1 COMPUTER MONITOR. ROOM. NIGHT
Music over opening credit sequence.
A computer monitor. 8 windows open in ‘Zoom’: empty bedrooms, a kitchen, a den, a patio, a motel room.
In the right top corner GABRIEL, mid 20’s, longish shaggy blonde hair, sits in a room cluttered with musical instruments, the keyboard of a synthesizer resting on his lap. He is playing the music we are listening to.
Title Card: GABRIEL
Cammie, 19, long blonde hair, appears in the lower left window; dressed and made up as if going out for a night on the town. She waves to Gabriel. He takes one hand off the keyboard for a moment, waves to her; beams a rascal’s smile.
Title Card: CAMMIE
ARDALAN, an Iraqi man in his late 20s, wearing shorts and a t-shirt with the graphic of an upraised fist on it, appears in another window; a large Papua-New Guinean string bilum bag slung from his shoulder.
He stops, listens appreciatively to Gabriel’s music.
Gabriel looks up, sees Ardalan, smiles, raises a thumb in greeting. Ardalan smiles, raises a thumb to Gabriel; walks up close to the digital devise filming him, places his hand on his heart, greets Cammie with a smile.
ARDALAN
Assalam alaikum
CAMMIE (smiles)
Peace be upon you, Ardalan.
Title Card: ARDALAN
LI NA, 20ish, Chinese-Australian appears in her window; blonde streaks in her short-cropped black hair. She smiles, blows kisses to Gabriel, Ardalan and Cammie; hold up a USB device for Gabriel to see. He smiles; nods.
Li Na listens to the music appreciatively for a moment, moving her body in sync with it.
Title Card: LI NA
Li Na leans forward with the USB device, inserts it into her computer. Gabriel smiles at her; nods. Li Na leaps up, walks out of her ‘window’; disappears from view.
FATIMA, early 20s, Lebanese-Australian, conservatively dressed, her demeanor that of a shy introvert, appears in her ‘window’, waves to the others; her accent broad Australian.
FATIMA
Hi everyone.
Title Card: FATIMA
Gabriel, Ardalan and Cammie greet her warmly.
Li Na reappears in her ‘window’ carrying a Hang percussive instrument; a happy smile on her face.
FATIMA
I didn’t know we were doing music tonight!
Cammie shakes her head, smiles: “Don’t ask me.”
GABRIEL (to Fatima)
You got your oud?
FATIMA
No, but...
Gabriel signals to Fatima, with eyes and gesture: “Get it.”
Fatima smiles, gets up, walks out of frame.
Li Na sits with the Hang on her lap; listens to Gabriel’s groove; waiting for the right time to join him in it.
ARDALAN
Just as I well I came prepared.
He smiles, takes a Middle Eastern tambourine from his bilum bag as Fatima walks back into
frame carrying her oud.
Gabriel’s eyes light up.
GABRIEL
Yes. Yes. Yes.
SANDY, mid 20s, handsome, blonde, tight t-shirt (with a yellow, black and white tiger logo on it) highlights his athletic build, appears in his ‘window’; watches for moment as Li Na, Gabriel, Ardalan and Fatima jam together.
Title Card: SANDY
Sandy has to speak loudly to be heard above the music.
SANDY
Fuck. It’s times like this...
GABRIEL
Never too late to learn, bro.
SANDY
Too late for me, I think.
GABRIEL
Never too late. Ay, Cammie?
Cammie bites her lip. He has hit a raw nerve.
2 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM. DAY
Flashback. Brief.
Another time. Cammie, in as dressing gown, unmade up, sits in her room, a violin held tentatively in her hands; racked with indecision.
3 EXT. TROPICAL BEACH. DAY
The jam music, led by Gabriel, continues over. Ardalan stands in front of a wire mesh fence topped with barbed wire; looking out to sea.
ARDALAN (voice over)
You know, of course, that the pandemic had reached a new peak that month.
Ardalan’s hands grip the wire tightly; his face expressive of his frustration; his anger.
ARDALAN (voice over)
No end was in sight. For any of us. We were all in...jail.
4 INT. MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT
Ardalan plays his tambourine in sync with the music Gabriel and the others play - seen on the digital device propped up in front of him. He has a happy smile on his face.
ARDALAN (voice over)
We Zoomers had also reached a kind of peak. This was our honeymoon?
5 INT. GABRIEL’S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT
Gabriel’s fingers ride up and down the keyboard of his synth, making beautiful music. He is in his element. Happy. So too are those he is jamming with - seen in their individual ‘windows’ on his computer monitor.
ARDALAN (voice over)
Love was in the air.
As Ardalan’s voice over continues we dip into each of the ‘windows’ to take a closer look at Cammie, Sandy, Fatima and Li Na - all enjoying the cyber jam session.
