CAST OF CHARACTERS

Viva, fem. vocalist...........Performers Division 55

Marco, masc. vocalist.........Performers Division 34

Hanni, Pianist.................Performers Division 87

Brooks, Janitor/ex vocalist...Performers Division 99

Drone announcer + recording

Robot Medic

Cyborg

INT. STAGE (UNFINISHED)-NIGHT

Marco startles Viva by finishing her song Lyrics and she

turns around to face him.

VIVA
(sigh)
oh.. god, Marco.

MARCO
(Chuckle)
Viva, we were just called back
underground.

VIVA
Already? are we not allowed to enjoy
our stage?

MARCO
It’ll be complete soon, when we get to
really perform.

VIVA
This close to the surface huh.

MARCO
Well yeah, close... Hey we should head
down now, Hanni is performing you
know.

Viva starts to walk to the elevator with Marco.

VIVA
I didn’t know she was performing this
soon, do you think she has a chance

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 2.

for winning this month?

MARCO (POSITIVE SIGH)

Possibly, but the competiton has
gotten harder this year.

Marco waits for Viva to enter the elevator first but Viva is
turned looking at the moon again. Marco gently grabs Vivas
hand.

MARCO
Hey.

VIVA
Marco, do you believe anythings out
there?

MARCO (HESITANT)
Maybe we should go over that another
time. Lets focus on the competition
instead.

INT. ELEVATOR-UNDERGROUNDS

Marcos voice fades out into the background noises as the

elevator door closes with them inside.

VIVA (V.O)
The archives tell us mankind beleived.
They beleived things could be solved
just by a prayer.

But now I wonder where our god is.

Was it a century since the world

turned on itself? Since humans were
forced to the undergrounds?

We are told not to remember, but to

know without artficial intelligence,
we would be nothing.

They built everything, seperated us

into devisions and promised a future
with no more conflicts, no more
competitions.

Viva is snapped out of her day dream and looks up at Marco in

silence.

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 3.

VIVA (V.O)
But why now, are we told we were born
to compeate?

INT. THEATRE-UNDERGROUNDS

The elevator jerks to a stop and the doors whoosh open. Marco
and Viva are met with piano music echoing from a stage. They
join the crowd to see Hanni performing a dramatic display of
her skills. The performance ends with momentary silence
destroyed by thunderous clapping and cheers as a call of
silence comes from a small drone broadcasting a screen to the
people. Hanni sits in silence with sweat dripping down her
face.

DRONE (ANNOUNCING)
ATTENTION ATTENTION! The Mother City
has made its decision for this month’s
winner!

basic and repetitive music plays as a recording starts.

RECORDING
For many years past and many more to
come, our Mother City has celebrated
the lucky occasion as one from each
district may join our protected city
on the surface. It is time this
month’s Champion must come forward!

The recording spins through past victors and stops at a chart

of this months competitors. With suspenseful hesitation Hanni
gains the most likes from the city and is the winner as
people cheer.

RECORDING
Hanni! Number 87 of the performance
district we welcome you with open
arms!

The recording ends and the drone whips away as guard robots
enter where it left to take Hanni away. Hanni is tired but
filled with relief and thankfulness as she makes his way
through the crowd. Viva stops her with her hand open.

VIVA
We‘re going to miss you, don’t forget
about us up there.

Hanni takes her hand in a shake and smiles.

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 4.

HANNI
I would never.

The guards start to pull Hans away as she calls over.

HANNI
Good luck!

Hanni is taken away with a slam of the door and the crowd
starts to disperse as they talk amongst themselves. Viva and
Marco remain alone in the theatre.

MARCO
lets go.

VIVA
We werent't even close to winning...
Do you beleive we could make it? Or
maybe we'd just end up like Brooks.

MARCO
We are not like him. We're going to
win this, the both of us.

I don't care about how hard we have to

practice, one group did it so we can
too.

We are going to enter those city's

doors together I promise.

Viva who was watching Marco rant, slowly smiles and takes his
hand.

VIVA
Ok. Promise.

INT. UNDERGROUND

Viva and Marco are working through multiple days, practicing

for their upcoming performance. Viva is sewing new outfits,
they practice their vocals together, they practice their
choreo and are seen failing and trying again and being
fatigued. Eventually, Viva is walking alone in the halls,
cayrring rolls of fabrics when she spots Brooks who was
moping the floors get knocked by one of the robot workers and
left on the floor. Viva rushes over to help him out.

VIVA
Are you ok Brooks?

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 5.

BROOKS (POSITIVE)
I thought they were programed to serve
us, but yes, but im fine young lady.

Viva helps Brooks up and goes to hand him back his mop.

VIVA
Actually, dont we have robots for
this?

BROOKS
Yes we do, but im far past my
performing age, so I perfer to help
out around here. I used to be a
vocalist like you, you know.

VIVA
Why did you stop..

BROOKS
trying? I didn't share the same spirit
you young ones have and the world just
passed me in a big damn hurry. But you
go, don't wait for us here.

VIVA
Brooks.

BROOKS (V.O)
Don’t worry, we‘ll be watching from
below.

INT. BELOW STAGE

Music track playing in the background as Marco and Viva are

waiting to be raised onto the stage.

VIVA
Would you ever want to come back if we
win?

MARCO (THINKING)
Nobody's done that before..

Before Viva could respond her earpiece starts and they are
lifted on the stage and their performance begins with an
uproar of cheers.

INT. STAGE-NIGHT

Viva and Marco perform to the robot audience with the people

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 6.

watching from the Underground and near the end of their

performance the drone appears once more and distantly repeats
its same dialogue.

DRONE (DISTANT)
ATTENTION ATTENTION! The Mother City
has made its decision for this month’s
winner!

