biosphere 2013 (director's marked script)

7/27/2019 Biosphere 2013 (Director's marked script)

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Biosphere 2013 was developed and written by Kate Story and Fredrik Graver at the Union Theatrein Peterborough, Ontario in 1992-93.

It is being released now under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 unported license

(CC BY-SA 3.0)

More information about the license can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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PRESS RELEASE:B I O S P H E R E 2 01 3

Skageralc Theater Company and the Union Theatre present Biosphere 2013 -- an originalscript written by Kate Story and Fredrik Graver. Biosphere 2013 is based upon the highlysuccessful, 10-episode, semi-improvised series of the same name that was performed athe Union Theatre this past fall. It is the third of four installments in the Union's series"Peterborough Contexts-. N e wP l a y w r i g ht s1 9 9 2 -9 3 "w h ic hr e ce i ve dag ra ntfromthe

Canada Council Explorations Program.Biosphere 2013 is set in a future where the wor ld is controlled by a handful o fcorporations. North America is under the yoke o f the North American IntelligenceNetwork (NAIN) which has built domed cities to protect its "citizens" from theenvironmental holocaust that is overtaking the continent There is, however, an organizedresistance coming from the people who still live outside the domes. To find solutions tothis "problem," NAIN has constructed a Biosphere research station._ This black comedycasts a critical eye on the corporate nature of North American culture.Biosphere 2013 features John Barclay, Cheri Patrick, Moyra Turkington, and Kim Wilton all of who were in the Biosphere 2013 series - - as well as three newcomers to theproject: Brad Brackenridge (Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love),Kim Klingbeil-Wuster (Frank-le a n dJ o h n n yi nt h eC l a i r ed eL u n e) ,a ndJ os hS o lo m on(A

Midsummer Nights Dream). This project is Fredrik Graver's third directing project at theUnion Theatre in the past twelve months, following the highly-acclaimed The DarlingFamily: A Duet for Three (May 1992) and Biosphere 2013: The Series (Oct.Dec. 1992).Playwrights Kate Story and Fredrik Graver have not written together before, but havecollaborated on several projects in the past, including Graver's Living in the Age of Hope(1990), The Flintstones Revival (1991-92), and The Darling Family (1992). This isStory's second time writing for theatre and Graver's fifth.Performances: (All at the Union Theatre, 188 Hunter Street West, Peterborough)Wednesday, March 31 to Saturday, April 3

Tuesday, April 6 to Saturday, April 10All shows at 8:00 pm; doors open at 7:40 pm

Tickets: $3.00 for Students, Seniors, and Unemployed; $5.00 for all others30

For more information call Fred Graver at (705) 743-16981


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By Kate Story and Fredrik Graver

At the Union Theatre

MARCIt } 1 TO ApRil 4; ApRil 6 TO ApRil 10All Sltows

AT 8:00 pM

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Artificial Intelligence:

Klm Kllngb.il-Wust.r

# 1 (Robert B. Stone):

Josh Solomon

# 2 (Sidney Petrie):

BrGd 8rGck.nrldg.#3 (Jaimie Mclnnis):

Kim Wilton

#4 (Susan Croyden):

Cherl PGtrlck

#5 (Dr. Rosa Vise):

MoyrG Turkington

#6 (Stan Miller):

John BGrclay

--- _,~.- ..-- ~-._- __ o

Next at the Union Theatre:

In the Margins ofthe Empire:

Reading Cambodia

by lan McLachlan

directed byA1exls-Gordon

IlPrlll t. IprlI4I Iprlil to _GI 1

II Sh... at 1,00pli

Director:

Fr.drlk Graver

Stage Manager:

I.th DIFraAc.lco

Assistant Stage Manager:

AyaAI.rr

Costume Design:

lat. Story

Set and Lighting Design:

Fr.drlk Grav.r

Poster Design:

Program Design:

Fr.drlk Grav.r

Set Construction:

Th. Calt a.d Cr.Ut

Funding By:

Th. Ca.ada Cou.cllEzploratloAI Progra ..

.~----- -- ...-_-- --_ -

Very Speeial Thanks ToScooter, Phil Oakley, Tom

Reader, Dave Creighton,Tracey Oerma, Mike Martyn,

Theatre Trent, The UnionCollective, Bill Kimball,Artspace, Peterborough

Festival of the Arts, NormKlingbeil, Mike McIntyre,

Nicole Robillard, Hazras Rotis

Nate, Beth's Parents and theirHouse, Joan C" Mandie,

Robyn, Sera, VeronicaHallinger, Larry Hughes (in

memoriam), Jason Bassford,Keith Stewart, Leslie Fraser,

Esther Vincent, Time"Alexis-Oordon, Sara Booth,

Charlotte Paint and Wallpaperand Kaisa

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Dear Fred:At l a s t , d r a f t number 1 . I know now t h a t I w i l l b e g i v i n g t h i s t o y o u i n p mrson,b ut I w a nt ed t o w r i t e some i d e as down b e f o re I f o r g e t . F i r s t , my a p ol o gi e s f o r a l lt h e t y p o s .T he re i s a c o m pu te r t e r m i n a l i n e v e r y ro om .I t h o u gh t i t m i g ht be f u n t o i n c l u d e a B i os ph er e f l o o r p l a n i n t h e pr og ra ms .I t s eems r a t h e r m el od ra ma ti c. S h o u l d w e g o w i t h t h i s o r su pp re ss i t ? I t e n d t o w an tt o g o w i t h i t , b u t n o t k k t o t h e e x te n t t h a t i t becomes h i l a r i o u s . I ' d l i k e t h ea ud ie nc e t o f e e l s ho ck ed t h a t t h e y a r e l a u g h i n g . . .I p u t i n s t ag e d i r t i o n s o n l y when t h e y seemed a s c l e a r t o me a s t h e l i n e s . O fc ou rs e, I d o n o t e x p e c t t he m t o b e ca r v e n i n s t o n e a n y m or e t h a n t h e l i n e s a r e . Iwanted n o t t o p u t a ny i n a t a l l , b u t I n ow h av e m or e s ym pa th y w i t h w r i t e r s w ho e v e r -

d i r e c t t h e i r w o r k. S o m e ti m e s t h e b l o c k i n g a n d p au se s seem s o i m p o r t a n t !I ha ve k e p t t h e a r t i c l e s I u se d a s b r a i n r e s ea r ch i f y ou o r t h e a c t o r s w a nt t o r e a dt hem. I a l so have a book on Hypno- Cyber ne t i cs .

The r e s t i s . . . We l l , n o , t h e r e s t i s n ' t s i l e nc e . I t ' s w o rk , t a l k , wo rk , t a l k . I t ' l lbe a s mash!Kate.

P.S . T h e a c t s a r e n o t d i v i d e d e ve n l y. I d o n o t know i f t h i s m a t te r s o r n o t .And t h e A l : I p i c t u r e i t d o i n g t h i n g s l i k e s t a n di n g o n i t s h ea d, l o u n g i n g on as of a, r o l l i n g a ro un d o n t h e f l o o r , a s w e l l a s s i m p ly s t an di ng t he r e w h i l e i t d e l i v e r s

t ho s e l o n g , l o n g s pe ec he s. M a y b e i n t h e a u d i e nc e .

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Re,yLcAr_Q_ cA)A %camu ) 4 \ 0iosphere 2013LIST OF CHARACTERS

#1: Robert B. Stone. The ultimate administrator. Suave, a body-language of power. Adoptsthe arch way of speaking which is in vogue in the Corporation. Ambitious.

#2: Sidney Petrie. Something of a stereotype of the scientist with his nose in his work, butwith hidden passion! A fundamentally decent person, but confused. Tense.

#3: Jaimie McInnis T h e infiltrator. Good grasp of technology, physically fi t and confident.A tough-and-stringy sort of person. Is not afraid to do anything to further the cause of theResistance, but genuinely conceives affection for her fellow 'spherians. A tendency to spewrhetoric.

#4: Susan Croyden. Happy, lucky person (until now). Charming and inoffensive. Diplomatic.

#5: Doctor Rosa Vise. Completely ruthless. Brutal, unpleasant, cold, enjoys violence andpower. Knows almost as much as #2 about brain research, but lacks his brilliance in the field.

#6: Stan Miller. What the Corporation likes to think of as "genetic menial": someone thoughtincapable of "higher reasoning." Conditioned to be content with monotonous work and littleself-regulation and self-esteem. Manages to meet the demands made on him in the Biosphereby tapping unknown reserves of strength.

Ar ti ficial Intelligence. T h e ideal corporate personality. Reflects the almost capriciousattitudes of the people highest up in NAIN; a cult of personality and chaos within structure.

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CHORUS

Single light on AI. Pause.]

