by EmeraldEyes14, Sep 9, 2012, 12:24:13 PM
Written by mikarin27 Scene 1 The basement lab, in the middle of the day. MASTER is back at his computer with a replacement hard drive, trying to fix his computer. His coat is hanging on the back of his chair. The place is a more cluttered then it was when it was last shown. MASTER finally finishes pushing in thenew hard drive. MASTER: Come on... Come on... [The sound of the computer fan is heard, getting louder for a few seconds before the hard drive starts smoking.] MASTER: Ah, crap! [He tries to take the hard drive out and burns himself.] AAH! CRAP! [He drops hard drive on the ground and waves his hand in the air.] Why isn't this working? I'll just go to the CPU parts shop; see if they have an SMPS... [MASTER grabs his coat off the chair and climbs up the stairs. The sound of the door shutting is heard.] Scene 2 The living room has a couch and a few reclining chairs in front of a TV. There is a table with Master's wallet, a flashlight, and other random things sitting on it in the back of the room. Meiko is sitting reclined in a chair watching TV when Master comes in. [MASTER walks past Meiko, looking distressed. He grabs his wallet off the table. MEIKO mutes the TV.] MEIKO: Oh hey. You all right? MASTER: [flashes her a weak smile.] I'm fine. [Hurriedly makes his way to the front door.] I'll be back soon. You're in charge- don't let Kaito and Miku get into any trouble while I'm gone. MEIKO: Wait… Where are you-…? [MASTER slams the front door closed. KAITO and MIKU walk in.] KAITO: Where is Master going? MEIKO: How should I know? KAITO: [Sits down on the couch.] Dang it... MEIKO: I bet it's his computer again. I've been hearing lots of crashing coming from down there... [She turns the TV volume back on.] MIKU: Something happened to his computer? KAITO: Is that what's been bugging him? He's been acting strange lately. MEIKO: Yeah, it happened a few days ago. He was very concerned. A virus got through his firewall—something like that. MIKU: Maybe we could check it out! I bet we could help him somehow KAITO: That's his private work space... He doesn't like other people to go down there. MIKU: Oh... Okay then. KAITO: It was a sweet thought though. [He gives her a big smile.] MEIKO: Why don't you guys relax and watch some TV with me. Sit down Miku! MIKU: All right, sure... [She sits down next to KAITO on the sofa.] [MEIKO goes back to watching TV while KAITO and MIKU get comfortable on the sofa. KAITO puts his feet up on the table and leans back. MIKU acts a little unsure, crossing her legs, then uncrossing them; putting her feet up next to KAITO then putting them back down.] KAITO: [Noticing her discomfort] Don't worry; we don't bite. There's no reason to be scared! [The power goes out, and though it's the middle of the day, the fog blocking the sun causes the room to turn black for a minute, until their eyes adjust. MIKU screams for a second.] KAITO: (panics) Aah! Don't panic! Everyone stay calm! Aah! MIKU: I can't see! Where did everybody go?! MEIKO: It's just a power out, smart ones. [She turns on a flashlight.] KAITO: Oh, phew. Where'd you get that? [He reaches for it.] MEIKO: [moves the flashlight out of his reach and hits him on the head with it.] It was on the table. [MIKU moves to the window to try and get closer to the light coming in from outside, then notices the other houses have their lights on.] MIKU: That's odd. I thought power outages affected whole sections, not just one house. MEIKO: [pushes past Kaito, towards the window.] They do—what are you talking about? [She sees the other houses' lights.] Great. We must have blown a fuse, somehow. Whatever... I'll go check the fuse box outside to see what's up. Don't freak out while I'm gone. [MEIKO makes her way through the dark using the flashlight, exiting through the side door. KAITO and MIKU stay huddled on the sofa.] Scene 3 It is now at the back of the house. There is a small yard which leads off into some trees. There are weeds growing up along the edge of the house. [Meiko is walking to go check the circuit breaker. She stops and then opens the lid. She talks to herself as she goes, flipping each switch on and off to reset them.] MEIKO: Why'd the whole house loose electricity? Usually only one part would turn off. How much power