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Episode 20: "Prolegomenon"
transcribed: sleep_maps


ext. street.  fitz is holding a dead skillet.  he sets skillet down and gets up to walk away.  fitz walks into an arcade.  a glowing red object is inside.  fitz discovers a pinball machine.  he jumps out of the way of a rocket.  int. arcade.  fitz ducks inside to avoid the tiebots flying by.  the glowing object emanates a sound.  fitz begins playing the glowing pinball machine.  he hits the paddles.  the machine makes strange noises as the ball moves around, almost as if it was talking to fitz.  a purple glowing sphere is seen behind fitz.  It speaks in piano notes.

OBJECT: "what are you doing, fitz?"
FITZ: playing pinball, what does it look like?  how did you know my name?
OBJECT: "we all know your name"
FITZ: then who are you?
OBJECT: "i am archeus"
FITZ: well, archeus.
ARCHEUS: "archeus"
FITZ: ar-kay-us
ARCHEUS: "archeus"
FITZ: ar-chee-us
ARCHEUS: "archeus!!!"
FITZ: archeus, whatever.  i guess uh it's super nice to meet you.  you ever seen this machine?
ARCHEUS: "y e s."

scroll down on pinball machine

FITZ: well i haven't.  can't read anything right now on it.  like it's not even words. like its un-words.  
ARCHEUS: "if you give up...you will be able to read it."
FITZ: give what up?
ARCHEUS: "the fight."
FITZ: the fight for uh...for what?
ARCHEUS: "everything"
FITZ: which one of everything?
ARCHEUS: "most of it."
FITZ: alright look here lady.  i'm really into this game a lot and i don't need you flappin off saying things i don't comprende.
ARCHEUS: "no one understands this.  no one cares.  it isn't funny, except to you maybe."
FITZ:  you think losing my life and my family is funny?
ARCHEUS: "your wife and child are alive, but they need your help."
FITZ: i don't believe you.
ARCHEUS: "don't believe what you haven't been shown.  the square guy can afford technology to away the mind."
FITZ: what do you mean?  what square guy?
ARCHEUS: "he's doing it even now.."
FITZ: i'm about to win a free ball
ARCHEUS: "look to me."
FITZ: come on jack.
ARCHEUS: "I have only a little time only---"
FITZ: scram, broad.
ARCHEUS: "skillet needs you---"

pinball floats above ball hole.  inside is an image of skillet.  dream seq. traveling through the universe with distorted and warped voices in the background.  scene lands in a labratory.  int. labratory.  fitz is connected to a machine, breathing heavily.  voices emerge.

VOICE 1: he's coming to.  so...maybe we could address that.
VOICE 2: uh...this isn't happening.
VOICE 1: but if it does happen...what'll happen?  you have a plan for that?

faces start to emerge.  A purple business man emerges in a windowpane.

PINK BUSINESS MAN: you know he already shot your head off.  what do you care?
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: but he blew you up in your ship.  so what do you care i care?
PINK BUSINESS MAN: i can fix all of this, since it didn't really happen.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: let's...hope we don't have to.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: you know, money takes care of everything.

fade into int. two business man standing over unconscious fitz.

PINK BUSINESS MAN: it's taken care of me for quite a while.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: um...that's great. (skillet is seen is a tube) but the rodent is still alive.

scene moves to another man hooked up by his eyes to a machine.

MACHINE MAN: eye'm tired of this.  can eye leave now?

PINK BUSINESS MAN: i see what you mean.  nurse, give the mouse 1200 cc's of steribolium.
NURSE: sir, that will kill him.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: if i wanted your opinion, i'd ask your boss.
NURSE: sir.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: and that's me.
NURSE: sir.  that will kill him.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: so...bust a move nurse.  today?

nurse walks away, camera returns to business men over fitz

BLUE BUSINESS MAN: what are you doing?
PINK BUSINESS MAN: she's there.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: archeus.  no that's impossible.  we blew up the whole ship with my cool bombs.  tch tch.  remember?
PINK BUSINESS MAN: you can destroy the flesh, but you cannot destroy the faith.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: yeah, futhermukin religion ain't gonna take me down.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: what do you have to turn to?
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: don't...ask me that.... ever.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: my god is my money.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: well then tell your money to fix this.  it's becoming extremely unstable.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: what could you possibly have to lose?
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: i will not be responsible for an entire nation.  i can't.  legally.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: where's that nurse?

scene to nurse searching drawer.  pulls out gun.  walks over to another business man smoking a joint.

BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: *cough* whoa, stop. *cough* is that a surgical thing going...on (snickers).
NURSE: archeus lives in the stream.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: uh, hold on.  let me...wrap my head around this *laughs* (takes a hit off a joint)  um...*coughs and snickers* let's do it to it.

int. pink business man standing over fitz.

PINK BUSINESS MAN: the power of archeus is drawing him out.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN: um...where's...where's your dead nurse?  what happened to her?
PINK BUSINESS MAN: nurse?

nurse and blue business man 2 walk in with guns.  man is laughing.

BLUE BUSINESS MAN: hmm...great.  we were just talking about you.
NURSE: here's your 1200 cc's.
PINK BUSINESS MAN: i sure hope those are sterile.

nurse and business man 2 fire guns at both other business men.  blue business man falls down dead.  pink business man stops bullet with eyes.  a gun cocks behind his head.  blue business man 2 appears and fires.  scene shifts to under fitz' helmet.  blue business man coughs and laughs.

BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: beep what? *laughs*
NURSE: is he still alive?
BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: ...i'm not a doctor *laughs*
NURSE: is he still alive?
BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: uh...i can't tell *laughs*.  all this beeping and blipping.  *sighs* uh...
NURSE: let's hope he is.  contact the new angel, tell her to come for us.

scene shifts to spinning clock.  the clock hands moves from 2:22 to 2:23.

BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: all this beeping and blipping is driving me...uh....nuts.
NURSE: tell her it's time.
BLUE BUSINESS MAN 2: dude...what?

int. arcade.  peanut cop and golden joe are standing over an unconscious fitz.

PEANUT: dude
GOLDEN JOE: shamongas bro-ha.
PEANUT: what's goin on, you uh, ha ha, order a sandwich or something?
GOLDEN JOE: yeah man, i want a sammich.  baloney, ham pastrami, salami.
PEANUT: oh, cuz i am starving
GOLDEN JOE: get it all on there man.
FITZ: oh man...where are...wait a minute.  what time is it?
PEANUT: uh, let's see uh...uh...heh...let me look at my watch that i don't have.  i'm not a doctor.
FITZ: um.  look.  at that.  it's 2:23.
GOLDEN JOE: two twenty what?!  well beat my meat to the song street.  i gotz to get my ass outta here 'fore i get snowed in.

shift to arcade window.  skillet breaks through and enters arcade.

SKILLET: *squeaking wildly*
FITZ: whoa buddy.  i thought...i thought you were...
PEANUT: forkin-es?  heh...dude.

ext. street.  fitz and skillet walk outside.  golden joe and peanut cop follow.  camera moves to fitz.  looks up.  shift to archeus.

ARCHEUS: "believe in it fitz, we believe in you."

ext. mouse and golden joe.  

FITZ: i will.
GOLDEN JOE: you will what?  damn dizzle.  one second it's tight wrap on fire and next its puppet city.  what gives?

noise emanates from background.  peanut cop is seen smoking out of his gun.

PEANUT: yeah dude.  i thought we were wrapping this up.  *snickers*
SKILLET: *squeaks*
GOLDEN JOE: yeah man.  i thought this was finished man.  i thought this was done.
FITZ: yeah.  i thought so too.  (angelic music begins playing in the background.)   i guess we're not.  so...
PEANUT: let's, go for a walk *snickers*.

ext. street.  archeus is seen over all other characters against the sky.  

PEANUT: i'm so sad, *snickers*.
GOLDEN JOE: man i'm tired of this place.  i'm done.  i don't care if we wrap, i'm wrap.
SKILLET: *squeaks in agreement*
GOLDEN JOE: i know i ain't gotta go home but i know i gotz to get the hell outta here.
PEANUT: oh if i could stop laughing i'd cry.

all characters are seen exiting.  operatic vocals start up in the background.

credits

post credits: the jar holding the shadow man breaks, and the liquid escapes.