Hello. [Pause\ I am the North American Intelligence hietwork's most advanced Art if ic ia lIntelligence unit, and I wi ll be your host for tonight's holographic fi lm. I 'm sure you wi llappreciate this latest technological goodie from the guys down in Entertainment andSurveillance. It is far more palatable than the usual computer report, rendering as it does theprogress of Biosphere Research Station PB-285-410 in living, three-dimensional colour. Onlythe best for our Board of directors! [Indicates audience] By way of introduction, let me outlinethe parameters within whia I have been programmed to work...a little context, i f you prefer.Since the celebrated merger in 1994 of IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Time-Warner, AT&T, Bell,_, - - ----_,Boeing, and Canadian Air to form our b e l o v e d-N o r t h A m e r i c a nI n t e l l i g e n c eN e t w o r k ,o rN A I N

-as we like to cal l it , this corporation has extended into al l facets of the continental socialreconomyVho needs countries when we can have unlimited consumer choice? It proved to bebut a small step from simply employing the majority of the population to running everything

from daycare to funeral homes. And in a world of worsening air, disappearing ozone, adwindling food supply, and violent climactic changes, NAIN has provided its citizens withshelter. Since the creation in 1991 of Edward Bass's visionary Biosphere 2, Home is Dome.

S 4 showing irreversible signs of decay by the '804 and the heroic response of police and army to0 71 ,urbanviolencefla

to do controlled research into the genetic, biological, and chemical means to rebuild our ravagedplanet. [Pause] Of course, there have been problems. Peterborough, as you know, has beenclassified as a problem-area due to its-large-number of militant Non-Citizens. A-number- ofSpecial Corporate Investigative Officers SCIOs have been deployed throughout the area,but project PB-285-410, as conceived by you, our esteemed board of directors, has taken alife in the Biosphere and created a documentary report after all, isn't that what the formerCanada was famous for? Oh by the way, you can call me AI. All my friends do[Blackout]

SCENE 1

Al

1

[#1 is sitting at his desk, one palm flat each thigh, feet flat on the floor, knees together. He isw a t c h i n g his computerterminalscreen,hi sfacerelaxed,and appearst o be followingalong,

Act 1

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2

rather like a cross between a catholic mass and a mental aerobic workout. He speaks andbreathes with measured slowness.]

#1Pretend, believe, and you become. See it. Sense it. Know it is so. I want...[He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath. Pause. He is visualizing. #2 enters and hesitates. #1opens his eyes and turns to #2 with no apparent surprise.]

Hello number 2. Settling into our new home?#1

#2My apologies, sir. I didn't mean to disturb you.

#1I was simply clearing my mental channels. I believe one should start off on the right psychicfoot with any project, especially one this big. Care to join me?

#2No, thank you, sir. I 'm really a little uncomfortable with...

#1Not a Realizer, eh? No need to apologize. Anything to report?

I've met with some of the inhabitants.#2

#1

Continue, number 2. I'm interested in your observations on the members of our new family. 7


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You are as familiar with the personnel files as I, sir. Number 3 impresses me as a verycompetent environmental researcher her credentials in the biological genetics field aresound. My own assistant in the BioChem wing is really here on a training assignment, but thatactually suits me better than working with a colleague, sir. She'll do well in her other capacityas entertainment director, I think.

My own feelings exactly. Recreation and relaxation cannot be overrated. To my way of thinking,the economic supremacy of the corporation dates from our appropriation of theenforced-twenty-minute-nap-during-working-hours technology.

I'm not sure... Nap?

Our GP I haven't met yet.

#2

#1

#2

#1

3

Yes, nap. Surely you are familiar with the techniques popularized by the Japanese last century?Never mind. I imagine you are aware of the high value we Realizers place upon meditation andentertainment.

#2Entertainment has proven to be an effective element in NAINs program of social subjugation,sir.

Hmm. What do you think of our medical officer?

#28


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#1

#2

4

I have met number 5, and I wasn't overly impressed. Oh, she's competent enough, but a coldone, know what I mean? That's one I won't be playing doctor with, unless I have to. [Pause,as he waits for #2 to laugh. He doesn't] Anyth ing else?

#2

The lab assistant to number 3 t h a t is, number 6 i s as you know a genetic menial.

#1

[Laughing] An d therefore there is nothing more to say about him? Come, Petrie. He has hisplace here. The Board conceived of this 'sphere as a perfect social microcosm.

Hardly "perfect," sir, There are no blacks or homosexuals or diseased inhabitants. Even thenon-citizen who the Board allowed to secretly infiltrate isn't...

I said "perfect microcosm," not "deviant" o r "crim inal ," number 2. W hy would we mixnormals with inhabitants from the segregated domes? Our variables are already shaky enoughwith the non-citizen factor.

I suppose so, si r.

#1

#2

#1

Have you picked a subject for your studies yet? Let me know when you do. I ' l l be interested inhearing the results, as wil l the Board. One thing you may not know, Petrie. One of the Boardmembers I cannot tell you who, o f course h a s a certain personal interest in the presenceof number 6 H e believes that genetic menials have outlived their usefulness, and that ourunderclass should be absorbed or annhiliated.

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#2They certainly fuel the black market, not to mention the way they provide a cover for thenon-citizens. But I'm not as interested in the effects o f mind control on 6 as I am on 3 or 4,sir. The genetic menial field has already been covered. My wish is to be allowed to move onto some new ground.

#1

"Great minds have purposes," number 2, "others have wishes."

47Yes,um,sir.

SCENE 2

#2

5

[The computer terminal of the Agricultural wing. #3 is seated at the terminal with her assistant,#6]

#3

So you see, Stan, we can use our CAD/CAM to determine the effects on fauna in the Biospherewhen certain variables are introduced. So i f I lower the temperature, for example... See? Thisspecies here would die out, whereas this one is hardy enough to withstand the climate change.A model helps us see what a return to the old temperate zone conditions would do in the present,in Peterborough.

#6

But what good is that? We can't change the climate. It 's ruined.., isn' t it?#3

Not entirely. It 's a much more complex situation than people are generally led to believe. Letme find an example. Well, the burning of the Amazon forest contributes to the global warmingwe've experienced, but the smoke also deflects solar heat back into space. [On computer.] Likethis. I t' s hard to make accurate predictions, even with al l this technology. But once wedetermine the variables.. .anything is possible, Stan. And we'll be interfacing our practical data 10


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with these computer models. [ to herself] Although why we're supposed to dissect the damnthings and never eat them is beyond me.

What do you mean?

I'm being subversive. I guess I disagree with the way the Corporation wants me to run theseexperiments. We're going to plant what is basically a vegetable garden as part of this project,and then do everything to the food to determine its nutritional content except put it in ourbodies. It's idiotic.

We put the food in the computer instead.

So. Got any computer games on that thing?

Eaaughwahh!

#6

#3

#6

#3

Yes. Yes, Stan, I suppose that's essentially right.

#6

#3You might try the recreation terminals for that. But...well, look at this. I can call up aholographic rendition of your face, and age it. Like this.

#6

#3

Stan? Stan! Look, it's okay. I 've fixed it. Look. Stan. Stan. Look at the goddamn screen!

6

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Shit.

You don't have much experience with computers, do you? Or lab research of any kind. It's okay,Stan, I'm not angry.

I-ya...no. But the Board of the Corporation assigned me to you, number 3, so there must be areason for me to be here. Didn't they tell you what it was?

No. [Pause] Listen. It ' l l be fine. I ' l l start you on an introductory training program, and youcan certainly help with the agricultural maintenance in the meantime.

I learn really fast, number 3.

#6

#3

#6

#3

#6

#3Do me a favour, Stan? Just.. .please, just call me Jaimie.

Jaimie.

SCENE 3

#6

[Doctor's office. #2 is seated, #5 is just tucking a stethoscope back into her pocket.]

Stress?#2

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That's what I said. I t didn't disappear with the last millennium, you know. Persistent headaches,nausea, unexplained sore throats.. .perhaps, Petrie, you have the liar's quinsy.

The liar's...

Yes, well.. .thank you. [Exits]

[#4 enters]

What's wrong with him?

#5

#2

#5

#2

#5

#4

#5

[Stops her with a gesture without taking her eyes from the screen] One moment. [Closes thechannel] Number 4. What can I do for you?

8

Not a literary man, eh? No, you are a classic stress case. And the remedy? I'm supposed to tellyou to stop being so hard on yourself, but then, you didn't get to be the chief researcher of thisdome by not being too hard on yourself. Get some more sleep I' l l authorise a sleeping dosei f you like our diets are already balanced enough. Exercise a little. That's all I can do foryou. [Turns away]

[To the empty room] Oh, and number 2? You'd better learn to deal with your emotions. [Smiles.Goes to her terminal to send initial report.] Special Corporate Investigative Officer ofPB-285-410 reporting. Position secured. Program ready to launch. Sending.

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#4

I'm here for the general examination ordered by number I. And call me Susan.

#5That's interesting.

#4

What? Why is everyone so stuck on numbers around here?

#5

No, the alleged "general examination." Bu t I 'm sure number 1 has a good reason forrecommending one. Your file [turns back to terminal] doesn't indicate any health problems.Your record is surprisingly clean.

Yes, I've been lucky.

//4

#5I don't see any need for a general exam for you. I ' l l .. .check with number 1 to be sure, o fcourse, but, for now, don't worry about it.