would-…? [MEIKO glances at the dial on the electricity meter. It is spinning around and around rapidly.] Weird… What the-…?! H-how is that possible? [She runs back around and enters through the side door.] Scene 4 The living room. MEIKO darts back inside the house to find KAITO and MIKU talking in hushed voices. MIKU: Welcome back, Meiko. KAITO: The power never came back on. Didn't you fix it? MEIKO: No... I mean... I don't know. I think something's wrong with the meter… Broken I guess… MIKU: What do you mean? MEIKO: It was just spinning… I don't know what would make it do that. KAITO: Spinning? What? Why? MEIKO: I would call Master, but I don't have a cell! [But before Meiko can move, an electronic sound wave echoes across the house. MIKU jumps up from the couch.] MIKU: Now what was that? It came from the basement... MEIKO: Then we have to go down there and check. MIKU: If something is up, shouldn't we head away from the scary noise? KAITO: Mei is right, we have to. It could be some sort of broken appliance that might set the house on fire. And trust me, after seeing what happened in the kitchen a few days ago, I know Master does not like fires. MIKU: That's true. Plus, a lot of important things are down there. If they were to get ruined, Master would be even more upset! KAITO: I'm going down there. You don't have to come though, Miku. MIKU: No, I'm coming! [They head down to the basement steps.] MEIKO: Ugh, Kaito, Miku, wait. [She runs over to stop them.] Master put me in charge after all! Just in case someone…or something…is down there, we'd better carry a weapon! [She walks into the kitchen and returns with two knives and a frying pan.] KAITO: …A frying pan? MEIKO: Hey- I already called the frying pan! KAITO: Of course you would... MEIKO: Come on, let's just go. I'm sure it's nothing. [All three walk to the basement door, open it, and go down the staircase.] Scene 5 The basement is mostly black, the lamp next to his desk lying shattered on the gund, and the light coming from the computer—it's somehow turned on, even though its hard drive is on the desk next to it, and the replacement one is on the floor where MASTER dropped it. MEIKO, KAITO, and MIKU enter the room and immediately notice the computer. MIKU: I guess it wasn't broken after all? MEIKO: Odd… Maybe he fixed it. Though I don't see anything on his desktop … It looks like his files are still missing. [She sits down at the desk and clicks the start button on the computer, opening up his files.] Oh wait, there is something here— Looks like a VOCALOID he was working on… That would have been bad if it had gotten deleted. [She leans back.] Well nothing is down here. Let's just go back upstairs and call Master. [MEIKO reaches for the power button.] KAITO: Wait- Maybe we should look at the file? I mean- why is it still safe when everything else was deleted? MEIKO: You know what... I'm tired of Master hiding things from us. [She clicks the file.] MIKU: Guys... I'm getting a bad feeling. [She leans over Meiko and looks at the screen.] [The program finishes loading and shows the silhouette of a woman in a chair.] MEIKO: Huh. This isn't a model. [She tries to interact with it, but the cursor has disappeared.] KAITO: What's up? MEIKO: I don't know. Nothing's working… And I can't quite make out the image. MIKU: Guys... [MEIKO ignores her, shaking the mouse furiously, pressing escape, even trying the power button before giving up.] [The woman in the chair laughs.] MIKU: It's a video? MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: (scornfully) I'm so sorry I had to do that. [MEIKO, KAITO, and MIKU become completely silent.] MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: If you're wondering, this is just a fancy presentation I made for you. But listen close—I won't be repeating myself. Ah, it's been such a long time since I've seen you, hasn't it? Remember when we used to work together? Or have you forgotten? I remember. I remember your face the day they fired you. And what did I do? I tried to help you continue your experiment of course. And then… You took our research and ran away. Ever since then... But I'll skip the details for now. Playtime is over. (She slowly becomes more angry and passionate.) You don't deserve those robots and they don't belong to you. All that