NOTE: At least two, possibly three, Zoomers have yet to be born and integrated into this sequence; into the story as a whole. It is my hope, my wish, that these characters be the creations of the young screenwriters I am currently talking with in hopes that a few of them will join the Zoomers screenwriting team.
ARDALAN (voice over)
This was the family I missed. So much. In detention. Cut off. Locked up. Not alone, but....lonely.
6 INT. DORMITORY. DAY
Ardalan sits alone in a dormitory filled with bunk beds; looks at photos of his family laid out on his bed.
ARDALAN (voice over)
Half my family in Iraq; half in Australia.
7 INT. FATIMA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Fatima dances as she plays her oud: a belly dance that is both ‘real’ and being comically sent up by her - much to the amusement of the others seen on her computer monitor screen.
ARDALAN (voice over)
We Zoomers were....like a tribe. That’s what Cammie called us. The ‘Aussie Zoomer tribe’.
8 INT. ARDALAN’S MOTEL ROOM. DAY
Another time. Ardalan, dressed differently, bearded now, looks directly at the camera; at us.
Through a window behind him: palm trees, tropical vegetation; a wire mesh fence.
ARDALAN
I’m in New Guinea, as you know, but they all accepted me as an Aussie. An honorary Aussie. I was happy. We all were.
9 COMPUTER MONITOR. ROOM. NIGHT
Gabriel signals to his fellow musicians, builds the music to a crescendo: brings it to an end.
Happy laughter all around.
ARDALAN (voice over)
We belonged. To each other.
As Ardalan speaks, all his fellow Zoomers, get up and turn off the lights in their rooms. Gabriel plays a mellow piece of music on his synth keyboard.
ARDALAN (voice over)
We thought that nothing could ever come between us. We were one, bound together by...
10 INT. ARDALAN’S MOTEL ROOM. DAY
Close on Ardalan’s bearded face. Tears well in his eyes as he looks directly at us.
ARDALAN
...this is going to sound corny... love... we were there for each other through thick and thin.” For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer..” I forget the next bit... ”to love and to cherish...”
11 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Cammie talks directly to the camera.
CAMMIE
Till death us do part.
The others, their faces bathed in soft light emanating from a white candle, held in their left
hand, respond in unison:
ZOOMERS
Till death us do part.
They all place their right hands close to the cameras in the digital devices filming them; such that the hands fill two thirds of the screen.
GABRIEL
And may the force be with you.
They all laugh.
As they all turn the lights back on, extinguish their candles, engage in playful badinage:
ARDALAN
We swam in a sea of love, but what happens when people who love each other want...expect different things in their relationships? Of life. Not just now, but...what is the right word? General? Generally.
As the scene progresses we move between different windows:
FATIMA
I want, I want, I want...No, I long to be with the one I love...You know that song, “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with’? I mean, I love all you guys but...I miss kissing, cuddling...touching...’the one I love’. Yes, that’s what I miss the most...touching...being touched.
GABRIEL
And who is the one you love?
FATIMA
A girl is entitled to her secrets.
SANDY
Are boys entitled to theirs?
FATIMA
No, boys must wear their hearts on their sleeves always.
(general laughter.)
And you, Cammie?
CAMMIE
Today? I want my mother to stop going to work. Every day it’s like...Russian roulette. Is she going to catch it? Generally? The same. Oh, and I can’t wait for university to open up again.
FATIMA
I thought you were still at school?
CAMMIE
I am, but...when I finish.
LI NA
And study what?
CAMMIE
Anthropology.
GABRIEL
Never would have taken you for an anthropologist.
SANDY
Can’t judge a book by its cover, Gabs.
GABRIEL
You think? I reckon most covers give you pretty good idea of what’s inside.
SANDY
That’s because you are such shallow superficial dude, Gabs.
GABRIEL
Leave the deep and meaningful to you, bro. How’re you doing?
12 INT. SANDY’S BEDROOM. DAY
Flashback; forward ?
Sandy, sweating profusely, wearing boxer shorts only, (a fine physical specimen) steps off his running machine, in mid-conversation with Imogen, a journalist, seen in a window on his computer monitor:
SANDY
Sorry, I’ve completely forgotten your name.
IMOGEN
Imogen. From “The Footy Show”. Writing that article about...
SANDY
That’s right. Of course. “Football and social distancing”?
(He gestures to his running machine)
Yes, two hours a day. Minimum.
IMOGEN (flirting)
Looks like you’re in pretty good shape?
SANDY (flirting)
And you? Are you in good shape, Imogen?
13 INT. SANDY’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Sandy talks to his digital device, his fellow Zoomers onscreen in their ‘windows.
GABRIEL
You sticking to your regime?
SANDY
My love hate relationship with my running machine is wearing thin. I want to run...outside, sweat ...wind in my hair...you know...
GABRIEL (sings)
“Born free, as free as the wind blows…”
SANDY
Fantasizing running a half marathon.