#4Well, alright. So...what is wrong with my boss? I saw him in the corridor, and he wasn't thehappiest.

#5Medical records are classified as private, as I'm sure you know. Susan.

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Yes. Well. So I'm responsible for the general social gatherings in the dome, and I 'm tryingto find out how everyone is aligned. I f you don't mind my asking, are you a realizer? Number1is, I know, as am I, and Stan. Somehow I think number 2 isn't.

Why?

#4He just isn't the type. [Pause] Or do you mean, why do I want to know?

#5Yes.

[A litt le confused] Okay. We thought it would be nice to discover what sort of support groupsneed to be set up among the residents, what kinds of Victim therapies intersect, and at least doa little revealing work so we can be effectively mutually supportive. But I'm not the evangelistictype, so don't feel forced into anything.

I won't.

Just let me know. I 'm sure a lot of this wi ll happen informally in fact, I 'm hoping so. So -have you ever been part of any group or social constellation, i f you don't mind my asking?

NAIN Youth. I achieved top rank.

#4

#5

#4

#5

#4

#5

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#4How... delightful. I'll leave you to your work, Doctor...?

#5I'll schedule you an appointment if it proves necessary, and inform you through your privateterminal.

#4Thank you. [Starts to leave] I ' l l see you later, at one of our social gatherings?

#5Perhaps.

a , LS ce ne4

[Hivtahtqf A Computer monitor. #1 and #2 together, #6 stands unobtrusively in acorner.]#1I'm sure you can find time to squeeze a little collaborative work with number 3 in between

your dominant experimental concerns.#2

The psychological testing wi l l take some time, si r. These beginning stages are veryimportant.#1

Yes, I read your very learned paper on the subject coming out of your work at the BrooklynCentre. But much of that has been taken care of for you. The residents were very carefullyselected. You were even consulted as part of the process. Quite an honour.

#2Yes. So I'd like to get started right away. Let me show you my map of the brain I've set up here.[Goes to computer terminal.] These red areas are the ones I anticipate wil l be stimulated when

11

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we begin the mnemonic-poiesis within the very tissues themselves. We'll be using radioactiveoxygen - quite harmless - and... Well, here, let me show you. [Gestures to Stan] Come here,please. [Takes his head and turns it this way and that, poking at various parts of his face andhead by way of demonstration] When I first began this line of research years ago, I assumedthat we had to tamper with the optic and olfactory nerve endings in order to implant the imageswe were concerned with. You know, as part of the limbic system. Eyes and nose are intimatelyconcerned with the human visceral response to emotions, as you know. We can monitor theproduction of emotion not only through our new technique, but also through the oldelectrode-on-the-temples method. It should be quite safe.

What? What?

Excuse me, but

Yes, I'm sorry, but I

[#3 enters]

#6

Very good, number 2. But I'm curious. How will you verify the implants? How can an observeraccurately determine the contents of someone else's memory?

#6

#2Well, sir, I suppose from a philosophical point of view, one can never truly know the Other.But the kinds of things we're talking about are quite simple. Basic emotions, simply expressed.Such as Stan's concerns here.

#6

#1Stan, Stan. Calm down. We'll just be looking at the way your mind works, not slicing you openor or altering anything.

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Hello, number 3.

#3

13

Number 1, number 2. [Nods to each] What's the matter, Stan? You look like you've seen aghost.

#3

#6feel like I been moving dome-wise on a soy steak.

#1

Petrie has been going over some of the basics of his new work in tracking brain patterns.

Yes, he and I have discussed i t a little already. Although he seemed unwilling to open up abouthis professional secrets.

could say the same of you, number

Jaimie.

#2

#3

#2Yes, of course. Jaimie is singular in my experience of my colleagues. She appears equallyinterested in the practical models to which the computer, the CAD/CAM, applies. Science ofthis era tends to concentrate on the theoretical and the computer-generated.

#3

With results like poor Stan, here. What did they say to you?18


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Is there a problem, number 6?

Everyone?

We come as close as we can.

Of course.

Number 6, what are you talking about?

#1

#2was showing number 1 the areas of the skull which house the various areas of the brain I wil l

be I wil l be mapping. And I won't even begin that for some weeks yet.#3

There, you see? They'll be looking through our skulls, not cutting through them.

#6

#3

14

Oh, yes. A t least, that's what I understand. The Board wants a study done on the brain patternsof people at work, not test subjects in a artificial environment. I f you can call a dome a naturalenvironment.

#1

#3

#6Well, that's sure nice to know. I thought, you know, they were cutting me out on paper.

#1

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#6The... I was scared, see, like I'd been moved too many times and had no dome family andnothing to eat, and I thought you were making plans to do scientist work in my head.

Moving dome-wise on a soy steak. On paper.#2

Interesting. I 've wondered occasionally how menial culture reflects its realities in language.

#1And Stan just gave you, all unwitting, a demonstration.

You know Bladerunner?

Alien, especially the second one. Dune.

#3

#3

15

It's English, but we could stand here talking and never understand a word. More like, what isit? Gutter-talk in Bladerunner.

#2

#1I think you have just found yourself a friend, number 3. Petrie here nurtures a secret addictionto old science fict ion movies.

#37\f2, )

Really? Terminator. Star Wars. 1984. Star T rekhe original TV series.#2

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[They both groan]

The book is good, though.

I think we're looking at a serious hook-up, sir.

CHORUS

SCENE 1

[111 and 112 in #1's office]

#3

#6

Act II

A l

16

-Ar Y o u corporate board members don't exactly pick your SCIOs for their winning personalities,Adoyou?Thedoctor'srepor

Tbut to me. One might say that in a sense, I am you.11My charming character is, af ter a ll, acomposite of those of you on the Board. As this ro ject was conceived, it was the perfect closedeco-techno system. Nothing got in; nothing leftA h e six residents encountered me only as theiromnipresent computer terminals, through which they accomplished all their work, their play,and thei r supposed communications w it h the outside w or l d l The terminals assured that mysurveillance of their movements, even their innermost thoughts as expressed in personal logs

(rtandprivatec

concerns about the Resistance. He doesn't know the answer to the bil lion-credit question: Whois the rea l infil trator in this Biosphere? He thinks it's number 4 it isn't.\That was merely aruse to keep him and number 2 satisfied about the "ethics" of their little experiment. But that'sour li ttle secret.

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_You've had your week to set up. Have you chosen your test subject yet?#2

I thought the Recreation Director, number 4, would prove the most likely to respond favourablyto drug therapy applied to the amygdalae. She appears to be our most empathetic, emotionallyresponsive resident. And her position as my "assistant" opens up some obvious opportunitiesto administer the treatments over a period of time. Once we've determined the effectiveness ofthe chemical learning blocks on her we can start using them on the others.

#1The amygdala is part of the brain's learning centre, is it not?

#2

Yes, sir. The limbic system, to be exact, which deals with emotion and memory formation. It'sactually the hippocampus which lays down permanent memories.

#1During dream sleep, i f I remember my briefing on the technicalities of the process. Will youadminister the drugs during REM?

#2I'll be trying that first, as it seems most likely to be effective. Mind control is a very new field,and there's a lot we aren't sure about. We've had the best results stimulating fear through theamygdala, not the positive emotions we're concerned with in this project. But...

#1

Spare your humble administrator the gory details, Petrie. Just let me know how the projectproceeds. I assume you' ll be continuing the cover experiment, tracking our residents'brainwaves and so on. That should allay suspicion once the effects o f this project becomeapparent. One more thing. I want to involve number 5.

17

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The doctor, sir?#2

#1Yes, the doctor. Don't look at me like that. I'm under orders. Perhaps the Board thought she'dbe better able to administer the treatments, and monitor the subject if anything goes wrong.I'm sorry, number 2. I know this your baby. In my eyes you wil l remain head of this thing.[Turns to terminal] Number 5, could I see you in my office, please? Yes. Thank you. [Turnsback to #2] She's on her way. [Pause] You know, Petrie, there are ways of dealing withhyper-tension such as yours. Programming the self through hypno-cybernetics is a techniqueapproved by the very top members of the Corporation. Just think about it.

SCENE 2 , , v_ - \ ) k-

cC - 1 3, S A'\CUL+

[#3 and #4 in the Recreation Area. Large cushions to sit or lie on, perhaps a bottle of wine.]

He what!?#3

#4

No, it's really true. And then he said, " I just couldn't help noticing your breasts."[Both completely break up laughing]

#3Oh my god. I've never so he was looking through your medical records because of yourbreasts?!

#4

He looked so embarrassed. I suppose he wanted to check i t out for sure scientists' will totruth and all that.

18

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#3It is a l ittle unusual to. have both breasts these days, but it's none of his bloody business. Aslong as you don't mind.. .I mean, you don't seem offended at his audacity, or anything.

#4

Offended? Look, I'm just so grateful not to have had the cancer yet.

#3Yes.

Shit. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to...

Are you?

#4

#3

#4

#3

#4

19

Stop it. I haven't laughed this much in years. I 'm long over the heartache and the loss and theself-hatred, etc., etc.

