Arc

Arc
By
Matthias Galvin
2012
myth.galvin@gmail.com
WGAe registered
(860) 205 2395

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EXT. - STATE HOUSE -- BOSTON, MA - DUSK
TITLE over: "Yesterday"
There's a BIG crowd of people gathered in front of the steps
at the state house. They're in front of a PODIUM that's
placed on the landing--just two mics.
It's not the podium that has the attention, it's the big
purple DRAPE tented over a LARGE object--as big as a statue.
A gold rope hangs from the drape, but at the bottom of the
curtain big CABLES run across some of the greenery to a
BOSTON ELECTRIC truck on a side-street.
It looks like a big CONE--twice as tall as a man. What the
hell is this thing? The MEDIA--reporters, TV cameras,
onlookers--wonder the same.
But they can't get too close: A security detail of Staties
guards the landing. Besides the cone and the podium, there's
also a small TABLE on the landing.
The crowd is restless, but it's quiet. At least until--
MAYOR COSTELLO (66) arrives at the podium.
An ERUPTION of clapping follows.
Costello is a portly man with neat GRAY hair. His critics
call him incompetent. His PR guys say non-threatening.
Costello's followed by his entourage: the Commissioner in
his uniform, and assorted other suits. Among them is a TALL
man with a pinstripe power suit and gold tie.
He takes the applause graciously, and he waits for it to die
before he starts talking.
COSTELLO
Befawh we begin, I'd liketa tank
Commissioner O'Reilly, Governor
Tuttle, and CEO Greg McGrath fah
attendin'... Thifs Evesnin, the see
of Boston stefps into the
twenny-SECUNN senturry.
No, it's not a put on. He talks like he's mumbling. But the
people in the "see" of Boston have gotten used to it because
they love their mayor.
Costello walks over to the table, and he PULLS off the
drape. The first flurry of flash photography follows.

---

2.
COSTELLO
We're not at the big fun, yet.
The crowd laughs--light and patronizing.
There are three things on the table: A lightbulb, and TWO
big electric SWITCHES--knife switches, like the ones used to
turn on Frankenstein.
COSTELLO
I'd like to show everybody what's
undahneath the big drape, but I
wanna explain what these doo-dads
are.
(POINTS to one of them)
This switch is a switch that will
turn OFF all the power to the
electronics up here. And
(POINTS to the other)
This is the switch that will turn
on this--
He points to the draped cone. He walks over to it, and he
pulls on the rope, and it UNFURLS--
A LAMPPOST.
Not any lamppost. It has a white ball of light at the top,
and BIG WIRE COILS that form a cone all down the post.
An EXPLOSION of flash photography and clapping. Nobody knows
quite what this is, but it must be important.
He then HOLDS UP the lightbulb. As he does, the clapping
dies down.
COSTELLO
Mahvel at the wondahs of the
fewcha!
Still holding up the lightbulb, he he FLIPS the switch.
It KILLS all the artificial lights in the area. There's just
enough ambient light to see him--
FLIP the other switch.
The LAMPPOST turns ON. The white ball flickers before
turning BRIGHT.
And all the artificial lights COME BACK. Nobody cares. The
light people are watching is--
It's the LIGHT from the bulb.

---

3.
Costello holds it by his fingertips. It's not plugged in,
but somehow it GLOWS.
Unbelievable. Costello HOLDS it high, and as he walks closer
and closer to the lamppost, the bulb shines brighter and
BRIGHTER.
It's magic.
The FLASHES explode once more--light bombards the mayor as
he holds up the lightbulb. He does it motionless, like a
statue: showman for the press.
FLASH -- a photographer looks at the picture on the little
LCD of his camera--
FLASH --
THE PICTURE -- in color. It looks INKY and low res, and
there's a frame box around it.
TITLE OVER: "Tomorrow".
PULL BACK -- the headline comes into view: "THE BIGGER
DIG"--it's the Boston Sunday Globe. And the newspaper
FOLDS--
It's a MAN(late 20s) reading it--he just turned the page.
From the glimpse we get, he's got light brown hair SPIKES a
little. His long stubble can be forgiven because he's
attractive.
When he turns the front page back, a longer glimpse of the
subhead. It reads--
WOMAN (V.O./O.S.?)
Ten years after that first,
fantastic night, when will Mayor
Costello's wireless city become
worth it?
The words come with footsteps.
INT. - KITCHEN - MORNING/CONTINUOUS
The man DIPS the paper to see--
The WOMAN(same age as him). She has long bangs and hair past
her shoulders. She's wearing an oversized dress shirt (his),
and she approaches the kitchen island where he's reading.

---

4.
There's a BIGGER view of the kitchen--high ceilings, modern
lighting, just a HUGE brushed steel fridge. This is a
wealthy kitchen in a wealthy apartment.
WOMAN
(kissing him)
I love that you still read the
print edition.
MAN
I can be old fashioned in my ways.
WOMAN
So... What do you think of my first
above-the-fold?
MAN
Oh--I was reading the Irish sports
pages.
WOMAN
Psh.
He FOLDS the paper on the table, back to the front page.
CLOSER on the byline reads: by BETH BRENNAN. And she doesn't
have a Bawstin accent--actually, neither does he.
BETH
Not a great picture, though.
MAN
(kissing her)
Well, I like it. The picture,
too... Really, some of this stuff I
didn't know--especially with coil
distribution in the city. How'd
your friends here in Beacon hill
take it when you mentioned that
they opted not to have any
installed?
BETH
The building association gave me
four weeks to move out.
MAN
Hah.
(mock wealthy accent)
Lovey, you told the unwashed
something they shouldn't know.
She lightly laughs as she sits down at the stool next to him
at the island.