GABRIEL
Want to know what I’m fantasizing about these days?
The others all laugh good-naturedly. In unison:
ZOOMERS
No.
GABRIEL
You’ve all got filthy one track minds.
CAMMIE
Unlike you?
GABRIEL
Pot calling the kettle black there, Cams.
CAMMIE (laughs)
Ouch. (A BEAT) There are other things I think about?
GABRIEL
Like?
CAMMIE
Mmmm...
(Suddenly serious)
What all this ‘thing’ means.
(She extends her arms)
And if it means nothing, what does that mean? Nothing? Something? Fuck! What the fuck! Are we just pawns in some big cosmic game? And if we are, who is making up the rules?
GABRIEL
Where did that come from?
CAMMIE
You don’t lie in bed at night and think about this kind of shit?
GABRIEL
No, I lie in bed thinking about...
CAMMIE
What to do with your dick?
GABRIEL (laughs)
It’s on my list, but not close to the top.
SANDY
What’s at the top?
GABRIEL (serious)
This. Us. We. This tribe. Belonging.
SANDY
I’ll second that.
FATIMA
I’ll third it...
They all laugh.
CAMMIE
And you, Li Na?
14 INT. ROOM IN AGED CARE FACILITY. NIGHT
Flashback
Nai Nai, Chinese, elderly, frail, sits in a wheelchair; a small dog curled up on her lap; speaks in broken English to a digital device on which Li Na’s face can be seen:
NAI NAI
When are you coming to visit me?
LI NA
You know I can’t.
NAI NAI
You could sneak in late at night.
15 INT. LI NA’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Li Na has tears in her eyes.
LI NA
To see gran Nai Nai. That’s all I really want.
SANDY
How is she?
LI NA
Frail. Very frail. I just want to hug her.
The others place their hands close to their cameras. Hands fill each ‘window’. Li Na holds her hand up to touch them all in cyberspace.
16 INT. GABRIEL’S LIVING ROOM. NIGHT
Gabriel takes his hand away from the camera mounted on his monitor, puts his synth keyboard down; reaches for a guitar.
GABRIEL
Wrote a new piece this morning.
(southern drawl) )
Y’all wanna hear it?
SANDY
Do we have a choice?
GABRIEL (grins)
No, mate. No choice
FATIMA
I want to hear it.
CAMMIE
Me too.
LI NA
Me three.
Gabriel starts to play a mellow tune.
17 INT. ARDALAN’S MOTEL ROOM. MANUS ISLAND. DAY
Gabriel’s music continues over Ardalan, bearded, looking directly at the camera.
ARDALAN
But then, out of nowhere...
18 EXT. APARTMENT BLOCK. NIGHT
From a height, looking down:
A body lying face down on the pavement below.
19 INT. ARDALAN’S MOTEL ROOM. MANUS ISLAND. DAY
Tears roll down Ardalan’s cheeks.
ARDALAN
Why? That’s what you are trying to figure out, right?
20 EXT. APARTMENT BLOCK. NIGHT
From above; a closer shot. A policeman cordons off the body with black and yellow ‘DO NOT ENTER’ tape.
21 INT. COMPUTER. NIGHT
The Zoomers listen happily to Gabriel’s playing, each of their ‘windows’ opening to reveal them closely, as Ardalan’s voice continues over:
ARDALAN (voice over)
Were any of us responsible? Implicated in a murder? A suicide?
22 EXT. APARTMENT BLOCK. NIGHT
A closer shot yet, from above.
A second policeman asks members of the small crowd that has gathered, all wearing face masks, not to take photos.
The symbol on the t-shirt of the body is recognizable as the ‘Eye of Horus’.
ARDALAN (voice over)
Or were we just not good enough friends at a time when friendship, caring for each other is...all we have?
Moving closer to the body. The face, turned sideways on the pavement, is obscured by a mop of blonde hair.
23 INT. CAMMIE’S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Gabriel’s music gives way the loud sound of a vacuum cleaner.
Seen through a wide-angle lens; slightly distorted:
A 34 inch computer monitor rests on a desk cluttered with school text books, a smartphone and a digital ‘slate’.
Clipped to the top of the monitor is a small video camera.
Title card: Three months earlier
There are several ‘windows’ open on the monitor: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and Zoom, along with high school-work related folders.
Cammie walks into frame in the background; vacuuming.
ARDALAN (voice over)
One thing I think you’ll find we all agree about. It all began, this Zoomer thing, with Cammie.
Title card: CAMMIE
Cammie wears a school uniform; her blonde hair tied in a plaited bun on top of her head. She wears wireless earphones; moves in sync with the music she is listening to. A doorway behind her opens into an ensuite bathroom.
Alongside the computer: a LED light on a stand, turned off, four Remote Control devices and a plastic bottle of ‘Instant Hand Sanitiser’, sitting on top of a pile of books.
