KLORAPHATE

[kloraphate]

THE STORY STARTED AT THE BOTTOM AND GOES UP. SCROLL DOWN TO BEGIN!

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INT. GENERAL ANDREWS' OFFICE - MORNING Anna is seated at one of the two chairs across from General Andrews at his desk. Her legs are crossed. GENERAL ANDREWS I have an issue I was hoping you could help me with. ANNA I will certainly try, General. GENERAL ANDREWS General Andrews, always. ANNA Yes, General Andrews. His computer is on, and he has a few physical files he's looking through. One is quite plump. He pulls it out and removes the rest from in front of him. GENERAL ANDREWS Is it possible to have a gizmo that would redirect a power signal to another location? ANNA Yes, a transmitter could if it were designed to do that. Most certainly. GENERAL ANDREWS Have you ever seen such a thing? ANNA No, not personally. GENERAL ANDREWS But you believe it's possible? ANNA I do. GENERAL ANDREWS Hmm. Okay. What I need you to do is go through this file. Come stand beside me so I can show you. ANNA (nervous) Okay. She stands beside him on his left. He has the file open and finds the file on his computer that he wants her to look at. There's a BUZZ from his intercom. It's his secretary, MARGERY STEVENS. He presses a button. GENERAL ANDREWS Yes, Margery. What is it? MARGERY STEVENS Alison is here to see you. GENERAL ANDREWS I'm in a meeting. Have her come back another time. MARGERY STEVENS Yes, General Andrews, I told her that. She's insisting on seeing you just for a few minutes, she assures me. GENERAL ANDREWS Send her in. ALISON ANDREWS enters, a tall, sexy blond wearing a black pencil skirt - slit in the front, a crisp white dress shirt with the cuffs rolled up once, and black pattern leather stilettos with a matching clutch tucked under her arm. She looks amazing. ALISON Daddy! What do you have my husband doing now? He was out most of the evening last night. I was worried sick. ALISON (TO ANNA) Hello. ANNA Hello. GENERAL ANDREWS Alison, I don't keep tabs on your husband. This is what was so important? ALISON Well, it is important. GENERAL ANDREWS Ask him yourself. Get out! ALISON You're no help! She walks out, closing the door behind her. GENERAL ANDREWS Please excuse my daughter. She's an only child and gets needy for her parents sometimes. Okay, see this list? These homes haven't registered that they have power or paid for it in 2 months. I know they all have it and are running it as normal households would. Their readings are showing not a single movement in those 2 months. I've been looking at this for an extended period of time. I need you to take over and tell me what the common denominator is. Use my desk. This file has the names of the people residing at such residences. He points to the computer file. GENERAL ANDREWS There is more information on these people here. This file is not to leave my office. He lifts the file on his desk. GENERAL ANDREWS I'll give you one hour. I'll arrange for your other work you were doing to be given to another administrator. ANNA Yes, Sir, General Andrews. She backs up so he can get up. He leaves, closing the door. She sits in his chair and picks up the file, opens it. She sees a list of about 45 homes: the addresses, the last payment date, amount owing, and if the residents work on base. She quickly scans, looking for her group of people. No. She closes the file and picks up the receiver on the phone, examines it. Places it back. She quickly looks at her watch. Time to get to work.