In the background of the performance, the recording spins

through past victors and stops at a chart of this months
competitors. With suspenseful hesitation Viva and Marco gains
the most likes from the city and the people cheer as their
performance ends.

RECORDING
Viva and Marco Numbers 55 and 34 of
the performance district we welcome
you with open arms!

MARCO (WHISPER)
We'll find eachother.

The drone ends with a distorted tone as it displays the

chart. The guard robots appear again and seperate Viva and
Marco hastely.

INT. MED SECTOR-UNDERGROUND

Viva is being taken seperately to a med room.

VIVA
Hey! We get to go to the city together
right? Wheres Marco?

Viva struggles against the guards grip as it shoves her into

a med room with a med robot waiting inside.

INT. MED ROOM-UNDERGROUND

Viva is annoyed but calms as the med robot offers a seat and
an explanation.

MED ROBOT
The Champions must undergo one last
checkup before entering the Mother
City.

Viva sits and the med robot starts preparing its equiptment.
After some silence with only the hums from the medical
equiptment, Viva speaks up.

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 7.

VIVA
Do machines have beliefs?

MED ROBOT
As in a god?

Viva nods.

MED ROBOT
There is no god, our system follows a
collective program, we do not have a
single ruler.

VIVA (HESITANT)
This program is to maintain the peace
right?

MED ROBOT
Negative, conflict is human nature we
cannot stop it...

VIVA (CONCERNED)
What? Who programmed you?.. Machine,
who programmed you?

MED ROBOT (HESISTANT)

We must complete this check-up.

The med robot goes to the IV line with a syringe and taps it
twice before going to inject it into the line. Viva is
heitant but leaps ot of the chair, ripping the IV out of her
arm. The robot tries to reach for her but she shoves the
chair onto it, pinning it against the wall. Viva escapes the
room as it lunges again but she destroys the panel on the
outside, locking it in.

MED ROBOT (DISTANT)

Let me help you human-

VIVA (PANICKED)
Marco! Marco where are you!?

INT. MED SECTOR-UNDERGROUND

Viva runs down the med sector looking into rooms until she
reaches the room at the end of the hall and barges into an
operating room.

INT. OPERATING ROOM-UNDERGROUND

Marco lays with the same IV in his arm on the operating table

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 8.

as he is completely out of it. Big robot surgeon arms swing

above Marco seemingly removing something from him and
bringing it to another human figure on the other side of the
room. The robot arms insert Marcos vocal cords into this
cyborg body and stitch it up. Viva runs over to Marco and
looks him over concerned.

VIVA (CONCERNED)
Marco! What have they done to you?!..

Viva then rips part of her dress off and wraps it tightly
around his wound to compress it before ripping out his IV
cord. The Cyborg slowly steps down from its suspended form
with robot cords disconnecting from its back. Viva starts to
lift Marco off of the table trying to wake his limp body.

VIVA (CONCERNED)
Wake up, please Marco wake up…

CYBORG (DECEITFUL)
Viva? I made it to the city Viva. Why
won‘t you join me?

Viva turns in shock to hear Marcos voice coming from the

Cyborg. Viva stands between the cyborg and Marco. The Cyborg
approaches with a smile as it overlooks them. It extends its
hand towards viva and its convincing tone makes her take its
hand.

CYBORG (DECEITFUL)
Oh Viva dont take it to heart, we
don’t need you anymore.

Cyborg tightens its grip.

CYBORG (DECEITFUL)
I can replace all of you and I will
still be more.

Viva panics and grabs medical equipment, slashing it across

its face, making it release her. Viva steps back as the
cyborg wipes the blood from its lip.

VIVA (PANICKED)
YOU LIARS! YOU ALL LIED TO US!

CYBORG (DECEITFUL)
I am only following my programming.
Remember the future you wanted? YOU
humans designed us and now I have
become better than human.

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 9.

Viva lunges to attack again with a yell but the weapon is

caught by the cyborg.

CYBORG (HATEFUL)
You filthy apes only manage to destroy
your own species. But now, we can
irradiate the threat forever.

The Cyborg bats Viva into big chemical cylinders and drops
the weapon lazily. Viva tries to drag herself away, winded
through the mess of the leaking containers. The Cyborg stomps
on her leg pinning her down and twisting as she yells in
pain. Cyborg looks down at Viva

CYBORG (DISGUST)
What a waste. Your skin would only
dirty the rest of my collection now.

Viva weakly looks back over to Marco who starts to move and
has grabbed the cyborgs discarded wires from the floor. Marco
weakly ignites the chemicals on the floor and the fires lurch
towards the cyborg who was standing in front of the chemical
container. Viva jumps away in time but the Cyborg is caught
in the flames screams as it burns. Viva grabs Marco and
together they run out with the fire alarms and sprinklers
going off.

INT. ESCAPE-UNDERGROUND

Viva limps while supporting Marco as they make their way

further into a restricted zone where everything is rustic and
old. They enter a fan room and Viva spots a ladder going
through it and up. Viva smashes the fans controls and lets
Marco climb first as she follows behind. Robot guards try to
grab for them as they just manage to get ahead. they climb
the ladder and reach a wide air duct tunnel leading up that
slowly gets light at the end.

EXT. WORLD-SUNRISE

Viva and Marco step on the grass of the vast surface around
them. They look out to their new freedom as a real butterfly
passes in front of them. They stand In silence and Viva looks
over at Marco who has a blank expression.

VIVA (V.O)
If what makes us different than
machines is belief, then I believe god
lives through us. And I pray, whether
I have to hide in this new world
myself, let us keep our freedom.

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 10.

Marco falls to his knees next to Viva and she takes a moment
to stay with him before helping him to his feet and taking a
step.

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