The cursor on the computer starts to move of its own accord; opens the Tik Tok window.
A teenage girl with blue hair, blue lipstick, her face caked with layers of make-up (blue tears beneath her eyes) and wearing an exotic (bizarre) outfit, pleads, in song, with her green-haired, pink lipstick-ed teen girlfriend:
BLUE HAIRED GIRL (singing)
Spill the tea, what did he say,
Tell me, tell me; make my day.
The cursor onscreen clicks on: “Brave New World Discussion Notes.”
A school teacher looks out at us from the screen:
SCHOOL TEACHER
What does Orwell mean when he writes: “But I do not want comfort. I want God. I want poetry, I want real danger. I want freedom. I want goodness. I want sin.”
In the background, Cammie turns off the vacuum cleaner, dances to the music she is listening to. The cursor clicks on the red dot in the upper left hand side of the window, closes the page; opens Cammie’s social media windows briefly:
- Cats dressed in designer clothes, sunglasses, on a catwalk
- Friend’s ‘selfies’
- Inspirational quotes: “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
As Cammie dances in the background, the cursor moves to the Chrome web browser; opens ‘Google’, clicks on ‘History’.
Cammies most recent Google searches are revealed. The cursor searches through them, clicks on:
Mind Control Technology
A woman of Asian extraction talks to camera, a moving graphic of a 3-D brain behind her.
ASIAN WOMAN
By channelling our brain waves into real world commands we are on the cusp of a kind of brain augmentation that will transform the way we are as humans…
Cammie turns off the vacuum cleaner. The cursor closes the window. The thin, faint sound of the music Cammie was dancing to, emanating from her earbuds, can now be faintly heard.
As Cammie packs the vacuum cleaner into a cupboard, the cursor moves fast through Cammie’s Google ‘history’; opens a web page:
A photo of man in a Guy Fawkes mask, with text that reads:
“How to use TOR browser to access the Dark Web”
As Cammie walks towards her computer, the cursor closes the window.
Cammie picks up the bottle of hand sanitiser, squirts some on her hands, rubs them together, still moving to the music.
She unclips an mp3 digital player from the belt around her waist, turns the music off, leans forward to place it just out of frame. As she does so, close to the camera filming her now, Cammie’s face distorts in the wide angle lens.
A new camera angle. In a mid-shot we see Cammie placing her mp3 player alongside a laptop computer, its screen open and close to her face for a moment. She seems unaware that the camera in her laptop is filming her.
From the POV of the new camera angle, Cammie looks at her watch; sits in front of her computer, with its 34 inch screen.
ARDALAN (voice over)
It had only just become apparent to all of us, to everyone, that this ‘thing’...that’s what Cammie called it...was not just going to go away...
Behind Cammie, a single bed has her childhood soft toys and dolls propped up against the pillows. On it also rests a laptop computer, its screen flipped open; facing her back.
ARDALAN (voice over)
...that it might be a few months before our lives would return to normal.
Cammie opens a document, consults notes, thinks for a moment; starts typing. As her fingers fly fast across the keyboard we can take in some of the details of her cluttered and cramped bedroom:
A running machine and an exercise bike occupy one corner; alongside a small bar refrigerator - close to an open sliding glass door leads onto a small verandah. On the other side of the road can be seen the lit windows of the upper floors of high rise apartment blocks.
Against one wall there is a three-mirror dressing table, on which rests a hair dryer, crimping irons and a vast array of beauty products.
ARDALAN (voice over)
And what if no vaccine was discovered? We didn’t talk about that then, but it was in the back of all our minds.
In front of the dressing table is a photographic collage: 36 ‘selfies’ of Cammie. In each she has a different hair style, wears different make-up and has a different expression on her face - from happy and carefree to sullen and angry.
Posters on the walls, photos of family and friends, the room’s decor, all suggest that Cammie is a fairly ‘typical’ member of her generation - Gen Z.
Cammie picks up one of four remote control devices beside her computer, realizes she has the wrong one, picks up another, points it directly at us, presses a button.
ARDALAN (voice over)
We were all, in different ways, bored...I didn’t even have the advantage that the others had of being able to binge watch Netflix...
The shot we are looking at tightens a little. She looks at her computer monitor (we do not see it), presses a button for a few seconds more. The shot tightens a little more.
Cammie places the remote control back on her desk, picks up another, presses a button. The LED light on a stand beside her computer lights up, bathing her face in soft light. She places the remote on the desk.
24 INT. ARDALAN’S MOTEL ROOOM. DAY
Ardalan, bearded, looks directly at the camera.
ARDALAN (voice over)
...so when Cammie reached out to us....well...it was hard to say ‘no’ to Cammie. Very Hard.
25 INT. CAMMIE'S BEDROOM. NIGHT
Cammie, wearing a pair of glasses now, places a remote control device on the desk beside her, looks directly at us.