research… All that money and effort- does not belong to you. And now… (She becomes cold and sinister.) I'm just going to take what's rightfully mine. [She smiles, waving her hand goodbye.] [The image fuzzes up with static electricity, an electronic sound wave comes from behind the computer, and a spider Virus crawls out through the hole where the hard drive once was. MEIKO jumps out of the chair, knocking it over, while MIKU and KAITO back away slowly.] MEIKO: What is that thing?! [The spider lunges forward.] KAITO: Mei, watch out! [He comes in and whacks the Virus with the flat of the knife.) [MIKU jumps back in fear, and the Virus notices her. It reacts to her sudden movement by crawling over the floor quicklyin her direction. However, before it can reach her MEIKO intercepts it with a swing of the pan. It skitters across the floor a short distance, but seems otherwise unaffected.] MEIKO: I knew we were going to need these! KAITO: I hate it when you're right! [He whacks the bug again as it tries to attack him.] [The Virus makes beeping noises and gets up, even more quickly than before. Three more spider Viruses come from the computer.] KAITO: W-what the hell?! How did they all get in there?! Where are they coming from?! [MIKU Tries to throw her knife at one of them, but it simply bounces off harmlessly. The Viruses charge MEIKO and KAITO, knocking them off their feet. One bites KAITO's arm, and he manages to knock it off after a few tries with a hard blow.] KAITO: Ack! They're stronger than they look… [MEIKO helps KAITO up as the other Viruses corner MIKU, preparing to attack.] MIKU: G-go away! Leave me alone! [MEIKO and KAITO run towards her and step in front of the Viruses. MEIKO blocks a lunge with her arm, and the Virus bites her. She tries to knock it off with the knife, but the blade breaks in her hand.] MEIKO: Cheap knife... Miku! Run! MIKU: What?! [The other Viruses charge at MIKU, and KAITO tries to fend them off. He is bitten by several and loses his knife while MEIKO continues to struggle with hers, which is now biting her repeatedly.] MIKU: Guys! [She tries to help MEIKO but is pushed away.] MEIKO: (Screaming in pain and desperation.) Run!!! MIKU: NO! Come on you guys- we have to get out of here. [She is nearly sobbing by this point. She tries to help KAITO, managing to knock one loose for a second, but it simply goes for his leg. It appears they are focusing on their current targets from now... KAITO falls down on his knees, apparently growing weaker.] KAITO: Just get out while you can… I can barely move so I might be a bit slow. Get Master... MIKU: NO!!! [A band of zeroes and ones travels over MIKU head to toe, transforming her as it goes, while separate bands go down her arms. She is now in her into her official outfit. A double-edged sword materializes in MIKU's hands. MIKU rolls over as a virus leaps at her, now recognizing her as the greater threat, releasing its grip on KAITO. She swings her sword naturally and slices it clean in half. It sparks and makes glitch sounds before finally shutting down. The other two Viruses jump from MEIKO to the ground as MIKU slices the spider off of MEIKO's arm. MEIKO slides to the floor in relief. KAITO shakily gets to his feet.] KAITO: (awestruck, and slightly woozy as a result of the Viruses' attack.) N-nice job! [MIKU lifts sword as the two last Viruses scitter on the floor in front of her. When they jump at her simultaneously, she swings the sword in a fashion that slices through both at once. MEIKO grabs the computer and throws it against the wall as if that would prevent more Viruses from appearing. The sword disappears and Miku changes back into her earlier clothes. The three look at the mess of electronics on the floor, then at each other. The lights turn back on at that moment. MIKU suddenly screams and stomps on the parts to make sure everything is dead, reducing the pile to tiny bits of metal. She sinks down on the floor looking stunned.] MEIKO: Ughh... I feel exhausted... Those spiders' bites made me tired, somehow. {She looks at MIKU.] What was all that? KAITO: [He is moving sluggishly, but reaches down to put his hand on MIKU's shoulder.] Well whatever it was… It was pretty impressive… You saved us. MEIKO: [Puts her hand on MIKU's other shoulder. She speaks after a moment