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INT. MILITARY OFFICE - MORNING Anna is seated at her new desk, in her new office, wearing a military uniform - skirt and shirt. She is typing on the computer, looking to her right, entering what is on some papers inside a file. There are 10 files on her desk. She has the door closed. There's a KNOCK. She looks up. ANNA Come in. Sergeant Grant enters. SERGEANT GRANT Anna, I hope you are making out okay here. ANNA Yes, thank you, Sergeant Grant. I've done what I could with 2 files. Did you want to take a look? SERGEANT GRANT Yes. Grant comes around behind Anna's chair and looks over Anna's shoulder. SERGEANT GRANT Very good. I'll leave you to it. Pausing by the door … SERGEANT GRANT We have a program with lunch hours. You will receive your card, and you can eat in the cafeteria as part of your benefits, for free. ANNA Thank you very much. SERGEANT GRANT You're welcome. I should have that for you no later than next week. She exits. INT. DINING ROOM - SLAT AND REX'S HOUSE - NIGHT The group is around the table eating supper. Graeme isn't there, nor is Johnny. JOSH It's not like Graeme to miss a meeting. SLAT Ya, I know. REX Last night, we had a rescue go bad. REBECCA What happened? SLAT We found out a man was being released, and Rex went out and got him, brought him back to the attic. Turns out this guy is working for someone to find out about us. MELANIE Oh shit! BRENT How far did it go? REX A couple of drinks, just about to have a smoke. MIKE What the fuck happened? REX Guy had to take a leak. The entire group goes hush, all but Anna. ANNA I don't get it. What's the big deal? SLAT You can't pee the first night coming off Klora. ANNA Oh ya, I didn't all night with all that whiskey. Huh. JOSH About Graeme … MIKE He didn't answer your text? JOSH No. How about I go check his place tomorrow? SLAT Be fucking careful. This rescue thing and now Graeme - got a bad feeling. JOSH I think all of us do. INT. ANNA'S OFFICE - MORNING Anna is at her computer typing. There's a KNOCK on the door. Anna straightens herself. ANNA Come in. GENERAL EDWARD ANDREWS, 58, quite sexy and graying at the temples, enters, closes the door, and stands before Anna. ANNA Hello. GENERAL ANDREWS Hi Anna. I'm General Andrews. I wanted to come welcome you. ANNA Thank you general. GENERAL ANDREWS What do they have you working on here? Data entry? ANNA Yes Sir. GENERAL ANDREWS Are you enjoying that? ANNA It's fine, Sir. GENERAL ANDREWS Why don't we find something where you can use your talents and schooling? ANNA That would be wonderful. GENERAL ANDREWS Come with me. He turns, exits. Anna follows.

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INT. ATTIC - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS Everything is the same as we saw with Anna when she was rescued. Sean looks around nervously. REX I hope you like whiskey, Sean. SEAN Ya sure, whatever you've got. Rex is at the table pouring the drinks but keeping an eye on Sean. REX Here you go, man. This'll help. Rex doesn't tap his glass to Sean's. They drink. SEAN I can't believe you were just right there for me. I'm fucking disoriented. He rubs his face with his free hand, takes off the hood. SEAN We're safe now, Bro? Rex pulls his own hood down. REX Ya man, the worst is over. Here have another. He pours them both another, and they drink. REX Ya, I remember when it happened to me. I was fucked right up. By tomorrow, you'll feel like yourself again. Smoke? SEAN Please. First, though, I've gotta take a piss. REX For sure. Right through there. Rex points to the bathroom. Sean puts his glass on the table and enters the washroom, closing the door. Rex quickly goes to the table, puts his glass down, reaches for his gun in his chest holster under his hoodie, points the gun at the bathroom door, and approaches it. REX One. Two. Three … Rex kicks the door in. We see Sean standing, talking on his cell phone. BANG! Sean's dead. REX Bad toad! Bad! BANG! - the phone is dead too. Rex grabs the phone and tosses it into the toilet, flushes. He kicks Sean's foot, ya he's dead. Rex gets his cell phone from the table, punches in a number. SLAT (V.O.) 'Ello? REX Need to order a pizza. CLICK. Slat ended the call. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT The table is moved, the area rug is rolled up, and the trap door is open. We can see the light is on. INT. CELLAR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS Rex and Slat are carrying Sean's body in a body bag into a room we haven't seen yet. It's got an incinerator in it, a very compact one for human cremation. It's square. REX O-ee-ya, eeohh-ya! O-ee-ya, eeohh-ya! SLAT (in a little girl's voice) We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz. REX O-ee-ya, eeohh-ya! SLAT We hear he is a wonderful wiz if ever a wiz there was. REX Eeohh-ya! They get to the incinerator, put Sean down. SLAT If ever if ever a wiz there was there was because because because because … SLAT (in his voice) What set you off? REX Had to piss. SLAT Fucker. REX I know. SLAT (TO SEAN) You're pretty big there, Sean, and you're gonna be a tight squeeze in our little oven. But we're pretty confident you deserve a nice toasty exit from this glorious world of ours. REX Fucking guy would weigh 250. (beat) It's been almost nice knowing you, Fuck nuts. SLAT And we're off to see the wizard … EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT - MINUTES LATER We see the house with smoke coming from a vent on the roof - round, silver, and about 3' tall.

