Communal Psychic Part 2

A science lab; white, sterile, with harsh metal work surfaces. The light is bright and penetrating.

FINESSE: Come on, we’re got to find it before it’s too late!

SHIFT: This place is like a maze! No matter which way we turn, we always seem to end up back in the same room.

An alarm sounds. It is very loud. And alarming.

SHIFT: Shit! We’ve tripped the alarm! Come on! We’ve got to hurry!

FINESSE: There it is! Can you see it?

Finesse gestures at a large red button on the wall. Shift begins to move towards it, but slowly, as if stuck in tar.

SHIFT: I can’t… I can’t reach it!

The scene blurs and darkens and Shift flails against unseen bonds pressing against her.

VOICE: You have to reach it. Stay with us Shift!

SHIFT: I can’t…

VOICE: Stay with us!

Shift struggles in the darkness.

SHIFT: I…

VOICE: Stay!

With an almighty flail Shift hauls herself upright in the dark. In her bed. For a moment she is confused. The alarm is still ringing, but with the less distressing and more annoying tones of a phone alarmclock.

SHIFT: Urgh.

She swats the alarm onto snooze.

SHIFT: That was weird.

Enter Amity, in a hurry.

AMITY: Are you alright? I felt your distress from all the way over in my room!

SHIFT: Fine, I think. I just had a bit of a weird dream.

She rubs her forehead.

SHIFT: It feels like… I don’t know. Like I can’t quite wake up. Like it’s trying to pull me back.

Shift shudders.

AMITY: Would you like me to help you?

SHIFT: Yes please.

Amity generates a wave of soothing emotions.

SHIFT: Thanks! Much better.

AMITY: You need to take it easy. We still don’t know what damage that weirdo clown has done to your mind.

SHIFT: Tell me about it.

Both pause in contemplative silence for a while.

AMITY: If you’re ok now I might try and go back to sleep.

SHIFT: Yeah, go for it. I think I’ll stay up and read for a while.

AMITY: Give me a call if you need me.

Shift smiles and nods as Amity leaves the room.

VOICE: Its so cold out there. So cold.

SHIFT: What was that?

VOICE: So cold.

SHIFT: Amity? Did you say something?

She pauses and listens.

SHIFT: Apparently not.

She shivers and pulls the covers up around her. She picks a book up from the table next to her bed and starts to read.

VOICE: So tired. So very tired.

Shift’s head droops forward as she reads, the pages fluttering shut. She pulls herself upright with a jerk.

SHIFT: Damn! I’ve lost my place. Oh screw it, I’ll just go to sleep again.

She puts the book back on the table and huddles under the covers.

SHIFT: I’ve really got to stop talking to myself.

She turns out the light and closes her eyes.

VOICE: Sleep now. Sleep…

***

Later that day, in da Pit. CHRONAL is typing rapidly into complicated series of computer screens, which every now and then make the odd beeping noise. AMITY is talking animatedly on the phone, a big smile on her face. WRAITH is nowhere to be seen, not unusually.

Enter FINESSE and heads straight towards CHRONAL’s complicated computer system.

FINESSE: How’s the search going?

CHRONAL: Not great. There’s some buzz around, but nothing in our area.

FINESSE: Anything on that godsdamn creepy clown?

CHRONAL points at one of the screens, showing the “Events” page on a community website. One of the events listed is a “Virtual Reality Simulator.”

CHRONAL: This is all I’ve got. Could be a match; he’d have to change his name to keep him from super-hero detection.

FINESSE: Hmmm… perhaps we should go pay this “Event” a visit.

CHRONAL: Ah… there is one problem. It’s not actually in town until next week.

FINESSE: Next week? Lame. And there’s nothing else on the radar?

CHRONAL: Not really, I’m afraid.

FINESSE: Well, I suppose that’s a good thing.

CHRONAL: I suppose it is.

Both look disappointed.

WRAITH: (quietly) Miaow.

FINESSE: Whatever.

WRAITH: How on earth do you do that? I was invisible and everything.

FINESSE: Well, firstly, my eyes are for seeing, not hearing. And second of all, because it is one of my rarely-mentioned-because-it’s-not-particularly-useful powers.

CHRONAL: Like your directional sense.

FINESSE: Hey, my directional sense is mighty useful.

CHRONAL: Well, I didn’t mean it like that…

WRAITH: Fail.

FINESSE: Hey, you can’t backtrack now.

Amity finishes her phone conversation and joins them.

AMITY: Are you guys alright? You seem a bit tense.

FINESSE: Chronal’s dissing me.