ARDALAN (voice over)
No-one could say ‘no’ to Cammie. At least, not at the beginning.
Cammie’s tone of voice is warm, intimate. She speaks fast.
CAMMIE
Hi. Welcome to my prison.
CAMMIE
Where to begin? Home schooling!?
NOTE: For the next 90 seconds, this scene is held in one shot; ‘jump cut’ so that it moves fast; with few pauses.
CAMMIE
The good things about it? I get to work when I feel like it. The bad things? I don’t like much in the curriculum. Except for English. I love to read. This pile keeps me sane...ish.
Cammie indicates the pile of books on her desk, picks up one; seemingly at random; opens it at a random page, reads:
CAMMIE
“With his lips on mine and one hand lightly caressing my breasts, his other hand...”
(flirting for the camera)
You get the idea. This one is not a set school text, in case you are wondering.
She stands, tosses the book onto her bed; takes her glasses off, tosses them onto her bed, beside the book; indicates her school uniform.
CAMMIE
This is mum’s idea.
She unpins the bun on top of her head; mimics her mother.
CAMMIE
“If you dress for school, you’ll feel like you’re in school.”
(she undoes her plaits...)
It’s not true, but I humour her.
(A BEAT) Most days.
(...shakes her hair free)
I cheat sometimes, especially when she has day shifts and I know there is no chance of her checking on me.
Cammie combs her fingers through her hair to loosen it; shakes her head up and down to give it volume, looks directly into the camera; flirting theatrically:
CAMMIE
You like? (A BEAT) I like that thing you posted on Tik Tok. Funny as!
Cammie looks at her smart watch as she walks across the room. The camera swivels to follow her:
CAMMIE
Sorry I can’t talk for long right now, that’s why I am talking so fast. Actually, I’m capping. I talk fast all the time. Drives mum crazy. And she’s not the only one. I drive a lot of people crazy. Even me.
She pauses a moment, as if not quite sure what to say next; picks up one of four control devices sitting alongside her lap top; presses a button. Her computer monitor comes alive with news of the pandemic. Only the back of the monitor is visible.
TV BROADCAST (VO)
The death toll, world-wide, now stands at...
CAMMIE
Oops.
CAMMIE
Anyhow, good to meet you, Fatima. Does anyone call you Fatty?
Fatima would love to respond but the option is not open to her.
26 INT. CAMMIE’S AND FATIMA’S BEDROOMS. NIGHT
Cutting between the two bedrooms:
Cammie uses the remote control device to switch her computer off, places it on her desk, picks up another, presses a button; points it at a smartphone mounted on a moveable gimble atop a tripod 8 feet in front of her.
The ‘window’ on Fatima’s monitor with Cammie live-streamed on it, goes black for a few seconds; flickers back to life. Cammie looks at Fatima:
CAMMIE
That’s how quickly I can terminate you. If I want to. Remember that, Fatty.
Remote control device in her hand, Cammie moves to her dressing table, sits on a swivel stool with her back to its three mirrors, points the remote control at us again.
CAMMIE
So here’s how it works.
The shot on Fatima’s monitor zooms in closer on Cammie.
CAMMIE
You make a video, send it to me, I send it to the others, we look at it and decide if you are ‘one of us’ or not. Okay?
Cammie turns around; her back to the smartphone on the gimble now. We can see three images of her in the mirrors - one front on, two in semi profile; framed by the photographic collage of selfies.
She dabs Magic Eye Rescue to the ‘blemishes and imperfections’ of her face; freezes, stares at herself in the mirror for a long moment; no longer playful.
CAMMIE
Do you think about dying?
She looks at the mirror reflection of the camera filming her; directly at Fatima.
CAMMIE
I do. A lot. I don’t want to die and yet it wasn’t long ago...
(She touches her wrist)
...that I thought that dying was the best way out of this…I don’t mean this ‘thing’ that is racing around the world like a mad thing killing everyone, but this....life...
(She runs a finger across her wrist)
So much sadness...too much...Now that people I know are dying and...hey, I could be one of them....I want to live. I don’t want to die. And if they can’t invent a vaccine...Fuck!
Cammie sits still for a long moment, thinking, worrying, before snapping suddenly out of her reflective mood; back into ‘playful’.
CAMMIE
But if it is not to be, hey! It is what it is...eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die, someone famous once said. Can’t remember who. Speaking of drinking...
She stands, walks up to the bar fridge, opens the door.
This shot is framed such that we can see her glasses and the book she threw on her bed:
“TRIBE” Sebastian Junger “On Homecoming and Belonging”
Cammie takes a bottle of pink Rosé from the mini fridge.
CAMMIE
A present from The Rod. He’s not one of us, but he is cute. Has a great six pack and....well...
(she pours herself a glass of Rosé)
...he has a way with words. He can tell a story that is both... imaginative... clever...and sexy...