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Rebecca returns. REBECCA He's on his way. Said he is only a couple of blocks away. He'll just be a minute. Did you find the guy? ANNA No, not yet. I was sure I had seen him before. She keeps flipping through the pages for a bit until she finds him. ANNA Here! Here he is. Rebecca takes a look. REBECCA Oh ya. What was he like? ANNA Very for "The Power". Very scary and very sure someone would get me back with them, sooner or later. REBECCA Ya, a lot of them are like that. It's almost like Kloraphate gives a boost of confidence and a lack of brain function at the same time. I was pretty high on the whole thing when I was on it, too. Are you okay now? ANNA I'm okay. I'm glad Slat is coming. REBECCA Be forewarned, he'll want all the details, over and over, until he can see it all in his mind. There's a KNOCK on the front door. REBECCA There he is now. Rebecca answers the door to Slat in his uniform. He enters, closes the door. REBECCA She just got back minutes before I called. She was pretty shook. SLAT She's alright now? Anna goes to him. She curls into his arms. Rebecca is standing back watching. ANNA (TO SLAT) I was so scared, but you'd be proud of me; I didn't back down. SLAT I am proud of you. They kiss. Rebecca turns and exits to the kitchen. ANNA I need you. SLAT Can we go to your room? ANNA Yes. SLAT Bring the book. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY Rebecca is making coffee. There's a lit cigarette in an ashtray on the counter next to her. The phone RINGS. REBECCA (INTO PHONE) Hello? RECEPTIONIST (V.O.) Can I speak to Anna Clark, please? REBECCA She's not available at present. Can I take a message? RECEPTIONIST (V.O.) Yes, could you please ask her to report for her first day with the Department of Defense, the same place she applied, tomorrow at 7 am? REBECCA Of course. Thank you. Rebecca hangs up the phone. INT. ANDERSON'S GROCERY - DAY Rex is stocking shelves with product. It's a nice, convenient store that's semi-smallish. There are a few people roaming the aisles with baskets and others with buggies. DALE ANDERSON has a clipboard and pen. He's in the same aisle as Rex. Dale is counting "outs" and recording them on his clipboard. We can hear the DING of the tills as the cashiers ring products through at the check stands. INT. BASE KITCHEN - DAY May is at her station making a large potato salad. We see others doing the same. May and all the other staff have white aprons on. May wipes her hands on hers. She looks very content working in the kitchen. INT. NARROW STAIRWELL - NIGHT We see Rex and SEAN MILLER, 38, a big, tall man, going up the stairs. They're in all black. Both men have their hoods pulled up over their heads.

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GIVEN

As I said before, KLORAPHATE was presented to me in a dream. As I wrote the story over, in 2021, I asked Jesus to be my partner in writing. Over the years that have passed, I was shown a different person in myself that began liking who I am, as a written voice. To You, God!! Thanks for the great ideas!! I couldn't have done it without You!

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ANNA I was pretty stressed, I guess. MAY Are you still on your medication? ANNA Yes, Mom. Dan stands, gives Anna a hug, and kisses her on the head. DAN I have to get to work. Working on the general's Mercedes today. Love you, Cutie. ANNA Love you too, Dad. He kisses May. DAN (TO MAY) See you, Babe. MAY (TO DAN) Love you, Beautiful. He exits. ANNA You're still in love? MAY Yes. I need to get ready for work, too, Anna dear. Sorry. Oh, I wish I could stay longer. You'll come back soon? Where are you living? ANNA That's okay. I love you, Mom. I'm staying with a friend. Yes, I'll be back before you know it. I promise. They embrace. EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY - MOMENTS LATER Anna and Bella are walking home. A MAN runs up to them, stops and stands about 5 feet away. MAN Anna, you bitch. She recognizes him from the book, unleashes Bella. Grabs her gun. Points it at him. MAN You think you're so fucking great, don't you? What, the army isn't good enough for you? We're the power. You can't get away. Me, the next … someone will get you back. Bella is growling. ANNA Why don't you turn around and save your pathetic little life while you can? He steps forward. Anna puts her hand up. ANNA Uh uh! Keep it there, Poncho. I will fucking kill you. Take one more step, you piece of shit, and you'll find out who the real power is. He chuckles. MAN Aren't you cute? All talk, though. You are so scared right now. ANNA Of you? Not on your life. MAN Of what's coming for you. There's a deep, dark shadow following you every step you take. It's going to smother you before you can even - He steps forward. BANG! He drops dead. Bella jumps on his chest. There's a blood stain on his heart. She's growling, pinning him. ANNA Oh fuck. Oh fuck. She looks around. ANNA (TO BELLA) Go home, Bells. Meet me at home. Anna runs up the street until she disappears. Bella waits a minute, then runs in the same direction Anna went. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE LIVING ROOM - DAY - CONTINUOUS It's a small, cozy room with bookshelves, plants, and contemporary art on the walls. Anna comes in. Rebecca is seated, reading. ANNA Holy fuck, Rebecca! REBECCA What is it? You look shook up. Rebecca puts her book on the side table. ANNA I just killed a man. He was from base. I recognized him from the book. REBECCA Show me. Rebecca stands and pulls an identical slim binder like Rex had down from one bookshelf. Bella barks at the door. Anna rushes to let her in. ANNA (TO BELLA) Oh, good girl! Come here, Baby. Anna hugs her and kisses her. Rebecca has the binder open. REBECCA Find him in here, Anna. We've got to call Slat. Anna takes the book, sits on the second chair. Rebecca exits. Bella sits by Anna's feet. ANNA (TO BELLA) That was a bad man, Bella. And you're such a good girl. Yes, you are.

