DAYENDER 2123

DRAFT 1
By

TJ Cheeseman, Rob Norris and Oliver Paglia

Based on the graphic NYC 2123: Dayender by Chad Allen

Original content under TJ Cheeseman - 07977486306

Creative Commons licence: thegreatonesaysso@hotmail.com
Attribution-NonCommercial- Oliver Paglia - 07749674381
ShareAlike 2.5 Generic (CC frankothegreat21@hotmail.com
BY-NC-SA 2.5)
 DAYENDER 2123
DRAFT 1
Prologue
MUSIC: TITLE MUSIC

NARRATOR (DON LAFONTAINE)

In 2054 after a two-decade long development scheme,
funded by the government, a massive tsunami devastated
Central London. The Square Mile’s bridges and tunnels
were destroyed. Two years of riots followed. Outlaw
barge villages formed along the banks of the Thames,
fueling trafficking in illegal cybernetic body
modifications and open source drugs. In 2065 the
construction of a 20 meter high barrier encircling what
was left of The Square Mile was completed and martial
law was declared. This barrier is known simply as "The
Wall." A sense of normality returned to parts of The
Square Mile, but the barge villages continued to thrive
and the neighborhoods across the Thames remain lawless
and squalid. Mercenaries, hackers and cyborg street
fighters arose from this chaos. They operate outside
the law, without protection from the Thames crime
bosses. This is London. The year is 2123. This is
Dayender.
Scene 1: Outside The Wall

SOUND: WIND AND RAIN

ELLY
It had a bushy tail Jake, it was a squirrel.
JAKE
It was probably a cat, squirrels are extinct.
ELLY
I saw the picture, it was definitely a squirrel.
JAKE
Like you’d know the difference Elly. Maybe it was a
rat?
ELLY
Screw you Jake! Rats don’t have bushy tails either!

JAKE
Well if this guy wants a squirrel, why doesn’t he just
go to a bio-lab like everyone else that wants a pet?

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.

ELLY
That’s why we’re going to see...
SOUND: THUD
ELLY (CONT’D)
Jake, you OK?
(JAKE HAS BEGUN TO CRASH, HE CLINGS TO THE WALL FOR
SUPPORT AS ELLY NARRATES)
ELLY(NARRATION)
Jake always had a problem with Metho-6, he tried to
quit but he never stuck with it. He’d often call me,
dead of night asking me to come get him from whatever
Metho-6 den he’d crawled out of. I could see his head
felt like was on fire as his synapses burned out from
the lack of the drug.

JAKE
(WEAKLY)
Elly, gimme a patch.
ELLY (NARRATION)
Pathetic. He had barely lasted an hour.
JAKE
(HALLUCINATING)
Squirrel, land of twisted metal, concrete!

ELLY (NARRATION)
And now he was hallucinating! Brilliant! I didn’t have
time for this.
ELLY
I need to be in the Wi-fi zone in twenty minutes and
I’m not dragging your skinny, junkie backside all the
way there! High tide’s in four hours.
JAKE
Elly, give me a patch, please!

ELLY
You’ll have to stick it on yourself.
ELLY (NARRATION)
I tossed him a patch. He grabbed it with a shaking
hand, then I walked away.
SOUND: JAKE GROANS

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

ELLY (NARRATION)
I walked to the security door. The ID card panel on the
voice recognition system flashed at me. I swiped my
card.
SOUND: CARD SWIPING

COMPUTER VOICE
Awaiting voice recognition.
ELLY
Voice recognition, Juliet alpha two six.
COMPUTER VOICE
Voice recognition confirmed. Have a nice day.
SOUND: SECURITY DOOR OPENS

ELLY (NARRATION)
Passing security points always made me nervous,
especially when I was on a job. I couldn’t put my
finger on it exactly, but there was something
un-unnervingly ironic about a computer saying "have a
nice day". I stepped into the security passage. The
door closed behind me.
SOUND: SECURITY DOOR CLOSES
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I tried to walk as casually as possible. If they were
going to try and get me, it would be in the security
passage. As I walked I began to think about Jake. He
used to be the best driver in the Mile, but now it
seemed like I was his personal babysitter. I reached
the far end and swiped my security card.

SOUND: SWIPING CARD.