(She sips her wine)
Very sexy.
Cammie sits at her dresser, in front of the three mirrors; inspects her face for imperfections.
CAMMIE
I don’t want to overdo it with the make-up. I mean...
As Cammie sips her wine, talks, Fatima moves a chair close to a large cupboard.
CAMMIE
...it’s not like I’m going out to a club or anything and want to look better than all the other girls.
Fatima stands on the chair, reaches up, feels around the top of the cupboard; locates a slim parcel.
CAMMIE
No-one but my date...his name is Sandy, by the way...is going to see me.
Fatima walks with the parcel to her dressing table.
CAMMIE
Did I tell you I had a date? In a few minutes now. He’s going to join our tribe. Look…
Cammie swivels the monitor around so that Fatima can see the photo of Sandy that fills the screen.
CAMMIE (smitten)
Cute as...
Fatima smiles as she opens the parcel; takes out four different coloured wigs - red, green, blue, blonde.
CAMMIE
Yes, we’re calling it a tribe. Like “Lord of the Flies” but without the flies. Or the blood and gore. No Piggies in this club. And no Jacks or Ralphs either. No leaders, no followers. Egalitarian. Check it out on google if you don’t know what ‘egalitarian’ means.
Fatima rolls her eyes; shakes her head.
Cammie takes another sip of her pink Rosé; sits down on the swivel stool, leans close to the mirrors applies highlighter to her eyebrows. Her smartphone rings. She picks it up. Her mother voice is heard through speakers:
CAMMIE’S MUM’S VOICE
My precious?
Cammie rolls her eyes at Fatima; reaches for a remote device.
CAMMIE’S MUM’S VOICE
It’s all quiet on the ward, for a change and I thought...
Cammie mutes her mother’s voice; nods; looks at her watch.
CAMMIE
Thanks mum. Yes, I am still studying. Yes, I will finish that assignment. Yes, I can fix myself dinner. No, I’m not being rude. I’m busy. What I am busy with is none of your business! Mum, for fuck’s sake, why do we have to go through this every day? Gotta go. Love you.
(she hangs up)
Mothers! (A BEAT) I guess you’ve got a mum, right? and she gives you a hard time, right...
Cammie sips her wine; looks at her watch; looks at Fatima.
CAMMIE
I don’t want mum to worry about me. I’m 19 for fuck’s sake. Does she have a good reason to worry? Mmmm...Yes. And I have good reasons to worry about me, so we’re even. (A BEAT) I wish she would stop work...stay home. I know that’s selfish, but...I’ve only got one mum. She works in a hospital and is super busy right now, as you can imagine. (A BEAT) I love my mum. She’s the best. She drives me crazy, but not as crazy as I drive her. And you?
(she laughs)
That’s a rhetorical question. Tell us about it in your video. If you don’t know what ‘rhetorical’ means, check out google. That’s R-H-E-T-O-R-I-C-A-L...
(her computer ‘dings’)
Shit, gotta go, sorry, Fatty. More later...I’ll text you.
Fatima laughs, shakes her head, as Cammie swivels around, looks at Sandy onscreen, in a Zoom window alongside one with her sitting at the computer monitor.
CAMMIE
Be with you in sec, Sandy.
She minimizes the window linked to the smartphone on a gimble filming her. Sandy, sitting at his computer, fills half the screen now. Sandy’s POV of Cammie fills the other half.
Cammie picks up a remote control device, points it at the smartphone on the gimble; presses the ‘off’ button; swings around to face the monitor.
Cammie has picked up the wrong device. Her conversation with Sandy is being live-streamed into Fatima’s bedroom.
CAMMIE
Sorry ‘bout that, Sandy. Hi.
SANDY
Hi.
Cammie glances at her smart watch.
CAMMIE
You’re very punctual, aren’t you?
SANDY
If you say you’re going to do something...I reckon you should just do it.
CAMMIE
Yes, flakes drive me crazy.
SANDY
Why’d you want to be my friend?
CAMMIE
Doesn’t every young woman in Australia want to be your friend? More to the point, why did you accept me?
SANDY
Your smile?
CAMMIE (flattered)
My smile?
SANDY
The way you hide behind it.
This wipes the satisfied smile off Cammie’s face.
CAMMIE
Hide?
SANDY
You know what I mean. And I know you know what I mean.
They look at each other for a long moment.
SANDY
Don’t you?
(Cammie nods)
Do you want to beat around the bush? Or cut to the chase?
CAMMIE
Beat around the bush for....say, a few minutes, then cut to the chase.
Sandy laughs.
SANDY
You got a stopwatch?
CAMMIE (laughs)
I do, actually but...tell me something interesting about yourself.
SANDY
I don’t like beating around the bush. Your turn.
CAMMIE
I’m a compulsive liar.
SANDY (laughs)
You’re lying, right?
CAMMIE
No.