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ANNA Do they own this one? SLAT No. REX Power and water, garbage are triple for the homes not with Gov.HOME ANNA How do you afford power for that grow show you're running? Do you pay triple? REX Johnny Yan to the rescue! JOHNNY Ya, I rig it. MIKE Andrews has a bunch of shit going on thanks to us. SLAT I just don't know how everyone is appearing like he's this great guy. JOSH He's got the country on Klora. REBECCA Ya, but how? BRENT Maybe they jab you covertly and shoot you up every time you're out. GRAEME In the food. SLAT There! That makes sense, but … how could they? MELANIE Anna? Are you going to see your parents soon? ANNA What do you guys think? SLAT Tomorrow you can. Hey Rex? REX Ya, now that she's been on base, she should be safe. JOHNNY Anna, did you open that second clock? ANNA No. Thought it was the same. Is it? JOHNNY No, it's the player for your listening chips. REX Excellent! JOHNNY You're still a rodent. You know that, right? REX Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. EXT. FRONT PORCH - CLARK RESIDENCE - DAY - CONTINUOUS Anna is with Bella at her parents' place. She RINGS the bell. DING DONG! Her mother, MAY CLARK, 59, a beautiful, warm, and loving woman, opens the door. MAY Anna! Oh my goodness! Calling out behind her … MAY Dan! Anna's here! MAY (TO ANNA) Come in, Honey! INT. KITCHEN - DAY Anna walks in and hugs her mom. MAY What on earth have you done to your hair? Are you alright? ANNA Totally great, Mom. Just needed a change. MAY This is a bit extreme, don't you think? ANNA Well, ya, but it's done now. DAN CLARK, 59, a happy, tired-looking man, enters the room. DAN Anna, Sweetheart! And who's this? Bending, he pets Bella. She sits. ANNA This is Bella. I just got her. Isn't she beautiful? DAN She sure is. I've always loved dogs. Do you remember we had that little multi-poodle for a year or two before we moved, Anna? ANNA No! May goes to the sink and washes her hands. MAY He was beautiful. Freddy. DAN Come sit. ANNA Sure. Is it all right if I take her leash off? DAN Sure. Anna does that, and Bella curls up beside the table. The group sit at the table. MAY (TO ANNA) Want a drink, Honey? ANNA No thanks. I applied on base. MAY How wonderful! You'll love it. They treat us really well. DAN Ya, helps us get by fairly well. We're not rich, but these days, who is? MAY Is that why you cut your hair? ANNA Nope. Just wanted change, Mom. (beat) When was the last time I saw you? MAY Oh …? My … Dan? DAN Just over a year ago. Don't you remember? ANNA No, I had a lot going on. MAY You were placed on a special team or something like that for that year, right out of school. You called. Do you not remember?

