kyle is still laughing –

Laughing and laughing and laughing.

Tears streaming down his face.

CU on Kyle, twisted angle.

Laughing so much, it's sinister.