SANDY
No, you’re not lying about being a compulsive liar?
CAMMIE
Yes.
SANDY
Yes, you are lying about being a compulsive liar?
CAMMIE (laughs)
Yes, both of those are true.
(they laugh together)
Sandy?
SANDY
Cammie?
CAMMIE
I have a confession to make.
SANDY (laughs)
You do move fast, don’t you?
CAMMIE
‘Hurricane Cammie’, my mum calls me.
SANDY
So, what’s your confession? You’re not really a girl?
CAMMIE
No, but the surgeon did a pretty good job, don’t you think?
SANDY
Six out of ten. Maybe a seven
CAMMIE (laughs)
At least make it an eight. No...well,
I have been....am...drinking.
She pulls her glass of pink Rosé into frame.
Sandy laughs, pulls his long neck bottle of beer into frame.
They both laugh.
SANDY
Cheers
CAMMIE
Cheers.
They both clink their respective drinks against their computer screens.
SANDY
I’m trying to cut back.
CAMMIE
I’m not, but I suppose I should.
SANDY
Your liver would probably appreciate it.
Cammie laughs. There is a moment of awkward silence.
CAMMIE
That ‘pandemic porn’ thing you posted was pretty funny.
SANDY (smiles)
That two minutes went very fast.
CAMMIE
Thought you didn’t like beating around the bush. (A BEAT) Seems like you are into that stuff.
SANDY
Some of it is pretty funny.
CAMMIE
Do you get off on it?
(Sandy smiles sheepishly)
I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. (A BEAT) I’ve written a script, actually... ‘pandemic porn’ and I’m looking for some actors…
Sandy looks at her; unsure if she is bullshitting him or not.
SANDY
Yes, I do get off on it, but I’m trying to cut back.
CAMMIE
Your penis would probably appreciate it.
SANDY (laughs)
Tell me about your script.
CAMMIE (laughs)
You asking as a viewer or...you interested in being a performer? Just kidding. (A BEAT) Mmmm...or am I?
(Serious now)
Do you ever find it difficult to tell, sometimes. I mean, you imagine something, right, but you know it can never happen. And then, just like this ‘thing’ that’s invaded us...like from outer space...from inner space...and has us all cooped up like...fucking rats in a huge cosmic lab experiment...the thing we could never have imagined...becomes... reality ...and what came before...our lives, like yesterday, seem like...a dream...a kind of paradise. Lost.
She looks at Sandy for affirmation. He reaches out with his hand, touches the screen of his computer. Cammie follows suit. Their hands meet in cyberspace.
CAMMIE
So, nothing seems impossible anymore...if you can imagine it...but at the same time, everything seems impossible, if you know what I mean.
Sandy smiles, shakes his head.
SANDY
So that’s what’s hiding behind that smile.
Cammie beams the happiest of smiles; holds her glass of Rosé up to the computer screen.
CAMMIE
Skol.
Sandy bursts out laughing, reaches out, picks up a long neck bottle of beer, holds it out to Cammie.
SANDY
Skol. My imagination scares me sometimes. The things I can imagine myself doing but can’t, because...
CAMMIE
Because?
SANDY
I can’t tell you on a first...is this a date?
CAMMIE
You can trust me.
SANDY
It’s me I can’t trust.
CAMMIE
I’m a little bit drunk.
SANDY
Me too.
CAMMIE
Maybe more than a little. (A BEAT) Do you have a six pack, Sandy?
SANDY
Of beer?
CAMMIE
You know what I mean. (A BEAT) I bet you do.
They look at each other for a long moment.
CAMMIE
Take your t-shirt off.
Sandy hesitates, his eyes locked on Cammie’s; peels off his t-shirt. Cammie finishes her Rosé; reaches for the bottle.
CAMMIE
Stand up. I want to see your six pack.
Sandy stands, flexes his stomach muscles.
Fatima’s jaw is dropping. She is not sure whether to turn her computer off or not. She decides against.
CAMMIE
Mmmm, not bad.
SANDY
You take off your shirt.
Cammie pours herself another glass of Rosé.
CAMMIE
Please.
SANDY
Take it off.
CAMMIE
You can’t just...tell me what to do. You have to ask politely.
SANDY
Did you ask me politely?
CAMMIE
No, I guess not.
Cammie takes a slug of Rosé, puts her glass down on the desk. As she does so, she knocks one of the remote control devices onto the floor; laughs.
CAMMIE
Oops!
Cammie unbuttons her school uniform shirt; takes it off; holds her arms protectively over her breasts for a moment; removes them; sits in her bra, looking at Sandy - shy but trying to act as confident as she can.
CAMMIE
Well?
SANDY
You fishing for a compliment?
CAMMIE
Yes.
SANDY
You have a beautiful body. (A BEAT) The bit I can see of it, that is.
CAMMIE
You want to see more?