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ANNA Thank you. INT. OFFICE - DAY SERGEANT GRANT, 52, a stern-looking lady, sits at her desk. Anna is across from her, seated as well. Grant has Anna's resume and is reading it. SERGEANT GRANT Miss Clark, why do you have an interest in the armed forces? ANNA Oh, well … I just need to be a part of the forces. It's in my blood. I need to stand for our beautiful country, take part in the building of a new tomorrow. I can't express how deeply I feel a need to be here with you all. SERGEANT GRANT Very good. I was hoping to hear your enthusiasm. This is an all-or-nothing kind of role we'd be asking of you. Are you able to commit to us 100%? ANNA More than willing! I hear General Andrews is a strong and powerful leader. I need direction in my life. I want to be in line with that power, for my fellow countrymen and for the strength I will gain in being a part of this great movement. SERGEANT GRANT Says here you've got some administrative experience. That could be a very good starting place for you here with us. Thank you for your time today, Anna. I'm very glad to see you come in. We'll let you know soon. ANNA Thank you so much! Take care. Anna stands, exits. Sergeant Grant puts a big red check mark on the top of Anna's resume with a thick marker and picks up her phone, dials a 4-digit number. INT. DINING ROOM - SLAT AND REX'S HOUSE - NIGHT They're eating. JOSH I mean, the way it is right now, we gotta amp it up. Put the pressure on Andrews, make him feel it. JOHNNY We need to get Anna inside first, Josh, to learn a few things. We've only had Slat on the inside. REX Now is good. We'll get Anna in there, hopefully near the computers. REBECCA Ya, as long as she doesn't have to get too close to Andrews himself. That man is slimy. MELANIE He's hot. The guys around the table semi-wince at the thought. REBECCA You would think so, Mel. MELANIE I'd do him. Anna laughs. BRENT How's the business doing? JOHNNY Ya. SLAT Good, very good. It's harvest time next week. We'll need all of you for a few days. Lots of work this time around. Got a few new contacts we're trying to line up. GRAEME Be careful, everyone. I think if we can stay where we are now, holding, we'll stay safe. ANNA How does the government own almost everything? And the people don't protest or fight or even acknowledge it, in a sense? REX About 5 years ago, the government started offering people a lower mortgage rate if they switched over to one of its lending institutions. Do you remember, Anna? ANNA No, I don't keep up with that kinda stuff. REX Well, they got about 88% of the people who had mortgages. It turned out that those people lost ownership of their homes. But the people don't know. It's really sneaky and evil. So far, nobody knows but us. The president says it's inflation. The cost of living is on the rise again, he's said that often. The guy is a puppy, I swear. ANNA What's his story then? SLAT He's the first president I've ever seen who gives his department heads full range in their positions. REBECCA For a while, we thought it was him, but watching him, like we do … SLAT With suspicious eyes. REBECCA You can't help but love the guy. MELANIE People at first wondered why it was so expensive, suddenly, just to live. JOSH It was when people tried selling their properties that got us involved. We see now the mess the country is in. ANNA What happened when someone wanted to sell? REX Knot after knot turning into a big tangled up mess. The institutions with Gov.HOME would only agree if the buyer would use them, saying the market is flooded, and so many more excuses.

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EXT. SIDEWALK - AFTERNOON - CONTINUOUS Anna is walking Bella. ANNA (TO BELLA) Those two silly boys, hey, Bella, beautiful? They're silly. We'll be just fine. They turn the corner. ANNA It's not a big deal. I can handle myself. Isn't that right, Bella? With your help, we can do anything we want, right? They continue to walk for quite a while. They cross the street and continue to walk. There's a lady up ahead. ANNA Who's this? LADY Anna! Anna! It's me, LISA. Anna can't see who she is yet. Lisa is running up to her. Anna stops. LISA I thought that was you. ANNA I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. Where do I know you from? LISA (smiling) You know me from … well, maybe you don't know me, but I know you. She grabs Anna's arm. LISA And you're going to come with me. Bella is growling. Anna slips down and unleashes her. Bella jumps and bites Lisa's arm. Anna breaks free. Bella is standing her ground, growling. Anna pulls back. She runs, heading back in the direction of home. We stay with Bella and Lisa. Just a few moments later, Rex and Slat walk up. LISA (holding her arm) Did you see that? That dog bit me! SLAT Sure, ya. Did you deserve it, though, Bitch? Lisa looks shocked by what he said. REX We'll take care of her. Not to worry. Rex picks up Bella. Rex and Slat turn and walk in the other direction. Lisa, defeated, turns and walks back from where she came. REX(TO BELLA) You're a rough and tough puppy, aren't you? Yes, you are! Bella's tail is wagging happily. SLAT That wasn't good. Pretty close to home. REX She's moving across town. SLAT Sooner than later, I'm afraid. REX It's for the best. They walk off. Rex puts Bella down, her tail still wagging. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY REBECCA MOORE, 38, that girl who's too smart for her own good, sits with Anna at the kitchen table, chatting and drinking lemonade. ANNA So what do you do? REBECCA I'm a hairstylist. ANNA Oh nice. On base? REBECCA No! I worked on base for about a month until Andrews hit on me and I up and walked. Got my own salon now with 6 stylists. Doing pretty good. Business is good! They've been doing road repairs for what seems like f o r e v e r. We're getting fewer walk-ins. The city reassures me we'll be back to good in weeks. I hear you're applying today. Good luck. We really need you on the inside. Just be careful of that man. ANNA Yikes. Ya I will be. I got my stuff up to my room. Thank you for allowing Bella and me to stay here with you. It's very nice. REBECCA Oh no, it's a pleasure. It'll be good to have someone here with me. I get caught up reading for nights at a time. Girl talk is so soothing. ANNA Isn't it? Can I tell you something? REBECCA Sure, of course. ANNA I'm in love with Slat. REBECCA Oh my. Well, be careful there too. That man is a total labyrinth. He's full of deep, dark secrets. Just keep your head above water, always. ANNA Wow, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Anna's back stiffens uncomfortably. ANNA I've known him since I was 14. He was my best friend until I was 17. He changed my life, and I wouldn't be around without him. (beat) Oh, look at the time! I have to run. Thanks, Rebecca. REBECCA No worries. Anna jumps up, exits the kitchen. INT. WAITING ROOM - MILITARY BASE - DAY Anna is sitting holding a large envelope. She's waiting. There are a few people sitting, waiting as well. RECEPTIONIST Anna Clark? Anna steps up to the high desk. ANNA Hi, I'm Anna. RECEPTIONIST Did you bring a resume? ANNA Yes. Anna hands her the envelope. The receptionist confirms the name only and types it into her computer. The screen fills with words. RECEPTIONIST Someone will be able to see you in just a moment. Please be seated again until then. ANNA Thank you. Anna looks so nervous. The receptionist is typing, her buzzer BUZZES. She answers it. Moments later … RECEPTIONIST Anna Clark, please. They can see you now. The receptionist points to a door on the right.