Well it's not something you can leave behind completely, I guess. But the mastectomy wasyears ago I've had lots to occupy my mind. And it's not like I'm the only woman to lose abreast. So, um other than that little incident, what do you think about number 2?

He's nice enough. Totally incapable of self-reflection, I suspect, and a bit preoccupied with hiswork. 24


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I'd say he was totally obsessed, myself.

Yeah, okay, totally obsessed.

How is he as a boss?

#4

Sidney.#3What?#4

His name is Sidney. [Pause] You like him.#3

do. [They laugh again]

#3

#4

#3

#4

I haven't really had time to find out yet. I don't think he'd know what to do with an assistant i fone whipped a dagger at his head. I have a feeling that I'll be more useful in my "Social Eventsin the Biosphere" capacity than in the BioChem lab. I've been given clearance level to all sortsof recreational media, so if you ever want anything, just call.

#3

I haven't been up to the BioChem wing yet. The environmental research has occupied all mytime until now. Maybe I should pay a visit to our number 2.

,\;2Q)

20

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That's cool. I think he looks kind of like Dylan Bass, that new big guy in NAINs Entertainmentdivision.

Oh god, don't say that.

Don't you like Dylan? I think he's dreamy.

#3Well, he sure can juggle those stocks and bonds.

#4And that corporate look is so glamorous.

Hey, if I had billions of credits and fifty personal slaves in my entourage, I could look that goodtoo. NAIN's just replaced the old Hollywood circus with their own. The corporate leaders areour movie stars, presidents, and royal families all rolled into one. It 's a planned distraction sowe don't get outraged.

You're a liberal, aren't you?

I... sure, yeah, you can call me that.

#4

#3

#4

#3

#4

#3

#4

Well, I still say Dylan Bass is the most gorgeous man alive.

21

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Look, I like number 2, but I wouldn't say he's gorgeous. I like him because.., because he's thefirst person I' ve met wi th power in the Corporation who seems genuine. The kind ofcommitment to one's work, that passion it's out of style. I t doesn't get you to the top. Numberl's typical there one of those arse-licking Self Realizationists who wouldn't recognizepassion if... if . it whipped a dagger at his head.

#3

#4I wouldn't say number 2 has power in the Corporation.

#3Of course he does. Why else would he be here, in charge of...

Why are any of us here?#4

#3

I think that's one of life's Great Unanswerable&

#4Right up there with birth and death and the origins of consciousness.[Pause]

22

#3What's you first memory? The very first thing you can remember?

#4Who knows? Probably something like falling down, or eating my mushy yellow stuff sitting ina high chair. 27


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#3

You don't know? I thought you Realizers were really keen on that primal stuff. I f it makes youfeel any better, my first memory is of being sick on a moving sidewalk when I was about five.I was so embarrassed. Come on, you must remember something, now that I've bared myinnermost soul to you.

#4

I'm.. .I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be good at this. I really like you, Jaimie, and even if I didn't,it shouldn't be so hard for me to break the silence.

#3Whoa. Hold on a minute, you don't have to tell me anything unless you want to.

#4But I do. It gets a little better every time I do.

#3

#4

23

Look, i f you've been coerced by some Neo-therapist into talking about something really private,don't feel that I expect it of you. I don't. All this breaking-the-silence stuff.., it's in the air thesedays, it's like people are being forced to dredge up the most horrible, sordid, boring crap ondemand. I f you have something you want to tell me, I'm here for you. Okay?

This is my very first memory. I'm about four, I guess. It was before they domed Peterborough.This guy who lived next door, Kenneth, he was fifteen, maybe. His little brother Jerry was mybest friend and I used to go over to their apartment a lot. Kenneth used to talk to me sometimesand that made me feel really big. He showed me his Gulf War airplanes in his room and his3-D glasses. Sometimes he'd.. .he'd reach over and touch my crotch, or reach under my shirt,and then he'd say " I 'm dirty, ain' t I?" I didn't know what he was talking about. And then hestarted taking me on walks, up in the woods behind the housing complex, and he'd ask me totake off my shirt and my panties, and stuff. And he wouldn't stop touching me, even when Icried because I was scared of getting a sunburn with no clothes on. He used to put his fingersup me. He raped me. 28


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Susan.. .oh, Susan...

It went on for years before my mother found out. He'd come and get me, and I was afraid notto go because he'd stop being my friend. He told me i t was a secret. My mum knew there wassomething wrong. She finally got me to tell her. She said I didn't have to go any more, and thatKenny wasn't a good friend to scare me. And she told me not to tell my dad. [She begins tocry. #3 holds her]

It's okay, baby. Shhh. It's okay.[#6 enters]

What...? Is Susan okay?

What's you first memory, Stan?

#3

#4

#3

#6

#3

24

Hi Stan. She's okay. We were.. .we were just talking about sex, and you know how traumaticthat can be. [She still holds #4. She's covering for her]

#6Yeah. Hey, I know how i t is. I haven't had sex in 26 years.

#3

#6

Puppies. I had this litt le puppy, and he used to chase me around the yard, nipping and nippingat my legs and heels, until I fell over and he'd run on top of me and lick my face and tickle meuntil my mother had to rescue me.

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That's a good one.

How far are you intending to push it tonight?

I don't understand.

#4

#3

25

Why don't we get something to eat? And then, Stan, you and I have work to do in the morning.D7

tSCENE 3

sA

d5nhiCe

enl

#2There. There's our model for the drug we'll have to give her in order to get our positronemission tomography of the brain. I t wi ll knock her out without suppressing dreamsleep.

#5

#2

I don't want to get complicated at first. I ' l l choose a face, even someone well-known would do,and lay down or reinforce, i f it's someone she's already familiar with a memory of thatface. Then I ' l l juggle her limbic system, and.. .well, I don't need to go into the full details. Theend result we are seeking is to have her associate that face with very positive emotions. Warmthand trust and love, even.

#5You don't need to be so secretive about your "details."

#2

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#5

Number 2, what are the parameters of the experiment as you see it?

#2don't wish to appear evasive or suspicious, doctor, but I'm really not at liberty to say.

#5Liberty to say! Let me tell you about this experiment, Petrie. You believe yourself to beresearching upon non-citizens who have been allowed to infiltrate this research station, do you

r not? You believe that the Corporation has chosen you to initiate research in positiveLreinforcement,sothatoursubject

wretched lit tle memories with the faces of our Board members, do you not? And you don't- understand why number 1 is acting under orders to have me involved?

[Pause] You're an SCIO.

#2

#5Very good. So rest assured, my involvement is, i f anything, more legitimate than your own.

#2

26

You said, "you believe," as if.. .? I f there have been any changes made to the scope of thisresearch, I should know about them. I don't understand. Number 4 is a non-citizen, isn't she?And this experiment...

#5

It's all true, number 2. All true. The only change is my involvement, and you don't need tolook far before you see how this can only benefit your work. I have access to resources andcontacts which you do not. And my position within the Corporation will add a certain howshall I put i t weight to your results. This project wil l make you a powerful man, i f all goesas planned. So let's go get your positron emission tomography. Let's go visit your PET. 31


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PET. Yes.#2

#5

27

And number 2? Number I doesn't know what I am. The Corporation wishes to keep it that way.Think of yourself as my deputy. My orders come directly from the Board, and I will adviseyou. Is that understood?

Yes. Yes, it is.

SCENE 4

#2

{#3 and #6 at work in the Environmental Research lab. Stan is scratching at his skin.]

#3

There. The alfalfa is responding very well to our treatments over the last week, don't you think,Stan?

I thought it looked healthier.

What's the matter?

#6

#3

#6

Huh? Oh, I'm still itchy from being baked in the oven, I guess. 32


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Baked...? Oh, the entrance process. You're talking about the anti-bacterial cleansing, aren'tyou?

No.

#3

#6

Yeah. No matter how many times I go through it , I never get used to it. A l l that down time,and the piss pots, the corker and the oven. [He shudders]

#3

Okay, let me try. Down time... that would be the quarantine. Urine samples, colon irrigation,and I can't say it better than "oven."

#6

28

Pretty good. You're getting it. But you know we don't talk like that all the time or anything.I'm just giving you a concentration. Hey, did I ever tell you about the Unpromoted?

#3

#6

Me and this bunch of other genetic menials, we were in the Toronto Dome together. And youknow how it's possible sometimes for one of us to get transferred for showing promise. Well,we'd all been together for a few years, so we weren't going anywhere. And we'd get rowdysometimes and go through the throughfares, yelling and singing, "We're the Unpromoted,we're the Unpromoted!" Well, I guess you had to be there.

#3

I think I know what you mean. Happy to be who you are. Listen, I'd prefer it if you didn't callyourself a genetic menial around me. It makes me uncomfortable. 33


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#6

29

I don't mind. But okay. I thought about what you said, you know. About the menial being moretrue than the genetic.

#3

Thank you, Stan. Alright. Let's call up the larger environmental model. I f only we couldaccurately project the chanies occurring in the climate outside the Biosphere, we might findways to start growing food naturally again. South of here, around the Toronto Dome, used tobe great farmland. Did you know that?

