A Hero Needed Tonight

by Jaime Savage

  AVA

  'Tell me, because it seems so convoluted to all of us out west, why is the hatred toward him so strong? How can it be that you guys idolize mass murderers like Ricardo Stensnan but direct all your hatred toward a meagre basketball coach? It really is bewildering from our perspective'.

  LUKE

  'First of all, the vast majority of people loath that lying, scumbag Stensnan as much as you do. He's a filthy carpetbagger. He's an anarchist?have you got that straight? As for the Turk, well he's a fall guy, a man people love to hate. The world's turned to shit and we need someone to blame. Why not blame everything on the one guy who laps up the hatred and thrives off it'.

  AVA

  'He encourages it'?

  LUKE

  'Of course he does. It's gotten to the point where they expect him to be the number one costume for Halloween this year. Some men just want to be hated'.

  Tom reappears at their table.

  Tom

  'Do you two know each other's names yet'?

  LUKE

  'Why do we hate the Turk so much Tom'?

  TOM

  'The Turk? That bastard has an ego larger than the combined height of his basketball team. He knows how to push our buttons; he knows how to irritate us to the brink of rage. He's a master of pissing Americans off'.

  AVA

  'But why do we let him? Who cares what he thinks? Small minded people. Why are there small mined people everywhere out here? Small minded people who sit around a pigsty like this waiting for a white night hero to fly in and save them from themselves. It really is quite sad if you think about it'.

  Tom is stunned by this outburst. Luke is embarrassed.

  TOM

  'A lot of people don't have any other choice right now. They take any bit of hope they can get and cling to it'.

  AVA

  'But look at the people you cling to. Scumbag politicians and ego fuelled morons who are taking people for a ride'.

  She hands her menu back to Tom.

  AVA

  'Just get me the garden salad please'.

  LUKE

  'I'll have your special Tom'.

  Tom collects the menus and walks off.

  AVA

  'He seems like hard work'?

  Luke is agitated now.

  LUKE

  'No he's not. Tom Whitmore is a good man. Did you know that every night-once he has closed the restaurant-he does up all the surplus food he can conjure up and turns this place into a city mission? I could never speak ill of him. He's done more for fixing poverty than our crooked mayor and the man that claims to be our President ever has'.

  Ava shrugs it off.

  AVA

  'What's so good about this place anyway? Everything they serve here could've been brought at a takeout within a block from my hotel'?

  LUKE

  'The ambience'.

  AVA

  'The ambience? What are you kidding me? Look at these people, all this despair, all this doom and gloom. Midnight tomorrow will come and go and life will go on and all these idiots will be left red faced. It really is ridiculous'.

  LUKE

  'These people, these people are blue collar workers who have been screwed over by the government and corporate America. They have little money, little prospects at the moment. Some of these people probably don't know if they'll have a job come Monday. They come here, they come here to live. They are the engine that keeps America running. You see how long we last if they cut the engine off. You sure as hell won't be living in your hometown anymore'.

  Once again Ava shrugs it off.

  ('Need to feel loved (Adam K & Soha vocal mix' by Reflekt ends.)

  Dinner is served but conversation has run dry. Ava finishes her meal in timely fashion and walks off without even looking at Luke. Luke sits there for some time toying with his food before finally deciding to go after her.

  SCENE: OUTSIDE RESTUARANT

  Luke leaves the emptying restaurant and makes his way outside into the bitter autumn night. The outdoor seating area lies deserted except for a cleaner. Chairs lie on the ground and rubbish is rampant.

  CLEANER

  'A comet killed off the dinosaurs; it's going to do the same to us. Who knows what will evolve next, one thing's for sure though: it won't take much to better us God forsaken creatures'.

  Luke nods at the cleaner and heads towards the back of the restaurant where a vista is arranged taking advantage of the striking views of the Downtown Manhattan skyline across the Hudson. The dramatic, world renowned skyline is dominated by the myriad of advertising balloons and the row of Apple Tree Towers. The Apple Tree Towers stand interconnected to each other with each tower taller than the next rising upwards to the tallest building in North America. Above the skyline, Hale Bopp's friend shines on brightly. We see Ava clinging to the railing looking out towards the panoramic sight.

  LUKE

  'I told you the view was good. You can see it all from here: The Freedom Tower, the Apple Tree Towers, The Brooklyn Bridge. Look you can even see your blimp out there in the distance'.

  AVA

  'I can't see the Titanic though'.

  LUKE

  'It's out at sea at the moment. You wouldn't be able to see it anyway. What do you think though? Surely nothing in Epiphany can match this'?

  She shrugs and changes topic.