of thought.] You did, didn't you... Even after I told you to get out of here. Well, thanks. [She studies the fallen objects and pieces of scrap metal.] MIKU: (softly) I guess we should clean up? [She stands up.] KAITO: Maybe we should just tell Master what happened… MEIKO: No, Miku is right. The place was already a mess, but now it's even worse. Kaito… You get over here and help us. (Quietly, only to KAITO) We should be doing something. KAITO: (Still lacking his usual enthusiasm) Let's get to work then. MEIKO: We should probably save all that scrap so Master can have a chance to look at it. Wait here; I'll go get a broom and a cardboard box. MIKU: 'Kay… [MEIKO leaves the room. KAITO nudges the broken equipment with his toe then straightens the papers on the table.] KAITO: It looks like we really trashed up the place. [MIKU picks up things that have fallen from the shelves and puts them back.] KAITO: Hey, cheer up. You were awesome! Don't worry, we'll figure this out. Scene 6 MEIKO, KAITO, and MIKU finally finished cleaning up what they could. The basement looks even better than it did before, except for the destroyed computer. It is now sitting in a trash bag beside the cardboard box on the floor. MEIKO: Good work team. Scene 7 The living room. KAITO and MEIKO sits side by side on the couch, while MIKU leans against the wall, a little dazed, in the corner of the room. The cardboard box and trash bag are set next to the couch, on the side facing away from the front door. [The front door opens and MASTER walks in.] MASTER: Hello everyone! MEIKO: Well you certainly seem happy. Hey we have to tal- MASTER: Oh can it wait a bit? Right now I'm going downstairs to see if this new part will help. Shouldn't take long. [He heads over to the basement steps.] KAITO: Uh, oh... Your computer? MASTER: Yup! But don't worry; it'll be fixed by tomorrow! MEIKO: See, this is what we need to talk to you about! MASTER: What are you talking about? You weren't cooking again? In the... basement? MIKU: I think we should just tell him… MASTER: (Now paying more attention) Tell me what? [KAITO nudges Meiko.] MEIKO: Well, we sort of- [KAITO nudges her.] I kind of... N-now there's a perfectly good explanation for this… But, um… You see… I…may have panicked…and…smashed your computer against the wall... MASTER: (disbelievingly) You smashed it? KAITO: To smithereens. MEIKO: [glares at Kaito.] K-Kaito… Not helping… MASTER: (sighs) Ah well. I guess that dinosaur was getting old anyway. But can I just ask- why? MIKU: So you're not mad? MASTER: But I do worry about you. Were you really so angry that you-? I know I've been distracted lately... MEIKO: No, no, no, it wasn't that… MIKU: It's kind of a long story. KAITO: It's kind of a weird story. MEIKO: (Rushed, choppy) Well there was a power outage- except it wasn't really a power outage. And then there was this weird sound- and these bugs- and then Miku-... Oh and before that there was a woman who left a video on your computer. She said you two used to work together and-… MASTER: (mumbles) I shouldn't have left you alone. (Whispers to himself) I should have known she would come after me… I should have known it was her… (Speaks louder) Listen, whatever that was, don't worry-…don't even think about it. I promise you'll never have to worry about it again. I don't care about the computer... Look- I need to do something. [He rushes out of the room in the direction of the piano room.] KAITO: There's more-… (Calling after him) You didn't hear the whole story! MEIKO: This is just what I was talking about! Master with his secrets. MIKU: Master, wait! [She pauses, then runs after him.] KAITO: (speaks after a moment's hesitation) I wonder…who was she? [MIKU is seen walking into the piano room. But the room is already empty.] Scene 7 An unknown facility lab is shown. The laboratory is dirty and dimly lit. There is a large, cluttered table near the side of the room, and a capsule in the corner. The mysterious woman from the computer message sits in front of a large selection of computers with a control panel. MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: Looks like my little Viruses didn't work after all. [She hits a few keys on the control panel.] Oh well. [The beeping of a virus is heard.] VIPER: Back to the drawing board.