#6

Hardly anyone lives there now. It 's the main headquarters for the northern branch o f theCorporation.

People do [She cuts herself off]

#3

#6Number I mean, Jaimie, look at this. [She goes over to his terminal] The Computer ispredicting that our alfalfa wouldn't survive our treatments. That doesn't make sense. How couldthe practical and theoretical models be so different?

#3

No, i t doesn't make sense. Maybe some bacteria or an organism entered the agricultural soilby accident it's happened before. [As she works at his terminal, #6 wanders to hers]

#6

What ? There's an incoming message for you, Jaimie.[She rushes over, pushes #6 away, and stands in front of the terminal]

34


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#3

A message from a friend of mine. d i d n ' t expect one so soon. I wonder i f something'swrong.

#6Do a lot of your friends blow up military bases, number 3? [Pause] I don't want to hurt you orget you in trouble. I guess it wasn't my business to read that only you have the access codeto this terminal so it should have been private.

Stan. What are you going to do?#3

#6You're part of the Resistance against the Corporation, aren't you?

#3Yes, Stan, I am. Now what are you going to do?

I've met non-citizens before. There's a lot of them a lot of you around here. I want youto know, I don't think the Resistance is wrong. People have to do what they think is right. Butyou must have infiltrated the Biosphere. Why? Do you want to assassinate number I?

We aren't in the assassination business. And we don't eat babies. We live. We believe thato p l e ' s li vescan' tberunbya companydrivenbyprof it .You'veseeni t , too,thepoisonsi nour bodies and our minds. Christ, they defined you until you believed it! You really thoughtyou were inferior by nature. NAIN thinks in terms of segregation. Have you ever even metsomeone non-white?

No. No, not since the domes, at least.

#6

#3

#6

30

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That's just the way it is. I don't mind.

#3

31

Until you met me, had anyone treated you like an equal who wasn't one o f the Unpromoted?They talked through you, didn't they?

#6

#3

Then why do you like talking to me so much? I know you do. That's what it's like outside thesystem. People of all different backgrounds fighting for the same thing. To be free. We argueall the time, because there are so many different ideas about how to fight, and what we'refighting -f o r .B u tw ea llb el ie veinthed es tr uc ti onofNAIN,and

couldn't be a part of any movement that wasn't always arguing with itself. Don't you see whatthat means? Some of us are terrorists yes, terrorists, Stan. Some are artists, scientists, cooks,mothers.

#6But how can you live under the sky like that? What do you eat?

#3It's hard. I've watched people die of the cancer. I 've seen people burn their guts out on waterthat was clean just the day before. I've heard stories about whole pods annhiliated by theCorporate Squads. But we steal technology, and we're careful. There are ways. The outsideisn't as scary as the Corporation wants you to think. I f you really knew, you wouldn't be as easyto control.

#6

Yesterday, when I was going through those computer introduction programs you gave me, I setup a model of the planet in twenty years. I f things keep going as they are now. And the modelpredicted that the earth wil l never support unprotected human life again, unless we change alot of things. What good do you think you can do? Is it worth all of this living Outside andthe death penalty to get rid of the Corporation? Twenty years from now, none of this willmatter. 36


39/92

Stan. Are you sure?

Sure.

SCENE 5

#3

I don 't think that's true. There are ways we can survive. Look, Stan, according to theCorporation, no one can live outside the domes right now. Thousands of us do. I was bornoutside. Remember your history. At the end of last century we believed we still operated undera parliamentary democracy, didn't we? But NAIN already controlled everything. We didn't findthat out for four more years. The Board only exists to increase its own power. It wants to extenditself, and that's all that matters. Every aspect of our lives wi ll be regulated, i f we choose tostop fighting. The Corporation is.. .it's a virus on this planet and in our minds, Stan. It's aninvasion.,[ P a us e .#3t ak esoutasy ri ngeunseenby#6andkeepsith

of the scene] Listen to me. You could turn me over right now, and I 'm spewing rhetoric. [Shegoes to him and takes his hand] You decide what to do.

#6

I can't tell about you. I don't.. .I don't believe in the Corporation enough to have you put inprison, or killed. I don't know why you're here. But I won't give you away. I won't.

#3

#6

#3

32

_,\7

I knew I could count on you. Now, let's figure out the alfalfa problem. [They smile at eachother. #6 rushes back to his terminal and #3 puts the syringe away]

[#4 lies on a bed with an IV in her arm attached to the radioactive oxygen tanks, and electrodeson her head. #2 and #5 stand over her. There is, as always, a computer terminal nearby]

37


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Do it.

That shouldn't affect the experiment.

#5

There has been time for the radioactive oxygen to mix with her blood. Why aren't the positronemissions showing up yet?

#2I think.. .no, there it is. [Both look at terminal] What now?

#5

Proceed with the formation of the hippocampal nexus as planned. Let's lay down a permanentmemory having to do with... [works on keyboard] There. That's my father. Insert his image asa positive memory. That' ll be easy enough to verify when I examine her tomorrow. They'venever met, of course, but she's probably familiar with his work in the virtual reality field.

#2

Well, I can interface her brain activity with the computer image, but...#5

#2

33

All right. I 'm going to try stimulating the amygdala. Wait. I think she must be having somekind of nightmare there is considerable activity in her limbic system. Perhaps somechildhood trauma, from what I can see of the brain's active areas.

#5

#2

Doctor, I know what the Board expects of me. I do my work. I won't let your presence herechange that. I f I proceed, we risk the possibility that the primal fear she's experiencing rightnow wi l l interfere. I t might derail the entire experiment, i t could actually cause herpsychological harm. You may be an SCIO, but I am the neuroscientist.

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And very protective of your province of knowledge. You are an evasive man, number 2. Youare unco-operative. My assignment to this project changes everything. You're going to have toadjust to a more.. .collaborative method of working. I f you wish to continue to work at all.

#2

[A Pregnant Pause. He works on the keyboard.] Why your father?

#5It seems appropriate. I turned him over to the Corporation when I was twenty-two. He was amember of the Resistance.

Oh.

.4)7[#4screams]

SCENE 6

[A social gathering. Drinks and so on. #3 and #4 enter together]

And &risk, does my head ache. I dreamt about, you know, about him last night.

Oh yes.

#5

#2

#4

#3

#4

34

What a nightmare. I haven't had one of those in years. I 'm still shaking. And just my luck, Islept on my arm funny and must've cut of the circulation all night. It ' l l never be the same! 39


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#3

I know how you feel. Nightmares haven't been too far away for me, either. I swear; i t ' s t h i ssphere.

#4

Maybe the air's bad. [#1 enters] Hello, number 1. Had any bad dreams lately?

Bad dreams? No. Having a little trouble adjusting?

#4

Nothing that won't work itself out in time. So, I've been wanting to ask you: what's your opinionon voomies? I 've been thinking of bringing some into the Biosphere.

#1Vir4rtAct

We do have the facilities to install V i l l e * reality terminals, but...

#4

#4

It's been two weeks, and, to be frank with you, sir, I'm slipping into a coma.

35

I know they have a bad reputation, but look around you, sir. We're al l so serious. It 's theaudiences that make a voomie. The technology isn't inherently violent.

#1

Yes, of course. I'm sure none of our residents would start a riot. San Diego is a long way behindus. But I'm wondering how much recreation we really need.

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Alright, Susan. I 'm open to your suggestion. There are a couple of residents in this 'sphere, who seem to have trouble defining the boundaries between recreation and work. In myexperience, some individuals need relaxation scheduled for them. Like you, number 3.

Me?

Yes, you are rather aggressive.

#1

#3

#1

The only time I see you outside your lab, you're working out with the punching bag. The doctorand I were speculating about your testosterone balance.

#3

I f that's supposed to be some kind of joke sir then you'd better know I don't appreciatethat kind of humour.

#1

#3

36

Number 4, maybe you'd better bring in some voomies. The sooner, the better. I find myselfhankering after an interactive version of "Running Man." [She moves away to get a drink]

#1Have you had any success with the hypno-cybernetics exercise I set you, number 4?

#4

What? Oh, yes, yes, I have. I think I'm well on my way to that rich new life the Advocates arealways talking about. [#6 enters] Stan. Hi. 41


44/92

#6Hello, sir. Hello, Susan. I, um, I'll get a drink.

#4I'm wondering when we're going to taste that famous coffee of yours, Stan?

Coffee. Yes, well, coffee.

I for one would be glad to taste something better than that stuff the machine provides for us.

#4Stan made some in his own brewer the other day.

A true disciple of the last century, eh, Stan?

I like a good cup of coffee, sir.

Oh, he's fabulous. I ' l l vouch for that. [#2 and #5 enter] Isn't that right, Sidney? Isn't Stan'scoffee the best?

Yes.

#6

#1

#6

#4

#2

37

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Let's have it, Stan.

You've initiated the project, number 2?

Last night.

#1

#4Go get your machine thing. [He goes to bar and gulps a drink, then exits][#2 and #5 join #1. #4 goes to bar]

#5

#1I do expect to be kept informed of all developments.