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I've Got This Thing ...

When I hear of a young person who is, for example, an introvert, I often voice my opinion to the person telling me about the child or youth, that writing is a great help for a young person because it lets the creativity flow, as well as the inner voice comes alive. That's my advice to the youth. Get into writing. It will serve you well.

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INT. KITCHEN - MORNING Rex and Anna are seated at the table, drinking coffee. ANNA So you don't want me to live with you? REX It's not that Anna. We love having you here. It's for everyone's safety. If the general or anyone on his side found out you are living with us, we'd be screwed. Rebecca is one of us. She's also very smart and cool. You'll love her. ANNA Sure … sure. I get it. I was just starting to feel safe … REX You'll feel even more so at Rebecca's. Trust me on this one. INT. MILITARY OFFICE - DAY Slat is seated at his desk, going through paperwork. There's a KNOCK on the door. SLAT (commanding) Come in! CORPORAL MATHERS Sergeant McGrath, Sir. Mathers closes the door. CORPORAL MATHERS Have you heard the latest? SLAT Latest? On what matter? CORPORAL MATHERS The Renegades, Sir. SLAT You're still believing that, Mathers? Slat laughs. CORPORAL MATHERS It's for real. This is another fine example of why all of us love Slat. He saved another family. Andrews was set to evict these folks one night for not paying some housing costs or some shit that he's investing in. SLAT And? What else did you hear? CORPORAL MATHERS Slat got them a new home, moved them, and had them out a day before the general could make them all destitute. That's 6 times Slat has undermined Andrews. Andrews had the neighbors questioned, and all they could say was how wonderful of a man Slat is. Mathers laughs. CORPORAL MATHERS Ask me about Andrews. SLAT And Andrews? CORPORAL MATHERS He's so fucking pissed. Was muttering for half a day about Slat and if he ever finds out who he is … Word is Slat told the family to mention his name if anyone was to ask one thing about this covert move. We're all betting that Slat makes the general lose it by the end of the calendar. Smiling Mathers raps Slat's desk with his knuckles, gives a shitty little salute, and exits, closing the door behind him. Slat sits back with a smile on his face. EXT. BACK PARKING OF HOUSE - AFTERNOON Slat, Rex, Anna, and Bella are together. Slat in civilian clothes, again very stylish, and a ball hat. Rex in jeans and a sports team's jersey. Anna is wearing a pair of wool, grey walking shorts, longish, with a pretty short-sleeved blouse loosely tucked in and a leather belt. She's got a pair of canvas shoes on, purse crossed over her body, and one of Johnny's scarves worn sweetly around her neck. SLAT Just take her for a walk around the block, okay? You promise? REX Just a quick one today. ANNA Sure. Be careful, look out for newbies. I got it. SLAT Good. Remember, if anyone does approach you, bend down and unleash Bella and get home. She'll get home too. Okay? You've got your gun? ANNA I understand Sim- Slat. I got it. Yes, I've got my gun. REX We'll be right here. Don't look back if that ever happens to you. Anna waves and starts walking with Bella. She exits the yard and disappears behind the tall cedars. Slat and Rex rush inside the house.