  AVA

  'Is it true that there are people that dress up as super heroes and roam the streets of Manhattan'?

  LUKE

  'There's hundreds of them...they've been doing it for years now. The New York Police don't like it, but they can't really stop them'.

  AVA

  'You're saying that random people dress up as Batman and Superman and go out there into those harsh streets risking their lives trying to prevent crimes'?

  LUKE

  'Of course'.

  AVA

  'Wow'.

  Luke is taken aback by the fact that she is finally impressed by something that was not located within the four walls of Epiphany.

  LUKE

  'Can you keep a secret'?

  AVA

  'No'.

  LUKE

  'I'm a super hero in my spare time'.

  She grins.

  LUKE

  'It's hard getting a batman outfit to fit my beer gut though. Thankfully the hulk is considered a super hero and his outfit has plenty of room'.

  She lets out a sound that he registers to be a laugh.

  AVA (smirking)

  'I don't even know you anymore. I thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Relationships are supposed to be built on trust you know'?

  LUKE

  'Well now that you know that I'm a superhero you should be aware that we have troubles committing. Bruce Wayne is a perennial bachelor. Spiderman could never commit to one woman and the Hulk...well he's the Hulk; he's got enough problems without throwing women into the mix. The point is though; don't be expecting a marriage proposal on this trip to Africa'.

  She smiles at him and they lean against the railing taking in the view. The silence of the night is finally broken by the monotonous humming of the Luftballoon Zeppelin which is now making its way at a snail pace across the Hudson. The monstrosity of an airship is audaciously decorated. It is clear that a lavish party is currently being staged inside.

  LUKE

  'It's probably come to get you. There would not be many people from Epiphany in the boroughs tonight-that's for sure'.

  AVA

  'If it makes you feel any better, I think that oversized condom looks ugly as hell'.

  The blaring music and sporadic cries of laughter grow. Luke is about to launch into another tirade about how inconsiderate the sordid rich are celebrating in such precarious times but he ultimately decides against it in the end. He and Ava are finally conjuring up some chemistry after all these hours and he doesn't want to jeopardise it by initiating another senseless debate.

  LUKE

  'Looks
like we're missing out'.

  And then it happened. One second the oversized blimp is hovering over the Hudson, the next it has been replaced with a horrifying fireball. The flaming airship droops downward at a frighteningly slow pace into the gloomy Hudson below. The seconds pass by but the atrocity that has just played out in front of them fails to register in Ava and Luke's disbelieving minds. Luke eventually darts back toward the restaurant in utter shock. Ava joins him but they are quick to realize that they aren't the only ones to have witnessed the massacre. A line of disbelieving faces look out from an upper balcony of the restaurant. Luke turns around to face the Hudson again. The flaming remains of the Zeppelin burn from the waters of Hudson in the distance.

  AVA

  'That was a bomb. That was a bomb. They don't use hydrogen anymore it's not the 1930s, they don't just randomly blow up. This is an attack. We're under attack'!

  Luke nods solemnly.

  LUKE

  'It has begun'.

  Chapter 8

  SCENE: MANHATTEN

  Ava and Luke's taxi is crawling at half a mile an hour in a traffic jam. They are conscious of a new atmosphere that surrounds New York. People run in panic along the sidewalks. It's as though the sky is falling.

  TAXI DRIVER

  'It was Ricardo Stensnan's supporters. I bet everything I have that they are behind it'.

  The taxi passes a transpiring scene playing out before them where a despicable man has taken advantage of the anarchy. In amongst the flurry of flashing police lights and barriers a young, diminutive man with glasses is being heralded by the small crowd-which includes a number of NYPD officers. The young man's head is bloodied while one of his glass rims is shaded but despite all this he gives off an affable air despite his unruly state. To his side, a noticeably distressed girl is in the midst of giving a vehement testimony of the situation to an accompanying officer while all the meanwhile another man is being handcuffed against the side of a police car. It doesn't require an extensive exposition to understand what has transpired here. Luke takes another look at the seemingly candid fellow who had taken the unlikely role of hero.

  SCENE: TIMES SQUARE

  Now out of the taxi, Luke and Ava attempt to make their way through Times Square. This is no ordinary Times Square; chaos has ensued. Police officers are frantically attempting to get people to leave. Ava and Luke pass a musician playing a sombre cover of Barry Maguire's 'Eve of Destruction'. The man's poignant music is drowned out when a series of helicopters fly directly above the Square in formation. The sight of the helicopters has the effect of creating further panic in the square.