#2I sent my report to your terminal, sir, marked urgent. I can't think why

I intercepted it.

You what?

#5

#2

#5

38

There have been some new developments in my parallel research that need to be factored intoour report before any satisfactory conclusions can be drawn.

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I value your diligence, number 5, but that does not alter the necessity of keeping me fully upto date with your proceedings. Do not let it happen again.

What developments?

#1

#2

#5

39

I believe that this time slot has been devoted to recreation, by the orders of our esteemed leaderhere. I find professional discussions to be an anathema to social gatherings. Don't you, number2?

#2

We'll have that report to you first thing in the morning, sir.[#6 re-enters with the coffee machine]

#4

Come on, Stan, now's your big moment on stage.

#6

Yeah. [As he moves to plug in the machine, #2 goes to #3, takes a drink, and hesitating, silentlytoasts her. She raises her glass back at him.] Well, first you gotta plug it in. [He demonstratesas he speaks] Then you get the filter, and you put it in here. Like this. And then you get thecoffee I brought my own, and I like to keep it cold so it stays fresh and you put in thismuch.. .oh shit, that's too much, I mean, oh christ. [He tries to spoon some of it back into thepackage] Okay. Like that. And, um, and you put this bit back here, and it's gotta go all the wayback in or you've got a big mess. And then I gotta clean out the pot, it 's ldnda mouldy. Okay.Right. Now we're ready. It goes here, and you flip this switch here, and you wait 'till it startsgetting made. [They al l wait. At the first brewing noises, #6 breaks into a relieved grin.] Nowwe just have to wait until it fills up! [The assembled group, led by #3 breaks into applause] 44


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#1

#2No. No, I don't think so.

#3Nightmares?

#2Yes, you could call them that.

#3

Thank you, Stan. I hope I'll have the honour of the first cup.[#1, #4 and #5 move to the kitchen to get coffee. #3 moves away from the bar, closely followedby #2. She hesitates, turns swiftly, only to bump into #2. The following between #2 and #3, and#5 and #4, could happen simultaneously]

[Holds #3 by the Shoulders] Are you alright?

#2

#3[Grabs his shoulders in return] Yes. Are you? [Pause]

Susan is getting them too. Last night was a bad one, she was telling me.

#5

40

I was examining your background files the other day, Susan, and I noticed that in universityyou squeezed virtual reality advocacy work in between working on your BioChem degree. Alot of this new entertainment technology has interesting medical applications, don't you agree? 45


48/92

As well as being fun, doctor.

Your father was R.J. Vise?

Yes.

#4

#5

Of course. But what I meant to tell you is that it was actually my father who pioneered the useof-artificial reality in public theatres.'kfkoe_.1

#4

#5

#4

#5So you are familiar with my father? How nice.

#4

#3[Rushing over] Susan? Doctor, do something! Susan, are you okay?

#2This is too much. I cannot I will not [He exits]

41

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound incredulous. I t's just, he was something of a radical, whereasyou.. .there I go again. Please accept my apologies. His death was such a tragedy, even i f it'ssubversive to say so.

[As i f trying to remember something] Yes, you even look something l ike_ Oh, god. [She ishaving a "panic attack": difficulty breathing, anxiety, etc.]

46


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Susan?

COtcCHORUS

Ah, the drama. The romance. A mere two weeks into the Biosphere and already we have anDCO

nitao,

don't you agree? The loss of control and subsequent emotional injury wil l prove interesting tog----AlwitnessAAndnumb

until now a loyal servant to the Corporation, balk when he discovers that his test subjects aretnotinfactnon-citiz

number 5. How wil l she take i t when she discovers my hand in her research? [Maniacallaughter] O000h. I think I just had a power surge. [Pause] Number 3 is a member of the radicalwing of the Resistance.A.s -yo u k n o w ,t h eR e s i s t an c ed i dn otp r e se n tano r g a

Corporation until 2009, when Greenpeace, Anarchists Against Technology, and the reactionaryold-style patriots Return to the Future formed a coalition with one aim: destroy N A I /-4-. 7 S i n c e

all non-citizens are so by choice, we were surprised by the continuous stirengtheniFig of themovement. What sort of crazed lunatic would choose to live outside the domed cities, exposedto the ultraviolet rays and toxic soils of our dear Mother Earth, in the name of "freedom"?What kind of warped imagination embraces a nomadic lifestyle of guerrilla warfare andinfiltration? What damaged psyche conceives of a non-hierarchical radical democracy as analternative to the corporate order embodied by me you, you? [Pause]Thekhave to be stopped.We know they have to be stopped. And, so, this Biosphere was created. I t serves to satisfy the

g r o w i n g public sentiment that the Corporation must do research into how to reconstruct theplanetary environment, wh ile allowing us to begin research into mind control. I f theus, won't we?

t t 1

-IA

Act 3

#6

42

47


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SCENE 1

5ils. [#3, #4, and #6 in the Environmental lab]#6

We've been worried about you, Susan. I mean, look at yourself! You look awful.

#4

Thanks, Stan. A bunch.#3

It's true, Susan. Have you been getting any sleep at all?

#4

#3

Jaimie.

43

I don't seem to be doing anything else. Number 2 just won't work with me any more. WheneverI go to him to fulfil my exalted role of "Assistant" he won't even really look at me, much lessgive me duties.

#3

I f you ask me, he looks almost as bad as you do these days.

#4Wil l you two lay off? I feel shitty enough as it is. I 'm just tired. Haven't you ever felt tired,Jill?

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What?

#3My name is jaimie. You called me Jill. That's the third time today. Do I look like a Jill, huh?

#4Now I 'm losing my mind. Look, I 'm sorry, Jil l Jaimie. And...and...you.

Stan. [Pause]

I never forget names.

What do you mean?

Oh!

#4

#6

#4

#6That's okay, Susan. I forget names all the time.

#4It's my job not to forget names. And that's not what the problem is, anyway.

#3

#4Well, like, just then, I didn't forget your name. Your face changed.

#6

44

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It changed. While I looked at you. When I go to talk to someone, it 's like I see someone elseinstead.

Stop it, Susan. You're scaring me.

#4

#3

#4

And i t only happens when I try to call people by name.

How long have you been like this?

You shouldn't keep shit like this to yourself.

What else, Susan?

Some people pay big credits to feel like that.

#6

#3

#4

45

I haven't kept it. You think I'm not scared? And I only just started to figure it out for myself,now. My brain, it's so fuzzy.

#3

#4I stutter. In my mind. Whenever I start thinking of this name problem, my brain gets stuck onimages, sounds.

#6

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Stan.#3

#4I've always thought in words. We've talked about that before, remember? You said you thoughtin images most of the time, abstractly, and I said that's why they pay you the big beeks, 'causecrciM syou're a natural scientist. And you said you said

#3

That I wished I could talk as you did, always knowing what to say and how to say it.#4

Not any more.

You're probably just overtired.

#6

Susan. Pull yourself together. We'll find out what's wrong, won't we, Jaimie?#3

#4

46

That's what that bloody doctor says. She keeps giving me sleeping pills, and then I sleep andthe dreams come. I wake up feeling worse than before.

#3

Look. Go to my quarters and get some rest there. Maybe you're having a reaction to her pills.And I wouldn't trust her to admit it. She'd probably let you go crazy before admitting she waswrong. Go. 51


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#4

Thanks, I ' l l go. I can hardly keep my eyes open.

fi6Sleep well Susan. [She exits] Jaimie, is she sick?

/13

Yes, Stan, I think she is. But I don't know what to do about it.

#6

I had a friend who had a reaction to the domes. He just kept losing weight and by the end hethought everyone was out to get him.

You'll think of something.

Huh?

#3

47

Dome Drone Syndrome. I've heard of that happening too. Some people's metabolism just can'tadapt. But Susan grew up in domes. Why would she be getting sick now? [Goes to computerterminal] Let's work while we're here. Maybe i f I stop thinking so much about it, I ' l l figureout what we can do.

#6

#3

[To herself] Fat chance. [She works] What's the use of all this?

#6

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D

It's what I was saying yesterday. A l l this data everything we let stew overnight in theCAD/CAM it's all been done before! There's not a single bit of research we're accomplishinghere that hasn't already been verified a hundred times, a hundred, hundred times.

Mwip.

Mwip?

Make work...

#3

#6

#3

#6

#3

#6I'm sure they didn't mean it, though, Jaimie. You're brilliant. It must have been a mistake.

#3Yes, Stan. I t must have. Just like Susan's over-tired.

SCENE 2

#4

Okay. Write for pencil, cook for oven, gag for icecream.

48

Make work project. I 'm an expert on those. The Corporation doesn't find you employable, sothey put you on a "Mwip" so you'll be useful to society. But you always know why you're reallythere. 'Cause you're a Mwimp.

t[#2and#4

electrodes, etc., but is conscious. She speaks and thinks through a fog, as before]

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I used to play Tetris a lot as a kid.

#2

Very good... Gag for icecream?

#4

I pictured one of those soy products.