[kloraphate]

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Slat is reading the paper. The news is on. Anna walks in. ANNA Can I join you? Slat looks up from behind the paper. SLAT Of course. Anna sits on an antique high-back chair. Slat folds his paper, places it beside him. He doesn't know what to say. It's obvious. SLAT Do you want a drink? ANNA Whiskey? SLAT Yes, Anna, we drink whiskey. ANNA Why are you always so defensive around me? I was just asking, Simon. SLAT Don't call me that! ANNA Why? What is Slat anyway? SLAT Because. And it's my name. ANNA Are you going to talk to me about the shit that went down back there in time with Dean or what? SLAT I'd rather not. Do you want a fucking drink or not? ANNA On ice. He stands, exits. Anna waits. Deep breaths. Trying to steady herself. Slat reappears with the drinks. His is straight up. Hands Anna hers, places his on the couch's side table, sits. ANNA Thank you. SLAT You're welcome. I don't want to bring up all of that nightmare again. ANNA But the thing is, we've never talked about it. I need to thank you. SLAT Thank me? I fucking killed your brother. Hands on head, feeling the pressure of years built up, Slat thinks. ANNA He was molesting me. SLAT I know. He bragged about it once. I just couldn't let him live. I just couldn't. Do you understand that? Anna stands, goes to him, and sits next to him. Her hand touches his arm. ANNA I understand. I wanted him dead, too. He would demean me, and when it started, I felt myself plummet down to this pit of self-hate. I thought I brought it on. Then he was just gone … and you too. I needed you so badly back then. SLAT You changed. I thought it was because of me. Then Dean was quacking off one day, and I thought … oh God, I thought you wanted to be with him. I believed I killed him out of anger and jealousy. Slat looks up into her eyes. His hand slides to the side of her face. His other touches her leg. Thinking, he quickly pulls away. Stands. Anna stands too. ANNA What? What happened? Don't. Please don't stop. SLAT I shouldn't. Not right here. Not today. ANNA I was in love with you. Shaking his head to clear it, he walks over to his drink. Gulps it down. After a moment … SLAT Fuck it. Come with me. He takes her hand. They go up the stairs together, hand in hand.

[kloraphate]

She exits. The men look at each other. Rex pushes a large box over to Slat and sits crouched down in front of the couch. Johnny sits on the couch. They all look at each other. REX (quietly) We better make sure she'll be alright. SLAT Ya, I know. Slat takes a deep breath. Johnny nods. SLAT This could get painful. EXT. BACK PARKING OF HOUSE - EARLY EVENING Anna says her goodbyes to Johnny out by the truck. She's got a light sweater over her blouse. She's not wearing the scarf. It's a private driveway. There's a tall motion light beaming down on the parking area. There is a lovely yard with a few trees and a gardening space. The entire yard is surrounded by tall cedars. JOHNNY I've gotta show you this. He opens the back of the truck. We see more boxes inside. He takes out a tall A-frame ladder and props it up beside the truck. JOHNNY Stand back a bit until I say so, okay? ANNA Okay. He gets on top of the truck, pulls out some keys from his jeans pocket. JOHNNY There's a track up here that I open to a set of digital keys. Pull the ladder away now, will ya? She does. It's a bit heavy for her. JOHNNY Careful. ANNA I got it. What are you doing up there? JOHNNY Stand back again. Wait for it. He pushes a few keys until he finds the one he wants. There's a RUMBLE. From a track above on the top of the truck slides down a new facing saying "Anderson's - Always The Freshest." It clicks into a bottom track. ANNA How cool! JOHNNY Ya, I like it. Got 6 rollin' in there now. I'll just do the other side, then I need to deliver tonight again. Running a bit behind. It'll be alright. Wouldn't be the first time. You take care, Anna. ANNA Thanks so much for everything, Johnny. JOHNNY Can you put the ladder back beside the truck for me? ANNA Sure. Anna moves the ladder. Johnny is on the other side of the truck getting out his new facing.

[kloraphate]