SANDY
You want to show me more?
CAMMIE (flirty)
If you ask politely.
SANDY
I’m really more interested to find out if you are beautiful inside. Cliche, I know.
CAMMIE
No, I’m a bitch.
SANDY
Liar.
CAMMIE
I wish.
SANDY
So, who are you really, Cammie? You’re not really a school kid, are you?
Cammie laughs; sips her wine.
CAMMIE
Fake school girl?
SANDY
Something like that.
CAMMIE
Something?
(He hesitates)
Come on, Sandy, no secrets here, what kind of ‘something’? You won’t offend me with...the ‘truth’. Your truth. I’m unbreakable.
(gulps her Rosé.)
I’m not working for ‘Dream Lover’, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not about to ask you for your credit card details or anything.
SANDY
What’s ‘Dream Lover’?
CAMMIE
You don’t know?
(he shakes his head)
It’s an online chat service, where women get paid to flirt with men.
SANDY
Why would I want to pay, when I can flirt for free.
CAMMIE
Precisely. Do you do that a lot? Flirt online?
SANDY
A bit.
CAMMIE
Just a bit?
SANDY
OK, a lot....lately. Since...
CAMMIE
And how far do you take it? The flirting?
SANDY
Are you flirting with me now?
CAMMIE
Maybe, now if you’ll just give me your credit card details.
SANDY (laughs)
You ever worked for ‘Dream Lover’...or anything like that?
CAMMIE
I wish you hadn’t asked me that.
SANDY
It’s OK. Whatever answer you give me will be a lie.
Cammie laughs. Sandy smiles, takes a swig of his beer.
CAMMIE
No, I have never ever, in my whole life, engaged in online sexual activity of any kind.
Sandy laughs. Fatima’s jaw is dropping.
Cammie stands, undoes her skirt, lets it drop to the floor; stands self-consciously in her bra and knickers.
Sandy stands, takes his shorts off, stands facing Cammie, wearing only his y-front briefs.
Their bravado has deserted them. Both are overcome with shyness; are awkward; not sure what to do now.
CAMMIE
I needed some money one time. And I thought, “Hey, why not? Safe sex.” But it’s not safe. It does your head in.
SANDY
Is this doing your head in?
CAMMIE
No, because I like you. A lot.
SANDY
Is that the truth?
CAMMIE (nods)
Do you want to make love with me?
SANDY
Do I need to sign a consent form?
CAMMIE
As it happens, I had my lawyer draw one up.
(Sandy smiles)
“I consent to Sandy..whatever your second name is...making love with me in cyberspace, up to and including a ‘happy ending.’
SANDY
I wish they wouldn’t call it that.
CAMMIE
Oh!
SANDY
It can also be a sad ending, can’t it? Leave you feeling... empty? And even more alone?
Cammie bites her lip. Sandy moves his head close to his camera, so that it fills the window on Cammie’s monitor.
SANDY
Does it make you happy, Cammie? A ‘happy ending’?
Cammie moves close to the camera on her monitor.
CAMMIE
That’s a very personal question, Sandy.
SANDY
Yeah, and what’s your very personal answer...Cammie?
They look at each other for a long moment. Tears well in Cammie’s eyes. She fights them back; loses the fight. Tears stream down her cheeks. She shakes her head.
CAMMIE
I am so lonely, Sandy. So so lonely.
Sandy has tears in his eyes also.
SANDY
Me too.
They kiss their cameras; lips meeting in cyberspace.
Cammie, emotionally very vulnerable, looks away, directly at the smart phone on the gimble; realizes it is still filming. She leaps to her feet; shocked.
CAMMIE
Oh, fuck!
Fatima reacts with shock also..
Cammie grabs a remote device, points it at us; presses a button. Her computer turns off.
CAMMIE
Fuck, fuck, fuck...
She picks up two near to identical remote control devices and, as she is deciding which is the right one, there is a loud chiming sound. Cammie freezes, looks at the door to her bedroom. She shouts out:
CAMMIE
Mum?
MALE VOICE
It’s me.
CAMMIE
Hang on, ‘me’.
She panics, freezes for a moment before picking up a t-shirt from her bed, putting it on. It is emblazoned with an ‘Eye of Horus’ symbol.
She hesitates, unsure whether to answer the door or not. A sound intrudes. A buzzing sound. It grows louder and louder.
Cammie’s turns and looks towards the open doorway leading onto the verandah.
A tiny drone slips out of the darkness, into the open doorway and hovers just a few feet from her.
Cammie screams. Loudly.
‘Me’ at the front door shouts out:
MALE VOICE
Olivia, are you OK. Open up...
Cammie freezes, terrified; caught between the drone and the pounding at the door, unsure what to do.
Close on Fatima, watching with increasing alarm and fear. She brings her hand to her mouth; her eyes open in terror.
Freeze frame.
End of Episode One