---

5.
BETH
Well, it's nice to not have to buy
a whole new set of electronics for
my place. Could you hand me my
tablet?
He digs under some personal effects--purse, wallet--and
pulls out a THIN, 8.5x11 sized piece of GLASS: it's
transparent and crystal-clear.
He hands it to her. She TAPS it--it LIGHTS UP. A small
loading bar appears but FILLS quickly--it's the NEWSPAPER:
The tablet of the future is made of glass.
RING--the man's cell phone, an old model touchscreen
smartphone. She taps the glass screen a few times--
MAN
This is Alex.
So that's his name--Alex.
ALEX
...Wait--wait, this is happening
now?
INT. - APARTMENT HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
A man is on his PHONE. He wears a blue plaid shirt over a
stomach that slightly hangs over his TOOLBELT. He's the
building SUPER.
Behind him is the apartment doorway, OPEN.
THROUGH the doorway, on the street there is the BOSTON
ELECTRIC truck, accompanied by men with hardhats.
SUPER
Sorry, Alex. They're doing it
today. Your ladyfriend's article
probably had something to do with
it. Anyway, head over soon.
INT. - KITCHEN - MORNING/CONTINUOUS
Alex sighs and then gets up.
ALEX
I'm sorry, but I think our morning
got cut short--

---

6.
BETH
What happened?
ALEX
Mayor Costello suddenly learned to
read and wasn't happy with your
article. Boston Electric arrived
two hours early, so...I guess our
morning's ruined.
(kisses her)
I'll be back.
EXT. - SOUTH END STREET - MORNING
ROWHOUSES. All reddish brown, behind a thin canopy of trees
that run along the sidewalk. It'd have a warm northeast
feeling if there weren't the--
BOSTON ELECTRIC TRUCKS--three cherrypickers. Each one is at
a different lamp post.
At each lamp post, the men with hard hats are RIGGING a big
set of these METAL CYLINDERS near the top of the posts.
The cylinders are industrial and ugly--a far cry from the
pretty cone on the State House steps.
ALEX just walks past them--he's just gotten out of his car
and is crossing the street. He's in his civvies: corduroy
jacket over a hoodie with jeans.
He walks up the front entrance to--
HIS APARTMENT. He OPENS the outer doorway and goes into--
INT. - APARTMENT BUILDING FOYER - CONTINUOUS
--where the super is waiting... With some men from Boston
Electric wearing WHITE lab coats (for some reason).
SUPER
Alright, good. Okay, so you're
going--
ALEX
Wait, wait. Catch me up to speed.
Who are the scientists?
LAB COAT (1)
Technical question. I'll field
that.

---

7.
The FIRST lab coat is short and awkward with coke bottle
glasses. Pretty much each time he speaks, the OTHER coat
ROLLS his eyes.
LAB COAT (1)
We are here to provide the safety
protocol to ensure the safety of
the installation of the--
ALEX
Installation, really?
LAB COAT (2)
We're here to make sure
everything's unplugged so that all
of your hardware doesn't suddenly
fry when we turn the coils on.
ALEX
(to the Super)
Am I the only one left for the
building?
SUPER
You should be. I called everyone
else.
ALEX
But it's only--
(glances at his phone)
Oh God, it's really eleven? You
guys are still pretty early.
LAB COAT (1)
I'm sorry for the inconvenience for
this service that we are providing
you on behalf of the city of
Boston.
LAB COAT (2)
We know it's a hassle, but look...
The trucks are outside, and the
beams of electrical goodness get
turned on today. The faster we can
approve the inspection, the faster
we can get out of your hair.
ALEX
Alright, alright... Just let me get
my apartment suitable.

---

8.
LAB COAT (2)
We'll meet you up there in a few
minutes.
Alex goes UP the stairs.
INT. - ALEX'S APARTMENT - LATER
It's a reasonably-sized apartment. On the higher end of
average: hardwood floors, a few small wall-paneled screens,
and nice lighting fixtures.
But the apartment's mostly dark--the blinds are drawn, and
the empty quiet is broken by the SOUND of the door unlock
before it OPENS--
Alex walks in. The BLINDS automatically raise. A slightly
digitally distorted WOMAN'S voice greets him--
CHLOE (O.S.)
Good morning, Alex. Did your date
with. Bethany Brennan. Go well?
Just a regular disembodied voice that Alex talks to. It
doesn't faze him--
ALEX
It's just Beth. Call her Bethany
when she's here.
CHLOE (O.S.)
Oh, I'm sorry. I will make a note.
ALEX
Chloe, I'm heading to my bedroom,
could you tell me if anything is
still plugged in?
Alex turns down to a hallway, and he walks down--
CHLOE (O.S.)
It looks like just your. Radio.
Your laptop. And the Refrigerator.
ALEX
Alright, good.
He OPENS the bedroom door--
The BEDROOM

---

9.
--is messy, but no disaster. The sheets are in a twist, but
still on the bed. Alex doesn't have to move anything when he
goes--
Immediately to the floor, and starts finding the WIRES--
ALEX
(while looking)
Uh, Chloe, could you uh...
He REACHES his hand underneath his bed, and pulls out a
PLUG--
ALEX
Got it!
CHLOE (O.S.)
Got what, Alex?
ALEX
Oh, sorry. Could you start the
backups from my old mechanicals?
I'm going to be turning off my
computer momentarily after you do
so. And power-off anything that's
idling right now.
CHLOE (O.S.)
Sure thing, Alex.
Alex continues searching for the other PLUGS.
UNDER the bed--they're pretty far away from his hand. He
looks at them, and he STRETCHES his arm to grab them. Once
he gets a hand on them--
KNOCK, KNOCK--at the door
CHLOE (O.S.)
You have some guests, Alex.
ALEX
Uh, yeah, thanks Chloe. I know
that.
He PULLS out both of the plugs.

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