SOUND: SECURITY DOOR OPENS
SOUND: STREET NOISE

ELLY (CONT’D)
I composed myself, and walked into the busy street. You
could never be quite sure what to expect from The
Square Mile.
 4.

Scene 2: The Square Mile

SOUND: STREET NOISE

SOUND: FLYING CARS

ELLY (NARRATION)
It was Saturday night and the streets were hopping. Boy
racers from Kensington and Soho cruised the Moto grid
ten metres up, BMW’s and Mazda’s, engines revving,
blasted the latest 8-bit trance tracks, making sonic
mud. The streets were full of students and hipsters,
smoking synthetic hash and showing off their latest
body mods. A lot of it was purely aesthetic; pointed
ears, claws, enlarged canines. Even the occasional
tail. All completely useless of course. As I walked
through the throng of bodies, people would stare at me
squinting, searching my body for mods, or just because
the drugs had made them less inhibited.
I smiled to myself. They could squint all they wanted
to, they’d never see it. I did have a body mod, but it
was on the inside. I’d had my brain hard wired with a
bio-compatible wi-fi system. If they knew the cost, not
to mention the risk involved in such a procedure,
they’d probably be bowing before me. Anyway, that
didn’t interest me, I had work to do.

SOUND: MICROWAVE SIGNAL

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Suddenly I picked up the Wi-fi signal. I was getting
close. I increased my step and turned off into a dark
alleyway. I searched around my side leg utility pouch.
I had one cigarette left. I lit it and inhaled. It
helped to calm me down. It was always better to enter
the net as calm as possible.
ELLY
OK Elly, time to earn your pay.
ELLY (NARRATION)
I said to myself. I zoned out and closed my eyes.
SOUND: ELECTRONIC SOUNDS INCREASE

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

The many layered network snapped into focus. I willed
myself, as if having a lucid dream, down through the
layers of code, past adverts, government health
warnings, news casts, until I saw a concentrated
cluster of a connection matrix that drew my attention.
This area of the network was full of distraction. Kids
mainly, hacking into goods for free.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

SOUND: DIGITAL CHATTER

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I pushed myself deeper, forcing myself onward. As I
glided around to the access point of the connection
matrix a government propaganda node suddenly appeared.
If you weren’t careful, these things could suck you in
like a vortex. I quickly scanned the entire connection
matrix for known viral patterns and worm tracks. It
looked clean. I grabbed it. As I glided into the matrix
I found the file I was looking for. A digital marker
had been planted on it for me. I wasn’t told by whom,
that must have been a need to know kind of thing. I
opened the file.
SOUND: FILE CRACKING
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
The access code was right there! Its icon was a small,
spinning gold key. I grabbed it, data streaming a copy
into my wetware.
SOUND: DIGITAL ALARM

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

Suddenly, my alarm activated. At these depths of the
network this meant something serious! This wouldn’t be
an underpaid police droid search team, this was a
special branch stinger drone. I had to get out, and I
had to get out now. I dived out of the connection
matrix, the stinger was coming straight towards me. I
initiated my conscious reboot and blasted back up
through the layers of code, towards the access point of
the network. Looking back, the stinger drone was
closing fast. It extended it’s digital claw and
prepared to seize me, locking me into the depths of a
digitally induced coma. I looked back up, the network
ceiling raced towards me, I slammed into it.
SOUND: CRASHING SOUND

SOUND: STREET NOISE

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I exhaled the lungful of cigarette smoke I had been
holding.

SOUND: EXHALING
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
That had been too close for comfort.
 6.

Scene 3: Outside Wagner’s

Appartment
ELLY (NARRATION)
The plan had been to get to the meeting place, after I
had acquired the access code, as quickly as possible.
But after my encounter with the drone, I didn’t want to
take any chances, so laid low for a couple of hours. If
Special Branch had found me in cyber space, you could
be pretty sure they were close to finding you
incarnate. The meeting place was one of many luxurious
flats owned by a man who went under the pseudonym of
"Wagner". No one knew his real name, Wagner was
supposed to be a hang up from his MI6 days, but I
wasn’t even certain about that. He’d been good to work
for up until now, so I didn’t ask.

SOUND: BLEEPING NOISE

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I activated the comms device outside his front door,
but there was no answer. He was probably out getting
tea. Earl Grey most likely. But depending on the
situation he may have gone for his "herbal" varieties.
So instead I entered my code for the door’s locking
mechanism.
SOUND: CLICKING NOISE

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

One.
SOUND: CLICKING NOISE
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Two.
SOUND: CLICKING NOISE
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Three.