SLAT It's fun. It's like a rarity for me to miss one of those little dinks who think The Ultimate is Micah or some shit. ANNA What's that? The Ultimate and Micah? SLAT The Ultimate Army. Andrews is planning on taking over the world, don't you know? I just can't figure it out, though … How is the entire country, including PRESIDENT RICHARDSON, following along? Maybe they're all on Kloraphate. But how? How do they do it? ANNA And Micah? SLAT God-like. JOHNNY This one's for you, Anna! He tosses her a box with an electronics company's name on it. Anna catches it. ANNA Me too?! Thanks, Johnny! She pulls up the tape holding the opening closed and retrieves 2 clock radios. She drops the outer box to the floor and sits on the long, old, antique green couch. There are antiques everywhere. She opens one box. A clock radio. She looks around it, trying to find the trap door or switch. After a few seconds of trying … ANNA What's this supposed to be? Is it just a damn clock? Rex has opened up bags of coffee out of paper towel packages. He's chuckling to himself about Anna. JOHNNY Look a little closer to the front, where the numbers would be if you plugged it in. She turns the clock, feels around the entire edge till she feels a little rise. Pulling her finger against it, it POPS open. She feels the face of the clock without the plastic cover. JOHNNY That's just a screen covering what's inside. Pull that out. She does. She tilts the clock. Out slides a small black, flat package. She opens it. Two round "chips", silver. Each one has a circular indent on one side. Anna looks excited. Johnny's smiling. REX What is it? ANNA They're voice recorders for phones. I've never seen this type. Whoa! These are so small and cool. JOHNNY Those are fresh. I mean super fresh. You won't find those anywhere anytime soon, unless you're in the wonderful world of Japan. But hey, Anna, that's two. You only need to use one and place it in the mouthpiece of a phone. ANNA Cool …? For me? What do you have planned for me and this device? SLAT Who wants to tell her? Rex and Johnny stare at each other. Rex is feeling like a rodent. REX I'm up. I'll do it. Well, you're going to apply on base tomorrow, right? ANNA Yes … SLAT And we're really happy you're doing this for the good of the country and all … JOHNNY We couldn't do it without you, you should know that! REX You're going to somehow get close to Andrews for information. I guess Johnny thinks you'll get one of those chips into the general's phone. ANNA (almost screeching) ME?? Why me? SLAT We believe you'll be doing administration of some type. But unfortunately, that's all we know. We're taking a chance here. REX It'll be fine. Let's open the rest of these up and make supper, okay? You'll be fine, Anna. We need you! ANNA (thinking) Okay, I'm in. Johnny grabs a little box and hands it to Anna, smiling as if it's a peace offering. She smiles and opens it. There are 3 beautiful silk scarves inside. She slips one over her shaved head and ties a knot in it at the back. ANNA Thank you, Johnny. ANNA (TO THE GROUP) I think I'll go rustle up something for supper for us. Please excuse me.

[kloraphate]

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Something close to 30 boxes are stacked in piles on the floor. Looks like they came from a grocery store: an assortment of printed product names, in all different sizes. Johnny brings the last box in. Rex, Anna, and Slat are standing looking at it all. Slat sits on the couch. Rex and Johnny amid the boxes, and Anna stands near the couch. ANNA Why do we have incontinence boxes here? Is there something I don't know? JOHNNY Those are Rex's. REX Why am I adult diapers? JOHNNY You know why, Rodent. Anna looks confused. Rex finds his jackknife in his pocket and slices open the box. REX No, seriously, I like these boxes. Hey Anna, take a look at this. He pulls out one of the four packages, slices that too. Inside the outer stuffing are 4 bottles of whiskey carefully packed. ANNA Eek, more whiskey. But ya, it's cool that it's concealed. Why liquor? SLAT All liquor has been banned for a year now. Johnny, man, how long you been delivering the booze and the coffee? JOHNNY 11 months. A bit more. SLAT (TO ANNA) We can get wine in the stores. That's mother fucking it. Johnny tosses Slat a smallish box. Batteries. JOHNNY Check that out, Anna. Slat takes his knife from his pants pocket and zips open the box, discarding it to the floor. He's got 6 packs of 24 AA batteries. Anna is curious. Slat opens a package, taking one out. He puts his knife tip into the positive side of the battery and slices downward. Gripping the casing, he pulls out a bullet and shows Anna. ANNA Neat. What gives, though? Can't you get bullets, too? Slat holds up his hand for the others not to answer. He's trying to impress Anna. Smiling, he says - SLAT These are for your gun, my gun, Rex's gun, and all of our guns. The fucking general can't figure out where they're coming from. He laughs. SLAT All other ammo is tracked heavily. They don't sell these A N Y W H E R E. I love shooting people that piss me off just to give them a bullet to wonder about. ANNA No, you don't! Do you? SLAT Ya, I do. He jokingly hangs his head in shame.

[kloraphate]

KLORAPHATE was the last of three screenplays that came from me around the 2010 mark. It stood above the others only in the way of how I gained the idea of it and all the rest of it once the dream ended. It just flowed. I was eating, breathing and sleeping KLORAPHATE for five straight days. Talk about beautiful, the entire experience of it.

I guess I’m just blessed like that. I have five screenplays in total that I had written.