  An oversized image of Duncan Strepfield gazes down upon everyone atop of the focal point of the square, the New York Times Tower. The image doesn't appear to be advertising anything, it's almost as though it is being displayed in an attempt to bring calm. Luke takes Ava's hand and attempts to guide her through the disarray. They pass an elderly Chinese man who has a green tree snake wrapped around his neck. The symbolism is not lost on them. As if things were not shambolic enough it has started to rain- a torrential downpour.

  DOOMSDAY MAN (laughing hysterically while embracing the rain.)

  'We are at the gates of hell, the devil is before us, and our enemies have surrounded us, the end of the world has arrived'.

  In amongst all the chaos a small child hands a brightly coloured rose to Ava.

  RELIGIOUS KID

  'Just remember that even in our darkest moments God is there for us. Hope can never be fully eradicated when ze is watching over us'.

  SCENE: AVA'S HOTEL ROOM

  Back safely in her hotel Ava goes about checking her messages while Luke is watching a press conference taking place on the television.

  Title: Marvin Yeo

  Mayor of New York.

  We see Marvin under siege at the press conference. Marvin is usually a charming man, however, tonight he is a shambolic mess and is clearly out of his depth. His usually perfectly positioned bangs are dishevelled by the prevalent wind.

  MARVIN

  'This is clearly a tragedy of the highest order. It is clear that many lives have been cut horribly short tonight, but we must, we must not jump haste. We must understand the situation and stray away from making ill-informed allocations'.

  MEDIA 1

  'Mr Mayor this is clearly a terrorist attack. Your own Police Chief commented only minutes ago along those lines'!

  MARVIN

  'Look?let's not...it's not...let's not get ahead of ourselves here, there will be an investigation, a thorough investigation, a very thorough investigation might I add'.

  MEDIA 2

  'Are there not security measures that should be implemented as of this very moment in time? Many lives are still in danger Mr Mayor'.

  MARVIN

  'That?we?'

  Marvin is speechless. There is a prolonged silence. He looks like a man with a terrible anxiety problem.

  MEDIA 3

  'Are you treating this as a terrorist attack Mr Mayor'?

  There is nothing but silence.

  MEDIA 4

  'Speak to us Mr Mayor'.

  MARVIN

  'Ok'.

  More silence.

  MEDIA 4

  'Go ahead'.

  MARVIN

  'Ok'.

  The man's brain appears to have stopped. It makes for painful viewing.

  MEDIA 1

  'Mr Mayor, New Yorkers are looking to you for leadership'.

  MARVIN

  'We are not calling it a terrorist attack per se. We have to be sure of the situation we don't want to stick a label on anything'.

  MEDIA 4

  'What about the safety of every visitor in New York Mr Mayor? Most of those people on board tonight were unlikely residents. Do you feel an increase in security could have prevented this catastrophe'?

  MARVIN

  'Ok'.

  Devoid of his teleprompter and in the midst of a severe panic attack Marvin resembles an absolute lightweight. He really could not have picked a worse moment to have a gaffe of this proportion. Each cringe inducing second of silence is too much to bear.

  MEDIA 3

  'Mr Mayor?Mr Mayor'.

  MARVIN

  'The level of information...the amount of knowledge we have about tonight is very select at the moment, in the coming days we will'-

  He can't finish his sentence. There is more silence.

  MEDIA 5

  'Mr Mayor, New Yorker's don't feel safe. What do you say to them'?

  MEDIA 6

  'Mr Mayor New Yorker's are uneasy'.

  MEDIA 7

  'What do you say to New Yorkers'?

  MARVIN

  'That?That'?

  He looks as though he wants the ground to swallow him up.

  MEDIA 6

  'Mr Mayor speak to us'.

  MARVIN

  'They?they?should not be afraid...we are working through this one step at a time...I only...I only?I only just know that we...we are in a terrible situation at the moment. We are in a very terrible situation at the moment. But you mustn't be worried...It's under control...it's much under control'.

  MEDIA 4

  'Should they return home Mr Mayor? Should they return home and stay off the roads to prevent the clogging up of the city's infrastructure'?

  MARVIN

  'They should?They should'.

  MEDIA 2

  'Is Ricardo Stensnan behind this'?

  MEDIA 3

  'Are you on Stensnan's payroll'?

  The Mayor's press secretary suddenly appears at the microphone to put the man out of his misery.

  PRESS SECRETARY

  'That's all we have time for sorry folks'.

  LUKE

  'These are the people we are expected to turn to in troubled times for leadership and a morale boost? Our President is not able to make public appearances anymore, New York's mayor is a living, breathing puppet run by Stensnan and the candidates for th
e election are merely the best of a rotten bunch. No wonder the media's obsessed with finding a celebrity for us to turn to in spite of the madness around us'.

  There is silence.