CHRONAL: Am not!

AMITY: I see… and this has nothing to do with lack of villains to fight?

CHRONAL: Ooh! Which reminds me, we’ve found something!

AMITY: Really? How exciting!

FINESSE: There’s a catch.

CHRONAL: Yes… unfortunately we can’t follow it up until next week.

AMITY: I know what we could do until then…

FINESSE: A game, perhaps?

AMITY: Well, if you’re asking!

FINNESE: How about Fake-Bear-Alphabet?

AMITY: Ooh! I don’t know that one!

FINESSE: You’ll love it.

***

Outside on the roof of the Pit. It is a warm, sunny day. There are chairs and tables set out in a haphazard manner and a stereo is playing a local radio station. LYRIC is sunbathing whilst reading a book. A pigeon flutters down and lands on the floor nearby.

LYRIC: Shift? That you?

The pigeon looks at him sideways and bobs.

LYRIC: Or am I talking to a bird?

The pigeon pecks aimlessly at the ground.

LYRIC: Do you need me to get Finesse?

He shuts his book and stands up, causing the pigeon to panic and scurry away in a clatter of flurrying wings.

LYRIC: Perhaps not.

SHIFT: I can’t believe you mistook me for Bin Bags.

LYRIC jumps and looks around. SHIFT is crouching on the ground on the edge of the roof.

LYRIC: Jesus! You made me jump.

SHIFT: Sorry.

LYRIC: Have you been here all this time?

SHIFT: Not here exactly. I was catbathing on top of that ledge.

She gestures over her shoulder.

SHIFT: I came down when I heard you talking to Bin Bags.

LYRIC: Bin Bags?

SHIFT: Don’t ask me. I didn’t name him.

LYRIC: Have you been talking to pigeons again?

SHIFT: Well, sort of. Fascinating gossip, you know. But I’ve been trying to keep my distance as of late. I’m not particularly pleased that he’s found out where I live. Now I’ll never get any peace.

LYRIC: You should be more careful- it could be a security risk.

SHIFT: Who’s he going to tell? The pigeon police?

LYRIC: Your wit stuns me.

Shift stands up straight and stretches out, yawning.

SHIFT: Good book?

LYRIC: Yes, actually. It’s nice to read something for fun for once.

SHIFT: Well I’ll let you get back to it then.

She shifts back into cat form and pads across to a sunny bench. She jumps onto it and lies down, stretching out luxuriantly.

LYRIC: Being a cat always looks so comfortable.

SHIFT lazily winks one eye. LYRIC sits back down with his book and starts reading again. The radio is playing Coldplay’s Viva La Vida.

RADIO: One minute I held the key…

VOICE: To take control…

Shift sits up suddenly and looks around.

RADIO: Next the doors were closed on me…

VOICE: So close…

Shift returns to human form.

SHIFT: Did you hear that?

LYRIC: What?

RADIO: Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand…

SHIFT: On the radio, there was another voice. It was talking over the music.

She turns the sound up and down on the radio.

SHIFT: Can you hear it?

LYRIC: No, I didn’t hear anything. Other than Coldplay, of course.

SHIFT: Weird. It must be picking up mixed signals or something.

LYRIC: Freaky.

SHIFT: Yes. Well, I think that’s put me off music for a while. I’m going in.

She stalks into the house.

LYRIC: You’re stalking!

SHIFT: (calling back from the staircase) That’s what you would say!

…………

Inside the Pit, Chronal is back on the computer again. Wraith is actually absent this time (supposedly). Amity and Finesse are playing the Fake-Bear-Alphabet game.

FINESSE: Melodious Bear!

AMITY: Ooh…hmmm. Nutritious Bear!

Enter SHIFT.

SHIFT: Octopus Bear!

FINESSE: Nice one.

There is a sudden Alarm.

CHRONAL: I’ve got something!

FINESSE: No kidding. The alarm was a bit of a clue.

AMITY: What is it?

CHRONAL: New supervillain on the scope. We’ve received this message in from Lightstreak.

He plays a video on one of the many screens.

LIGHTSTREAK: Hello! Got some serious news, I’m afraid. There’s been reports of a supervillain going by the name of Antihero…

WRAITH: Lame.

CHRONAL: Jesus! You made me jump.

FINESSE: You know, we should really call Lyric in on this.

CHRONAL: Ok, let me just pause this.

AMITY: (into a comlink) Lyric, it’s Amity here. Can you come down please? We’ve got a supervillain report.

LYRIC: (from Amity’s comlink): On my way.

Chronal rewinds the message to the beginning.