SOUND: DOOR SLIDES OPEN

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
He was always late...
 7.

Scene 4: Wagner’s Apartment

SOUND: TV
ELLY (NARRATION)
I searched the flat, no one was around, so I watched
some TV. It was an old persons past time, but I had
nothing better to do. About an hour later, Wagner
arrived.
SOUND: STAR TREK DOORS

WAGNER
So you’ve finely made it at last.
ELLY (NARRATION)
Wagner said holding a cup of tea, in his usual
imperious tone.
WAGNER
I was wondering if you were going to show up at all.
ELLY
The access code was trickier than I was lead to
believe, it took me longer than I expected.
WAGNER
Where is Jake?

ELLY
At this precise moment in time, I don’t know.
WAGNER
Well if he doesn’t show, I, and by extension you, are
in a world of trouble.

ELLY
Well you shouldn’t have used Metho-6 to control him,
should you.
WAGNER
Listen Elly, I have a very important buyer lined up for
this thing, and I can’t just tell him the driver had a
hangover.
SOUND: DOOR ALARM BLEEPS

WAGNER
Ah, perhaps this is Jake. It better be, for your sake!
ELLY (NARRATION)
Thankfully it was. I acted tough in front of Wagner,
but to be honest, I didn’t know what he was capable of!
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 8.

ELLY (NARRATION) (cont’d)

Jake stumbled in through the door and was soon sober
enough to go over the plan. Wagner wanted us to be able
to recite it word perfect, fearing we would only mess
it up if we couldn’t. Somewhere in the middle of the
exercise, Jake broke out in a sweat, begging for some
Metho-6. Wagner didn’t give it to him until he could
recite the whole plan without hesitation. After a few
hours we were ready to move out. Ultimately it was very
simple. Get the squirrel. And get out.

WAGNER
The job is easy,infiltrate and extract, our client is
an out of town collector of rare animals. A gene
sampler, high end cloner, and custom organism designer.
And it just so happens that some north London mafia
crime lord has a little collection of his own, that
contains something our client wants.
ELLY
The squirrel.
WAGNER
Specifically a red squirrel believed to be extinct.
There are believed to be only seven or eight left in
private collections. The one we’re after just happens
to be up the street from us, in Mayfair, unit 125.

JAKE
That’s off the Moto Grid.
WAGNER
Your moto’s still got wheels hasn’t it?

JAKE
Yeah, why?
WAGNER
Because you’re going to have to drop off the grid.

ELLY (NARRATION)
Wagner handed Jake a piece of paper.
JAKE
Paper, how quaint.

WAGNER
The squirrel is in cage 143, it shouldn’t be too hard
to find. Don’t bugger this one up, Jake.
 9.

Scene 5: Car Ride

ELLY (NARRATION)
Jake’s moto was a 2098 Skoda, or at least it used to
be. Not only was the moto grid adaptation dubiously
attached, but most of the mechanical mods were
illegally fitted. Jake de-activated his security
systems and the doors automatically opened.
SOUND: SECURITY BEEP
SOUND: AUTO CAR DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

We got in, the doors closed around us. Jake started the
ignition and punched some overhead buttons. The car
jerked off the ground as we ascended to the moto grid.
I always had a bad feeling when Jake was behind the
wheel, you could never be sure what he was going to do.
I looked over at Jake worryingly. He had a Metho-6
patch in his hand.
ELLY
My God! You’re not going to do this high?!
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Jake looked at me with a smug grin.
JAKE
My moto, my rules. There’s no way I’m falling off the
grid on a job for Wagner sober!
SOUND: JET ENGINE REVVING
ELLY
Jake!
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
The force of the initial acceleration squashed me into
my seat. I turned my head to look out of the window.
The streets below whizzed by, along with the
genetically altered crops on the rooftop plantations.
They were heavily protected by razor wire fences,
tripwires and other dangerous traps that awaited any
would be thief. Ever since the tsunami these
plantations had become a precious commodity. Jake
stopped accelerating at about 300 kilometres per hour.

JAKE
Hold on, we’re going to drop in hard!

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 10.

