"Control the Future" scene 18 part 2 and scene 19

"CONTROL THE FUTURE"

by D. M. Larson

Buy the book on Amazon.com ISBN-13: 978-1540666581or
purchase a low cost PDF from Sellfy.com

 
SCENE 18 (PART 2)

(BAKER’s time traveling device starts beeping)

JONES (CONT.)

What’s that?

BAKER

We’re coming up on something. A critical moment I believe.

JONES
I’ve heard about that. They decided to get rid of that function later on. It’s not very reliable.

BAKER

That doesn’t mind we can’t take a look.

JONES
So this means something important is about to happen.

BAKER

If my old technology is right.

JONES

Not old… just… obsolete.

BAKER

Obsolete… nice.

JONES
Look. It’s young Ash.

BAKER

He found his comic.

JONES

That’s not good.

(ASH and ANNIE enter from oppostie sides of the stage. They see each other)

ANNIE

You got a dollar?

ASH

I had 5… but I bought a comic.

ANNIE

A comic… can’t eat that.

ASH

I wasn’t supposed to buy it.

ANNIE

Then why did you?

ASH

Some old guy died in the store… and it got me thinking… maybe that could be me one day.

ANNIE

We all die.

ASH

Right… so it’s important to make the most of living.

ANNIE

Yup, I’m living the high life myself out here.

ASH

Why do you live out here? Aren’t there places you can go for help?

ANNIE

I don’t want their kind of help. The kind of help I got from there was worse than living out here. I’d rather be on my own. At least I can control what happens to me.

ASH

That’s what I want too… control. That’s what caught my eye in this comic. They had a quote in it. “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

ANNIE

That sounds like he wants to be in control of everyone else.

ASH

What’s wrong with that?

ANNIE

That’s how I ended up like this. Everyone trying to control me and everyone else. Forcing people doesn’t work. Maybe it works for you but it doesn’t work for the rest of us.

ASH

What if I know what’s right? What if I know what’s good for you?

ANNIE

You sure you’re making the right choices? Were you supposed to buy a comic with those $5?

ASH

Um… well… no.

ANNIE

So are you making the best choices?

ASH

I will.

ANNIE

When?

ASH

I don’t know.

ANNIE

What were you going to buy with that money?

ASH

A notebook. I was going to write.

ANNIE

What about?

ASH

About how to make the world a better place.

ANNIE

And you bought a horror comic instead.

ASH

When that guy died in the store, I didn’t really feel like writing it anymore. It made things feel kind of hopeless.

ANNIE

It’s too bad he didn’t do the opposite. Too bad he didn’t inspire you.

ASH

How could a dead guy inspire me?

ANNIE

Maybe you would want to find out more about him. Maybe there’s bad choices he made in his life. Maybe you could learn from his mistakes and share those lessons with others.

ASH

You’re smarter than you look.

ANNIE

Thanks… I think.

ASH

I mean… you don’t look…

ANNIE

You can stop there… you’ll just dig yourself deeper.

ASH

So what should I do?

(JONES gets excited and appears)

JONES

This is it!

BAKER

Shhh!

(BAKER quiets him and they hide again. ANNIE notices but ASH doesn’t. ANNIE decides to ignore them but wants to get ASH away from them)

ANNIE

I think you need to go.

ASH

Go?

ANNIE

Go now… read your comic… forget about the dead guy… forget about me… and live your life.

ASH

Um… okay.

ANNIE

Good-bye, Ash.

(ANNIE leaves. ASH watches her go sadly and leaves the other way. BAKER and JONES emerge)

JONES

What happened?

BAKER

I don’t know.

(ANNIE returns)

ANNIE

Who are you?

(BAKER and JONES turn defensively)

JONES

Why did you send him off like that? You were getting through to him.

ANNIE

I said, who are you?

BAKER

We’re travelers. Trying to help.

ANNIE

Travelers? You mean time travelers?

JONES

She knows.

ANNIE

I know a lot of things. I know that you two have been meddling. I know that you have been torturing that boy through his entire life until his death. I was here to help, to sooth the pain and try to pick up the pieces, but you keep disrupting that. You are causing him so much pain. He’s a good kid that you have pushed over the edge to insanity.

BAKER

What are you talking about? Who are you?

ANNIE

I’m a life jumper.

JONES
I’ve heard of you. That was something new that was being developed in my time. They can jump into the lives of people who lived within their own lifetime.

BAKER

That sounds complicated and kind of boring. I mean the first thing I wanted to see as a time traveler was the dinosaurs.

ANNIE

But each time you appear in another time, you damage the time line. You create cracks. Cracks in the lives of others.

JONES

How is life jumping any better?

ANNIE

We partner with someone living in the time and work with them. And by jumping in our own lifetime we avoid disrupting an unknown future or past.

BAKER

Sounds very complicated.

ANNIE

It requires a lot of brain power I’m afraid. You better stick to your dinosaurs.

(JONES chuckles and BAKER gives him a killer look)

JONES

So where does this leave us? What should we do now?

ANNIE

Nothing. Do nothing.

BAKER

But future are we going back to?

ANNIE

Who said you’re going back?

JONES

What?

BAKER

Wait a minute. What are you saying?

ANNIE

I’m saying you’re done. Finished… nevermore. I am going to erase you.

JONES

Erase us?

ANNIE

I need to remove you from every moment in time where you don’t belong.

BAKER

Remove us?

ANNIE

And attempt to repair the damage that has been done. The theory is that if we can stop you…

BAKER

Theory? You’re testing a theory? You’ve never done this before?

ANNIE

You’re our test subjects.

JONES

So what is erasing?

BAKER

I don’t intend to find out.

JONES

What are you doing?

(BAKER grabs JONES and BLACKOUT)

SCENE 19

JONES

Where are we?

BAKER

Back in my time… I think.

JONES
Where is everyone?

BAKER

Something’s not right.

JONES
I feel so cold. Why is it so cold here?

BAKER

My device is dead. I’m not getting any readings.

JONES

She did it…

BAKER

No, we got away.

JONES
She erased us.

BAKER

No, that’s impossible.

JONES
People once believed time travel was impossible.

BAKER

She seems to have trapped us somewhere outside of time.

JONES
Erased us.

BAKER

Stopped saying that!

JONES

Maybe we deserve this. Maybe we brought this on ourselves. We thought we were helping and changing the world for the better but instead we were forcing our values on everyone else. Does that make us any better than the people we were fighting against?

BAKER

We were fighting for what’s right.

JONES

But was our right way, the only right way? Who are we to decide right and wrong?

BAKER

Life is all about deciding what is right and wrong and trying to make a difference. You can’t sit back and let life happen to you. And you can’t sit back and let injustice happen in this world. I will never stop fighting. I will never let evil win. I will find a way. I will find a way to escape here and put things right.

JONES

You’re a good person, Baker. It has been an honor serving with you.

BAKER

And you as well, Jones. I pray people like us will continue to take a stand and control the future.

JONES

Let’s get to work and figure a way out of here.

BAKER

Agreed.

END OF PLAY

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ISBN-13: 978-1540666581
Buy the book on Amazon.com 
or
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