Enter Lyric.

LYRIC: What’s the situation?

FINESSE: We’re just about to find out.

Chronal plays the film.

LIGHTSTREAK: Hello! Got some serious news, I’m afraid. There’s been reports of a supervillain going by the name of Antihero. He seems to be touring the country and targeting specific superheroes. We’re not sure of exactly what his powerset actually is because no hero has yet returned to tell the tale. From what we know, it is likely that he’ll be heading your way soon. It would fit in with his pattern. I’ve attached all the information we’ve so far been able to collect. I’m sorry about how sketchy most of it is. That’s all we have I’m afraid.

The message cuts out and two little icons pop up. One is labelled Antihero and the other is labelled Shift.

CHRONAL: Do you want me to open your message?

SHIFT: Might as well, it’s probably about Mum’s birthday.

Chronal clicks on the icon.

LIGHTSTREAK: Hello sis! I’m going shopping for Mum’s birthday present this weekend, so give me a call and we’ll synchronise! We don’t want to buy her the same things, do we? And remember what I tell you this time! We don’t want that whole card fiasco all over again! (She looks sternly into the camera) Bye for now!

The message ends.

SHIFT: Fiasco’s a bit strong.

Chronal deletes the message and opens up the one labelled Antihero. Long lists of information stream into the computer.

CHRONAL: Right. I’ll get on with reading all of this and get back to you.

Chronal blurs out of time.

FINESSE: Card fiasco?

SHIFT: Don’t ask.

CHRONAL: Ok. Basically we’ve got a nutter. Officially.

AMITY: That’s not very PC.

CHRONAL: No, but it’s fair. He leaves calling cards, challenging or threatening heroes into duels. And then those heroes are never heard from again.

WRAITH: Lame.

FINESSE: Indeed. So, can we find this loser, or do we have to wait for invitations?

CHRONAL: Hard to say. There really is nothing to go on.

SHIFT: Has anyone actually checked the post today?

They all pause to look at each other.

FINESSE: Apparently not.

CHRONAL: I’ll check.

Chronal disappears and reappears a few inches to the left, his hands full of post.

CHRONAL: Ok everyone, time to check post.

He hands each of them a stack of envelopes. They all start opening letters in a flurry of paper-based activity.

AMITY: Hang on guys, I think I have something.

FINESSE: What is it?

AMITY: It’s an invitation to a charity gala, but something feels… wrong.

SHIFT: You think it’s a trap?

AMITY: Feels like it.

FINESSE: Could be worth checking out. When is this supposed gala?

AMITY: This Saturday from six onwards. It’s an evening event.

LYRIC: Sounds dodgy.

FINESSE: I think we’ll all have to pay it a visit.

SHIFT: Good thinking, B...

FINESSE: Don’t even think about finishing that sentence.

SHIFT: I think not. Ok, let’s put together a plan until then.

CHRONAL: I’ll start a search, see what I can pull up online.

SHIFT: Good. I’ll do the same with some of my contacts.

FINESSE: Or “familiars” as I like to call them.

SHIFT: Whatever, loser.

AMITY: I’ll phone around and see what I can dig up.

FINESSE: If only we knew what his powers were… it would make him so much easier to trace.

SHIFT: Why don’t you look back over the heroes missing-in-action to date? See if there’s a common pattern of types that he targets?

FINESSE: If I could just meet him, I’d know straight away.

WRAITH: What should I do?

SHIFT: Spy mission I think. Time to visit some Dens of Iniquity. Take Lyric with you while you’re at it.

LYRIC: Hey, I don’t like the implication in that statement.

SHIFT: Oh, as if you don’t love Dens of Iniquity. Besides, it’s much safer to use a buddies-system on missions like that.

LYRIC: Buddies system? How old are we again?

SHIFT: Quiet you.

FINESSE: Ok, everyone!

They all look at Finesse.

FINESSE: I think we all have a few ideas as to what we should be doing. I suggest we start getting on with them. Chop chop.

They continue to look at her.

FINESSE: I said, chop chop.

They all scatter except Chronal, who starts typing away furiously. Shift turns into a sparrowhawk and slips through an open window. Amity grabs her phone and skips upstairs to her room. Lyric and Wraith head in the direction of the garage of Super-Amazing Transportation Devices.

FINESSE: Right.

She dusts her hands off and nods with satisfaction. She sits at another terminal connected to Chronal’s maze of screens.

FINESSE: I’m going to be working from here. I may borrow you from time to time.

CHRONAL: Borrow away, leader.

He smiles at her. They both set about their work.

To be continued…