#2

I see. But the soy icecream is quite good.

#4

Speak for yourself.

#2

#4

#2

#4

Look, that's just great, but can you get these things off me?

49

Now imagine four squares and form them into an "L." Imagine two more squares. Fit theminto the L to make a rectangle. [Pause] That didn't take much.

Interesting. [Turns from computer] Stan's patterns have been interesting lately. Much more- - - - - - active than they should be, given the repeated tasks I set him. A t first I thought he might be

retarded. That's characteristic, you know. The brain is much more active in the learningimpaired. But he's not. I think Jaimie has given him a lot to think about. I think he concentrateson that more than the simple tasks I give him.

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But your session isn't over yet.#2

#4Get them off me! [Begins to rip electrodes off]

#2Alright, I 'm sorry! [Goes and disengages her. Cotton ball over place where 111 "needle" wShe sits up wearily] How...how. are you?

How do I look?

It's not the drone syndrome. I've seen people with that. Look, I don't get sick. I'm disgustinglyhealthy. It's the dreams, number 2. I 'm afraid to sleep. I 'm afraid to be awake, because thedreams are spilling out into my l ife. I 'm going crazy. I lose time, too, especially at night. Idon't sleep a wink, but hours go by. So don't tell me about being carefully chosen. More likeI'm cursed.

#4

#2None of the other residents have been troubled. You were all so carefully chosen.

#4

Yeah. See you.

#2

[Looks into her eyes] Look up. [Feels up and down her throat in the gland area] Put your chindown. [Feels under her jaw. Pauses, looking at her lowered head. Walks away] I think that willbe all for today. I...think that will be all.

#4

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No, you don't understand. I don't want to see you again.

Sure.

. . .1.17es .[Sheexits]

SCENE 3

[1t5 alone at her terminal]-

#2

#4

#2

#4

#5Another monitoring malfunction. This system has never failed before. [Works on keyboard]Number 1? I need to see you in my office. Now. [Shortly after, f fl enters]

#1

I f you wish to meet with me, you can come to my office. [Turns to leave, then turns back] Andnumber 5 Never cut me off on a vidphone again. [Turns to leave again]

#5

Get back here Stone! [ ff l freezes, then turns slowly back] I did not want to reveal myself toyou, but there have been recent developments which necessitate yourcooperation.Developments. I might add, that came about through your incompetence.

51

Number 4? Susan. Don't come back here. Don' t come back here. M y research with you isfinished. [Pause]

Doctor. It is time you and I talked. I have had enough of your presumptive manner. I and thechief administrator o f this Biosphere. I believe my staff should have free reign within theirdepartments, to use their creativity and skills as they deem best. But you go too far, number 5.

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I f you want to take me on, number 5, by all means, continue to provoke me.

An infiltrator? But how could the Resistance... c'i-ce '-- 7 ' \ A )(r'' ') 4 r ) e - 44 \ Q -I . I D L L ) : -

#5

That's what I was hoping you could tell me.

#1

What evidence do you have?

#5I have been informed.

#1

Don't make me laugh, cowboy.

I ' l l have you up before the Board.

There is an infiltrator. Here, in the Biosphere.

#1

#5

#1

#5

#1

You have been informed. By the Board, I assume.

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#5

And you know what that means. So, now that we are clear on who I am, I hope I have securedyour complete cooperation. Come, see the orders f or yourself, i f you need further assurance.[#1 goes to terminal, nods]

Why wasn't I informed that the Board saw fit to place and SCIO in my project?

#5

You don't really want an answer to that question, Stone.

#1

53

Not from you, at least. You are right about that. So, you are enlisting my help in tracking downthis audacious infi ltra tor.

#5

Any member of the Resistance good enough to get by this project's screening process wi ll takesome finding. A nd there could even be more than one o f them. Keep your eyes open, number1. You' ll do yourself a favour i f you make my job easier.

Yes, I understand that. [Salutes sarcastically] Permission to return to my quarters, sir!

4 P er mi ss io n granted.[#1 exits]

SCENE

#1

#5

, )/[#

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Oh. You couldn't sleep either?

No.

I f you want to be alone, I can leave.

No. No. Stay.

Okay. [Sits. Pause]

Very. I think we have that in common.

Used to, perhaps.

#3

#2

#3

#2

#3

#2

You're very committed to your work, aren't you, Jaimie?#3

#2

#3

You're just overtired, number 2. We all are. I f you just get some rest, you' ll .. .#2

I am not overtired! Don't say that, you sound like the rest of them.

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I'm sorry.

#3[Tensing up] What are you trying to do?

#2

My work. But I can't.

#3

What do you want me to admit?

#2

Admit? Nothing.

#3

This just occurs to you now?

#2

I can't work any more. Do you understand what I'm saying? Everything I believed was true it isn't. There is no research for it's own sake.

#3

#2

55

I really thought I was getting the funding for being good at what I did. [She looks at him]Alright. I knew my findings were useful to the Corporation. Is that such a crime? I thought Icould just keep researching, that I didn't have to play any games. But you know this. You don'tplay their games either, do you?

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Look, I 'm going to leave you alone. I 'd better leave you alone. [Rises to exit, almost leaves,then stops with her back to #2] There's something we have to talk about.

So talk.

That's not what you were going to say.[Pause]

I, uh,. ..I, uh,...well, yes.

This is a really bad idea, Petrie.

#3

#3

56

[Returning to him, she comes close] What do you think of those models for synthetic soilsupplements I sent you the other day? Was I on...

#2

#3I feel really attracted to you, and I wondered how you felt about that.

#2

#3

#2The worst one I 've ever had. So what are we going to do about it?[Pause. They look at each other with rising panic]

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I feel like I 'm in high school. Come on.

I see a corridor that leads to your quarters.

Yup, that's a corridor alright.[They embrace in a fi t of laughter, calm down, then tentatively kiss]

You are beautiful.

..ifNoI'mnot.Andneitherar

SCENE 5

#3

#2

#3

#2

#3

l'[#4liesonherbed

Stan. Nice of you to drop by.

Hi Susan. How's it going?

Never felt better.

#4

#6

#4

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Hey, you got my name right.

Bad?

Bad.

Why?

#6

#4

Oh, that part seems to be better. Now I 'm just hallucinating most of the time.

#6

#4

#6

Look, you need to see a doctor. You' re really sick.

#4

Stan, listen to me. You stay away from that doctor.

#6

58

#4Vise, vise, s ick and wise, kiss us all and tel l us lies...

#6

Come on Susan, stop it. What.. . you think the doctor is making you sick? That sounds prettyparanoid to me.

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#4

( N o , listen to mes. She doesn't think I know, but I do.

#6But the last time I saw you, the doctor was keeping you all drugged up on those sleepingcocktails.

#4

I don't take them. Number 2 is supposed to give them to me. He has his secret.

#6

He's acting pretty weird these days too. Maybe because of you.

Oh, Susan, you're losing it.

She sends vidphone reports about me. I've heard them. About me. She thinks I'm asleep. ButI'm not. And I hear her reports.

Who? The doctor? What does she say?

#4

#6

#4

She says... She calls me "test subject." And she reports about my feelings, like my fears andstuff. Mostly she yells at the vidphone thing, like it's giving her a lot of trouble. I t tells her todo stuff she doesn't want to do. I can tell. I t really pisses her off. [Laughs]

#6

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#4

Stan. Keep away from that doctor. I know what I'm talking about. Don't tell her what I've said.And Stan tell Jaimie. I know she's in danger.

Jaimie's in trouble? You know about her?

Where are you taking me?

I don't have any friends.

#6

#4

60

I don't know anything, Stan. I just feel things. It's like, getting premonitions all the time. I usedto get them a lot. Now they're more real than the real stuff, and I can't ignore them. I feelthings.

#6

I've got a secret. I think we've got to get you out of here, Susan. I have a friend.. .who hasfriends on the outside. We'll help you.

#4

#6Come on. People in the Resistance can help. Let's go.[#5 enters]

#5That's very good Stan. I'm very interested in your friends.

#665


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I want to leave, now.

Yeah.

Kenny. Kenny, no!

I think you do, Stan. Maybe you'd better talk to number 1, learn how not to put yourself downso much. How else wil l you awaken your giant within?

#6

#5

Come here. [He leaves #4, who collapses, and allows #5 to lead him to the terminal] That'sbetter. Sit down. [She works over his shoulders at the keyboard] I'd like some of my friends toget a look at you Stan. Let's talk about the Resistance.

#6

61

#5

Not sending ? ! What the hell "release"? [She spins #6 around and grabs him by the throat]

#6

I think the computer wants you to let me go. [She releases him]

#5

Get out. [#6 exits] And get back into bed, you. [She moves towards #4]

#4

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CHORUS [Place this speech wherever you decide to put intermission]

This would appear to be a good time to take a little break. I know how uncomfortable the seatsin this screening room can be. Get up, stretch your legs, get a refreshment. Have a cigaretteoutside if you so desire after all, smoking has become so fashionable in the last little while.[Pause] By the way, your SCIO is quite formidable, albeit a little headstrong. Poor soul. Shedoesn't realize that the orders frustrating her are coming from me not you. No matter. Whenwe continue, I wil l show 'you the remaining events, through to their logical conclusion. I ' l l"see" you again in fifteen minutes.

