Entropy Part 8

40. An oldish black man is sitting in the foyer looking up at Derrick.

DERRICK
Who are you?

YANDO
Yando.

DERRICK
You don't look like Yando.

YANDO
Well I am.

DERRICK
(Confused again) Come in.

41. Derrick and Yando enter the office. Derrick motions for Yando to sit down on a high stool. Derrick sits opposite him in a well used lounge chair. There is a marked difference in seating height, Derrick being smaller. Derrick pulls up a bottle.

DERRICK
Would you like a drink? This is classic '4. (Holding up bottle of alcoholic beverage #4).

YANDO
No thank you. There are rumors around that the '4 has been spiked with some sort of mind altering drug. The consumers of which are affected in the following ways:
1. They are unable to determine reality from fiction.
2. Conversations between people often end up in confusion, with the consumer unable to follow even the most basic of sentence structures.
3. Hallucegenia and related symptoms quickly follow, and
4. Eventual and irrevocable decay of one's pig.

DERRICK
Pig?

YANDO
(Nods)

DERRICK
I don't have a pig.

YANDO
Nor do I.

DERRICK
That's good.

YANDO
Yes.

DERRICK
(Pause) So, that is why you came?

YANDO
What?

DERRICK
Alcoholic beverage #4. (Waves bottle)

YANDO
Yes please. Stirred, not shaken.

DERRICK
What?

YANDO
(Pointing at the bottle) The '4. You are offering it aren't you?

DERRICK
(Realisation) Oh yes, of course. (pours drink. Looks up. Yando is gone). (Rather than looking surprised or spooked. Derrick is mildly annoyed. There is a knock at the door. Yando's face peers around the edge.)

YANDO
Excuse me, I let myself in. I need to talk.

DERRICK
Just leave me alone. I need to call someone.

(Yando leaves. Derrick goes to the phone, newspaper in hand. He begins to dial the numbers - one at a time, breathing the numbers as he looks at the ad. Just before he finishes dialling, a recorded tone a voice sound, stating "The number you have dialled has insufficient digits. Please pass the pig and dial again." Derrick swears.)

42. Gittins travelling in PTV. He is very badly dressed, unshaven and dirty. A large pimple is swelling on his left cheek. His eyes are bloodshot.

GITTINS (V.O)
I was excited. I was on my first case. I had received a phone call at 3.30am from a man raving about his pig. It had to be some form of code, someone from the secret police working undercover. Either that, or the guy was nuts. I tried to ring Marjorie, but all she did was swear at me when I told her the details. I tried calling her again, but the line was cut off. I think I need to keep Marjorie annoyed to work well together. If I don't keep prodding her, annoying her, insulting her or making fun of her, I'll lose her. She's valuable. Well, actually she's not, but she's useful... to a point. If I could somehow get her gun and use her to do all the dirty grotty stuff, it'll be good. After all, she used to be a cleaner didn't she?

43. Gittins knocks on door to unmarked apartment. He is carrying a garbage can lid and an open packet of instant soup.

GITTINS (V.O)
This was a part of the world I hadn't been to before - the central southern province. It was a haven for freelance drug addicts and street sweepers - each keeping the other in business. Tonight was a typical night. Just before I had knocked on the door I had encountered something strange. While I was.... Oh hang on....

(The door opens, interrupting VO. Derrick looks out).

DERRICK
Are you Githtens?

GITTINS
Gittins

DERRICK
Great, come in. (Gittins does so)

44. Inside Derrick's apartment. Same as 39-40. Gittins puts garbage can lid and soup packet carefully in a corner.

DERRICK
What are they?

GITTINS
(Turning towards Derrick and limping towards him) A garbage can lid and a packet of instant soup.

DERRICK
(Looking confused again) Oh, okay.

GITTINS
What do you want from me Mr Derrick? You interrupted a particularly nasty dream. I dreamt I was a man typing a story on a computer when I suddenly lost inspiration and decided to insert myself into the text.

DERRICK
What happened then?

GITTINS
I just continued the story as before. Now what do you want. You mentioned something about a pig?

DERRICK
I own a number of freelance businesses Mr Gihtens...

GITTINS
Gittins

DERRICK
yes, sorry... and one of my businesses produces a particularly profitable alcoholic beverage (hands bottle of #4 to Gittins).

GITTINS
(Impressed) You make the '4? I'm impressed.

DERRICK
Well, I make a lot of them. There are at least 5 other rival businesses who also make it.

GITTINS
Well at least it's only 5. Some branded goods and services are produced by up to 20 different businesses.

DERRICK
(shaking head) And most of them produce garbage.

GITTINS
Exactly. So what's your problem?

DERRICK
Someone came in and played around with the mix. They added some form of mind altering drug. I was sitting here earlier tonight drinking some of my '4....

GITTINS
Trying to keep the blackness away?

DERRICK
(nodding) exactly.. anyway, I was here with my.... one of my colleagues, when something strange happenned.

GITTINS
(Stands up, hobbles over to bar and pours himself a '3) So why are you hiring me? I'm just a man of medium height with a slight limp.

DERRICK
That's precisely the reason why. And I think you're the best.. at least that's what your ad said in the World news.

GITTINS
Ah ha. That explains why you keep calling me Gihtens. The moron who runs the newspaper can't spell.

DERRICK
Ah, but you have to admit he is doing pretty well for himself. He has the highest selling newspaper now that the editor of the Daily Information for Earth Distributer has D.E.Y.D.

GITTINS
That's a pity, it had a pretty good reputation. Do you think another corporate war is brewing?

DERRICK
We haven't had a corporate war for awhile, especially since the last one attracted the attention of the government. Too many dead bodies in prominent places led them to think something untoward was going on.

GITTINS
I remember. I was taken in.

DERRICK
(Suddenly interested) You were taken in? How did you get out?

GITTINS
(looking very uncomfortable) I managed to escape with some friends. It was a pretty painful time, painful memories you know?

DERRICK
(nodding) Hmm, the blackness.

(They both nod knowingly)

to be continued...

© 2006 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight-entropy.blogspot.com/




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