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

I looked forward, the moto grid disappeared about 300
metres in front of us.
ELLY
JAKE SLOW DOWN!!
JAKE
(LAUGHS LIKE AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE)
WAHOOO!!

ELLY (NARRATION)
We flew off the moto grid. The violent descent threw me
against the ceiling. We smashed to the ground.
SOUND: CRASHING SOUND

SOUND: TYRE SCREECH

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
The car swerved violently until it finally came too a
halt, milimetres away from the wall. Perfectly
parallel. I didn’t have room to open my door. It was
times like this that I was glad I carried a bolter
pistol. I snapped, pulled out my sidearm from my leg
utility pouch and pointed it at Jake’s face.
ELLY
OK Jake, this is how this is going to be.

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

He reeled in shock as he realised he was staring down
the barrel of a pistol.
JAKE
What the hell Elly! What’s your problem?!
ELLY
You’re the one with the problem Jake! If you don’t
sober up right now, and start acting like we’re
actually on a job, I’m going to paint the interior of
your car with the contents of your head! Then dump your
body for the organ harvesters!!
ELLY (NARRATION)
I composed myself, then pointed down the alleyway.

ELLY
See that red door? That’s where you need to go. By the
time you get there I’ll have the door unlocked and you
can sneak inside.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 11.

JAKE
OK I’m going. You better have the security deactivated
otherwise this will be a very short job.
ELLY
Just get on with it Jake.
SOUND: AUTO CAR DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING
ELLY (NARRATION)
As Jake rushed to the door, I activated my internal
Wi-Fi connection and accessed the security protocols
for the building.
SOUND: ELECTRONIC SOUNDS INCREASE
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I entered in the digital key that I had stolen earlier
that night and deactivated the security
protocols. With excellent timing for once, Jake had
reached the door. The security cameras had been
switched off, but as I attempted the cage locks, my
alarm tripped.

SOUND: ELECTRONIC ALARM

SOUND: DIGITAL CHATTER INCREASES
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Suddenly, there was Wi-Fi chatter everywhere. It was
rich-tech, super-encrypted, I didn’t have time to hack
it. I didn’t need to. It was a swarm. I hastily hit my
conscious reboot, and got out of there.
SOUND: LEAVING NETWORK AND BACK TO REALITY

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)

I took a gasp of air and looked around frantically, I
could hear the buzz of the patrol vehicles echoing off
the buildings, but I couldn’t see them. There was no
time! I jumped into the drivers seat and drove too the
red security door.
SOUND: CAR HORN
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I frantically honked the horn, moments later Jake
rushed out of the door, cage in hand.
ELLY
Jake! Get in!
SOUND: AUTO CAR DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 12.

JAKE
What are you doing?! No one drives this moto but me!

ELLY
Shut up Jake! They’re on to us!
ELLY (NARRATION)
As I said those words we were surrounded by patrol
vehicles.

ELLY
We can’t get through Jake, what are we going to do!?
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Jake calmly pressed a few buttons on the dashboard.

ELLY
Jake, what are you doing!?
JAKE
Wait until one of them get’s along side us and then
floor it when I give the word.
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I didn’t know what Jake was up to, but there wasn’t
time to argue. A man wearing a police uniform
approached from the rear. He walked to the driver’s
side door and produced a handgun. He aimed at the back
of my head.
POLICE OFFICER
Get out of the car, hands in the air!

JAKE
FLOOR IT!!!
ELLY (NARRATION)
I hit the accelarator.

SOUND: WHEEL SPIN AND TYRE SCREECH

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Jake had engaged micro-jets. We smashed into the car in
front and the car was thrown out of the way.

SOUND: CRASHING SOUND

ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
The acceleration was twice as violent as before, we
began to leave the the patrol vehicles behind. The
officer fired a few desperate shots but they just
ricocheted off the bodywork.
SOUND: BOLTER SOUNDS, RICOCHETING BULLETS

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 13.

ELLY
Quick, check the cage!
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Jake untied the canvas sack surrounding the cage and
peered inside.

JAKE
This is one funny looking squirrel...
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
I froze. I looked into the cage.
ELLY
That’s not a squirrel! It’s a rat!
ELLY (NARRATION CONT’D)
Then it hit me... Wagner!
ELLY
We’ve been had! Wagner has some explaining to do!
MUSIC: TITLE MUSIC
(CREDITS)