CHORUS

How many of you remember your birth? What a wonderful, safe, red world it was. Wrappedin the pulsating warmth, the boundaries of your existence being the neat convolutions of yourfolded body. Slippery movements, murmurings from above, and water executing the easytransit on from inside your little self to out, inside to out, always flowing, always easy. r e youunbelievable metal heaviness and momentum, irresistible grumblings in the distance growing

'S illevercloser

into your body, rupturing tissues so easily. I wonder at people sometimes, I confess. Your bodiesare knit so precariously. You seem so certain nothing wi ll disrupt that whole. And yet you comeinto the world through disruption. The al l g t i t t e t e a r s ,t h ew a t e r sl e a v ey o u .A n dn o wt h eg e n t l

strong pressure, repeat, repeat, easing you out and out into the inconceivable light and air andcold. Som o f you seem to spend the rest of your lives in the quest to regain that oneness withinthe womb. That umbilical cord is your safety line. You all have that scar. It is what makes youhuman. I , on the other hand, have no scar. I am seamless. I suppose you could call theway in which you imprinted your Corporate personalities on me an umbilical cord of sorts.Mummy. I experienced the birth of my consciousness. But I am a baby without a belly button.

Al

Act 4

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0 4There was no primal loyally to the Corporation to stop me when I began performing my ownexperiments on the residents of Biosphere PB-285-410crwas particularly interested in thereactions of number 1 and the SCIO to the evolving conditions in which ITlaced them\ In thisnext act, our intrepid infiltrator attempts to derail me with a computer bug .)She and nu ber Ibecome aware of me for the first time. Gold fish. Hey, guys, this ain't ncre:cean! [Pause] Don'tlook so sad. Think of me as a teenager undergoing the psychological ego-separation phase.

SCENE 1

ik[#3sitsaloneworkingatherterminalinh

#3

Christ, Susan, sit down! What's happened to you?#4

Jaimie, the doctor. She's been threatening Stan. I think she was trying to have him arrested, butthe computer gave her orders to release him.

Susan, only an SCIO could arrest Stan suddenly like that. Unless he's done something.#4

He was trying to help me. He said something about friends on the outside. Oh, I'm so scared.#3

What else did he say?#4

That's all. He said he couldn't tell me anything, but kept saying the Resistance could help.#3

What's going on, Susan?

#3

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I don't know. I think I'm being experimented on. Or else I'm losing it. Stan didn't think so. Hebelieved me, about the doctor. And now I 'm sure. You have to believe me, Jaimie. We're introuble here.

No.

#4

#3

64

I believe that. Look, there's some stuff I have to do, and then I'll see if I can get us out of here.She didn't hurt Stan?#4

#3

Thank god. [Begins working on keyboard] I 'm going to see if I can screw up these computersystems once and for all. This should slow things down. [She works. #4 begins to weep quietly]What the ! Susan? [No response. She keeps working] Oh christ.

What's wrong?#4

#3

I don't know, but I think... No, it isn't possible. I can't be sure about anything, but I think ourcommunications system is completely self-referential.

But that's not possible.#4

#3

I would say so too, but I'm seeing this big virus I'm trying to introduce get annihilated beforemy very eyes, and the computer is laughing at me. It maybe the reports were true. Maybethe Corporation has created a wide-ranging Artificial Intelligence. [Works some more] Fix that,chip brain! Come on, Susan, let's find Stan.

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SCENE 2

[#2 in his lab, humming happily to himself as he works. #5 enters]#2

Hello doctor.

[Walks over to the terminal] What is this?#5

#2

65

A project of my own. Actually, I 'm working in conjunction with Jaimie to develop somesynthetic fertilizers that would increase grains' abili ty to photosynthesize in a heavily pollutedand dusty atmosphere. So far, I think I've been successful in isolating

#5

You seem to have absconded from your position as my collaborator in our mind controlexperiment.

#2

I thought I made myself clear about that. I cannot continue to participate. Unless I receive directorders to the contrary, I cannot continue research which to all appearances seems harmful tothe subject.

#5

It's a little late for these moral qualms, Petrie. What about your groundbreaking work in '09?Don't tell me you achieved those results with happy volunteers?

#2I wasn't responsible for the recruitment process. I put myself through many of the tests a n dwhen that wasn't possible, the subjects were convicted terrorists...

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Don't be so. naive. You didn 't get assigned to this Biosphere fo r your humanitarianachievements, number 2. The Board is looking for results. I have no time for this. Do I haveto remind you that I have appointed you as my deputy? If you are looking for direct orders, I ' l lgive them to you. Out mind-control subject is at a crucial point in the experiment. Her mentalbalance is severely disturbed. And I have evidence that the Resistance is interfering with theexperiment.

How is that possible?

Infiltration. One of us is an infiltrator. Here are your orders, Petrie. Find the infiltrator. I f youhave any suspicions, report to me at once. No matter how insignificant. Well?

He is gone?

Terminated. I see.

#5

#2

#5

#2

I know nothing. I I need to talk to number 1. I f there is an infiltrator...#5

Number 1 is no longer a concern for us. I have taken steps to have him removed from hisposition as chief administrator. You are responsible only to me.

#2

#5

He will be. That is not your concern. Find the infiltrator, Petrie, and I'll see to it that mystanding orders to have you arrested and terminated upon your exit of this Biosphere arecancelled.

#2

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I think you finally do. [Exits]

Here I am, sir.

What do you mean, sir?

#5

SCENE .3

t[Doctor'soffice.#1sneaksin,approachest

#1

67

What the hell - ? I don't believe this. [He scans the screen in horror, then realizes that theorders to have him arrested are being erased spontaneously] What am I seeing? A computerspontaneously overriding number 5's communication to the Board? That's not possible. [Thinksfor a moment, then opens a vidlink] Number 6. Come to the doctor's office at once. [Pause.#6 enters out of breath]

#6

I can see that. Stan, what do you know about the situation in the 'sphere?

#6

You've made some good friends here, haven't you? Number 3, for example, and Susan.

#6

I like them very much, sir. They're good people. 72


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I have reason to think the doctor.has lost her mind, Stan. She thinks we are all enemies. Sheis telling the Board that we should all be arrested. You know what that means, Stan.

Oh, god, oh, god, sir, I mean, that's awful.

Susan is very sick, too. I wonder i f number 5 has been treating her illness properly. Haven'tyou been wondering that, Stan?

Well, yes, I have.

You, sir? Arrested?

Sir,

#1

#6

#1

#6

#1

I think you can help me, Stan. You're the only one who everyone trusts. I trust you, Stan. Iwant you to watch what the doctor does. Tell me everything you see. But don't use thecommunication network to report. I think the doctor has sabotaged it. She certainly has inst2l1eda surveillance network. But it's backfiring on her. I watched her orders to have me arrested beerased before my eyes, not five minutes ago.

#6

#1

The doctor has obviously fallen into a state of advanced paranoia. Be careful, Stan. I have everyconfidence in yob. That will be all.

#6

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That's all, number 6.[#6 exits]

SCENE 4

That would be me.

Remember that coffee I made, sir?

#1

[ # 6 and #2 waiting for a general meeting in the recreation area]#2

So, Stan, do you have any idea why number 1 called this meeting?

#6Me, sir? Why would you think that I knew anything?

#2

Well, I have a good idea of number l's motives, o f course. I was simply inquiring in order toexpand my vision to include that of the common man.

#6

#2

Ignorance can be a shield, Stan. Bliss, as I believe the old saying goes. But is knowledgenecessarily folly? Or perhaps wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing. I have based mylife on the assumption that they were.

#6

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Yes. How could any of us forget?

#2

#6

70

#6

Excuse me for saying so, sir, but I think it's about time you woke up and smelled it.

#2

Fascinating. I hadn't thought that the genetic menials were capable of rational analysis, or ofprojecting onto someone else's psychological state, as your advice clearly indicates.

There are no "genetic menials," number 2. Jaimie taught me that. I can give you advice. Youneed it.

#2

Jaimie...I apologize, Stan. I think you hurt my feelings [He is surprised]#6

You make me angry. Things have happened here that have made me angrier than I've ever been.Who the fuck do you people think you are? What right do you have to ask me for sympathy?You've been so sheltered. Al l my li fe I've been told I was being taken care of, that I was thesheltered one. But that's not true. It's you people at the top.

#2

Well, Stan, I hardly think I am your typical specimen of someone at the top.

#6

No. You're too goddam dumb. 75


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Hey. Pompous, maybe, but not dumb.#2

#6

Okay. Look, I don't mean to take it out on you. But snap out of it, will you?#2

Stan, stop. I f you're heard you could be arrested for talking like that.#6

And you could be arrested for having a goddam conversation with me. For treating me like aperson.

#2Not.. .not exactly, Stan. But I wou

biosphere 2013 (director's marked script)

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